Archive for the ‘YSU Football’ Category

In the Winter of 2008, I had to have a hip replacement.  The down time I had to endure meant a lot of sitting around with nothing to do except watch reruns of Two And A Half Men and a bunch of game shows.

A friend of mine, Ethan Jaynes, who operated a blog called NESW sports, asked me to write a couple of posts.  When those stories did well, Jaynes hooked me up with the knowledge I would need to run my own site, Paneech.com.

In the time since, I have made a bunch of good friends and probably a few enemies too.

Fast forward to September of 2012.  I am working a 40-hour-a-week job, and still trying to keep up with this website.  Sometimes the posts seem scant, but that is because of the time constraints I have to deal with.

On of the biggest events I was lucky enough to cover was the dedication of Dave Grohl Boulevard in Warren.  I was interviewing Jen Campbell, the organizer of the event, in a side building as warm-up bands were wailing away outside.

Suddenly, on the third question of the interview, the door opens, and it is Dave Grohl.  He looks at us, the only two people in the room, and asks, “Am I early?”

Campbell had to run and gather some folks which left me solo with Grohl, who offered me a Budweiser.  We talked about everything from the steel industry to Wedgewood Pizza, to Kurt Cobain, to how often he sneaks back to this area to visit family.

It was the biggest, ‘right place at the right time’, moment in my life.

I have caught some good breaks to gain access.  My first real coverage was of the Youngstown Thunder Arena Football team.  Those games were a lot of fun and I was able to develop my first player profile interviews while I was there.  Thanks to Anthony Farris for a chance.

The next break to fall into my lap was the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.  Marc Means and Dave Smith, the GM at the time, were instrumental in getting me the trial year of credentials.  The Scrappers, now functioning on the watch of Jordan Taylor, are fun because of the themes, the wrestling, the fireworks, and the personalities you meet who deal with baseball as a way of life every day.

Youngstown State University is something I never thought I would want to cover.  Too much stuff going on.  I wanted to give football a shot, so for the 2009 season, Jon Heacocks’s last,  Trevor Parks gave me that chance.  Call it good timing because nobody but WFMJ and Pete Mollica cared about the football program which seemed to be spiraling negatively.

I took a real liking to the way that the YSU people do things.  There were not too many media people who bet Jerry Slocum would still be around.  I got to know Slocum a little better than some and am glad he has found his niche here.

Covering Cindy Martin was tough because when a team goes 0-30, it is hard to ask many questions with positive answers.  Bob Boldon and his staff have picked up the slack in a big way and made that program fun.

When Ron Strollo hired Eric Wolford for the 2010 season, he made the best possible choice for the university to rekindle a program known for its strong tradition.  Strollo has been fantastic and has seemed to make all of the right moves in the past couple of years.

Wolford is destined for bigger things.  I do not know how long he will be here, hopefully until he retires, but he makes no bones about being an SEC guy and by getting all of the good experience as a head coach here, Wolford will make a jump to a D-I school within the next few years.

Kelly Pavlik was getting recognition for beating Jermain Taylor a couple of times when I got to sit with him and chat.  Still active and back on the rise, The Ghost has provided some huge moments for this site.  Everything from title defenses to a bitter separation with Jack Loew, and no mention of foul play or substance abuse here.  No reason to.

Jake Giuriceo seems to be the next thing to emerge as a televised boxer from Youngstown.  This kid is so laid back, so spiritual, and so focused, that anyone who talks with him would be hard-pressed not to root for him.

As the website continues to progress, I remain focused on trying to be entertaining and informative without the demise factor.  There is enough positive in the Youngstown area to avoid all of the negative.

So to Larry Holmes, the Youngstown Phantoms, 38 Special, Ron Stevens, and Pete Rose.  Thanks for the roles you have played here at Paneech.com!

New Penguin Club members are being offered a chance to receive their own “12-Pack” of seats in the Chairback section at Stambaugh Stadium if they join the organization at the $400 level.

Chairback seating offers some of the best game-action views in Stambaugh Stadium and it is exclusively available to Penguin Club members.

With the “12-Pack”, individuals can select 12 chairback seats and mix-and-match them for any game they’d like for the remainder of the season. If a fan wants 12 tickets to next week’s Conference Clash with UNI then they can get 12 seats for that game. If they want six for the UNI game, and two more for three others they can chose that option.

This gives fans a great chance to get all the benefits of the $400 Penguin Club level as well as get great seating for the rest of what could be a historic football season.

The Penguin Club is a vital support group for all Youngstown State student-athletes helping to provide scholarships and resources to be successful on and off the field.

Fill out the attached form and return it via fax to YSU Athletics at (330) 941-3191 or email at tmorella@ysu.edu. For more information call (330) 941-2351.

When the YSU Penguins take the field for their Saturday contest against Albany, they will be attempting to go to 3-0 for the first time in seven years.  Albany is coming to Youngstown, also undefeated, at 2-0, and has similar aspirations of winning.  The Great Danes were a playoff team last season and are the preseason pick to win the Northeast Conference.

“They have had the same coach for a very long time”, said Eric Wolford.  “They are a fundamentally sound football team that is very good at running the football, I think they are averaging 250 yards a game.  We cannot, and will not, look past them.  They are a playoff team, they are coming here undefeated, and they must be doing something right to have all of that success.”

Albany, which has posted wins over Colgate (40-23) and Robert Morris (35-10) believe they have a punchers chance in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Drew Smith, a senior running back, is one of the main components of the Great Danes offense and has tasted the fruits of hard work over the past couple of seasons.

“We can win this game”, said Smith via telephone.  “Youngstown State is a very good team, but we are better than Pitt and Valpo.  We have to execute, come out early, and hit them in the mouth, let them know we are here to play football.”

Smith was very complimentary of Youngstown State and cited all of the tradition but says his team is looking at this chance as their Super Bowl.

“For us, it is one of the biggest games in our history.  These are the big boys on our schedule.  We are trying to gain respect.  YSU is a great program with a good history and four National Championships.  We do have a chip on our shoulders to prove we are a good team and want to win.”

It was like watching my grandmother play Yahtzee with seven dice instead of five.  It was so out of hand by the half that the pee-wee continuous clock theory may have been a viable option.  To put it mildly, it was a total mismatch.  Youngstown State scored early and often in pounding Valparaiso, 59-0, to open the home portion of their schedule.

“It was good to see our kids come out focused after last week “, said Coach Wolford.  “We brought in Reverend Louis Macklin.  He said we are on assignment.  On assignment for the community, the program, and the university.  The assignment is to go 1-0 every week.”

YSU got on the scoreboard at the 13-minute mark of the first quarter when Kurt Hess connected with Christian Bryan for a 12-yard touchdown (next photo down).  The Penguins drive covered 65 yards in just five plays.  Hess connected with Kintrell Disher for nine and 20 yard completions on the drive.

Ali Cheaib blocked a punt on the ensuing Valpo possession.  The block was recovered by Ricardo Dixon at the Crusaders 11-yard line.  Hess then found Will Shaw for an 11-yard strike to put the Penguins ahead 14-0.

Next Valpo possession, the revamped YSU defense roared again when Travis Williams forced a fumble that Jeremy Edwards would scoop up and run seven yards with, to make it 21-0.

In the second quarter, Eric Wolford and staff started getting into the depth chart a bit giving the ones time with the twos.  Torrian Pace rambled in from three yards out to make it 28-0.

“It is always encouraging to see the twos get time with the ones”, commented Wolford.  “We want the twos to be able to blend in with the ones.  We have to continue to be creative.”

Pace talked about playing in these types of games.  “It was a very good day for us offensively.  The O-Line played great.  Overall, we executed and did what we needed to do.  It was a good home opener, but we are taking it one week at a time.  Our approach was to go into this game as if we were playing Pitt.  Every week it has to be like that.”

Jamaine Cook, who saw a short work day with eight carries for 51 yards would plunge in from two yards out with 12:54 remaining in the first half to make it 35-0.

Demond Hymes would be the third YSU running back to hit the stat sheet in the second quarter when he scored from a yard out, increasing the Penguins lead to 42-0.

Pace would again score before halftime on a 14-yard scurry to make it a 49-0 game.

Hess had another productive game, or in this case, a productive first half.  The junior signal-caller was 7-10 for 138 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

David Brown kicked a 27-yard field goal in the third quarter to make it 52-0.  It was obvious that Wolford took his foot off of the gas in the second half.  In the third quarter, Valpo made it across the 50 for the first time in the game.

The Penguins would score one last time to make it a 59-0 when Hymes would cap off a 2:32 yard drive with a 3-yard scamper.

Edwards, a defensive leader, commented on the defense posting it’s first shutout since 2009, a 28-0 win at Indiana State.

“It is a 24-hour rule, but we are a confident group and we will be ready for next week.  I wasn’t aware of the shutout being that long ago.”

Patrick Angle got some time at QB for the Penguins.  Angle started the second half and was 5-7 for 45 yards before yielding to Dante Nania for the last couple of Penguins drives.

To put the game into perspective, Valpo collects about $70,000.00 for coming to Youngstown State.  It is a tier-two money beating.  Youngstown State collected $400k last week on the visit to Pittsburgh, so the shoe was completely on the other foot this week.

YSU will have a similar contest next week when they face Albany.  The attitude will be business as usual and the Penguins will not take anyone lightly.  Wolford will surely get more reps for both, the offense and the defense, as a big challenge looms the following week when Northern Iowa comes to Youngstown to open Missouri Valley Football Conference play.

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.”

Youngstown State University’s Andre Stubbs has been named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Player of the Week.  Stubbs had a terrific all-around effort agains Pitt in YSU’s 31-17 win.

In his first game since a season-ending injury in 2011, Stubbs rushed for 71 yards on six carries, caught four passes for 61 yards and had two kickoffs for 40 yards. He caught a 27-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and ran for a 13-yard score in the fourth. He finished with 172 all-purpose yards on the evening. The win against Pitt marked the league’s first-ever victory against a Big East Conference foe.

“We don’t recruit players based on size”, said YSU Coach Eric Wolford.  “We would rather go by the films and see what the guys can do on the field.”

The 5’6″ redshirt freshman from Maple Heights, Ohio, packs a lot of power in that small frame.

Kurt Hess joked at the post game press conference that when the Penguins run an empty backfield set that Stubbs is hard to see, but quickly noted that he usually gets to where he can be seen.  This week, he was pretty visible in the Panthers end zone, twice.

The Youngstown State Athletic Department, in honor of Labor Day, is offering the fans of the Mahoning Valley a special FREE ticket offer on Monday, Sept. 3 only. For every reserved or general admission game ticket purchased on Monday each fan will receive a FREE ticket of equal value. The ticket office at Stambaugh Stadium will have special hours from Noon to 5 p.m. on Monday.

The Penguins, who grabbed the college football headlines with an impressive 31-17 win over Pittsburgh at Heinz Field last night, play host to the Valparaiso Crusaders this Saturday in the home opener at Stambaugh Stadium. Kickoff for the contest is 4 p.m.

Season tickets – including reserved, chair back seats and M-24 tailgate passes with a Penguin Club membership – for the six-game home slate, which features three games in September, are also on sale. Beginning on Tuesday, the ticket office will be open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. leading up to Saturday’s home opener.

“Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions, achievements and hard-work of American workers,” noted Eric Wolford, YSU Head Coach. “To honor the tireless effort of the workers and retirees in this Valley, we are offering this one-day special free ticket offer. Our team worked hard on opening night at Pitt and we want to reward our fans with a chance to fill the Ice Castle this Saturday.”

All fans attending YSU’s opener will receive a 2012 schedule magnet. A very limited number of individual game tailgate passes remain for the M-7 tailgate lot ($15). State Farm will sponsor the annual Kids Day Tailgate activities from 1-4 p.m. in the M-7 lot at the corner of Lincoln and Fifth Avenues.

Fans can call 330-941-1978 for more information or log onto YSUSports.com.

The Youngstown State University football team was last at Heinz Field in 2009.  In that contest, the goal was to score and make it to the bus with half the team able to walk.  The result was a 38-3 beating.  Fast forward to 2012, Eric Wolford‘s first shot at the Panthers.

The Penguins recovered an early fumble, marched the field, and never trailed in a 31-17 dismantling of D-I Pittsburgh in what can be considered the biggest win in the Wolford Era.  Kurt Hess looked masterful in running an offense everyone thought could produce, but it was the defense that played with a chip on their shoulders and forced the issue in the upset.

The game was delayed by inclement weather for a half hour, but when it finally started, it was obvious that YSU was in Pittsburgh to do more than take a check home and hopefully score some points.

“We expect to win”, said Wolford.  “This win is a compliment to our staff, our players, and the community.  We demand perfection, coach hard, and know it is a high standard at YSU, to win championships.”

In the first quarter, with the Panthers driving, the YSU defense did something that it hasn’t done in one of these D-I games, create a turnover.  Pitt’s Ray Graham was tackled by YSU’s Dubem Nwadiogbu, who popped the ball out.  Jeremy Edwards picked the pigskin up and advanced it a few yards before YSU’s offense would take the field.

Kurt Hess (above) and the Penguin offense went to work and put together a productive 10-play, 79-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown.  Hess found Andre Stubbs on a short route that the redshirt freshman turned into a 27-yard touchdown reception.  With the extra point, the Penguins took a 7-0 lead.

Pitt would respond with a touchdown of their own on their next drive when Isaac Bennett capped off an 11-play, 75-yard drive with a four-yard rush to paydirt.  Early in the drive, Pitt QB Tino Sunseri made a good pass to Devin Street on a 3rd-and-8 to keep the drive going.

The resilient Penguins would march again, this time covering 92 yards in 15 plays.  Shane Montgomery, the Penguins offensive coordinator, did a fantastic job of calling plays that kept the Pitt defense on their heels all afternoon.  The Penguins touchdown was a nice 14-yard strike from Hess to Will Shaw to give YSU a 14-7 lead.

“The play calling was great”, said Hess.  “It was a very efficient game plan and we were able to execute it.”

Pitt would drive again, but had to settle for a Kevin Harper 33-yard field goal.  That would make the score at the end of the first half YSU 14 and Pitt 10.

In the second half, YSU took the opening kickoff and marched down the field, aided by a 15-yard facemask penalty.  On a fourth-and -1 play on the Pitt 24, YSU went to the bag of tricks and Jamaine Cook took a pitch to the right side and backed up to fire a little pass to Shaw, who had nobody ten yards around him, for an easy six.  David Brown‘s extra point gave the Penguins a 21-10 lead.

“That play is called Penguin”, explained Wolford.  “We practiced it this week and knew we would use it when we  had a chance on a fourth-and-short situation.”

What happened on Pitt’s next drive may define the Penguins season.  The defense stuffed Pitt on a fourth-and-1 deep in YSU territory.  It was Tevin Williams and Travis Williams stuffing the play to give the Penguins the ball back with 5:55 remaining in the third quarter.

“Anytime it’s fourth down, on either side of the ball, it is a big play,” said senior Aronde Stanton.  “On the play we stuffed them, I was out with cramps and two sophomores stepped in and got the job done.”

From there, Montgomery used Hess to carry out a drive that would cover 78 yards, but more importantly, result in a touchdown that would kill 8:34 of the game clock and boost the Penguins lead to 28-10.  The drive ended when Stubbs gathered his second touchdown of the game, a 13-yard run.

When Pitt got the ball back they used several short plays in hurry-up mode and looked in a hurry to get all 18 points they trailed by throwing some unsuccessful deep balls.  Tino Sunseri missed an open receiver in the end zone by a bit.  On the next play, YSU hurried Sunseri to set up a third-and-10.  The senior quarterback would connect with Joshua Brinson to cut the deficit to 28-17.

With control of the game, the Penguins got the ball back on their 25 with 9:17 left to play.  The YSU offense had to chew clock and get a few first downs.  Facing a 3rd-and-4 with six minutes left, the Penguins Stubbs broke loose and took the ball all the way to the Pitt 22.  Wolford the starting doing exactly what he said he would do – substitute fresh capable bodies.  Torrian Pace was inserted and had two five yard runs.

The drive stalled and YSU settled for a FG from Brown, a 25-yarder that would close the scoring with YSU ahead 31-17.

“We all thought we could do this”, said Stubbs.  “I knew coming in that I would have a chance to make some plays.  We have to stay humble now because we still have ten games to play.”

Stubbs finished the game with six carries for 71 yards and four receptions for 61 yards with one touchdown in each category.

“Andre Stubbs was too short for most schools to recruit”, said Wolford.  “We don’t recruit based on size, we look at the films.”

Hess had a strong game, more than statistically, as a leader of a machine.  Hess finished the game 13-23 for 154 yards and a pair of TD’s.  He also had 9 rushes for 47 yards and just made good decisions for four quarters.

Dale Peterman had nine unassisted tackles for the Penguins.  Teven Williams chipped in with seven tackles.  The Penguins defense did a fantastic job of keeping the Ray Graham / Isaac Bennett combination in check for the majority of the game.  New defensive coordinator Jm Tresey also deserves credit for being aggressive and cleverly scheming against Pitt.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed in the outcome of the game”, said first year Pitt head coach Paul Chryst.  “My hat goes off to Youngstown State.  They are very well coached and tonight they were the better team.”

The Penguins will have their home opener next Saturday when they welcome Valparaiso to Stambaugh Stadium.  Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.

When Youngstown State opens their season Saturday at Pittsburgh, Isaac Bennett (above) should see plenty of playing time for the Panthers.  The Panthers big horse, senior Ray Graham, is questionable, opening the door for Bennett to get some quality chances.  He relishes the opportunity as much as the Penguins relish the chance to play a quality school in a beautiful setting, Heinz Field.

Pitt is a program undergoing a major transition, a new head coach, which means a whole new system.  Paul Chryst and Eric Wolford coached together at the University of Illinois.  Wolford thinks Chryst is a good fit for the Panthers and was very respectful in his comments about his peer.

“Coach Chryst had tremendous success at Wisconsin.  He was at Illinois while I was there.  He was a great hire for the University of Pittsburgh and I think he will do a great job there”, said Wolford.

Wolford knows that even if Graham does not see much game action, Pitt has other weapons that could do damage.

“You jump into the Pitt backfield, and you have a stable of running backs as good as anyone in the Top-25.  Graham, Bennett, and Shell are all very talented backs.”

Bennett (above) is a 5’11” 205lb. sophomore who runs hard.  As a true freshman, Bennett racked up 237 rushing yards on 58 carries with two touchdowns.  He was initially slated to be redshirted, but when Graham went down for the season, Bennett was forced into action.  He shared his views about facing Youngstown State this Saturday via telephone.

“We are looking at this game like any other game.  We do not see it as a small school versus a big school game“, said Bennett.  “We know that Youngstown State is fast on defense and I will be curious as to whether or not I can break one against that speed.”

On his new coach, Bennett remarked “Coach Chryst has been fun.  He has two sides and can be real serious, but has a sense of humor that allows us to have fun too.  He is very down to Earth.”

When asked whether or not the big school should destroy the small school in one of these games, Bennett was politically correct with his answer.

“It is going to be a lot of fun in front of a big crowd”, said the running back.  “I don’t have any prediction and we have not been able to exploit any big weakness in their [YSU’s] defense.  They look good against the run and we know how fast they are.  We look forward to the challenge.”

The time has finally come… Game Week…  In reality, it is the last opener for a good Senior class that includes Jamaine Cook, Will Shaw, Aronde Stanton, and D.J. Main, just to name a few.

In the past, a game like the one YSU has coming up this Saturday, at Pitt,  was simply seen as a beating that a smaller school would hope to leave healthy, unable to have any say so about the outcome, and sign a fat DI paycheck for showing up.

This year, the competitive juices are flowing like never before under the watchful eye of Eric Wolford.  Now in his third year, Wolford seems poised to deliver on his promise that there is no acceptable outcome other than to win championships.

“The strength of this football team is the chemistry”, said Wolford.  “We don’t have too many selfish guys and our work ethic has been where it should be.  We have a confident group.”

Kyle Bryant is one of the Penguins who has made an impact at camp and will see some time, possibly at the expense of Andrew Radakovich.

“Kyle Bryant is pushing him [Radakovich], commented Wolford.  “Bryant stepped in when Radak got hurt, then he had an issue with his knee and Radak came in and played well, so we figured whoever plays the best will start next week, there is nothing like competition.”

One of last year’s experiments, was moving Will Shaw from linebacker to the other side of the ball, at tight end.  It has been a good move as Shaw has been productive and will surely be heard from this season.

“I am real confident this year”, said Shaw.  “I had the Spring and camp to work out the kinks and have had a full year to prepare.  I have a really good feel about this offense and where we are going.  As long as we keep focusing on the little things and try to get better every day, we will be fine.”