Posts Tagged ‘Christian Bryan’

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.

Youngstown State sophomore quarterback Kurt Hess (above) was selected as the team’s John Delserone Most Valuable Player and Outstanding Offensive Player while senior defensive tackle Andrew Johnson was tabbed the team’s Outstanding Defensive Player for the 2011 season.

Hess (Dayton, Ohio) was a first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection becoming the first quarterback in school history and just the second sophomore in league history to earn the honor. For the season he set the school record 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). Hess had a career-high 187 completions for a career-best 2,468 yards during the campaign.

He is the first Penguin since Brandon Summers in 2008 to earn top offensive player and team MVP in the same season.

Johnson (Detroit, Mich.) was a second-team All-MVFC selection in 2011 and was named the team’s Outstanding Defensive Player and Jermaine Hopkins Defensive Lineman of the Year. led the team with 6.5 sacks and 11.0 tackles for loss. It was the most sacks registered in a regular season since Harry Deligianis had seven in 1997. He finished the year with 39 total tackles, including 27 solo stops. It marks the second straight year that a senior defensive tackle (Torrance Nicholson in 2010) has received both honors.

Junior center Mark Pratt (Tooele, Utah) was a second-team All-MVFC selection in 2011 and was tabbed the team’s Jim Zdelar Offensive Lineman of the Year. Pratt started all 11 games at center in his first year with the program. He was the leader of an offensive line that helped the Guins average a school-record 36.2 points per game and a school-best 458.6 total offensive yards per game.

Sophomore punter Nick Liste (Niles, Ohio) was named the Jeff Wilkins/Paul McFadden Specialist of the Year. Liste averaged 39.8 yards per punt on 53 attempts. Of his 53 attempts, 16 were placed inside the opposition’s 20-yard line while eight went for 50 yards or more.

Senior quarterback Marc Kanetsky (Hubbard, Ohio) was named the recipient of the Dr. Pat Spurgeon Torch Bearer Award and the Four Square Academic Award. Kanetsky was a four-year special teams standout as the team’s holder on placement kicks. He also served as a reserve quarterback and threw touchdown passes as a sophomore and a senior.

Sophomore Torrian Pace (Chantilly, Va.) was selected to receive the Dr. Neal R. Frost Outreach Man of the Year Award. Pace was a reserve tailback and member on special teams for the Penguins in 2011. He has been active on campus as a member of the YSU SAAC the past three years.

Senior tight end David Rogers (Kent, Ohio) was named the Ron Stoops Most Inspirational Player. A fifth-year senior, Rogers wore No. 13 during the season to honor a friend who was killed in Afghanistan. Rogers also returned to be a key contributor following a severe injury in the 2009 season finale at North Dakota State.

Freshman wide receiver Christian Bryan (Irwin, Pa.) was selected as the program’s Newcomer of the Year. Bryan, an honorable-mention All-MVFC pick and member of the conference’s all-newcomer team, led all of FCS freshman with 719 receiving yards in 2011. He was one of 20 finalists for the Jerry Rice Award, which is given to the nation’s top FCS freshman.

Also, for their efforts in the 56-14 Homecoming victory over Western Illinois, the starting offensive line of Andrew Radakovich, Lamar Mady, Pratt, Chris Elkins, and Eric Franklin were the recipients of the YSU Football Alumni Group’s Difference Maker Award.

Christian Bryan finished 2012, not only establishing himself as the future of Youngstown State football, but also by rewriting anything in the record books that had the word freshman next to it.  Bryan, an undersized receiver, was passed over by larger schools.  The records he broke in 2012 include most yards by a freshman in a game and in a season, most receptions by a freshman in a game and in a season, and the most impressive part about all of these broken records is that his totals are nearly double of what the old marks were.  He seems like a possession-type receiver with good hands, runs good routes, and isn’t afraid to go across the middle.

Paneech: How did you get to Youngstown State?

Bryan: During the recruiting process, I picked out a few schools and Youngstown State was one of them I liked.  Really, they [YSU] were the only ones who made an impression with me and they punched that ticket for me.  Some schools wrote me off because of my size and measurements, but Youngstown State extended themselves, so I committed early.  I had a good host on my recruiting visit, Kurt Hess.

Paneech: Tell me how Kurt [Hess] has helped you this season.

Bryan: I was one of the people that voted for Kurt to be a captain.  When I came in for my visit, I could just tell what kind of a person he was and what kind of teammate he would be.  When I got onto a field with him, his leadership and ability really stood out.  He deserves everything he gets and is on track to lead this program to great things.

Paneech: Are you surprised that you were able to make a quick impact as a freshman?

Bryan: Actually, I was very surprised.  I came in and wanted to prove that I had the right mindset and the right attitude.  Coach Coleman and the other coaches all seem to believe in me.  I feel like I fell into a good role as a possession receiver.  People will look at me and maybe think that I am just small and quick, but I like the role that I have now, I think I fit it perfectly.

Paneech: There were no seniors starting on offense a majority of the year.  What does that say about the great finish you guys put together and the future?  Do the seniors hold their lack of playing time against you?

Bryan: I think it is a sign of great things to come.  We had a great team this year and had a shot to get into the playoffs.  The seniors have been cool about the situation. Ely [Ducatel] was one of the guys when I got here this Summer that pulled me aside and helped me out with the playbook and in the weight room.  He has a great attitude and doesn’t  dislike any of the freshmen.  All of the older guys have been supportive, there is no hatred amongst any of us.

Paneech: How different is the speed of the game at this level compared to high school?

Bryan: There is a big difference, I was really shocked at how much the difference is.  When we lost my final high school game last season, I really started to doubt myself.  I regrouped and pulled everything together, worked really hard to get better, and so far it has been amazing – a dream come true for me.  I was a military kid, so I got used to moving.  Being this far away from Irwin, PA isn’t getting me homesick.  I miss my girlfriend, but I am only an hour and twenty minutes away.

Paneech: How has it been working for receivers coach, Andre Coleman?

Bryan: Awesome, but not easy.  He is very critical sometimes.  When I got here, I thought I ran good routes.  I thought I was pretty good when I got here, but I was nothing compared to where he has got me now.  Little things like rounding out of our breaks, if it is off a hair, he lets you know.  Little things like pressing up and exploding out of your breaks, he sees it all.

Paneech: What is the thing you like most about Youngstown so far?

Bryan: I feel real comfortable here in this environment.  I am around the right people, from my friends, to my teachers, to my coaches.  My coaches are good people in the sense that they really want to make me a better person for my future.  They are always tough on me whether I am doing good or bad.  I try to stay at the same level knowing they are going to push me to do more, to be more.

Paneech: What do you do with your free time?

Bryan: I am around my friends as much as possible, or I am just relaxing in my room.  We have study tables figured into our schedules, so I go there and do my homework.

Paneech: Who was your biggest influence to get into football?

Bryan: My father.  Aside from myself, he is my number one critic.  When I was in first grade, I wanted to be like a GI Joe type of kid.  He threw me into football and has pushed me to be the best that I can ever since.  He was my coach for a couple of years, and we would go at it.  I respect him so much though, and if it wasn’t for him, there is no doubt I would not be here today.

Paneech: If there were three people on the game show Jeopardy – Marc Kanetsky, Coach Wolford, and Coach Montgomery, who would win and why?

Bryan: (laughs) Coach Montgomery would win.  He is a genius.  That guy’s brain is always working on something.  He sees everything all of the time and his mind just never stops working.

One Word Answers

Typical Fast Food Order: Three Junior Bacon Cheeseburgers and Fries from Wendy’s.

Favorite TV Show: Sponge Bob.

Favorite NFL Team: Philadelphia Eagles.

Favorite Player: Desean Jackson.

Dream Place To Play: Penn State.

Favorite Fruit: Pineapple.

Song No One Would Expect On Your ipod? Bagpipe Music.

Biggest Phobia: Spiders.

Worst Habit: Always Playing with My Fingers.

High School Employment: Landscaping and Washing Cars.

Somewhere around 3 p.m., Missouri State scored their second touchdown of the third quarter to cut Youngstown State‘s lead to 27-24.  At the same time, Northern Iowa had just kicked a field goal to force overtime at the end of regulation against Illinois State.  YSU, meanwhile, was trying to take care of business, knowing that if they could not beat Missouri State, something they had not been able to do for the past several seasons, the outcome of any other games would not matter.  The Penguins seemed to have control of the game until they gave up some big plays in the last minute, to fall, 38-34, to Missouri State.

“We got two first downs, but we needed three”, said Kurt Hess.  “This is rough, it was an emotional game.  It hurts, but I hope that we can learn from it and that it will make the team better.  I don’t think it was a successful season because the goal was to live up to a standard of making the playoffs and winning championships, and we failed to do that.  Pain is pain.  Last year we got used to losing like this every week .  This year we got on a roll and played with more confidence, it is different, but again, pain is pain.”

Early on, the Penguins marched 80 yards in 11 plays to grab a 7-0 lead.  Linebacker-turned-TE, Will Shaw caught a pass from Kurt Hess for a ten-yard score.  The game opening drive took 6:29 and the Penguins established the fact that they were ready to play, no flat start this week.

Trevor Wooden and Missouri State seemed up to the challenge as they retaliated with a 61 yard drive that tok eight plays.  Wooden, who was a force to be reckoned with all day, started his havoc through the air finding Cadarrius Dotson for a 16-yard strike to tie the contest.  The Penguins struck back quick as Hess found Shaw again, this time on a 52-yard hookup with a post pattern.  At the end of the first quarter, Youngstown State led 14-7.

After the Bears got a 29-yard field goal from Austin Wittmer, the ‘Guins went back to work.  A drive that lasted six plays and went 54 yards was punctuated by a Hess-to-Christian Bryan score on an 18 yard play.  With the score, the Penguins went ahead 20-10.  After an interception by Jeremy Edwards set YSU up in Southern Missouri territory again.  The opportunistic Penguins took advantage of the situation and punched another score in just before halftime.  Hess threw his fourth touchdown of the half, this time finding Jelani Berassa for a twelve-yard completion to make it 27-10.

In the second half, Missouri State proved they would not go away without a fight.  Wooden took the game over from his quarterback position and kept running for positive yards, first downs, and eventually two touchdowns (45, 3) to pull the Bears back into the game at 27-24.

At 3:20 p.m., Hess threw his fifth touchdown of the game, a school record for touchdowns in a game, finding Kevin Watts for a five-yard touchdown.  Hess also set a record for touchdowns in a season with 26.  He joined Mark Brungard and Trenton Lykes as the only quarterbacks to throw for more than 2,000 yards in a season, twice. It also marked the 13th time in 22 career starts that Hess had thrown for over 200 yards in a game.  Heckler note:  Sophomore Captain?  Answer:  All day…

At 3:31 p.m., Northern Iowa defeated Illinois State, 23-20 in 2 OT, meaning with a win, Youngstown State had better odds of making the postseason FCS Playoffs.  However, at 3:33 p.m., Missouri State scored a touchdown to shrink the Penguins lead to 34-31 with 6:28 left in the game.

With the Penguins taking over the next possession at their own 31, something Eric Wolford had wanted to see happen all year sort of took place.  The offense set out to finish the game by running the ball, chewing the clock, and ending things.  After two first downs, the Penguins were forced to punt.  Missouri State went to block the punt, narrowly missing, but the return set them up on their own 40.  In two plays, the Bears got to YSU’s 36 with 1:32 to go in the game.  A second-and-one, and a third-and-one, both failed to produce a first down.  On fourth down, Wooden snuck around left end for the first down.

After an incompletion, with :25 left in the game, Wooden found Robert Fields at the two yard line with :18 remaining for a 30-yard completion.  With ten seconds left in the game, Wooden found Dotson on a corner fade, and the Bears stunned everyone with their fourth touchdown of the second half to take a 41-37 lead with ten seconds left.  YSU got the ball back and ran two plays but were unable to score and ultimately fell, thus ending their playoff hopes.

“It was the worst loss I have ever experienced in my football career”, said DL Andrew Johnson.  “We did not take them lightly, and they didn’t do anything different in the second half.  We should have won, and we should be in the playoffs right now.  It was not a successful season because we did not accomplish our goals.”

Eric Wolford (above), in his second season with the Penguins, had plenty to say after the game.

“We did not deserve to win this game today.  We committed several foolish penalties and our kickoff and punt coverages were atrocious.”

“It’s tough for the seniors to go out like this”, said Wolford.  “A lot of them [the seniors] really didn’t even play that much, but they were always supporting whoever was playing. We have grown to some extent.  We need more consistency.  The games we have lost, we are losing by what – three, four points.  We are in the games and are competitive, now we have to be able to handle the pressure at crunch time.”

Give Wolford and these players credit.  Some wrote them off five weeks ago when they sat at 2-3.  To pretty much control your own destiny after defeating the #1 ranked team says a lot about a couple of things Wolford has stressed – character and dealing with adversity.  Congratulations Penguins on a very exciting season.  Good luck seniors in whatever path life may take you.

Missouri State has owned Youngstown State the last few seasons.  The Bears have given coaches and players fits even putting up some double-digit wins along the way. This year, Missouri State is much in the same position that Youngstown State was in last season – close but no cigar.  Last week, they lost 28-20 to Indiana State, the week before they fell to South Dakota State 43-36 in 2 OT, etc.  Sound familiar?  It should to Youngstown State fans.

Coach Eric Wolford knows that the Bears have enough talent not to be overlooked. He also thinks that if his Penguins can get by the Bears this Saturday that they should be in the playoffs.

“We are a playoff team,” claimed Wolford.  “We are ranked 15th in a BCS-like formula and history has shown that the top so many in that poll always seem to get in despite where they are in the other polls.  We are playing as well as anybody right now, we are a good football team.  We have quality wins and we deserve to be in the playoffs. With that said, our focus is squarely on Missouri State because if we don’t win, none of the scenarios matter, our season will end.”

Missouri State Senior, Travis Simmons, knows that he and his Bears are in a position to disrupt Youngstown State’s huge momentous surge.

“This is definitely our last game and we know that we have nothing to lose.  It has been very frustrating the way we have lost all of the close games this season, we just can’t seem to pull them out.  We have won the last few times against Youngstown State, but there is no mental edge for us.  Hopefully our coaches can find some tendencies as they continue to break down films.”

YSU quarterback Kurt Hess is excited about the chance to get to the next level, but knows the Penguins need to focus on the task at hand.

“Last year’s game against them was not one of my favorites, they controlled the game. They are a very talented team and seem to be stuck where we were last year, just unable to get over the top.  We feel as though we have played really well in the last five games, we are a hot team right now.  We are in a good position and I like the opportunity.”

On Senior Day, Wolford has exclaimed that the community needs to come out in full force and give the Penguins support.  He also said that the seniors on this years team will be honored before the kickoff, but that there would be no honorary senior starts. The seniors who will be playing in their last, at least, regular season game are Andre Barboza, Ely Ducatel, Josh Lee (above), David Rogers, Deionte Williams, Daniel Stewart, Marc Kanetsky, Scott Sentner, Andrew Johnson, John Sasson, Pat White, Nate Schkurko, and Obinna Ekweremuba.

So much is at stake for Youngstown State.  The casual fan gets the sense that Wolford’s promises have started to turn into reality in a very short period of time.  He knew the talent was there, never made excuses when the Penguins lost, and with a playoff slot within their reach, expect this team to come out fired up.

“Defensivily, they [Missouri State] they do not want you to be able to run the football. They use some plus one in the box and try to outnumber you, force you to make some plays.  Offensively, they run a spread offense where the quarterback will hand it off or keep it, something similar to what we do, a zone read.  The quarterback will have to be accounted for all of the time.”

Kickoff for the game is set for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.  Come out and cheer on your Penguins in the first meaningful season-ending game at Stambaugh Stadium in years.

If you wanted a statement win, what better time than now to make a statement? Youngstown State hits the road one last time in 2011 to face off against the undefeated and #1-ranked North Dakota State Bison.  The Penguins have matured each week, played better each week, and have already made a statement – win or lose.  That statement is pretty obvious.  It would read something like, ‘We are young, we are gaining experience, and you don’t want to play us right now.’

North Dakota State has every reason to be nervous about this game on Saturday.  The last three times these two teams have faced off, the game hung in the balance until the final minute, YSU won two of those contests.  All five conference meetings have been decided by a total of 25 points.  Youngstown State won in their only appearance at the Fargodome two years ago, rallying from an eleven point deficit to win, 39-35.   Disagreement on the Bison nerves?

“They [North Dakota State] are really good at all phases of the game”, said Penguins Coach Eric Wolford.  “Reviewing the films, you can tell that they do a great job developing their players physically.  They have more weight, more size, and they do not turn the ball over.  Coach Bohl and his staff really do a great job recruiting big guys.  They work hard and lift weights and their secondary hits.  I expect them to try to keep possession, they had the ball 38 minutes in their win last week, and that will keep an offense off of the field.”

Youngstown State has not lost focus of their biggest goal, making the playoffs.  By knocking off the #1 team in the FCS polls, the Penguins will surely get a huge boost in class and at least be ranked next week.  They may need a few dominos to fall in the right direction to make the playoffs, but do not rule them out yet.  For Wolford and his youthful Penguins, winning is the goal.  Last year competing against an undefeated team may have been satisfactory, but Wolford has stated all year that the standard is to win championships and be in the playoffs.

To dissect the four losses that YSU has, a two-point loss at Indiana State, a seven point loss to South Dakota State, a four point loss to Northern Iowa last week, and a 28-6 defeat at Michigan State – the Penguins have gained respect.  They have exceeded the expectations of their predicted seventh-place MVFC finish and more importantly, have been in every game that they have lost with a chance to win.  Three conference losses by a total of 13 points is pretty damn good when nobody is giving you a chance.

Kurt Hess and Jamaine Cook have delivered all season.  Two of the four captains have really made the offense of Shane Montgomery lethal.  The skeptics were critical of the receivers all Spring and into the start of the season, but Christian Bryan and the crew have shut them up in that department.  The defense was then the next unit to be dissected and blamed by the critics.  Start seven freshman at any level and lose to a team that is ranked and see how ‘bad’ you looked, really.

YSU Center Mark Pratt was not around until this season, but is looking forward to taking on the Bison with so much on the line.  “They are the number one ranked defense for a reason, they must be doing something right.  They are as good as advertised and the biggest challenge is that they do not make mistakes.  We need to play like this is a playoff game.”

The Bison have committed zero turnovers in six of their games this season.  Efficient is a word best used to describe their offense and their quarterback, Brock Jensen, is a clock management genius.  If the Penguins can neutralize the line of scrimmage and create obvious passing situations, they must respect play-action passes as the Bison are probably the best in the conference at fooling defenses with their run-disguised aerial attack.

“They have 27 sacks and put tremendous pressure on the quarterback”, said Wolford.  They are smart and defensively, they keep everything in front.  Their pressure creates turnovers.  I think they are going to test our defense with the run.”

Wolford talked about the Bison taking it to Big-10 Minnesota this season.  “In the Minnesota – North Dakota State game, you would have thought that North Dakota State was the Big-10 team the way they dominated.  Minnesota has a few wins this season and it says a lot about this conference to dominate a Big-10 opponent the way they did.”

North Dakota State would not let me talk to any players, saying that they were done doing interviews for the week already.  When I asked Sports Information Director Jeff Schwartz for a coach he said that was not something we could do either. I vowed to supply bulletin board material at some point this season.  Here ya go.  YSU 28 – NDSU 24.  Thanks Jeff!

Kickoff is set for 4:07 Saturday and the game will be televised on the WBCB networks.  You can also catch the radio coverage on AM-570 with Bob Hannon, Ed Muransky, and Zach Humphries.

Youngstown State freshman wide receiver Christian Bryan is among a group of four players added to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List on Wednesday. The inaugural award honors the outstanding freshman in the Football Championship Subdivision. It is presented by The Sports Network and sponsored by Fathead.com.

Bryan, wide receiver Neal Sterling of Monmouth, quarterback Taylor Heinicke of Old Dominion and kick returner Jordan Wells of Southeastern Louisiana were added to the list on Wednesday. Currently there are 20 candidates for the honor.

The 5-10, 180-pound Bryan (Irwin, Pa.) has set YSU freshman records for receptions in a season, yards in a season, receptions and yards in a game. He has 33 receptions for 560 yards and five touchdowns for the Penguins this season.

A national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries will select the first Jerry Rice Award winner after the regular season. The legendary wide receiver, who played in the FCS (then Division I-AA) at Mississippi Valley State, will be on hand at the national awards banquet on Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas, to present the new award.

In recent weeks, Eric Wolford has defended his young team through the bad times, while also assuring everyone that the season was not over and that this team was going to get better, contend, and live up to the standard of winning championships. Youngstown State took another big step or two in the right direction by blasting Western Illinois, 56-14.  The Homecoming win puts the Penguins in a position to climb back into the polls with some momentum as they prepare for Northern Iowa.

“Good day for all of the Penguins”, said Coach Eric Wolford.  ” We are getting people to focus on a consistent basis.  We are a stong running team, so there is some opportunity for play-action passes.  We are only a year and a half into this thing.”

“This football team is a work in progress, and when we focus, we can do it.  It was exciting to see four quarters of football and play all three phases of the game this year.  If we are going to make a run, we have to do it now.”

A pattern had developed a few weeks into the season where the offense was scoring a lot of points, but the defense had given up more than the offense could produce a couple of times.  This young defense is really turning the corner and the offense has somehow gotten even better than they were. The Penguins dominated the Leathernecks on both sides of the ball, playing their most consistent football of the season.  The score does not reflect the parity of a tough Missouri Valley Football Conference where teams can jump up and beat the other on any given week.

Youngstown State struck early and often in the first half.  On the first play from scrimmage, Kurt Hess threw a perfect deep ball to Christian Bryan on a skinny post route.  Bryan was a good ten yards behind the defense and the perfect pass from Hess, which traveled about 40 yards before landing in Bryan’s arms, yielded the opening score in a real hurry.  Hess had two more touchdowns in the opening half, a 69-yarder to Jelani Berassa (above) to end the first quarter, and a 17-yard strike to Kevin Watts.  Hess also ran for a score and added another TD pass in the second half to round out his shortened day.

Hess reflected on the win.  “It starts in the trenches, and our offensive line performed very well today.  The defense created some turnovers and offensively, we appreciate that, and we were not going to let ourselves fail to take advantage of those situations.”

Jamaine Cook always punches his card and goes to work for Shane Montgomery‘s high powered offense.  Cook broke the 1,000-yard barrier in the first half.  He also scored the two first half touchdowns to round out the scoring as the Penguins took a 42-0 lead into the locker room.  Just in the first half, Cook had 111 yards on 16 rushes, he also caught a couple of passes for 19 yards.  Hess and Cook, two captains, have produced week in and week out for Youngstown State.

Defensively, the Penguins were chaotic and disruptive and never allowed the Leathernecks to get into a rhythm, keeping them off of the scoreboard until there was 5:21 left in the third quarter.  Aronde Stanton (above), played a solid game at noseman for the second week in a row.  Stanton had an interception to set up a Penguin score in the second quarter.  The entire defense just looked good.  The secondary created chances for the line to pressure WIU quarterback, Josh Hudson, all day.  In return, the line did a pretty solid job against the run and did all of the little things right.

“When we get turnovers like that, it creates chances for our offense”, remarked Daniel Stewart after the game.  “We are starting to finish games and are consistently getting better.  We have a big challenge ahead of us next week.”

YSU, which has not lost at home to Western Illinois since 2003, scored more than 28 points for the seventh consecutive game.  The win also marked a halt to losing Homecoming games.  Prior to this victory, the Penguins had lost five straight Homecoming contests, but this win boosts their all-time record to 48-21-1 on such games.

Hess, who only went one drive into the second half, finished the game 7-10 passing for 209 yards and three touchdowns.  He also ran one in.  Cook (above) finished with 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 17 rushes.  Bryan and Berassa only caught a ball each, both touchdowns, 70, and 69 yards respectively. Marc Kanetsky found Ely Ducatel for an 11-yard touchdown in the third quarter, a rare senior-to-senior hookup. Kintrell Disher also scored his first career touchdown as a Penguin. Daniel Stewart recorded five unassisted tackles, including one for a loss.

“All of the guys on defense have made significant improvement”, said Wolford.  “A lot of times when you are a young person, you don’t understand the sense of urgency or focusing on ‘now’.  We have confidence that we can play with anyone on our schedule. Northern Iowa is a good football team, very well coached.”

The Penguins (5-3, 3-2) head west next week to take on Northern Iowa, the #2 FCS-ranked school going into this week.  The Penguins have not beaten Northern Iowa in their last ten meetings and look to bolster their playoff hopes with a big road win. Don’t be surprised to see YSU ranked this week in the new FCS poll.

Sometimes Youngstown State University starts a game slowly, something Coach Eric Wolford claimed needed addressed.  Other times the Penguins had problems on both sides of the ball with missed assignments, lining up wrong, and fundamentals.  Against Saint Francis, a game which the Penguins won, 49-23, the maturity of this young team continued to take place.  There were few missed assignments, little that was not properly executed, and everyone looked fundamentally sound for the Penguins.

Jamaine Cook came into the game 4th in the FCS in rushing with 131.2 yards per game.  One of the backs ahead of him at number three on the list was Saint Francis’ Kyle Harbridge.  Cook put on a show, racking up four first half touchdowns and gaining 162 yards on 19 carries.  Harbridge managed to crack 1,000 for the year, but the Penguins RB had the much more productive day.  What was more impressive of Cook’s day was that Saint Francis runs a plus one defense most of the time, meaning they have nine guys in the box.  The line did a great job of picking up the extra man and sprung Cook, Adaris Bellamy, and Jordan Thompson for good yardage all day, to the tune of 450 yards combined on the ground.

“We came out to play up to our standard”, said DT Aronde Stanton.  “We prepared for this game like it was a conference game.  Because there are so many good running backs in our conference, we were prepared to face this kind of an offense that runs the ball.”

The Penguins (4-3, 2-2) never punted in the first half.  Cook had touchdown runs of 1, 4, 8, and 26, to account for his four first half scores, which marked the first time a Penguin scored four times in a game since PJ Mays did it in 2001 against Indiana State.  The Penguins also got a 5-yard touchdown from Bellamy, and Kurt Hess hit Christian Bryan for 19-yard score to account for the 42 first half points for Youngstown State.  Saint Francis managed a 35-yard Josh Thiel field goal.

In the second half, the Penguins sat the starters and Coach Wolford got the depth chart some playing time.  Saint Francis scored a few touchdowns in the second half to salvage some pride on offense.  The damage was pretty well done in the first half though and the Penguins and Wolford can be content with the first unit’s play on both sides of the ball.  The Penguins, however, put some icing on the cake when Jordan Thompson tore off a 95-yard touchdown run, off right tackle, tying a school record.  Thompson will be a force to be reckoned with going forward and he is finally 100% after suffering a shoulder injury early in the season.

“I didn’t know I had tied a record”, said Thompson.  “We have a bunch of talented backs and we were able to make some plays against a plus one defense, forcing misses.  I am happy to get the ball and contribute.”

For Saint Francis (1-6), Harbridge finished the game with 117 yards on 28 carries (he had 52 yards in the first half).  John Kelly threw for 288 yards on 16 completions in 28 attempts (including a 70-yard TD) and had 5 rushing yards and a score on the ground.

The Penguins really distributed the ball well in both halves.  Cook finished with 162 yards on 19 carries.  Thompson, aided with his 95-yard score, finished with 135 yards on 4 carries  (33.8 ypc).   Hess was 11-14 for 172 yards and a touchdown again doing a very efficient job of managing the offense.  Bryan finished with four catches for 49 yards and a score.  Torrian Pace got 15 carries in the second half and finished with 81 yards.

Defensively, Josh Garner and Aronde Stanton finished with five tackles each an Andrew Johnson recorded a sack. Sir Taylor nabbed an interception and returned it 42 yards, just missing a 65-yard touchdown when the last possible tackler tripped him up near the YSU sideline.

The first meeting of these two teams since 1953 ended sort of lopsided, but both coaches will have things to build upon despite the wide scoring differential.  Youngstown State will jump back into conference play when they welcome Western Illinois to town for Homecoming next weekend.  Saint Francis will host Central Connecticut State.

Coach Wolford talked about the victory at the postgame press conference.  “You always worry that the team will look at the record of the other team and have preconceived notions of chalking up a win.  Upsets happen all of the time and this team posed some challenges with a solid running game.  We did good things in the first half against the ‘plus one’ look, and defensively, the only thing that had me worried was the abundance of penalties.  We continue to strive though, and are putting things further behind us.  We now have to get ready for Western Illinois.”

One of the things about Wolford that has become more obvious to me over the past couple of weeks is his character.  I knew he had a big heart because of his ‘paying ahead’ attitude and charitable contributions through No Stone Unturned.  However, what I learned about this guy in the last 48 hours is that he worries about the personality and character of his players as responsible young men.  Everything from what they eat the night before a game, to what they do in their spare time, to the value of their education.  Wins and losses aside, Eric Wolford is now a better fit, in my mind, more than I ever could have imagined.  He is honest, refuses to make excuses, has tackled adversity head-on several times in just his second season, and more than anything — finds time for everyone.

Call me a mark.  Call me a homer.  Call me anything you would like.  Facts are facts.  Wolford is solid.

For the first time under Eric Wolford, Youngstown State University won a game on the road.  In a must win for both teams, YSU outplayed Southern Illinois in the second half and got their first win at Carbondale in ten years, posting a quality 35-23 win over the Salukis.  The defense played arguably their best game of the season to protect the lead and maybe showed some signs of maturation.

The first half was filled with more of the frustration shown in the Penguins previous two losses.  Earlier in the week, Wolford said that his Penguins (3-3, 2-2) were getting beat on four or five plays where players were not lining up right or missing assignments.  The first half produced two such plays where fumbles killed drives and momentum.

Halftime adjustments and better protection of the football resulted in keeping momentum and putting points on the scoreboard.  The defense really strapped it up all day.  Jewel Hampton was held to 70 yards on 20 carries.  Hampton posed the biggest threat to YSU entering the game, neck-in-neck with Jamaine Cook atop the conference rushing leaders list.  However, Cook emerged in the second half with a couple of long runs, his sixth touchdown, and his fifth 100-yard game of the season.  Kurt Hess played a good game and really controlled the pace regardless of the situation.  Hess played like a captain for those who questioned a sophomore garnering such a title.

“Nothing comes easy for us”, said Wolford.  “We will keep sawing wood and working hard.  Take your hats to our defense today, they really stepped up and played hard.”

Southern Illinois scored first when they marched 43 yards in eight plays, punctuated by a Hampton two-yard run.  The Penguins evened the score in the second quarter when Adaris Bellamy (below) plunged in for a two-yard score.  The YSU scoring drive, which covered 42 yards only took five plays.

The Salukis would capitalize on a turnover and take a 14-7 lead in the second quarter.  Hampton got his second touchdown on a six-yard scamper to increase the margin.  Jackson MacLachlin booted a 34-yard field goal to increase the Saluki lead to 17-7 at the half.

In the second half a couple of long-awaited answers came for the Penguins.  A receiver, Christian Bryan, has stepped up as a go-to guy for Hess.  Bryan made a couple of leaping, full-extension grabs to set up the Penguins in Saluki territory at crucial times.  The other question mark that can be erased was the ability of the defense to finish a game.  Give Davion Rogers the Derek Pixley Hit of The Week now, he earned it when he crushed MyCole Pruitt late in the game, dislodging the ball before the TE could gain full possession.

The Penguins scored the first two touchdowns of the second half to take a 21-17 lead.  Hess found Bryan alone in the corner of the end zone for the first score.  Cook scored the go-ahead touchdown on a hard two-yard run.

The lead would be short-lived as SIU reclaimed the lead on a 20-yard dash from the Iowa transfer, Hampton.  However, the Penguins were able to dig deep and take the lead for good with 1:11 left in the third quarter.  Hess found Jelani Berassa amongst a sea of Saluki defenders in the middle of the end zone and hit him with a hard pass that Berassa hauled in.

After a couple of empty possessions for both teams, the Penguins special teams made a difference.  Josh Lee pounced on a muffed punt that rolled beyond the goal line and into the end zone to put the Penguins ahead by the score of 35-23 with 2:48 left in the game.  Special teams were a problem to that point of the game for the Penguins.  The kickoff coverage unit let Steve Strother gain 195 yards on five returns, and Nick Liste had a couple of punts nearly blocked.  The defensive effort is even more praiseworthy based on the fact that Southern Illinois started most of their drives with great field position.

Hess finished the game 16-21 for 264 yards with two scores and no picks.  Bryan again took top receiving honors for YSU, catching five balls for 131 yards.  Cook had a sluggish first half statistically, but finished strong posting 179 more rushing yards to his growing resume.

Pruitt was a thorn in the Penguins sides all day and the freshman TE finished with 124 yards on eight grabs. Kory Faulkner was 20-35 for 184 yards for the Salukis (2-4, 1-3).

Wolford finally has the road monkey off of his back and this team is going to keep getting better with experience.  Quality win!

The Penguins return home for two games against St. Francis and Homecoming against Western Illinois.

*Photos courtesy of Ron Stevens / YSU Athletics