Erin Cochran/Winonan

The Winona State Warriors brought down the previously undefeated University of Sioux Falls Cougars Saturday night at Verizon Wireless Stadium.

This is the fourth consecutive season the Warriors knocked out a ranked opponent. Winona State is now 4-4 against AFCA top-25 ranked teams in the past three seasons.

Both teams debuted strong on Saturday. The Cougars put the first points on the board with a seven-yard touchdown pass.

Jake Vercher completed a 23-yard field goal on the following possession to pull within three.

The first half tested both teams’ momentum and neither proved to give the opponent any more openings to score.

“They may have come in thinking they would beat us and continue their streak but they hadn’t played with the big dogs yet,” said Ryan Gerts. “Welcome to NSIC football.”

After the half, John Teigland connected with Mike Houts with 4:47 left to play giving the Warriors a 10-6 advantage.

Each play went back and forth as Winona State’s defense forced a fumble and Teigland threw an interception.

The Cougars never gave up their fight as they scored on a 37-yard field goal to come within one with 5:30 left in the game.

“Even when it came close and it looked as though they could come back we never gave up,” said Simmons. “Even if we’re down, we’re able to explode and come back.”

After the Cougars regained possession at 2:11, the Warrior defense got a sack to preserve their victory.

“This was a great college football game,” said Warriors head coach Tom Sawyer. “We locked horns and played our tails off. Our ‘D’ was inspired but even though ‘O’ line didn’t click right away due to too much excitement they figured it out like they always do.”

Ryan Williams controlled the night on defense recording ten tackles and intercepted one of three Winona State forced turnovers.

Gerts had nine tackles, Chris Norgaard had an interception and Ian Murray recovered a fumble.

As a whole, the defense got three sacks on the Cougar quarterback.

There were a handful of questionable calls against both sides during the night.

“We handled everything well and turned those negative plays into positives,” said Gerts. “With the fans at our back and the loyal toughing out the cold we were determined to bring home the win.”

“The calls go both ways; we had some not so good calls against us, and same for our opponent,” said Sawyer. “Overall, the officials don’t make the game, they can make a dent but you just have to move on and take each play as it comes.”

Rayon Simmons rushed for 191 yards on 30 carries.  He became the first in over 20 games to record 100 yards against Sioux Falls. This is the fourth consecutive game Simmons rushed 175 yards at least.

“Ray just has that little slide in traffic, he bounces off people and keeps on moving through the line,” said Coach Sawyer.

“Last week wasn’t his best performance and it was great to see him back in action, especially at home.”

Simmons is now at 4,375 yards for his career. He is 93 yards away from the NSIC’s career rushing record.

“We definitely had momentum tonight and we’ve been working on that all week,” said Simmons. “With each game our confidence grows. We have some swagger with us this year and this season is definitely different than years past because we’re way more of a family. We play for each other rather than anyone else and when you play for your teammates you come out on top.”

Teigland connected with Sean Hertz four times and threw 173 yards for the win.

“We knew that coming out against this undefeated team was going to be a challenge but came out hot and hungry,” said Simmons. “We have been mentally positive and felt that we have been a testament to adversity. It shows how strong this team is. When everyone does their job like we did today, we get that W and that’s exactly what happened. It feels good.”

Total, the Warriors offense gained 380 yards, 207 through the running game.

“This win is huge for our confidence but it’s not going to be easy against Wayne State,” said Sawyer. “They’re going to be hungry and we have to stay focused and not let this excitement get ahead of us.”

Winona State is now 5-1 overall in NSIC play. The team will travel to Wayne, NE to take on the Wildcats. Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m.

To get more inside scoop with head coach Tom Sawyer himself, join him every Thursday during the season at the Riverport Hotel at noon.

To get more information about Winona State football visit www.winonastatewarriors.com.

Contact Erin at [email protected].