DETROIT - The Wayne State Warriors (1-3) hosted their game with the Grand Valley State Lakers (4-0) Saturday night in the first of their two matchups this season. 

The Lakers went up 20-3 in the second quarter and never looked back, defeating WSU 48-9. 

WSU redshirt junior running back Kendall Williams led the team with eight targets and 65 receiving yards. He also had 159 kick return yards, including a 66 yard return in the first quarter that led to a field goal from redshirt sophomore kicker Griffin Milovanski. 

The Lakers outgained the Warriors 232-54 on the ground and ended with 489 total yards of offense. WSU’s 54 rushing yards marks their lowest total in a single game this season. 

WSU head coach Paul Winters said their offensive struggles started up front.

“From an offensive standpoint, there was too much pressure on the quarterback,” Winters said. “They did a great job of twisting and putting their guys in great position and we didn’t do a great job of protecting.” 

Redshirt junior outside linebacker Darien Tipps-Clemons, who was playing with a cast on one hand, tied with graduate outside linebacker Matt Buschman for a team-high seven tackles.

Despite having a depleted unit with their top three safety’s out from injury, WSU defensive backs were flying around all night. Freshman safety Chidiebere Anaele finished with four tackles, tied for second most on the team with redshirt junior cornerback Drake Reid. 

Winters said Anaele’s speed stood out on special teams. 

“Anaele was on our kickoff team and he was by far the fastest guy down the field, like 10 yards ahead of everybody else,” Winters said. “That’s how he plays, like his hair is on fire, and you can’t help but love the guy. He’s a freshman who was basically a linebacker (and) defensive end in high school, and now he plays safety and that’s a big transition. I would love to be able to redshirt him because he’s going to be one of the best players in the league.” 

WSU redshirt sophomore quarterback Josh Kulka played until the final whistle and finished with 306 passing yards. He also had a team-high 38 rushing yards, most of which came on a 33 yard touchdown run in the third quarter. 

Winters said Kulka sets an example for his teammates. 

“I think our players see how much effort he puts into it, and they know that he’s a warrior,” Winters said. “It’s really tough when you’ve got a talented young man and he’s under pressure the entire game. We’re not doing him any favors because we can’t run the football consistently at this point, but I think our team will rally behind him.” 

With under a minute left in the fourth quarter, Kulka threw an interception that got returned for a touchdown. When the Warriors got the ball back they drove down the field and came within one yard of the goal line as time expired. 

WSU’s nine points was its lowest total since they lost to Truman State 27-9 week two of last season. Kulka said his defense’s effort helped keep him going when things got tough throughout the game. 

“It gave me a little heart myself to see everyone still fighting after my big mistake,” Kulka said. “Everyone stayed up. Even when you make a mistake, when you turn around and got 10 other guys on the field that are still fighting and still believe in you, it means a lot.” 

Grand Valley running back Tariq Reid led all players with 140 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Jaylon Tillman had five catches for a game-high 99 yards, including a 50 yard touchdown in the third quarter. 

WSU gets a chance at redemption when they play GVSU on Nov. 5 in Allendale, MI. 

The Warriors play Northern Michigan at Tom Adams Field on homecoming night Oct. 1 — the game kicks off at 6 p.m..

Ronnie Martin is the sports editor for The South End. He can be reached at sportstse@gmail.com.

Cover photo provided by Jackson Meade, The South End's multimedia editor. He can be reached at multimediaeditortse@gmail.com.