In the grand scheme of football, an opening day performance can make or break a team’s entire season.  The past four opening day losses YSU has suffered against Pitt, Penn State, and Ohio State twice left the Penguins scratching their heads.  Walking away with not a single touchdown in those four contests leaves everyone guessing how good a team really is, regardless of the quality or size of the opponent.

The 2009 YSU Penguins football team seems different in so many ways.  Skill position players are experienced and healthy, Coach Heacock has options, the players are hungry, and most importantly, no one cares about those other four openers.  It’s a new season and the positive vibe and authentic yearning to play makes me feel that this game can be alot closer than people will give it a chance to be.

Pitt is fast and has the Big East in their sights.  Their main weapon is their experienced QB, Bill Stull (6’3″, 215, SR).  Stull threw for 2356 yards last season and Coach Heacock respects his abilities.  “He is a veteran, and anytime you are dealing with Senior veterans, they are special guys.  I would be surprised if he doesn’t play a great football game,” said Heacock of Stull.

Pitt will also unveil true Freshman RB Dion Lewis.  Lewis is only 5’8″ but has another gear.  Pitt Coach Dave Wannstedt said that Lewis could touch the ball 30 times per game.

Heacock feels that if a team is going to play to win that they have to enter the contest with the notion that winning is an option.   “It’s a great opportunity for our guys, playing in those venues, but you have to keep things in perspective because of the numbers that those teams have.”

For YSU to be successful they will have to try their best to keep the Panthers defense off balance.  At Monday’s press conference Heacock used deductive reasoning to justify the matchup.  “Like most of the FBS teams, Pitt has talent that runs fast and plays fast, but we feel that we have some folks that can run fast and play fast also.”

The YSU backfield will see a rotation of two, if not three backs with Kevin Smith and Jabari Scott getting most of the carries.  Brandon Summers hopes he can pick up where he left off last season.  Summers will be looking for Donald Jones, Dominique Barnes, and Aaron Pitts to get into open space and make some catches.

Defensively, this Penguins team is so much different than last year.  Mychal Savage is a beast and he’s not hurt.  Crispin Fernandez is an all-conference DT and Mooney’s Taylor Hill transferred back from Michigan to start for YSU.  The talent is there, the timing seems to be there, and if there is one thing that I have not found yet, it’s nerves.

So all of you national sports geniuses and Pitt fans can laugh it up at my expense if I am dead wrong about Saturday.  I am not saying that YSU will win the game, but I refuse to declare they will lose either.  In 2005, I am aware of a 41-0 beating.  This is a new year.  Teams witnessed Appalachian State beating Michigan and know that these wins are possible.  Look for the Penguins to do more than score a TD and break that dry spell against FBS teams.

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