 "Photo: Shawn Wright")
Quarterback carousel - part deux?
Though quarterback Mickey Berce came off the bench and played well in place of Kevin Smith, coach Paul Winters was mum on who will get the start Oct. 11 against Northern Michigan.
"He got banged up a bit," said Winters, referring to Berce. "I'm not sure how healthy he is right now. I've got a lot of time to think about this."
Whatever the decision is, Berce said he will be confident in it.
"I don't really question what coach Winters does," Berce said. "It's to help the team and that's all we are here to do - get a winning season and get moving."
Smith, on the other hand, said he feels confident he will be able to bounce back from his poor outing.
"Yeah, I know I will be able to rebound," Smith said. "I've got to put this one in the past and look forward to next week."
Moving on up
With his 25-carry, 142-yard day, Joique Bell moved into fourth place all-time in GLIAC rushing, surpassing WSU hall-of-famer Joe Gough with his 13-yard run to open the fourth quarter. Bell needs just 131 yards to pass Ferris State's Mo Harris for third place all-time.
More Bell
With his second-quarter touchdown pass to Brian Rilley, Bell has thrown for one touchdown in each of his first three seasons. The previous two were against Indianapolis in 2007 (68-yard touchdown pass to Travis Campbell) and in 2006 (40-yard touchdown pass to Jake Weingartz).
Injury bug
Daunte Akra left the game in the first half with an apparent leg injury and did not return. Berce suffered an arm injury, but it was not serious enough to remove him from the game. It has not been determined whether or not either of them will be ready to play against Northern Michigan.
By the numbers
566 Total yards gained by Ashland and the most given up by Wayne State in 2008
2 Interceptions thrown by WSU quarterback Kevin Smith
2 Completions thrown by Smith
1 Incomplete pass thrown by Eagles quarterback Billy Cundiff in the second half of Ashland's 41-14 victory - a dropped pass off the hands of receiver Johnny Long
41 Points allowed by the WSU defense
61 Length in yards of touchdown reception by Long, the longest play against Wayne State all season
Four Downs
Four impact plays of the game
- After Joique Bell rushed for a 5-yard gain, Wayne State was called for a personal foul, turning a manageable third-and-2 play to a very tough third-and-17.
- On a fourth-and-18 from the WSU 40-yard line, Billy Cundiff hit receiver Johnny Long across the middle for a 30-yard completion and an Ashland first down.
- Midway through the third quarter, Cundiff's pump-fake caused the entire WSU secondary to bite, leaving Long wide-open for a 61-yard touchdown reception.
- Ashland punter Derek Riedel booted three punts inside the WSU 20-yard line - all three led to touchdowns on Ashland's ensuing possessions.
Quotable
"Just catch the ball. This isn't rocket science. The ball is thrown there, you catch. It's that easy. Their guys caught it, our guys didn't. They won, we didn't. I'm not saying our receivers lost the game; like I said, it was a team effort."
- Coach Paul Winters, on the numerous dropped passes by Wayne State receivers.
"I just played horrible. That's all I can say. It was embarrassing. Two interceptions - it was embarrassing. I didn't help our defense out at all with the turnovers. I wasn't into it today. It was a horrible performance."
- Quarterback Kevin Smith, on his performance.
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