Archive for the ‘YSU Football’ Category

Coming into this season, no one was sure what to expect from a defense filled with new faces.  In Saturday’s first scrimmage action, the defense did things that they failed to do last year in all situations, and they did those things consistently.  In fact, for the last couple of seasons, these same scrimmages looked like offensive track meets.  Not on Joe Tresey‘s watch.

Early on, the offense tried to run a reverse.  Last season that same reverse was a guaranteed minimum ten yard gain.  This season the contain was there, the reverse was turned in, and the pursuit caught up to the play for a three-yard gain.

Another glaring thing that stood out was the run defense.  By looking at the top picture of this article and counting the white jerseys tackling the red jersey, you get a good idea of how well the defense reacted.  Everyone at every position has a job to do and new defensive coordinator Joe Tresey had to be happy with what he saw.

One of the other impressive things was that the defensive backs, who are healthy right now, did a great job reading their keys.  They were taking a step forward to respect the run and participating in many group tackles, but they were also doing something they couldn’t last season – stuffing the pass.  Even play-action passing plays did not fool the corners and safeties.  Kurt Hess and the receivers looked out of rhythm because the defense was on their game.

So is it time to panic on behalf of the offense?  No.  It is just a measure of the strides that the defense has made under Tresey.

“Recruiting solves a lot of problems”, said Eric Wolford.

Wolford was answering a question about filling the biggest cracks on a defense that was not up to standards last season.

During the drive sequences, the defense allowed just two plays of more than 10 yards. One of those plays resulted in a takeaway for the defense.

Newcomer Parnell Taylor was looking downfield when he dropped a sure interception that would have resulted in six defensive points on a Hess swing pass.

The defense made two big plays on consecutive snaps. First, transfer Dale Peterman intercepted a Hess overthrow and returned it 50 yards on a second-and-12 play. Then, Marcel Caver was stripped of the football by new arrival Quamane Bryant and fellow newcomer Jameel Smith recovered it.  New faces, new results.

Hess was 9-of-15 for 75 yards and had one touchdown and one interception.  The touchdown was a 20-yard strike to TE Will Shaw.  Adaris Bellamy had nine carries for 41 yards and Torrian Pace had nine chances for 19 yards.

Defensively, newcomer  Julius Childs had seven tackles while returning DB Jeremey Edwards had five.

“We want to continue to diminish our weaknesses and accentuate our strengths”, said Tresey after the scrimmage.

“The first scrimmage was probably a little cleaner than what I would have expected”, said Eric Wolford.  “There were no silly penalties like personal fouls and those sorts of penalties, and I was happy about that.  The defense didn’t surprise me.  This was practice number eleven today, and I know that we are faster and recruited well. It is very clear that we recruited well, we are flying around.”

Expect a lot.  This is the time that everyone has been waiting for in the Youngstown State Football community.  Coach Eric Wolford, in his third season with the Penguins, expects to win.  Kurt Hess and Jamaine Cook, leaders of an explosive offense that returns everybody, expect to win.  Enter a slew of defensive transfers to mix in with what worked last season and you should pretty much expect to win in 2012.

What will you win besides the Valparaiso game?  How about every game.  People automatically rule Pitt out as a potential win.  Blame the defense or perhaps the “big school” theory as early reasons this team cannot succeed.  These games are not money beatings anymore, they are winnable contests, ask Michigan State.

“I have had pressure on myself since Day One”, said Coach Wolford.  “I am at a school that has won four National Championships and the pressure does not effect me.  We are flying around, we’re faster, we’re stronger, and the defense is more accountable.  It has been a process to get to that point, but recruiting can solve a lot of problems.”

YSU had problems on defense last year, but not many on offense.  Wolford and staff have done a tremendous job scouring the United States looking for defensive help, and they came up big.  Chris Charles, Julius Childs, Dale Peterman, and Ricardo Dixon add instant impact to a secondary that limped to the finish line last season.

“I think our defensive back play has been better”, said Wolford.  “It is early, but they are really making our receivers work.  The defensive line is definitely more mobile and stronger than where we have been in the past.  At linebacker, we can flat out run.  We have to stay healthy.  We definitely solidified our defense and developed some depth.”

So the polls and writers that picked Youngstown State to finish third, the experts, citing YSU’s defense as a sore spot probably should have waited to see the talent in camp that wasn’t even here yet before predicting.

I will say that YSU will finish the season at 10-1 and gain at least a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.  The Pitt game and the North Dakota State contest will be tough challenges for the ‘Guins, but if this team can stay healthy they have the potential to make a run deep into the playoffs, this season.

I could be wrong, they could go 11-0.  They could go 9-2, but I don’t think that this team will finish any worse than that.  The playoffs are within reach and Hess knows that undefeated is a goal only achieved by winning one game at a time.

“We want to go out and win games”, said Hess.  “I really think we are going to continue to build team chemistry.  As far as not being picked to win it all, there are a lot of defensive players who just got here that will have a say in those predictions.  We have so much invested it would be devastating if we don’t reach the playoffs.  We expect to get there by going 1-0 every week.”

As the challenge of going to Pitt  on September 1 nears closer, a group of young men and coaches in Youngstown are readying themselves for what can be more of a war than anyone might predict.  Just four years ago, YSU traveled to Pitt and pretty much got spanked.  The goals of scoring a touchdown and staying close at halftime (Penn State), and being in a game against a D-1 team in the second half (Michigan State) have all been met.  All that is left is to win.  Expect to win.

The Youngstown State football program is one of just two FCS squads with two players on the Walter Payton Award Watch List, The Sports Network announced on Thursday. Senior tailback Jamaine Cook and junior quarterback Kurt Hess both represent the Penguins.

Cook and Hess joined Sam Houston State juniors Timothy Flanders (running back) and Richard Sincere (all-purpose) as teammates who made the preseason list.

Twelve of this year’s initial 20 nominees were finalists for the award last year, including finalist Shakir Bell of Indiana State. Ten running backs, six quarterbacks, three wide receivers and an all-purpose performer make up the preseason Watch List group.

Cook, who earlier this week was tabbed a third-team preseason All-America by the Sports Network, rushed for 1,386 yards on 271 carries and scored 13 touchdowns. In 2011, Cook was seventh in the FCS in rushing (126.00) and 14th in all-purpose yards (145.36) per contest.

Hess passed for 2,468 yards while completing 187-of-288 attempts in a breakout campaign during the 2011 season. He averaged 245.8 yards passing per contest and his 164.9 passing efficiency rating was fourth best in the FCS. He set school records for single-season touchdown passes (26), completion percentage (64.5), 200-yard games (eight), touchdown passes in consecutive games (11) and touchdown passes in a game (five vs. Missouri State).

The Payton Award Watch List can undergo revision during the 2012 season. Ballots will be sent to a panel of about 175 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries following the regular season on Nov. 19. The top three vote-getters will be invited to The Sports Network FCS Awards Presentation.

The Youngstown State football coaching staff will hold a Youth Football Camp for children ages 8-13 at Stambaugh Stadium on the YSU campus on Saturday, June 9. Cost to attend the camp, which will offer a variety of drills for the children, is $45 and goes from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Campers can register directly online at www.penguinsfootballcamps.com or by calling the football office at (330) 941-3478.

The camp will teach young football players offensive and defensive drills and skills. Lunch will be provided and all participants will receive a YSU hat. The registration deadline is June 8. No walkups will be accepted. Campers will register in the F-7 Parking Lot just north of Stambaugh Stadium.

A couple of weeks ago, I was strolling through Dillard’s at the Southern Park Mall.  As I was trying on a new pair of dress shoes, the sales representative, a female in her thirties, commented on my YSU apparel.  Her comments echoed disdain toward the Penguins Eric Wolford.

“He is pretty arrogant and I heard his players hate him.”

That was the exactness of her wording.  Of course, I raised the defense on behalf of Wolford and said that he was a stand-up guy who cares for his players and has a lot on his mind.  There was not much conversation beyond that, other than me telling her I didn’t like the shoes.

I didn’t purchase any shoes. The thing I took away from that experience was the idea to contact Wolford, Kelly Pavlik, and others in the area who have had to deal with adversity.  Plus, I thought the saleswoman had issues.  Dillards has joined my small list of businesses that are now ‘closed’.

During the season last year, Wolford made a comment about adversity and how everyone in the room would have to deal with an uninvited circumstance sooner or later.  I thought his addressing an issue that way was commendable and it stuck with me.

Kevin Watts, a YSU football player, recently lost his father.  Wolford commented on how he helps others when they face adversity such as the death of a parent.

“Kevin’s dad was obviously a very big part of his life.  Other kids have parents who are sick and not doing very well.  As coaches, we try to step in and provide a father-figure role to take them under our wing and encourage them to get through that part of life.  We will offer grief counseling if it is needed, anything to put their mind at ease and to know that they have someone they can turn to.”

It’s not just death and sickness, there is always something going on.

“These kids all have so many things going on at home.  Some of them send their financial aid checks home so that their parents can pay the car insurance or the rent.  It sounds crazy, but it is the reality some of these kids are faced with.”

“I live with adversity every day, and these guys know that”, added Wolford.  “When I get home every night, I have to wonder if Stone will be there.  It is something that I live with every day and the players know my relationship with Stone.  The players can reflect on that relationship and see the degree of adversity that exists.  It helps them deal with something on a smaller scale sometimes.”

Wolford, and his wife, Dr. Melinda, started a foundation called No Stone Unturned which helps families pay bills that our out-of-whack health insurance system hits people for.  Wolford has referred to it as ‘paying ahead’.

Dr. Wolford commented on Coach Wolford’s relationship with his players.

“Eric loves each and every one of those kids.  He has to handle how he coaches differently with each of them.  Some respond better to yelling, some are better with sit-down meetings.  One player was going to quit because he didn’t like being yelled at.  Eric found that kid after pursuing him for a couple of days.  They talked and worked it out, and you are always going to have that at every school.  A coach that seeks to resolve the problem, sends the message to the players that he cares.”

Wolford faced a different adversity earlier in his coaching career.  Dr. Wolford told the story of her husbands worst nightmare coming true.

“Eric was hired by Coach Stoops to be the line coach at Arizona.  He was helping with recruiting and found a lineman in Texas.  The lineman committed to come to Arizona and Eric was thrilled about the addition.  Early on during Summer workouts, the recruit died in Eric’s arms, collapsed at practice and never recovered.  Eric had to call the family and tell them that their son was dead.  He was so devastated, but he made his way to Houston for the funeral, and he even spoke there.  The next season, another recruit was shot in a separate incident and never was able to play football after that.  Eric still stays in touch with that young man and his family.”

Wolford is special, and he treats those who let him, as part of his huge football family.    I know Wolford will make mistakes, we all do, it’s just human nature.  However, the fact that he never turns down a speaking appearance to assist local charities, donates more money than you would ever know to causes he considers worthwhile, and has a unique home life where adversity is faced daily, he is a role model people could learn something from.  Far from arrogant.

Kurt Hess threw two first-half touchdowns, and fellow quarterback Patrick Angle had 158 passing yards and a touchdown as the Red Team beat the White 28-14 in the 40th Annual Red-White Spring Game on Friday evening at Stambaugh Stadium.

The Red offense and White defense were comprised of first-string players, and the Red defense and White offense were the second-stringers. The first half featured standard timing rules, and the second half had a running clock.

Hess finished 11-for-19 for 154 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, and the junior-to-be spent the second half on the sideline. Angle was 7-for-14 for 94 yards in the first half for the White team, and he was 4-for-8 for 61 yards and a touchdown in the second half for the Red.

Angle and White quarterback Dante Nania connected with wide receiver Andrew Williams nine times for 135 yards, which was a game high. Jelani Berassa led Red with 82 yards and was one of four players to catch a touchdown pass. Carson Sharbaugh and Kevin Watts added scores through the air for the Red team, and Nate Adams had a touchdown reception for the White.

Jordan Thompson rushed for a game-high 67 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, and Jamaine Cook had 64 yards on 12 carries for the Red. Torrian Pace headlined the White rushing attack with 51 yards and a score on 12 carries.

Pace impressed offensive coordinator, Shane Montgomery.

“Torrian has had a really good Spring for us”, remarked Montgomery.  “He is faster than he was last year.  We know we can’t keep Jamaine [Cook] on the field as much as we have the last two seasons.  With Adaris Bellamy recovering, Jordan [Thompson] and Torrian got some good reps, I feel real good about our depth at that position and at tight end.”

Travis Williams had 10 tackles, including seven in the first quarter, for the White defense.  Josh Garner and Jeremy Edwards played pretty well for the White defense.  That trio of defenders will play a big role in the defensive turnaround efforts targeted for this season.

With the running clock, Angle put the game out of reach on the Red team’s first drive of the fourth quarter. He connected with tight end Will Shaw for a 25-yard gain on third-and-19 to get the ball down to the White 22, and he found Watts for a six-yard score on the 13th play of the drive.

Shaw and the other two tight ends combined for 114 yards and two touchdowns on six catches.

Jimmy May, Jr. intercepted Angle in the second quarter for the game’s lone turnover. The Red team fumbled twice but recovered each. Brandon Neal and Julius Childs both had pass breakups for the White defense.

Kicker David Brown missed a field goal.  We already know that Coach Wolford likes the math sounds of seven being greater than three and if the Penguins will have a weakness in the red zone, it will be the kicking game.

The Penguins will have a light workout on Monday to finish up the spring practice season.

This year, things could be different.  For starters, the 40th version of the Youngstown State football Red vs White game will be played Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium. Admission is $5 and free for YSU students. The contest will be carried live on 570 WKBN.  It has a big game feel, which is exactly what Eric Wolford and his staff want.

Wolford will be in the tailgate lot visiting with fans starting at 6:15 p.m. Tailgate contest will also start at 6:15 p.m. and the judging will be held until 6:45. The winner will be presented a trophy by Coach Wolford at midfield prior to the start of the game.

“Whoever has hot garlic will probably win”, joked Wolford on the Rookery Radio interview he did with Zach Humphries and Gary Brode.  “This area is famous for all of the good food and this is when people will compete to see whose is best.  I heard we had sold 100 tailgate passes already, that’s awesome!”

Tailgate passes for the M-24 Parking Lot across the street from the Stadium are available for $15 to all Penguin fans. Fans who purchase a pass, must also buy two game tickets. The tailgating lot will open at 5 p.m. For more information, or to purchase a tailgate parking pass contact the Athletic Ticket Office at (330) 941-1978. There is no postgame tailgating. Additional parking will be available near the stadium for $5 in various university lots.

Courtesy of YSUSports.com, here is a complete schedule:

5 p.m. — Tailgate (M-24 Lot Only) and Parking Lots Open
6:15 p.m. — Judging for Best Tailgate Food Contest Begins
6:30 p.m. — Stambaugh Staium Gates Open
6:50 p.m. — Entire Team Takes Field
7:30 p.m. — Kickoff

“It’s going to be a lot of fun, these guys have worked really hard”, said Wolford.

When asked if his defense can truly be measured against an offense with so many returning weapons, Wolford said, “You know, I was an offensive guy for a long time and love when we score.  However, as a head coach, I have to pull for the defense to do well also.  There is a lot of competition and about six or seven positions are up for grabs, so I think you will see guys trying very hard, defensively, to make a good impression.”

The Youngstown State football program will host a contest for the “Best Tailgate Food” prior to the Annual Red-White Spring Game on Friday, April 13. The winner will be selected by a four-judge panel and will receive prizes to area restaurants as well as a pair of sideline passes to YSU’s season opener Pittsburgh in September.

The cost for a tailgate parking pass is $15 along with the purchase of two game tickets which are $5 each. All tailgate lot passes must be purchased by Thursday, April 12.

The M-24 Tailgate Lot will open at 5 p.m. on April 13 and remain open until 7:30, just prior to the start of the game. Setting for the game will be on a first-come first-served basis only in the West Stands.

The judges to select the best food will be Jeff Crystal of Oveture Restuarant, Carm Cassese, former YSU equipment manager and owner of Cassese’s MVR, Ronnie Quaranta from Caffee Capri and Leo DelGarbino of Leo’s Ristorante in Howland.

The winner will receive gift cards to all four establishments.

From YSU, the winner will receive two sideline passes and transportation to the season-opener at Pittsburgh. That game at Heinz Field is slated to kickoff at 6 p.m.

All regular-season policies apply to Spring Game tailgating. Superior Beverage will be on site with Dom’s Ice House.

For more information contact the YSU Athletic Ticket Office at (330) 941-1978.

The Youngstown State football team had a productive two-hour scrimmage on Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.  Anyone not living under a rock knows that all of the pieces from last season are back on offense this season.  However, a young defense with lots of new faces will continue to thrive and improve.  The defensive unit, unfortunately, is competing against an offense that practically rewrote the record books in 2011.

The Penguins worked on moving-the-ball, red-zone, third-down, four-minute and two-minute situations during the workout, and the offense opened the scrimmage with three consecutive crisp scoring drives.

On the first sequence junior quarterback Kurt Hess engineered a 11-play, 70-yard scoring drive. On the drive, Hess was 5-for-5 while senior tailback Jamaine Cook  (above) ran for 22 yards on five carries. Cook rushed for six yards on a fourth-and-two play from the 33 to extend the drive. Three plays later, Hess connected with Christian Bryan on 17-yard scoring toss.

On the second drive, sophomore quarterback Patrick Angle and junior tailback Torrian Pace went to work. Pace carried the ball four times for 16 yards while Angle was 5-for-5, including a 36-yard strike to tight end Nate Adams. After the defense forced a third-and-goal from the eight, Angle found Jelani Berassa (below) in the back of the end zone for a score capping a 10-play 70-yard march.

Angle led the offense on a 65-yard drive on the following possession. Cook opened the drive with a 25-yard rush while Jordan Thompson followed with carries of five, 18, 13 and three yards. On 3rd-and-4 from the 11-yard line, Angle went to Berassa again for nine yards to pick up a first down. Thompson then found a crack of daylight, scoring from two yards out.

“We are going to start to solidify positions”, said Head Coach Eric Wolford.  “We are pretty deep into this thing.  I was encouraged by things that I saw on both sides of the football.  Overall, we are getting better and there are still missed tackles and things we need to improve on.  Jeremy Edwards did a very good job on Will Shaw downfield today.  Will can run and Jeremy kept him in check.  It’s just an example of the expectations and that we are getting better on that side of the ball.”

“This is a process”, echoed Defensive Line Coach, Tom Sims.  “Last season, Andrew Johnson was a leader on defense, but there really was not much leadership from the linebackers and defensive backs, partly because they are so young.  Ultimately, we want competition.  If the ones get hurt, we should not have to worry about a two going in, the one should worry about the two going in and taking the ones spot.”

The defense held on the next series and then Jimmy May intercepted a Dante Nania overthrow to quickly end the fifth drive.

The Penguins ran four-minute situations with both the top and reserve units. The scrimmage was capped off with a two-minute drill. Hess found Bryan again for a 30-yard scoring toss with 31 seconds left on the first try. The defense held the reserve offense out of the end zone when Angle’s desparation pass fell incomplete on the final play of the workout.

Here are some statistics from the first portion of the scrimmage:  PASSING – Hess 7-of-7 for 66 yards and two touchdowns, Angle 6-of-7 for 70 yards and a TD, Nania 3-of-7 for 22 yards and one interception. RUSHING – Thompson 9-81; Cook 8-53; Pace 6-21. RECEIVING – Bryan 3-54, 2 TDs; Berassa 3-23, TD; Andrew Williams 2-22.

YSU returns to the gridiron on Monday for its 12th practice of the spring. Next week the Penguins are slated to hold workouts Monday and Wednesday before Friday’s annual Red-White Spring Game. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium.

Over the past few years, the facilities have improved, some coaching changes have been made, and school spirit is as high as it has been in about twenty years.  Ron Strollo (above) is finally getting to see the benefits of his hard work.  The athletic director at Youngstown State had come under fire three years ago.  When Jon Heacock was failing, both basketball programs were declining, and all the other sports we had to have for scholarship and conference alignment purposes, no one was sure if Strollo could survive.

Not only has he survived, he has prospered.  The whole athletic community has prospered.

Ask Eric Wolford.  Wolford was appointed to be the savior of a football program that seemed to cater to individuals instead of team.  All Wolford has done in two years is put a program in place, recruited like it is his last day on Earth, surrounded himself with good coaches, and worked on good character and life skills tirelessly for his players.  The expectation on Wolford’s 2012 Penguins is to win.  With a victory over FCS Champion North Dakota State last season, expectations on the coming season are very high.

Perhaps no coach is more misunderstood than Jerry Slocum.  Recently completing his seventh season at the helm, the reserved, but opinionated, coach proved he can win. Strollo rewarded Slocum with a contract extension, and Slocum paid back when he put the best product of his tenure on the court last season.  Slocum is in the Top-10 list for wins of active coaches and knows the game of basketball.  People are sometimes critical of his personality, but no one should ever question his ability to coach.  Strollo made the right decision in rewarding Slocum a few more years as the program continues to move forward.

Bob Boldon probably couldn’t get the pen out of his pocket soon enough to sign a contract to coach women’s basketball at YSU.  It is a nice place to start, following a departed coach who went 0-30 the year before.  Boldon has had good success in installing a three-point shooting offense and is always preaching defense, he is a good choice, another feather in Strollo’s cap.

Rich Pasquale will endure some growing pains with his 2012 YSU baseball squad. Pasquale has a very young team with only two seniors and is another tireless recruiter.  Don’t be surprised to see this team in the hunt next season as they get their bearings and learn to play together.  Coach Campbell is at that point now with the Lady Penguins softball team.  These girls can flat out play.  He has pitching, he has hitting, and he is proving very proficient at managing both.

Recently, the Penguins hosted the Horizon League Indoor Track Meet.  The WATTS proved to be a terrific venue for the event and Strollo reflected on the feedback.

“The feedback has been positive.  Obviously there are a few things, as we will go through growing pains, that need fixed.  We will address those minor issues. Fortunately, we ran college and high school meets a month and a half prior to tune up for that event.”

The weekend of the Horizon Meet, there were also basketball home games and the swimming home finale.

“There is no question we don’t mind being busy if that is what it takes.”

Strollo has surrounded himself with outstanding personnel.  This department has evolved into a prototype of how a collegiate athletic department should be run.  The marketing and sports information departments have exemplified consistency, which can be tough with subpar products.  Fortunately, the products are ‘new and improved’ and will continue to draw bigger crowds.  Keep up the good work Ron Strollo, and thanks for what you have done so far.