With two fumbles and one interception, the Wayne State Wildcats dropped a hard-fought game against the Bemidji State Beavers 38-28 on Saturday, September 11.
Wayne State looked to start their season 2-0 for the first time since 2012. With over 3,800 people in attendance in Bemidji, both teams came out with no points on their first two drives of the game. The Beavers were first on the scoreboard after an eight-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Brandon Alt to freshman wide receiver Brice Peters with 7:55 left in the first quarter. The Wildcats answered with a 74-yard drive after a fantastic run by freshman running back Jacob Keiser for 37 yards, only a minute and a half later. The Beavers were able to put together their first of long drives, going 92 yards, before punching it in the end zone with another Alt to Peters pass to put the Beavers up 14-7 in the second quarter.
Once again, the Wildcats came back and scored on a 15 play, 75-yard drive which ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Tavian Willis to Keiser for his second score of the game to tie it at 14. The Wildcats got the ball late in the 2nd quarter and threw an interception which gave the Beavers an opportunity to score before the half was finished. 75 yards later, the Beavers took the lead 21-14 after another touchdown throw by Alt with nine seconds left in the half.
Wayne State’s offense fumbled on their first two possessions, both recovered by the Beavers, which resulted in 14 points for them making it a 35-14 game. The momentum shifted in favor of the Beavers and remained with them for the rest of the game. The Wildcats were able to recover thanks to quarterback Tavian Willis throwing two touchdown passes in the second half, both caught by wide receiver Trystn Ducker. After a field goal made by the Beavers’ senior kicker Mason Hoffer, the game finished out 38-28.
The Bemidji State Beavers drove down the field on the Wildcat defense, who finished the day with 565 total yards. The Wildcats moved the ball downfield, gaining 422 yards, but three turnovers changed the momentum of the game. The Beavers capitalized on the Wildcats’ turnovers, putting up 21 points off those turnovers.
Quarterback Tavian Willis threw for 203 yards and four touchdowns in four quarters of play. Freshman running back Jacob Keiser had a great day both running and receiving the ball who finished with 77 yards rushing and one touchdown and a receiving touchdown.
The Wildcats host the Minot State Beavers on Saturday, September 18th at 6 p.m.