Going into Saturday’s home opener, the Youngstown State Penguins have proven plenty in just a week.  Valparaiso, self-admittedly, is a football program that has struggled to get the program where it needs to be winning just one game last season.

The game is a mismatch on paper, but do not tell Eric Wolford that.

“We are going to run our offense and our defense to keep things running smoothly”, remarked Wolford when asked how much would be enough to pull the starters.  “Once we have seen what we need to, we will use some of our depth if we are afforded that opportunity.  They are a football team just like we are and anything can happen.”

6’3″ , 300 lb. Valpo noseman, Bruce Collins, relishes the chance to play in these type of games. With that kind of size, it is fun to tell you that Collins had a 76-yard interception return for a touchdown last season.

“We know that YSU is a good team, we learned that first-hand last season and they are probably ten times better this year if they beat Pitt”, remarked Collins.  “We want to come out and play hard and show that we have heart.”

Collins, referring to last season’s 77-13 blowout loss to the Penguins showed optimism for the Crusader football program.

“This program has really struggled for the past three seasons and we feel like we are getting ready to turn the corner.”

Wolford was emphatic about his desires to pack the Ice Castle.

“It is our home opener and we are coming off of a big win.  People know that this is the place to be now.  We want to pack the tailgate lots, pack the stadium, and represent this great community.”