WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State football team knocked of a ranked opponent for the fourth consecutive season as the Warriors used a late defensive stand to earn a 10-9 victory over No. 23 Sioux Falls Saturday night.
Statistics
The Warrior defense was swarming all night, allowing Sioux Falls to gain 309 yards of offense after the Cougars entered the night recording 418 yards per game. USF had the football six times in the second half, with WSU forcing three punts, forcing a fumble and recording a turnover on downs. The Cougars rushed for 86 yards on the game.
Rayon Simmons paced the Warrior offensive attack, rushing for 191 yards on 30 carries. Simmons became the first player to record 100 yards on the ground against Sioux Falls since Oct. 23, 2010 against Dakota Wesleyan, a span of 20 games. The effort was Simmons fourth consecutive game of at least 175 rushing yards.
Both teams scored early, with Sioux Falls taking a 6-0 lead on a seven-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Perkins to Austin VanHove. The Warriors responded with a Jake Vercher 23-yard field goal on their next possession to pull within three, 6-3.
The score would remain 6-3 until the Warriors scored their lone touchdown of the day, a three-yard pass from John Teigland to Mike Houts with 4:47 to play in the third quarter. The touchdown gave WSU a 10-6 advantage.
After the Warrior offense gave the team a lead, the defense protected the advantage, forcing a fumble on USF’s next possession. Teigland threw an interception the next time the Warriors had the ball, but the Cougars went three-and-out before driving down the field to kick a 37-yard field goal with 5:30 to play.
Clinging to a one point advantage, WSU gave the ball back to Sioux Falls with 2:11 to play. The Warrior defense sacked Perkins and held on a fourth down play to preserve the victory.
Ryan Williams led the Warriors with ten tackles while intercepting a pass, one of three turnovers WSU took away. Ryan Gerts added nine tackles while Chris Norgaard intercepted a USF pass and Ian Murray recovered a fumble. The Warrior defense also sacked Perkins three times in the game.
Winona State gained 380 yards of total offense, with 207 of those yards coming through the running game. Teigland threw for 173 yards in the win, connecting with Sean Hertz a team-high four times.
Already the Warriors’ all-time leading rusher, Simmons’ 191 yards gave him 4,375 yards in his career. He also moved to within 93 yards of the NSIC’s career rushing record. The senior caught three passes for 26 yards on the night as well, giving him over 1,000 all-purpose yards for the fourth consecutive season.
The victory gives the Warriors a win over a ranked opponent for the fourth consecutive year. WSU is 4-4 against teams ranked in the AFCA Top-25 over the last three seasons.
WSU is 5-1 overall and 5-1 in NSIC play this season while remaining undefeated against NSIC South opponents. Winona State will take to the road next weekend, traveling to Wayne State. Kickoff is set for 1 pm.