The Wayne State Wildcat football team will try to keep its playoff hopes alive as they travel to Sioux Falls, S.D. to take on the Sioux Falls Cougars on Saturday, Nov. 4. 

  WSC is 6-3 on the season and 5-3 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play, while Sioux Falls is 3-6 on the season and 3-5 in conference play. The Wildcats are coming off a close 14-12 home win over the Augustana Vikings while Sioux Falls fell 55-6 against the Pittsburg State Gorillas this weekend. The Wildcats currently sit ranked eighth in the Super Region Four rankings. The Division II Playoffs take the top seven ranked teams in each region, with the top seed getting a first round bye. 

WSC played USF last season on Saturday, Nov. 5 and the Wildcats won 31-24. Out of 10 games played between Wayne State and USF, the Wildcats only had one victory. 

“We have to continue to play well,” Head Coach Logan Masters said. “Last fall was the first time we have beating USF in I believe 10 games. So, we need to play well and do our job for 4 quarters.” 

WSC had fallen victim to the turnover bug. They have four intercpetions and seen six balls fall loose, yet the Wildcats have been able to recover all six of them.  

“We’ve got to be able to take care of the football, control the line of scrimmage and be able to run the ball and protect the quarterback in the pass game.” Offensive Coordinator Collin Prosser said. “We’ve got to find our spots to take our shots whether it be scheming it up in the run game or throwing the ball, but when our guys get the chance win their 1 on 1, we’ve got to be able to win those opportunities.” 

Prosser spoke on how he will prepare the offensive team for Wildcats upcoming match against USF. “We’ll find ways to put our guys in a position to succeed,” Prosser said. “Finding ways to get into certain offensive formations, and getting our guys in matchups we feel that they can win. We’ve got to do a good job of being able to control the line of scrimmage.”   

The Wildcats and Cougars will go head-to-head at Bob Young Field in Sioux Falls, S.D. The game is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. 

“We expect our guys to go out and play hard and execute. We need to focus on us and doing our job,” Masters said. “We will prepare like we have for our first nine matchups. Need to have a good week of practice and keep getting better as a football team.”