Western Wayne Today

The Wayne State University football team lost its final home game of the 2025 season, falling 59-13 to No. 25-ranked Grand Valley State University on Saturday at Tom Adams Field in Detroit. With this defeat, Wayne State's record dropped to 0-9 overall and 0-5 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), while Grand Valley State improved to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in conference play.

Wayne State opened the scoring with a six-minute drive that ended with a 26-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Griffin Nowak. Quarterback Justin Cox, making his third career start, contributed an important completion on third down during the opening series. The Warriors advanced into the red zone after two penalties against Grand Valley State.

Grand Valley State responded with a field goal of its own, tying the score at 3-3. In the second quarter, Wayne State regained the lead with another field goal from Nowak after a lengthy drive aided by penalties against Grand Valley State and key plays from Cox and freshman receiver Drew Hickmott.

However, Grand Valley State took control late in the first half. Derrick Woods scored on a one-yard run following a quick six-play drive. After a Wayne State fumble gave Grand Valley possession deep in Warrior territory, Syone Usma-Harper added another touchdown for the Lakers. At halftime, Grand Valley led 17-6 and held an advantage of nearly double Wayne State’s total offensive yards.

In the third quarter, turnovers proved costly for Wayne State as Grand Valley extended its lead quickly through rushing touchdowns by Paschal Jolman and Kenneth Jones, as well as a recovered fumble in the end zone by Anthony Scott. The Lakers also capitalized on an interception returned for a touchdown by Jason Hardy.

Grand Valley continued to dominate in the fourth quarter with additional rushing scores from Zak Olejniczak and Kellen Russell-Dixon. For Wayne State, redshirt freshman Mickey Keller recorded an 80-yard touchdown run late in the game.

Statistically, Grand Valley outgained Wayne State with 440 total yards to WSU’s 221. The Lakers led both in rushing (165 yards) and passing (275 yards). For Wayne State, Keller rushed for a game-high 80 yards; Cox threw for 88 yards but was intercepted once; Tuggle led all receivers with five catches for 62 yards; five defensive players each made five tackles.

Before kickoff, seniors Clifton Buchanan Jr., Angel Carrillo, Elijah Fowlkes, Ethan Gates, Chris Gillam, Colby Horn, Devon Isaac, Jayden Lewin, Brayden McKenna, Nick Ostas, Quincy Salter, Josh Sekiyoba, Justyz Tuggle, Martell Williams and manager CJ Turner were recognized during pre-game ceremonies.

Wayne State will close out its season with road games at Roosevelt University on November 8 and Northern Michigan University on November 15.