Posts Tagged ‘Kevin Smith’

In a season where the expectations were high so high at the start, the ending somewhat lived up to its advertised billing.  Youngstown State rallied from an 11 point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat North Dakota State, 39-35, at the Fargodome.

Youngstown State scored first as Marc Kanetsky, who started the game at quarterback for Brandon Summers due to shoulder soreness, connected with Donald Jones from five yards away staking the Penguins to a 7-0 lead at the 10:59 mark of the opening quarter. 

Pat Paschall, the leading rusher in the Missouri Valley Football Conference coming into the game, tied things up when he went over from one yard out.  Paschall will be an NFL back next year and finished the day with 140 yards on 27 carries.  Hard to believe, but the 140 was below his season average of 150+ per game.  The touchdown came at the 12:33 mark of the second quarter and John Obarski’s extra-point attempt was good for the Bison, 7-7 at the dome.

On their next drive, Youngstown State reclaimed the lead when Summers found Dominique Barnes for a 6-yard touchdown.  Stephen Blose split the uprights for the extra-point with 7:14 left in the first half to give the Penguins a 14-7 lead.

Paschall scored from a yard out for the second time in the game with just under five minutes remaining in the opening half to again knot the contest at 14. 

Youngstown State finally got a big play on special teams as Lenny Wicks returned a blocked field goal attempt 79 yards for a touchdown with just over a minute left in the half.  The Penguins, however, would yield a game-tying touchdown when Bison QB Jose Mohler found Warren Holloway for a 21-yard scoring connection.  At the half, this one was all tied up at 21 apiece.

The Bison struck first in the second half at the 6:08 mark of the third quarter.  Matt Veldman hauled in a 27-yard toss from Mohler.  With the PAT successful, the Penguins were on the wrong end of a 28-21 score.

The Penguins managed to get three points in the opening minute of the fourth quarter as a red-hot Stephen Blose nailed a 28-yard field goal to cut the lead to 28-24.

Paschall would give the Bison a seemingly comfortable cushion as he scored his third touchdown on the afternoon, this one a three yarder.  With just under eight minutes, Youngstown State began their unforgettable march to vicory.

The three amigos, Aaron Pitts (#83, left), Dominique Barnes (#29, middle), and Donald Jones (#81, right) have been awesome all year.  Summers has found these three receivers and the offense seemed to be at its best when the ball was headed their way. 

On this particular Saturday, the trio would show their value as they (along with Summers) spearheaded an amazing comeback.  With 5:13 left in the game, Pitts would be the first to step up as he caught a fourth down, four-yard touchdown pass from Summers.  The touchdown made the score 35-30 in favor of North Dakota State.  YSU lined up for the two-point conversion, which was a success when Summers hit another essential cog in the machine, Kevin Smith, for a two-point completion making the score 35-32.

The YSU defense was on fire as they forced the Bison to run three plays and punt.  YSU then started a fantastic drive to really exclamate what could have been.  Summers had several tosses to Jones to move the ball at a rapid rate on both of the last two scoring drives.  Barnes then got to relish in the glory when Summers found him for the go-ahead points with just 22 seconds left in a wild finish.  Blose kicked the extra point to give YSU a four point lead.

North Dakota State had a shot at the end zone on the last play of the game , but YSU’s Scott Sentner picked off the Bison scoring effort to end the game.

Youngstown State was paced by Kevin Smith who had 101 yards on the ground.  Summers finished the game with 259 yards and three touchdowns.  Jones caught 10 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown.

North Dakota State got 238 passing yards out of Mohler along with a couple of touchdowns, as well as a pair of interceptions.  Paschall finished with 140 rushing yards and a 5.2 average on 27 carries.  Holloway caught three Mohler passes for 88 yards and a TD.

Youngstown State (6-5, 4-4) completed the season in unbelievable fashion.  North Dakota State (3-8, 2-6) Coach Craig Bohl will surely want to put this season behind him.  It must be noted that Youngstown State took several more chances and opened up the playbook in the last couple of weeks.  The result of those two games were 63 offensive points (the six by Lenny Wicks on the blocked FG don’t count).  

Congratulations Senior Penguins!  I salute you for not throwing in the towel and exhibiting class under the worst of times.  No fingerpointing, no excuses, and no bickering really made this bunch special to cover all season.  The positions you are leaving will be tough to fill in the future.  All twelve of you are competitive winners, you had the respect of the players under you, the coaching staff, and at least one sports journalist.  Good luck with your futures and thanks for the good memories this season!

Even though this game can not aid either team to win a conference championship or vault into the playoffs, it somehow holds meaning.  Youngstown State University (5-5, 3-4) heads to Fargo, North Dakota in hopes of ending the season with a winning record.  The Penguins will have no easy task facing the North Dakota State Bison (3-7, 2-5).

This only marks the fourth time these two teams will square off.  The last time YSU played at NDSU was in 1972 when Ron Jaworski was the Penguins QB.  Last season Youngstown State took a 32-24 victory over the Bison.  North Dakota State was ranked #2 before dropping last year’s contest at Stambaugh Stadium.

The game is also significant because it marks the final chance for twelve special players wearing a Penguin uniform to leave one last impression.  The seniors want to win badly to recoup some sense of salvation to a season which started with so much promise and hope and finish with a winning record.

Coach Heacock stressed that this game will be prepared for just like any other.  “We rebounded in this last one.  We are 5-5 and have an opportunity to get our sixth win.  We will just keep grinding.”

On North Dakota State, Heacock stated stopping the run, in particular Pat Paschall, is paramount to this weeks success.  “They have a running back [Paschall] who is real good and they like to line up and run the football.  They do a nice job setting up play-action off of their runs.  Their tailback is something, he can take it the distance at any time.  I would guess that he is a pro prospect.  We have to match-up and try to stop them.” Paschall has 1,257 yards in 9 games and is averaging 7 yards per carry.  His 139.7 yards per game average is the best in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Penguin kicker Stephen Blose is coming off of his best week of the season with three field goals in the 30-18 win over Illinois State last week.  Blose commented on the mood of the team.  “The team is positive and it feels great coming off of a win.  We get down on ourselves after a loss, but we always had to prepare.  After a win, this week is no different.  We need to take advantage of opportunities when we get them.”

The Penguins and Bison kickoff at 2 p.m.  Tune in to AM-570 with Bob Hannon and Dick Hartzell at 1:30 as they preview the game and provide the call on all of the action.  The weather does not matter this week as the game will be played indoors at the Fargodome.

Penguin Facts

• WR Dominique Barnes has caught a pass in 22 straight games.  Donald Jones has a reception in 20 consecutive games.
• LB Draye Ersery made 11 tackles against Illinois State.  In the 17 games prior to that one, he had a total of 10.
• The last time YSU had two players rush for 100 yards in a game was aginst North Dakota State last season.  Kamryn Keys had 146 yards, and Jabari Scott added 120.
• North Dakota State MLB Preston Evans leads the Bison in tackles with 88, 43 of which are unassisted.

On Senior Day, the weather and general atmosphere on the sidelines was warm. It was nice to see the Senior Penguins with their parents before kickoff as they were recognized for their outstanding efforts as Youngstown State athletes.  Coach Heacock stressed all week that it was about this Senior class to succeed in this game, to find ways to involve them into the gameplan in a positive fashion.  They all seemed to contribute.  Pictured are two of the Seniors, Aaron Pitts (left) and Mychal Savage (right).

In what looked to be an even match on paper, Youngstown State and Illinois State were not playing for a championship or a postseason berth, but rather for pride.  The Penguins dug into the cupboard of forgotten plays and tried some new wrinkles on offense. Some of the results were good, others needed to stay in the cupboard. The result was a 30-18 Youngstown State victory.

Youngstown State took their opening possession on their own 14-yard line. The Penguins marched 45 yards in 12 plays to allow Stephen Blose a 45-yard FG attempt. Blose was successful on the attempt, and at the 4:37 mark, YSU held a 3-0 lead.

Coach Heacock rolled the dice and tried an onside kick that the Penguins recovered and the Penguin offense went back to work. Brandon Summers hooked up with Donald Jones for a 30-yard completion, but the Penguin drive stalled and Senior Ben Nowicki buried the Redbirds on their own 5.

The first quarter would come to an end with Youngstown State ahead 3-0 and driving. The Penguins stalled around the Illinois State 19 and were forced to take another Blose field goal to increase their lead to 6-0.

YSU tried a second consecutive onside kick that the Redbirds recovered. The Illinois State offense cashed in on the good field position as Zach Kutch connected from 41 yards out to cut the Penguin lead to 6-3 with 11:11 remaining in the first half.

A scenario the Penguins have become accustomed to this year came back to haunt them. The Redbirds Bert Whigham came up the middle almost untouched and blocked Nowicki’s punt. The ball rolled right into the end zone but the converging Redbirds were unable to come up with the recovery for a touchdown and YSU was lucky to give up a two-point safety. Weird score as YSU still lead 6-5.

The free kick following the safety further exposed the kryptonic special teams play of Youngstown State as Illinois State’s Ben Erickson returned the kick all the way to the YSU 40. Four plays later, with 8:03 left in the half, Cliffton Gordon scampered four yards to paydirt and just like that YSU was behind 12-6.

Southern Illinois caught the onside kick fever and tried their own, unsuccessfully. When the YSU drive appeared to stall and Blose kicked a field goal of 22 yards, a penalty of roughing the snapper set the Penguins up on the three. On the next play Kevin Smith got into the end zone for a 3-yard score and Blose knocked in the extra point to give YSU the lead back at 13-12.

Zach Kutch connected on a career-long 49-yard field goal to give the Redbirds a 15-13 lead with just over a minute left in the first half.

Blose tried to give YSU the lead back on a 42-yard attempt to end the opening half. The kick was blocked and the special teams hamster race continued. Halftime at the Ice Castle, Redbirds 15, Penguins 13.

Youngstown State finally got a big play. Dominique Barnes hauled in a 55-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Summers. Youngstown State held a 20-15 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The Redbirds effective kicker, Zach Kutch was again clutch, this time from 42 yards. The field goal shaved the Youngstown State lead to two points as they clung to a 20-18 lead.

Not to be outdone, Stephen Blose connected from 37 yards away to vault YSU to a 23-18 lead. For Blose, his third field goal capped his most productive day on the season.

At the 9:32 mark of the fourth quarter, Donald Jones caught a Brandon Summers pass from 8 yards away. YSU moved the ball 56 yards in 2:35 in increasing their lead to 30-18. Summers was 2-2 on the drive for 25 yards and a 3-yard run.

The Redbirds had a little left in the tank, but YSU was able to keep them out of scoring range and kept the score where it was to seal the victory.  Final score, YSU 30, Illinois State 18.  With the win, the Penguins improved to 5-5 and 3-4 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.  Illinois State fell to 5-5 and 4-3 in the conference.

YSU was paced by Brandon Summers who finished the game one yard short of a career-high with 346 passing yards on 25-38 passing.  Kevin Smith (pictured) had his third one hundred yard game of the season and finished with 136 all-purpose yards.  The deadly duo on the sides clicked again as Donald Jones caught 7 balls for 105 yards and Dominique Barnes hauled in 8 for 122 with each scoring a touchdown.  Aaron Pitts chipped in with 68 receiving yards on three catches.

The Redbirds Freshman Quarterback, Matt Brown, finished the game 32-49 for 328 yards.  Cliffton Gordon carried 18 times for 58 yards, and TE Cody White had a career-high day with 6 receptions and 76 yards.

After the game, Coach Heacock again praised this Senior class.  “It was a special day for them.  We had a nice breakfast with the parents and loved ones this morning.  They came out and played hard and it was great to see so many of them play their hearts out.  Of all the Senior plays today, none was bigger then Ben Nowicki preventing Illinois State from scoring a touchdown on the blocked punt.”

This week is a special week for 12 individuals who will be playing in their final home game ever at YSU.  Saturday’s game pits Youngstown State University (4-5, 2-4) against Illinois State University (5-4, 4-2) in the home finale for the Penguins.  It also marks Senior Day, a celebration of the hard work put in by the leaders.  Parents and friends will come out to see YSU Seniors give it one last go at The Ice Castle.

The twelve YSU Seniors are a pretty unique group.  Not once this entire season have I heard a Senior on this team make excuses or point fingers of blame toward underclassmen, coaches, or each other.   They have won and lost as they should, a unified team.   I can see why these twelve are so special and respected by those learning from them.  Paneech.com congratulates this very unique and tight-knit group of young men for striving to be leaders on and off the field.

The 12 Seniors:

• Kevin Smith, Brandon Summers, Draye Ersery, Dana Brown, Lenny Wicks, Jabari Scott, Ben Nowicki, Brian Mellott, Donald Jones, Aaron Pitts, Crispin Fernandez, and Mychal Savage. Congratulations Seniors! Not for the wins and losses, but for never quitting, playing hard, and most importantly setting an example for the future.

So Saturday marks the end for some.  Illinois State is no free lunch either.  The Redbirds have continued to improve all year and run a wide open offense that YSU has not been used to seeing much of this season.  Coach Heacock was complimentary of the Redbirds saying, “They have alot of things in the arsenal.  They play with alot of emotion and seem to just get better every week.  We have to play a great game to win this week.”

Heacock seems to genuinely like this group of Seniors.  “There is no more important of a week than Senior Week.  It’s all about these 12 seniors this week.  There is nothing like it, and it is a game they will never forget being a part of, their last game at home.  We, as coaches, want to find ways to get them all on the field.  We used to start all of the Seniors, some out of position, but we had more than 24 a few years back, so that tradition doesn’t exist anymore.”

To hear Senior Brian Mellott talk about Heacock proved that the respect is mutual.  “Coach Heacock is here 18 hours a day battling for his life right now.  He handles things with class and dignity.  I’m not badmouthing anyone, but when some guys got here, the transformation they underwent as people under Coach Heacock was very obvious.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the early forecast is calling for cloudy skies with a high of 58 degrees.  The game will also be televised on tape-delay on MyYTV with Chad Krispinsky and Chris Burch.

Penguin Notes

• Last year, Illinois State won a wild one, 54-44, at Hancock Stadium.
• The series is tied 9-9 and is seperated only by one point (446-445) in favor of the Redbirds.
• Illinois State Coach Brock Spack makes his initial appearance against Youngstown State.
• The last time YSU had a 60+ yards passing touchdown was last season against Illinois State when Brandon Summers hit Donald Jones for a score.  It was also the last time YSU went over the 500-yard mark for a game.

Special teams errors and a Freshman QB proved to be the difference in Southern Illinois 27-8 victory over Youngstown State University (4-3, 2-2).  The Penguins outworked the Salukis (6-1, 5-0)  in the first half yet found themselves in a 14-point hole at the break.  A couple of bad snaps on special teams and one bad play on defense worked into a 17-point swing in favor of Southern and YSU could never get back into the game. 

Youngstown State came out fired up and stuffed the Salukis high-powered offense in three plays.  The Penguins then took possession on their own 20 following a punt and moved the ball all the way to the Southern Illinois 25-yard line before failing to convert on third and fourth down and less than a yard to go.

Southern Illinois took over at their own 25 and drove to the YSU 33.  Chris Dieker was sacked by Andre Elliott setting up a 3rd-and-11 and the Salukis got called for a penalty on the next play.  The third down play was unsuccessful and YSU forced a punt which Saluki Punter Scott Ravanesi rolled to the 6-yard line.  After picking up a first down on a Brandon Summers to Donald Jones passing play, the Penguins had the ball out past the 20-yard line where the first quarter would come to a close locked in a scoreless tie.

Southern Illinois blocked a YSU punt after a high snap and pounced on the loose ball at the YSU 2.  On a second-and-goal from inside the one, Saluki FB Jon Goode powered his way into the end zone to put Southern Illinois in front 7-0.  Starting QB Chris Dieker did not come out for the drive as Southern Illinois sent true freshman Paul McIntosh out.  It was later learned that Dieker had a broken collarbone and is out indefinitely.

After a Penguin punt and a penalty, Southern Illinois took the ball on their own 10-yard line.  On a third-and-six yards to go from their own 14, the Salukis struck big.  McIntosh found Joe Allaria for an 86-yard touchdown, and just when it seemed the momentum was swinging the Penguins way, they found themselves down 14-0.  McIntosh filled in brilliantly for the injured Dieker and finished the game with 133 passing yards and 12 rushes for 81 yards.

The Penguins then got a good kickoff return from Dominique Barnes out to their own 44, but a penalty brought the ball back to the 11-yard line.  Behind six Summers completions and the emergence of Freshman Jermaine Cook’s running, the Penguins moved the ball all the way to the Southern Illinois 12-yard line.  The offense went numb in the red zone again.  Stephen Blose came out to attempt a 25-yard field goal, but the snap was poor and the kick never had a chance.  At the half, it was all YSU (at least it seemed that way), yet they trailed 14-0.

Southern Illinois scored again in the third quarter on a 3-yard run by Deji Karim.  The Salukis started the drive at the YSU 45 after a poor punt by Ben Nowicki.  The TD by Karim, the weapon Coach Heacock said the Penguins needed to neutralize most, was one of his few shining moments in the game as the YSU defense did well containing him all day.

Southern kicker Kyle Dougherty added a pair of field goals  of 44 and 45 yards to complete the Southern Illinois scoring.

YSU got on the board when Summers found Senior Aaron Pitts for a 56-yard hookup.  Pitts had a tremendous game for the Penguins finishing with 7 catches for 102 yards.  The TD made the score 24-8 with a successful two-point conversion.  Donald Jones again tied the school record with 11 catches in a game, the second time he has done so this season.  Jones finished the contest with 11 grabs for 96 yards.

Brandon Summers (pictured) finished the game with 45 passing attempts, a career-high.  He completed 30 of those attempts for 296 yards.  He also finished the game with a touchdown and two fourth-quarter interceptions.  Unfortunately, Summers was also sacked 4 times and finished the game with -41 yards rushing.

The Penguins need to win their final four games to have any shot at all at the postseason.  The task will not be easy as they host South Dakota State (6-1, 5-0), a 24-14 winner at Northern Iowa,  next weekend.  The Penguins then head to the evil dome that is home to Northern Iowa to face another great team.  I’m sure that Coach Heacock will tune up the special teams problems that hurt YSU in the loss to Southern Illinois knowing that you cannot give good teams like this extra reasons to win football games.

Youngstown State University will remain in a must-win position for the rest of the regular season.  This week, the Penguins have a tough task in traveling to Carbondale, Ill. to face the Salukis of Southern Illinois.  The Salukis started the year with a nailbiter loss at Marshall (31-28) but have been perfect since in compiling a 5-1 record.  Last week Southern Illinois got a huge road win against then #2 ranked Northern Iowa.  After that win the Salukis have climbed to #3 in the polls.

Youngstown State Coach Jon Heacock knows that Southern Illinois is a tall order.  “They have a very good and tough team of veterans.  They play very disciplined football and don’t beat themselves.  They do a great job of protecting the ball.  Deji Karim is the best running back we will see all year, and that includes Dion Lewis of Pitt.”

Deji Karim is averaging almost 160 yards per game on the ground for a fantastic run offense powered by a mostly senior offensive line.  One of the strengths of the Saluki offense that Heacock pointed out was that if a team chooses to stuff the box and try to take away the run, that QB Chris Dieker will step up and beat you.

The Southern Illinois Defense is led by Sr. All-American LB Brandin Jordan.  Despite missing a game this season, Jordan still leads the Salukis in tackles with 39 in just five games.  Korey Lindsey (Jr., CB) and Mike McElroy (Jr., FS) have combined for 9 interceptions in six games.  The Salukis have 13 starters that are Seniors.  Youngstown State only has 12 Seniors on the team.

For YSU, the bye week yielded an extra seven days of preparation, as well as, a chance for the team to heal up those small, nagging injuries.  To look at the season so far with a 4-2 overall record is nice on paper until you look at who the next three games are against.  This week @ Southern Illinois.  Next week – Home against South Dakota State, and November 7 @ Northern Iowa.  You could go from being 4-2 to being 4-5 if you play poorly.  The Youngstown State team I saw in the first half of the Western Illinois game last week would beat any of the above three mentioned future-games.  However, the team I saw in the second half would struggle to win against anybody.  If Coach Heacock has indeed de-emphasized the things that did not work this season and enhanced the things that did work, YSU should be a dangerous team the rest of this season.

YSU CB Brandian Ross said at Monday’s weekly press conference that there is no extra pressure on YSU to win.  “We can’t afford to lose, we don’t want to lose.  If you are a true competitor it doesn’t get any better than this.  You want to play the best of the best every week and thats what we are getting ready to do.  We don’t look at it as pressure to win.  We want to play football.”

Brian Mellott, a Penguins Senior offensive lineman, wants to use last years 33-0 beating at the hands of the Salukis as motivation.  “Last year they came in here and beat us.  It was embarrassing, not only for the football team and university, but also for the whole town.  We are in a great position with our last five games against five great teams.  We will find out alot about Youngstown State Football 2009.”

For Youngstown State to be successful, they are going to have to turn in a great performance against the most complete team they have faced since Pitt.  Brandon Summers has to have a sound game and not try to force passes against a defense that knows how to keep momentum for halves, not drives.  Kevin Smith and the young offensive line need to move the ball to assist the potency of a strong passing game.  The entire defense must line up ready to carry out assignments and responsibilities.  The easy ones, at least in my eyes, are done.  These last five games are going to all be challenges starting at the top of the mountain with Southern Illinois.

Kickoff is set for Saturday at 4:00 EST at McAndrew Stadium.  The weather forecast is calling for perfect Autumn conditions of partly cloudy and 50 degrees.  The game can be heard on AM-570 with Bob Hannon, Dick Hartzell and Dave Sess starting their coverage at 3:30.

Penguin Notes

• YSU holds a 10-9-1 series advantage over Southern Illinois.
• This is YSU’s final visit to McAndrew Stadium as the new Southern Illinois facilities are set to open for the 2010 season.
• Since 1975, YSU is has a 24-3 record after a bye week.
• Saturdays game at Carbondale will be Coach Heacock’s 100th as YSU Head Coach.

On a perfect Fall evening, a football game involving two teams in a must-win situation took place in Youngstown.  Youngstown State scored 31 first half points and Western Illinois didn’t score any.  However, Western Illinois scored 21 second half points, and YSU failed to score a point.  Combine the two very different halves and the result is a 31-21 YSU victory. 

Youngstown State wasted little time getting on the scoreboard.  Western Illinois booted the opening kickoff out-of-bounds giving YSU the ball on their own 40.  Brandon Summers and the offense efficiently marched 60 yards in 10 plays.  Kevin Smith capped the opening scoring drive with a 1-yard TD to give YSU a 7-0 lead.  This marked the first time all year that YSU scored on their opening possession. 

After stuffing the Leathernecks, the Penguins took over on their own 30 and marched 70 yards in 10 plays and Summers found Donald Jones for a 4-yard touchdown to increase the Penguin lead to 14-0 with 1:03 left in the first quarter.  Kevin Smith had a key 26-yard run on the drive.

Western Illinois went 3-and-out.  On the last play of the first quarter, Lenny Wicks returned a Leatherneck punt 25 yards to the WIU 38.  At the end of one, it was all YSU, 14-0.

YSU covered 38 yards in 5 plays to increase the lead to 21-0.  It was the Dana Brown show on this particular drive as Brown carried the ball on every  play with the last being a one yard rushing touchdown at 12:33 of the second quarter.

In a continual display of dominance, YSU’s Na’eem Outler sacked WIU quarterback Wil Lunt and Sir Demarco Bledsoe pounced on the ball.  On the very first offensive play, Summers went to the end zone for Donald Jones who made a remarkable effort but was interfered with giving YSU first-and-goal on the Leatherneck 8-yard line.  Two plays later, Summers hooked up with Dominique Barnes for the eight yard score pushing the margin to 28-0 with 10:30 left in the first half.

Stephen Blose connected on a 27-yard field goal with 1:52 left in the half.  The Penguin drive was 54 yards in 9 plays.  It almost seemed as though the Penguins were concentrating more on chewing clock and getting Jabari Scott some carries.  To this point, everything had clicked on offense, all three running backs had some yards, and Summers was 9 for 9 passing.

On the ensuing kickoff, YSU’s Brandian Ross recovered a fumble to give the Penguins the ball on WIU’s 37-yard line.  The Penguins were unable to convert the turnover into any points however, about the only bad series they ran in the first half.  Western Illinois seemed content to just run the clock out and try to get to the locker for a halftime regrouping session.  At the half, this one was all YSU as the Penguins dominated the Leathernecks in every possible statistic for a 31-0 lead at the break.

Western Illionois came out a better team in the second half.  The Leathernecks scored on a 30-yard strike from Lunt to Justin Rideau.  The scoring drive was 9 plays for 77 yards and cut the YSU lead to 31-7 with 10:23 left in the third quarter.

Brandon Summers was intercepted by Stephen Moore and a personal foul gave the ball to WIU at the YSU 38.  On a third-and-22, YSU got flagged for a roughing the passer penalty giving Western Illinois the ball on the YSU 12.  On the very next play, Dre Gibbs coughed up the ball by the YSU goal line and Lenny Wicks recovered for the Penguins to help swing the momentum back to the side it was on the entire first half.

At the end of the third quarter, YSU maintained their 31-7 lead with a strong running attack that chewed the last six minutes of the quarter up.  With the start of the fourth quarter, YSU had the ball on their own 48.  The first play of the fourth quarter, however, proved costly as Summers was chased down from behind and the ball came loose.  Brandon Kreczmer recovered the ball for the Leathernecks at YSU’s 34.

With 12:25 left in the game, Western Illinois got an 11-yard scamper from Gibbs to successfully convert the turnover into points and further cut into the dwindling YSU lead, now 31-14.

The Leathernecks continued marching back as Lito Senatus caught a bullet from Lunt for 12 yards and a touchdown with 7:54 remaining in the game.  The lead was down to 31-21 and Western Illinois was playing as good as YSU did in the first half.  Conversely, YSU was playing as poorly as Western did in the first half. 

After another three-and-out, YSU punted the ball away.  Western Illinois started their next drive on their own 29.  Andre Elliott blitzed and absolutely smashed Lunt as he was releasing a pass which wobbled about half of its intended ditance where David Rach was waiting to intercept the ball back for the Penguins. 

YSU successfully chewed up the rest of the fourth quarter on the shoulders of Senior TB Kevin Smith (pictured) and held off a fierce Leatherneck comeback to preserve what seemed like a blowout but ended up somewhat of a nailbiter.

For YSU, Kevin Smith finished with 113 yards on 28 carries and a TD.  Donald Jones caught 8 passes for 94 yards and one TD.  Brandon Summers finished 12-18 for 134 yards, an interception, and two TD’s.  Stephen Blose had a good day as he kicked four extra points and was 1/1 on field goals.

Western Illinois was headed by Dre Gibbs who finished the game with 162 all-purpose yards (155 rushing, 7 receiving).  QB Wil Lunt was 9-19 for 109 yards, one interception, and two TD’s.  Justin Rideau caught 5 Lunt passes for 79 yards and 2 TD’s.  The statistic that buried the Leathernecks was penalty yards.  WIU accumulated 11 penalties for 108 yards compared to YSU having only five penalties.

After the game, Coach Jon Heacock praised the effort of his opponent.  “I don’t care what the records are.  You better show up and play every minute of every game on Saturday.  Give them [Western Illinois] credit for fighting until the end and playing hard.  We have some time [with the bye week] to pick out the things we can’t do and the things that we can do and become more consistent.”

Senior TB Kevin Smith, who has a couple of fumbles this season commented on grinding out the last four minutes of the game.  “It felt good.  I had a couple of drops and it felt good that the coaches had the confidence in me to give me the ball and run down the clock.”

Lenny Wicks talked about whether or not he was ready for the bye week.  “Yes, we have some time to rest and get alot of practice in to get ready for Southern Illinois because that’s a big game.”

YSU travels to Southern Illinois for an October 24th game.  With the extra week of preparation, Coach Heacock will have the team ready for that big game. 

About the only cooperative factor in Saturdays Youngstown State football game was the weather.  The Penguins (3-2, 1-1) shot themselves in the foot several times and ultimately lost, 17-7, to Missouri State (3-2, 1-1).  Missed opportunities proved to be the difference in the game.  A blocked field goal, a failed 4th-and-1 on the Bears 5-yard line, and three uncharacteristic Brandon Summers interceptions proved to spell the fate of YSU in the loss.

The Missouri State offense didn’t take very long to get on the board.  All-American Tight End Clay Harbor hauled in a 52-yard touchdown pass from Cody Kirby to put the Bears up 7-0.  The drive, which only consisted of four plays, covered 64 yards in 1:26 with the big blow of 52 yards.  Sir Demarco Bledsoe almost knocked the pass down but missed on his swat.

After YSU went three-and-out, the Bears struck again, but this time only got three to extend the lead to 10-0 with 6:57 left in the first.  On the drive, Kirby found Jonathan Davis for a 57-yard completion.  Matt Hottelman connected from 25 for the three-pointer.  YSU dodged a bullet as Missouri State had the ball 2nd and goal on the YSU one, but were unable to convert.

YSU took the next kickoff all the way out to their own 49.  Brandon Summers went to work with a 25-yard gainer to Dominique Barnes, a 16-yarder to Donald Jones, and another 10-yarder to Barnes.  After a couple of runs and a penalty, YSU had a 4th and less-than-one at Missouri State’s five-yard line.  Summers tried to sneak for the needed yardage for a new set of downs but was stuffed and YSU turned the ball over on downs.  Missouri State took over on downs and ran a few plays before the first quarter ended with YSU trailing 10-0.

YSU got on the board with 3:34 left in the second quarter when Summers found Donald Jones for a 32-yard touchdown.  Dana Brown had 4 rushes for 23 yards on the 11 play drive that covered a total of 76 yards.  On the TD, Summers had all day and Jones kept running until Summers found him in the corner for a great hookup to make the score 10-7 in favor of Missouri State.

With Missouri State driving and under a minute to go in the half, Lenny Wicks made a remarkable one handed jumping interception to keep the Bears out of the end zone and the half ended with Missouri State leading Youngstown State 10-7.

Youngstown State took the second half kickoff.  Kevin Smith coughed up the ball and it would be costly as Missouri State drove 36 yards in seven plays and would cash in on a 4-yard jaunt from Jonathan Davis to take a 17-7 lead with 11:36 left in the third quarter.

YSU moved the ball somewhat effectively on their next drive.  The drive was ended when Stephen Blose attempted a 37-yard field goal which was blocked by Waylon Richardet to give Missouri State the ball back on their own 35.  Richardet was dominant on defense all day for the Bears.

The third quarter ended with Missouri State on top 17-7.

Richardet stopped another YSU drive single-handedly when he picked off a tipped Summers pass.  YSU was in a third-and-goal at Missouri State’s 4-yard line when Summers threw his third pick of the evening.  This drive, the third of its kind in the game, covered 90 yards and resulted in nothing on the scoreboard for the Penguins. 

YSU could not stop Missouri State after the turnover.  The Bears were obviously trying to run some of the clock down, and YSU would give up a couple of yards on runs, yet the Bears converted twice on third-and long situations to take more than 5 minutes off of the game clock.  The Penguins finally successfully stopped the Bears and got the ball back with 2:24 left in the game and no timeouts.

The Penguins were unable to score and could not convert when they had to in this game.  A blocked field goal, three interceptions and a failed fourth and inches in the first quarter ultimately spelled doom for YSU as they fell 17-7 to the Bears.

For the Penguins, Kevin Smith rushed for 80 yards on 16 carries.  Dana Brown added 72 yards in 15 carries.  Donald Jones tied a school record with 11 catches for 130 yards and a TD.  Dominique Barnes had 9 catches for 113 yards and finished the game with 169 all-purpose yards.  Summers finished 23 of 39 for 251 yards, a touchdown, and the three interceptions.

Missouri State was led by QB Cody Kirby who finished the game 19-28 for 252 yards with a TD and a pick.  Clay Harbor had 6 catches for 106 yards.  Jonathan Davis finished with 118 all-purpose yards.

After the game, a very disappointed Jon Heacock addressed the loss.  “Missouri State came in and played hard.  They played like their life was on the line, give them credit, they played like crazy.  They were able to pressure us with three and four guys and we were not able to pressure them when we were sending six.”

Heacock also commented on the team being able to bounce back next week.  “If they have got any courage and competitiveness, they’ll be up.  I think our team does.  It’s not going to be easy.  We better buckle up.  If they have any red blood cells they’ll be competitive.”

Mychal Savage addressed the media after the game and took the loss particularly hard.  Having interviewed Savage this past week, I got a vibe that he is the pulse of this defense, the leader.  “I personally feel like tonight I let my team down.  I feel like I owe these guys one and that they deserve more from me.  I feel like I could have did more for this team, and I didn’t do it.”   This particular statement was delivered from the heart and I really feel for Savage.  He is putting way too much blame on himself though.  It is just his nature to assume responsibility for his group during a bad time, the mark of a true leader.  Mad respect for him.

YSU goes back to work in preparation for their Missouri Valley Conference game against Western Illinois Saturday.  The game is set for a 6:00 kickoff.

Youngstown State University’s offensive unit was flat in the first three quarters, but the defense played outstanding for all four as the Penguins (3-1) got by a pesky Indiana State (0-5) team 28-0 in Terre Haute on Saturday.  YSU pushed the Indiana State losing streak to 31 games in a row, third longest streak in the country.

The Penguins got on the board in the first quarter when Brandon Summers found Dominique Barnes for a 36-yard touchdown.  Summers also hit Donald Jones for a 13-yard completion within the initial scoring drive.  Stephen Blose connected on the first of four extra points to give YSU a 7-0 lead.

Not much else happened in the first half until the Penguins marched 67 yards to the Sycamores 17.  With 2.4 seconds left in the half, Blose came out to attempt a field goal.  Indiana State employed the ‘ice the kicker’ strategy successfully as Blose missed the chip shot to the left keeping the score 7-0 at halftime.

In the third quarter, sophomore Randy Louis picked off an Indiana State pass at the Sycamores 30-yard line.  An apparent touchdown was nullified when Donald Jones was called for interference in the end zone.  Blose came back out for redemption but missed a 43-yard attempt keeping the score at 7-0.

The Penguins first possession of the fourth quarter yielded points.  Kevin Smith capped a 75-yard drive with his 21-yard touchdown dash.  Summers completed five passes on the drive which gave YSU a 14-0 lead.

The next series featured zero passing yards until Summers used a play-action pass to Aaron Pitts for a 1-yard TD.  The drive, which started at YSU’s own 38, showcased the versatility of three running backs.  Smith, Jabari Scott, and Dana Brown ran YSU from their own 38 to the ISU one.  Pitts’ TD reception pushed the Penguin lead to 21-0.

On Indiana State’s next series, Na’eem Outler picked off a Travis Johnson pass and returned the interception 37 yards to extend the Penguin lead to 28-0.  It was the second straight game that YSU scored on an interception.

Summers finished the game 21-33 for 194 yards with two TD’s and a pick.  He also rushed for 11 yards.  Kevin Smith led the way on the ground with 16 carries for 78 yards.  Barnes finished the game with 7 catches good for 86 yards and a TD. 

Youngstown State returns home for a game with Missouri State Saturday.  Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium.

Youngstown State University has a pretty good track record against Indiana State University.  The Penguins have won 12 straight against the Sycamores, 17 of 18 in the all-time series, and have never lost in Terre Haute (9-0).  Sounds like a perfect way to open the Missouri Valley Conference schedule, doesn’t it?  To see YSU Coach Jon Heacock at the weekly press conference on Monday, you wouldn’t know whether YSU was playing Indiana State or Pitt again, a compliment to his ‘underestimate nobody in this conference’ attitude.

In reality, Indiana State has not been a very productive team in recent years.  Head Coach Trent Miles has a career mark of 0-16.  In fact, the last time Indiana State won a game was on October 21, 2006.  They have 14 consecutive home losses and have played a total of 30 games without a win.

Before writing the Sycamores off, understand that they have all of their skill position players back.  Junior tailbacks Darrius Gates and Antoine Brown have experience.  Heacock said, “One of the tailbacks runs as fast sideways as he does downhill”, citing the speed that the Sycamores bring.  They have last year’s quarterback playing at receiver now, they have other receivers back who started last year.  The only new guy is Freshman QB Travis Johnson.

Coach Heacock made it clear that his team will not play inferior football or treat this week with a lazy approach.  “From a defensive standpoint, it’s really easy.  We will just turn on the film from last year’s game and watch their returning tailback run for 120 some yards on us.  It was 21-7 in the first half last year and they were ahead.” YSU ultimately won last year’s contest 35-21.

Brandon Summers is putting up numbers to indicate that the strong finish YSU had at the end of the 2008 season was no fluke.  Against Northeastern, Summers had three rushing touchdowns unveiling his magnitude as an offensive weapon.  He also is quick to praise the YSU defensive unit as well as his blockers, receivers and backs.  When asked about pass distibution and trying to keep everyone happy, Summers replied, “I try my best [to distribute evenly], I don’t want to have any enemies on my side of the ball”.   So far he is doing well as Donald Jones has 13 catches, Dominique Barnes has 12, and Aaron Pitts has 7.

I look for the YSU running backs to have a big week.  Although no conference game can be taken lightly, it is nice to have an opponent that is 0 for their last 30 games to tune up the running game.  Kevin Smith should put up 100 yards against a Sycamore defense that has given up 672 rushing yards in four games or roughly 168 yards per game.

The game is set for a 12:05 kickoff in Terre Haute, Indiana at Memorial Stadium.  The forecast is calling for partly cloudy skies and a high temperature of around 79 degrees.

Penguin Notes

• The winning team in all three YSU games this season has scored 38 points.  Pitt scored 38 against YSU.  The Penguins put up 38 against Northeastern and Austin Peay.
• Junior Andre Elliott is turning into Mr. Momentum for YSU.  Elliott intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown against Northeastern.  He also blocked a punt against Austin Peay.
• YSU is 9-3 all-time in Missouri Valley Football Conference openers since joining the conference in 1997.
• Lenny Wicks should be back to 100% and will strengthen up the YSU secondary.
• The last time YSU played a game without a penalty was in 1995 against Indiana State.
• The last time YSU scored 50 points was also against Indiana State in 2006.