DETROIT — Wayne State opted not to try a potential game-tying field goal.

And Slippery Rock University sealed the win.

Linebacker Isaiah Manning tackled Warrior running back Avery Hall for a 2-yard loss on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line, setting up a fourth-down decision in the waning seconds of the football season opener Thursday night at Tom Adams Field.

Quarterback Kevin Amrhein rolled out on fourth down and was swarmed under for a 2-yard loss with 18 seconds left as The Rock held on for a 24-21 victory.

“Sure, they’re gonna be second-guessed now, but at the time, I thought it was a good decision to go for it,” SRU coach Shawn Lutz said of the Warriors foregoing the field goal. “You’re at home, you’re an underdog on paper, go for the win.

“That’s a darn good team, and this was a great game. Our defense was resilient. They got this one for us.”

Wayne State had missed field goal attempts of 22 and 43 yards earlier in the game.

SRU took a 24-21 lead in the third quarter when quarterback Andrew Koester rambled 26 yards for a touchdown. The Rock’s other touchdowns were on a 40-yard Koester pass to Henry Litwin and a 2-yard plunge by running back Tim Smith.

Litwin’s TD catch was one-handed.

“You’re probably going to see that one on ESPN,” Lutz said.

DJ Opsatnik booted a 25-yard field goal for The Rock.

The teams traded punts in the fourth quarter, The Rock having its final punt blocked and covered by Wayne State at SRU’s 38-yard line with a minute remaining.

The Warriors drove inside the 5-yard line and appeared primed to pull off an upset over the fifth-ranked Rock. But they took 2-yard losses on third and fourth down and SRU was able to run out the clock.

Koester completed 24 of 38 passes for 316 yards on the night. Litwin caught nine passes for 151 yards and the touchdown while Jermaine Wynn Jr. had six catches for 65 yards.

“Andrew hasn’t played much football in a while,” Lutz said. “He struggled somewhat, but he’ll get better. We’ll take this win, but as a team, we have a lot of work to do.”

The Rock struggled to run the ball as Smith had 30 yards on 13 carries. Koester rushed for 58 yards.

Wayne State quarterback Jake Amrhein completed only nine of 20 passes for 57 yards, but did have a TD pass to Myren Harris. Hall scored on runs of 2 and 33 yards for the Warriors.

Hall had 19 carries for 85 yards, Harris 12 for 84.

The Rock had 404 total yards to Wayne State’s 300.

SRU won its 12th consecutive season opener and 21st straight night game. The Rock opens its home schedule Sept. 11 against East Stroudsburg at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.