ASHLAND, Ohio — Keishaun Sims was as elusive after the game as he was during it.
Pressed into duty after starter Vance Settlemire suffered a shoulder injury, Sims rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns as Ashland University rallied from a 12-point deficit for a 36-25 win over Wayne State on a rainy night at Jack Miller Stadium.
Like Wayne State’s defense, AU’s sports information department personnel had a hard time corralling Sims for the postgame press conference. He eventually made it to the interview room, an ear-to-ear grin on his face.
“He’s always smiling,” AU coach Lee Owens said as Sims took his place in front of the cameras.
“It sucks when your No. 1 running back goes down. … You have to be ready mentally and physically,” Sims said. “I felt like I was ready for it though.”
Early Struggles: The fifth-ranked Eagles, who didn’t commit a turnover in last week’s season-opening win over Mercyhurst, coughed the ball up three times in the first half Saturday. The Warriors scored both their first-quarter touchdowns after AU turnovers, building a 12-0 lead.
“It was a tough start,” Owens said. “We didn’t look real sharp in the pregame and we didn’t look real sharp early in the game.
“We had a couple turnovers and then your tailback gets hurt. Obviously its not the start you want.”
Flipping the Script: Trailing 12-6 at the half, the Eagles came to life in the third quarter. Wayne State’s Deiontae Nicholas fumbled the second-half kickoff and AU’s Dale Irby pounced on the loose ball at the Wayne State 29. Six plays later, Sims scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 1 yard run as AU took a 13-12 lead.
The Warriors went three-and-out and AU bumped its lead to 20-12 when quarterback Travis Tarnowski hooked up with All-America tight end Adam Shaheen on a 14-yard scoring strike.
Play of the Game: Wayne State cut AU’s lead to 20-18 on Demetrius Stinson’s 6 yard touchdown run with 6:26 to play in the third. The Warriors went for two, but quarterback Donovan Zezula’s pass was picked off in the end zone by Irby, who raced 106 yards for the two-point conversion and the Eagles led 22-18.
“I knew I was going to return it,” Irby said. “I just had to go full speed and make one guy miss.”
Sims scored his second touchdown with 3:56 remaining in the third before Tarnowski connected with Matt Wilcox for a 6 yard TD pass early in the fourth quarter for a 36-18 lead.
Wayne State’s Manny Mendoza hauled in a 9 yard TD pass from Zezula to make it 36-25, but Irby sealed it with an interception with 1:55 remaining.
“Dale had a couple big plays,” Owens said. “He’s such a talented player. He enjoys playing the game so much.”
Leaders: Tarnowski completed 20 of 32 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns. Shaheen had four catches for 96 yards and a TD, while Wilcox caught three passes for 108 yards and a score. Andrew Vaughn backed Sims with 100 yards on 19 carries.
Coverage of Ashland University Eagles athletics is produced in partnership with OhioHealth, the official sports medicine provider for Ashland University and dozens of high schools and universities throughout Ohio.
