Posts Tagged ‘Dominique Barnes’

Youngstown State University is opening their home schedule for the 2010 season this Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.  The opponent of the Penguins will be the Butler Bulldogs, 2009 Pioneer League Champions.  Youngstown State is coming off of a 44-14 loss at Penn State but gained national respectability in the loss by not giving up and holding a 7-6 lead through a good portion of the second quarter.  The Penguins have a good track record for home openers winning their last 14 in a row.  Butler is coming off a season-opening 29-13 victory over Albion.

If Youngstown State is to be successful, they will have to concentrate on shutting Butler’s junior quarterback, Andrew Huck, down. Against Albion, Huck was 20-31 for 222 yards with three touchdowns.  Bulldog wide receiver Jordan Koopman had nine receptions good for 108 yards.  Butler finished the game with 519 yards gained on offense.  As strong as the Bulldog offense looked, the defense also played well in holding Albion to 232 yards of team offense, and just 87 yards rushing.

Youngstown State looks to unleash a whole bunch of offense.  QB Kurt Hess did little to look like a nervous freshman in the loss at Penn State.  Hess did not commit a turnover, was only sacked once against a nationally prominent defense, and even led his team to an unlikely time of possession advantage.  Hess’s hookup to Dominique Barnes in the first quarter marked the longest regular season passing play from scrimmage for YSU since 1998.  Barnes had 11 catches (ties school record)  for 135 yards and showed the nation why his speed and elusiveness might get some notice from those teams that play on Sundays.  Speaking of playing on Sundays, Eric Rodemoyer will be.  That is not a prediction, that is a guarantee.  Rodemoyer has been nothing short of dominant in the past eleven weeks winning the Lineman of The Week Award ten of those weeks.

Saturday’s contest will mark the first time these two schools have ever met on a football field.  Both schools are members of the Horizon League for basketball.  Everyone should recall that Butler marched through the NCAA Tournament before losing a heartbreaker in the final game.  For a moment, Youngstown State became an extension of Butler’s fan base.  However on Saturday, a school with a decent football program is coming to Youngstown to play football, not basketball.  I can’t see YSU losing this game unless they shoot themselves in the foot repeatedly.  The bigger, faster, stronger slogan would prove true this weekend if both teams play to their potential.

Eric Wolford is too intense of a coach to let the team suffer any kind of a letdown after Saturday’s loss at Happy Valley.  Barnes and Ely Ducatel both scored touchdowns against the Nittany Lions, both will score plenty this season.  However, this is the week when Youngstown will get their first glimpse of Adaris Bellamy.  Bellamy and Jamaine Cook are going to be household names in Youngstown for the next few years.  Offensive Coordinator Shane Montgomery said it best last week when he stated, “The best way to give Kurt [Hess] confidence is to establish a running game, which in turn will help the passing game.”  Look for the Penguins to have a huge Saturday running the football.

Defensively, Brandian Ross always looks good.  He can tackle and he can cover.  David Rach had a pick against Penn State, but he also broke up another pass and was involved in eight tackles.  Holding All-American Evan Royster to 40 yards is a victory in itself.

Kickoff time is set for 6 p.m. at The Ice Castle.  Expect a huge crowd for a rebirth of attitude and spirit.

Youngstown State University kicked off the 2010 football season with a new coach and a new attitude.  The Penguins ventured to Happy Valley under the guidance of new coach, Eric Wolford, to face the #14 Penn State Nittany Lions and coaching royalty, Joe Paterno.  The game was entertaining through the first half and a Penguin fan could grasp the nerves of a potential upset.  However, Penn State flexed some muscle in the second half and ran off 41 unanswered points in posting a 44-14 victory over YSU.

Much can be said about the positives that YSU displayed.  The one that fans should really be encouraged by was that this team fought until the final whistle and not once during this game did anyone quit or hang their head in defeat.  That attitude can be credited solely to Rookie Coach Eric Wolford.  The two touchdowns that YSU scored were a first in the sense that they had never hit paydirt against a BCS opponent, and they did it twice.  Another encouraging sign was the play of Kurt Hess.  For a kid that had never taken a snap at the college level, to complete 84% of your passes and not turn the ball over the entire game will do wonders for your confidence and the team’s faith in Hess as a leader.

The people who are veterans coming back played well.  If you have the game taped, go back and watch LG Eric Rodemoyer’s performance.  He will grade out at only a couple of negative plays and was driving Penn State lineman off of the ball the whole game.  Dominique Barnes (pictured) caught 11 passes for 134 yards and scored a touchdown.  The pitch and catch from Hess to Barnes capped a 3-play 80-yard drive that put the Penguins ahead 7-3.  YSU would hold that lead for almost a quarter.  Three Penn State field goals and a touchdown had the Nittany Lions ahead 16-7 at the half.

The second half may have exposed some things YSU has to get better at.  Chaz Powell returned the second half kickoff 100 yards to boost the lead to 23-7.  Penn State definitely outplayed YSU on special teams and the Penguins will need to improve in that area moving forward.  The other thing the Penguins need to do is eliminate penalties.  Saturday afternoon YSU had 8 penalties for 65 yards, way too much against any team.

Penn State was also quarterbacked by a freshman, Robert Bolden.  Bolden started a little sluggish but got rolling on a scoring drive before the half.  Bolden ended up 20-29 for 239 yards and two TD’s.  His favorite target was Brett Brackett, a senior co-captain, who caught 8 passes for 98 yards.  Evan Royster was pretty well kept in check by the Penguin Defense as he carried the ball 11 times for 40 yards (3.6 ypc).

Joe Paterno finished the game with career victory #395, most among major college coaches.  Eric Wolford dropped to 0-1 career with the loss, but much better days will come for this young coach.  If Wolford coaches 45 years, he might be where Paterno currently sits in the win column, I have that much faith in him and the great staff he has assembled.  One guarantee from this website, YSU will not finish any worse than fourth place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference this season.

Youngstown State has to now shift their focus to the home opener against Pioneer League 2009 Champion, Butler.  By whacking the negatives and expanding on the positives, there isn’t a team left on YSU’s 2010 schedule that should not be concerned about losing.

The Youngstown State University football program has a full plate this season.  On September 4, the Penguins travel to Happy Valley for a visit with the #14 team in the country, Penn State.  The Penguins will play every Missouri Valley Conference game with a chip on their shoulders after being picked to finish seventh in the conference.  Monday night the Penguins opened full-contact practice with a bang at a public workout.

The most obvious thing that was different in the Summer edition of the “Oklahoma” drill compared to the Spring version was the increased vibe of intensity.  In the Spring, the coaches did most of the pointing, yelling, and screaming. At Stambaugh Stadium on Monday the players made the noise, hit with aggression, got into each others faces, and the coaches were a side dish this time.

Eric Wolford, if for nothing else, has a feather in his new cap already – the ability to motivate.  Wolford is a no-nonsense coach who has and will continue to run a tight ship.  Vowing to eliminate all of the riff-raff and dead weight is one thing, but actually doing just that in a very short period of time is commendable.

After the Oklahoma drills, the offense and defense scrimmaged under game conditions.  Purdue transfer Najee Tyler looked like the frontrunner for the quarterback derby.  Tyler looks like a young Randall Cunningham and will create headaches for defensive coordinators all season.  Another newcomer, Adaris Bellamy had a couple of slick runs for the offense.  Eric Rodemoyer, Nick Gooden, and Torrance Nicholson all looked sharp and focused.  Dominique Barnes is going to have a monster season and played consistently during the scrimmage portion Monday.

Penn State plays #1 Alabama in week two of the upcoming season, a week after they face YSU.  Don’t look too far ahead JoPa, the kids from the valley are coming to visit.

2010

With Youngstown State on the cusp of starting the Eric Wolford Era, here are some notes from the university:

• The Missouri Valley Football Conference announced this week that the Youngstown State at Western Illinois game on Oct. 16 at Hanson Field in Macomb, Ill. will be a part of the league’s MVFC television package.  For the 12th-straight season, the Missouri Valley Football Conference is coordinating an in-house television package. The games will be produced for syndication on over-the-air and cable television stations throughout the Midwest. Each of the four conference-produced games will air live or taped on FS Midwest and Fox College Sports (FCS), which has a national distribution of 55 million homes.
• Youngstown State senior wide receiver Dominique Barnes and offensive guard Eric Rodemoyer were named preseason first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference by Phil Steele publications.
• Individual game tickets for the home football slate go on sale Monday, August 2 at the YSU Athletic Ticket Office. Reserved seat tickets are $16 per contest while general admission tickets are $12. During the month of September, fans can purchase GA tickets for just $5 each. For information contact the YSU Athletic Ticket Office at (330) 941-1978.
• Coach Eric Wolford and the Penguins will usher in the first full-contact practice of the fall with a special Monday Night Football on August 9. The Guins will be in pads for the first time that evening. The event will feature the “Oklahoma Drill” followed by a scrimmage at Stambaugh Stadium.

New YSU Coach Eric Wolford advised all to circle the annual Red-White Spring game on their calenders.  He promised at halftime of the home basketball game against Butler that there would be tailgating for the first time ever as a way to hype things up and a way for the community to enjoy fellowship and networking.  Wolford had to be happy with the upgrade from Spring games past as the Red got by the White, 48-20, in front of well over 2,000 fans.

The way the game was set up, the Red team were the “ones“, or first teamers.  The White team were the “twos“, or second teamers.  According to Wolford, no one was guaranteed anything, so with a strong showing against the Red team, any member of the White team could be promoted to starter status.

The two big questions coming into the game remained unanswered.  Marc Kanetsky and Kurt Hess (above) both had good showings at QB as they alternated series with both offenses.  Kanetsky finished the day 20-32 for 213 yards and a TD, he also ran one in from two yards out.  Hess was 26-33 for 350 yards and 3 TD.  Statistically, the edge goes to Hess, but Kanetsky did a better job leading drives that resulted in scores.  Hess was critical of himself afterwards.  “There were some reads that I made not as fast as I would have liked to, but getting the ball to the receivers we have so they can do the things they do worked out well for me today.”

The other unanswered question was will the special teams be a drawback as they were last year?  There were two field goals attempted, one by starter Stephen Blose, that were missed.  Blose also missed an extra point attempt while succeeding six times.  There were a couple of mishandled punts that rolled around on the turf.  The blocking on punts was not full contact, so that was an untested commodity.  Special Teams will win or lose a team games and Wolford knows how important they become when in a close one.

The factors that were expected to click did not disappoint.  Dominique Barnes caught 10 passes for 174 yards and two TDs.  Both of Barnes’ touchdowns (27 and 35 yards) came from Hess passes.  Jelani Berassa stepped it up catching 8 balls for 107 yards and a touchdown. 

In the rushing department, Torrian Pace (above, being served water by injured Torrance Nicholson) ran hard and got 13 carries for 109 yards and a pair of scores.  Jamaine Cook (pictured below) got 14 touches for 48 yards.  Dan Banna, the younger brother of Red team FB Kyle Banna, had 10 carries for 93 yards to lead the White team.  Dan Banna commented on what it was like to play against a team his brother was on fo the first time ever.  “We are always competing, but usually on the same side.  Today you got to see which Banna was better,” remarked the younger Dan as brother Kyle laughed.

Pace praised the offensive line and gave his thoughts on what will happen at quarterback.  “The O-line did a great job and it all works because of them.  Both of the quarterbacks played well and it is in the coaches hands.  I have faith in both of them and trust whoever I am lined up behind on the field.  I think they can both play”

After the game, Coach Wolford commented on the positives.  “I’m excited by the great turnout today.  I was happy with things I saw on both sides of the ball and you really have to credit the White for playing very competitively.  We are now entering the most important phase of the year, our Summer program.  As coaches, you cannot monitor the players but it is a time when you can make the biggest gains or losses and we need to make alot of gains.”

A man of his word, Wolford and members his staff went through the tailgate lot visiting the fans who came out in celebration of YSU Football.  “It was good to see.  This community is ready to change and we are all going to work together to do positive things.”

There was a little bit of everything going on at Stambaugh Stadium Saturday afternoon.  A situational scrimmage was held in the midst of Spring football.  There were plenty of bright spots for new coach Eric Wolford to bask upon.  Unfortunately for the players, Wolford is the guy who will go nuts for a couple of days trying to fix things that did not go as planned. 

The players in this environment are almost in a no-win situation.  The offense is going to gain some yards sooner or later.  The defense will nab an interception or record a few sacks.  Every play, someone had to do something wrong.  Unfortunately for the players, Coach Wolford stood comfortably 15 yards behind the offense with his whistle in his mouth and a tablet and inkpen in his hands.  Every play, Wolford would scribble some notes until the next play was ready to go.  Those notes combined with a weekend of film study will give Wolford all the ammo he needs to better prepare his team for the Spring game to be held on April 10. 

Wolford was satisfied with aspects of the practice game but says there are alot of things that have to happen.  “I told the refs before we started if anything was close to call it because I think that was a major problem from last year.  If you don’t get that corrected now, it is going to continue to be there.”  As whistles blew in the backround, Wolford went on to say, “They got backed up enough and put in second-and-long from penalties.  In fact, those boys (pointing to his offense) are over there doing up-downs right now for the penalties.  That’s good, they need that.”

Dominique Barnes (above), coming off of a solid year, had a nice afternoon for the Penguin offense.  Barnes scored three touchdowns and had 166 yards on eight receptions.  The big play from Barnes came when he  lined up split left and ran a post.  Kurt Hess threw a perfect ball hitting Barnes in stride on the 70-yard touchdown.

Marc Kanetsky and Hess split most of the time at quarterback.  The cerebral Kanetsky is proving that he can control a game by reading a defense and making good decisions without turning the ball over.  I think once the smoke clears that Kanetsky will be given the chance to run this offense.  Hess and Kanetsky both played well Saturday mixing snaps with the first and second units.  Both quarterbacks also had receivers drop a couple of passes that they threw.

Defensively, DB Brandian Ross (above) enjoyed the enthusiasm and competitiveness exhibited in the scrimmage situation.  “The receivers and the linemen have the biggest mouths.  When we get to shut them up it is the best feeling in the world.  That was like a conference game to me today.  It was physical, it was fast, and it was alot of plays, just like a normal game.”  

All-in-all, Wolford seemed pleased with the effort.  “There are obviously positives at some positions and negatives at others.  Usually, what happens is you compliment someone, and the next scrimmage it goes the other way.  When you compliment somebody, usually they come back the next day and  disappoint you.  We are going to see how the defense responds to a compliment.  Our linebackers played well running downhill and hitting their gaps.  I like what [Deonta] Tate is doing back there for us, he is showing potential.  [Jamaine]  Cook (pictured) may not have had alot of yards, but he makes guys miss.”

When asked about Dominique Barnes making some big plays, Wolford said, “Yeah, he needed to step up and make some plays here.  I think Dominique now understands that no one is grandfathered in around here.  In the past when you were ‘the guy’ around here you might have had a long leash, well,  these guys are all on a short leash nowadays.” 

In a season where the expectations were high so high at the start, the ending somewhat lived up to its advertised billing.  Youngstown State rallied from an 11 point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat North Dakota State, 39-35, at the Fargodome.

Youngstown State scored first as Marc Kanetsky, who started the game at quarterback for Brandon Summers due to shoulder soreness, connected with Donald Jones from five yards away staking the Penguins to a 7-0 lead at the 10:59 mark of the opening quarter. 

Pat Paschall, the leading rusher in the Missouri Valley Football Conference coming into the game, tied things up when he went over from one yard out.  Paschall will be an NFL back next year and finished the day with 140 yards on 27 carries.  Hard to believe, but the 140 was below his season average of 150+ per game.  The touchdown came at the 12:33 mark of the second quarter and John Obarski’s extra-point attempt was good for the Bison, 7-7 at the dome.

On their next drive, Youngstown State reclaimed the lead when Summers found Dominique Barnes for a 6-yard touchdown.  Stephen Blose split the uprights for the extra-point with 7:14 left in the first half to give the Penguins a 14-7 lead.

Paschall scored from a yard out for the second time in the game with just under five minutes remaining in the opening half to again knot the contest at 14. 

Youngstown State finally got a big play on special teams as Lenny Wicks returned a blocked field goal attempt 79 yards for a touchdown with just over a minute left in the half.  The Penguins, however, would yield a game-tying touchdown when Bison QB Jose Mohler found Warren Holloway for a 21-yard scoring connection.  At the half, this one was all tied up at 21 apiece.

The Bison struck first in the second half at the 6:08 mark of the third quarter.  Matt Veldman hauled in a 27-yard toss from Mohler.  With the PAT successful, the Penguins were on the wrong end of a 28-21 score.

The Penguins managed to get three points in the opening minute of the fourth quarter as a red-hot Stephen Blose nailed a 28-yard field goal to cut the lead to 28-24.

Paschall would give the Bison a seemingly comfortable cushion as he scored his third touchdown on the afternoon, this one a three yarder.  With just under eight minutes, Youngstown State began their unforgettable march to vicory.

The three amigos, Aaron Pitts (#83, left), Dominique Barnes (#29, middle), and Donald Jones (#81, right) have been awesome all year.  Summers has found these three receivers and the offense seemed to be at its best when the ball was headed their way. 

On this particular Saturday, the trio would show their value as they (along with Summers) spearheaded an amazing comeback.  With 5:13 left in the game, Pitts would be the first to step up as he caught a fourth down, four-yard touchdown pass from Summers.  The touchdown made the score 35-30 in favor of North Dakota State.  YSU lined up for the two-point conversion, which was a success when Summers hit another essential cog in the machine, Kevin Smith, for a two-point completion making the score 35-32.

The YSU defense was on fire as they forced the Bison to run three plays and punt.  YSU then started a fantastic drive to really exclamate what could have been.  Summers had several tosses to Jones to move the ball at a rapid rate on both of the last two scoring drives.  Barnes then got to relish in the glory when Summers found him for the go-ahead points with just 22 seconds left in a wild finish.  Blose kicked the extra point to give YSU a four point lead.

North Dakota State had a shot at the end zone on the last play of the game , but YSU’s Scott Sentner picked off the Bison scoring effort to end the game.

Youngstown State was paced by Kevin Smith who had 101 yards on the ground.  Summers finished the game with 259 yards and three touchdowns.  Jones caught 10 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown.

North Dakota State got 238 passing yards out of Mohler along with a couple of touchdowns, as well as a pair of interceptions.  Paschall finished with 140 rushing yards and a 5.2 average on 27 carries.  Holloway caught three Mohler passes for 88 yards and a TD.

Youngstown State (6-5, 4-4) completed the season in unbelievable fashion.  North Dakota State (3-8, 2-6) Coach Craig Bohl will surely want to put this season behind him.  It must be noted that Youngstown State took several more chances and opened up the playbook in the last couple of weeks.  The result of those two games were 63 offensive points (the six by Lenny Wicks on the blocked FG don’t count).  

Congratulations Senior Penguins!  I salute you for not throwing in the towel and exhibiting class under the worst of times.  No fingerpointing, no excuses, and no bickering really made this bunch special to cover all season.  The positions you are leaving will be tough to fill in the future.  All twelve of you are competitive winners, you had the respect of the players under you, the coaching staff, and at least one sports journalist.  Good luck with your futures and thanks for the good memories this season!

Even though this game can not aid either team to win a conference championship or vault into the playoffs, it somehow holds meaning.  Youngstown State University (5-5, 3-4) heads to Fargo, North Dakota in hopes of ending the season with a winning record.  The Penguins will have no easy task facing the North Dakota State Bison (3-7, 2-5).

This only marks the fourth time these two teams will square off.  The last time YSU played at NDSU was in 1972 when Ron Jaworski was the Penguins QB.  Last season Youngstown State took a 32-24 victory over the Bison.  North Dakota State was ranked #2 before dropping last year’s contest at Stambaugh Stadium.

The game is also significant because it marks the final chance for twelve special players wearing a Penguin uniform to leave one last impression.  The seniors want to win badly to recoup some sense of salvation to a season which started with so much promise and hope and finish with a winning record.

Coach Heacock stressed that this game will be prepared for just like any other.  “We rebounded in this last one.  We are 5-5 and have an opportunity to get our sixth win.  We will just keep grinding.”

On North Dakota State, Heacock stated stopping the run, in particular Pat Paschall, is paramount to this weeks success.  “They have a running back [Paschall] who is real good and they like to line up and run the football.  They do a nice job setting up play-action off of their runs.  Their tailback is something, he can take it the distance at any time.  I would guess that he is a pro prospect.  We have to match-up and try to stop them.” Paschall has 1,257 yards in 9 games and is averaging 7 yards per carry.  His 139.7 yards per game average is the best in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Penguin kicker Stephen Blose is coming off of his best week of the season with three field goals in the 30-18 win over Illinois State last week.  Blose commented on the mood of the team.  “The team is positive and it feels great coming off of a win.  We get down on ourselves after a loss, but we always had to prepare.  After a win, this week is no different.  We need to take advantage of opportunities when we get them.”

The Penguins and Bison kickoff at 2 p.m.  Tune in to AM-570 with Bob Hannon and Dick Hartzell at 1:30 as they preview the game and provide the call on all of the action.  The weather does not matter this week as the game will be played indoors at the Fargodome.

Penguin Facts

• WR Dominique Barnes has caught a pass in 22 straight games.  Donald Jones has a reception in 20 consecutive games.
• LB Draye Ersery made 11 tackles against Illinois State.  In the 17 games prior to that one, he had a total of 10.
• The last time YSU had two players rush for 100 yards in a game was aginst North Dakota State last season.  Kamryn Keys had 146 yards, and Jabari Scott added 120.
• North Dakota State MLB Preston Evans leads the Bison in tackles with 88, 43 of which are unassisted.

On Senior Day, the weather and general atmosphere on the sidelines was warm. It was nice to see the Senior Penguins with their parents before kickoff as they were recognized for their outstanding efforts as Youngstown State athletes.  Coach Heacock stressed all week that it was about this Senior class to succeed in this game, to find ways to involve them into the gameplan in a positive fashion.  They all seemed to contribute.  Pictured are two of the Seniors, Aaron Pitts (left) and Mychal Savage (right).

In what looked to be an even match on paper, Youngstown State and Illinois State were not playing for a championship or a postseason berth, but rather for pride.  The Penguins dug into the cupboard of forgotten plays and tried some new wrinkles on offense. Some of the results were good, others needed to stay in the cupboard. The result was a 30-18 Youngstown State victory.

Youngstown State took their opening possession on their own 14-yard line. The Penguins marched 45 yards in 12 plays to allow Stephen Blose a 45-yard FG attempt. Blose was successful on the attempt, and at the 4:37 mark, YSU held a 3-0 lead.

Coach Heacock rolled the dice and tried an onside kick that the Penguins recovered and the Penguin offense went back to work. Brandon Summers hooked up with Donald Jones for a 30-yard completion, but the Penguin drive stalled and Senior Ben Nowicki buried the Redbirds on their own 5.

The first quarter would come to an end with Youngstown State ahead 3-0 and driving. The Penguins stalled around the Illinois State 19 and were forced to take another Blose field goal to increase their lead to 6-0.

YSU tried a second consecutive onside kick that the Redbirds recovered. The Illinois State offense cashed in on the good field position as Zach Kutch connected from 41 yards out to cut the Penguin lead to 6-3 with 11:11 remaining in the first half.

A scenario the Penguins have become accustomed to this year came back to haunt them. The Redbirds Bert Whigham came up the middle almost untouched and blocked Nowicki’s punt. The ball rolled right into the end zone but the converging Redbirds were unable to come up with the recovery for a touchdown and YSU was lucky to give up a two-point safety. Weird score as YSU still lead 6-5.

The free kick following the safety further exposed the kryptonic special teams play of Youngstown State as Illinois State’s Ben Erickson returned the kick all the way to the YSU 40. Four plays later, with 8:03 left in the half, Cliffton Gordon scampered four yards to paydirt and just like that YSU was behind 12-6.

Southern Illinois caught the onside kick fever and tried their own, unsuccessfully. When the YSU drive appeared to stall and Blose kicked a field goal of 22 yards, a penalty of roughing the snapper set the Penguins up on the three. On the next play Kevin Smith got into the end zone for a 3-yard score and Blose knocked in the extra point to give YSU the lead back at 13-12.

Zach Kutch connected on a career-long 49-yard field goal to give the Redbirds a 15-13 lead with just over a minute left in the first half.

Blose tried to give YSU the lead back on a 42-yard attempt to end the opening half. The kick was blocked and the special teams hamster race continued. Halftime at the Ice Castle, Redbirds 15, Penguins 13.

Youngstown State finally got a big play. Dominique Barnes hauled in a 55-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Summers. Youngstown State held a 20-15 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The Redbirds effective kicker, Zach Kutch was again clutch, this time from 42 yards. The field goal shaved the Youngstown State lead to two points as they clung to a 20-18 lead.

Not to be outdone, Stephen Blose connected from 37 yards away to vault YSU to a 23-18 lead. For Blose, his third field goal capped his most productive day on the season.

At the 9:32 mark of the fourth quarter, Donald Jones caught a Brandon Summers pass from 8 yards away. YSU moved the ball 56 yards in 2:35 in increasing their lead to 30-18. Summers was 2-2 on the drive for 25 yards and a 3-yard run.

The Redbirds had a little left in the tank, but YSU was able to keep them out of scoring range and kept the score where it was to seal the victory.  Final score, YSU 30, Illinois State 18.  With the win, the Penguins improved to 5-5 and 3-4 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.  Illinois State fell to 5-5 and 4-3 in the conference.

YSU was paced by Brandon Summers who finished the game one yard short of a career-high with 346 passing yards on 25-38 passing.  Kevin Smith (pictured) had his third one hundred yard game of the season and finished with 136 all-purpose yards.  The deadly duo on the sides clicked again as Donald Jones caught 7 balls for 105 yards and Dominique Barnes hauled in 8 for 122 with each scoring a touchdown.  Aaron Pitts chipped in with 68 receiving yards on three catches.

The Redbirds Freshman Quarterback, Matt Brown, finished the game 32-49 for 328 yards.  Cliffton Gordon carried 18 times for 58 yards, and TE Cody White had a career-high day with 6 receptions and 76 yards.

After the game, Coach Heacock again praised this Senior class.  “It was a special day for them.  We had a nice breakfast with the parents and loved ones this morning.  They came out and played hard and it was great to see so many of them play their hearts out.  Of all the Senior plays today, none was bigger then Ben Nowicki preventing Illinois State from scoring a touchdown on the blocked punt.”

Youngstown State University will not be participating in the 2009 Postseason Playoffs.  That is the unfortunate reality following a 17-3 setback to #9 South Dakota State at Stambaugh Stadium.  The Jackrabbits were consistent and opportunistic in defeating a very tough YSU team in a physical game.  Defense and turnovers were the keys to victory for the Jackrabbits (7-1, 6-0) who got the big breaks at just the right times in turning back the Penguins (4-4, 2-3).

South Dakota State took the opening drive and marched all the way to the YSU 2-yard line before a penalty backed them up to the 7. After a couple of plays, the normally reliable Jackrabbit Kicker, Peter Reifenrath, hooked a 25-yard attempt and no scoring was recorded.

YSU took over on their own 20 and got to the South Dakota State 27 before having to settle on a 48-yard FG from Stephen Blose to take a 3-0 lead with 2:43 left in the first period. On the drive, Brandon Summers looked sharp and YSU featured a one-back offensive look with FB Dana Brown exclusively on the field for the entire drive. The first quarter would end with the 3-0 YSU lead.

Senior QB Ryan Crawford  marched the Jackrabbits deep into YSU territory. Good coverage prevented a couple of shots to the end zone and SDSU would have to settle for a Reifenrath field goal of 25-yards to tie the game at 3-3 with 4:33 left in the first half.

After an exchange of possessions, the half ended deadlocked with a 3-3 defensive battle taking place at The Ice Castle on Halloween.

A 5-yard Kyle Minett run put the Jackrabbits in front, 10-3, to capitalize on a Brandon Summers interception on the Penguins first play of the second half.  The turnover gave South Dakota State a ton of momentum coming out of the intermission.

Dailyn Campbell (6-1, Soph.) opened the next drive for YSU at quarterback. Summers had been hampered by an injury he suffered in last week’s loss at Southern Illinois.  Campbell used his speed and elusiveness to create positive rushing yards on a nice drive but the Penguins came up empty on a missed field goal leaving the score at 10-3. The next few drives saw Campbell and Summers being used at different times. After three quarters, the Jackrabbits clung to their 10-3 lead.

It was Minett again scoring at the 4:51 mark of the fourth quarter to extend the Jackrabbit lead to 17-3. The South Dakota State drive took almost five minutes off of the clock as they marched 66 yards in 9 plays.  The pattern that was becoming more obvious during this drive was that the Jackrabbits were not a big-play team, but rather a methodical and well-oiled machine able to get at least four yards per touch with anything extra being a bonus.  The SDSU tight ends and receivers seemed to shift and / or motion on every single offensive play.

The Penguins were able to move the ball 60 yards in less than a minute-and-a-half, but again came away empty turning the ball over on downs as Summers was sacked helped in part by a low snap.

The Penguins defense forced a quick three-and-out while burning their timeouts to get the ball back with just under two minutes left in the game. A sideline interference penalty turned a second-and-one to go into a second-and-seventeen to go, that is just the kind of day it ended up being for Youngstown State. South Dakota State would intercept Summers on fourth-and-twenty to seal the victory in a hard-fought 17-3 win.

For the victorious Jackrabbits, Ryan Crawford was 19 of 28 for 178 yards and 4 rushes for 22 more yards.  Kyle Minett had 22 carries for 87 yards and 2 catches for 32 yards.  Colin Cochart hauled in 6 Crawford passes for 51 yards.  Statistically, the Jackrabbits dominated the contest.  They had more first downs (17-14), more rushing yards (131-73), won the time of possession battle (32:36-27:24), and controlled the turnover battle (2-0).  When you are defeated in those four categories it is tough to win a game.

Youngstown State was paced by Dailyn Campbell (who only played sparingly in the second half) with 32 rushing yards on 7 attempts.  Brandon Summers finished the game going 19-29 for 181 yards and two interceptions.  Donald Jones and Dominique Barnes both caught six balls each to pace the Penguins receiving corps.

After the game, a very exhausted and frustrated Jon Heacock addressed the obvious problems that resulted in a loss.  “The playoffs are shot.  We will continue to practice and prepare like champions.”

Heacock also explained why Dailyn Campbell replaced Summers in the third quarter.  “It’s a tough decision for me to take a Senior out of a game.  In that situation, I was more inclined to give Brandon [Summers] a rest out of concern for an injury he has been battling from last week’s game.  I owe it to these Seniors who have stuck it out this long to always see that they get their chances.” 

Junior Andre Elliott said the Jackrabbits didn’t do anything surprising to win.  “They did everything we expected them to do.  Their offense doesn’t get big plays, they just move the ball.  We will continue to play hard because we want to send our Seniors out on a winning note.” 

The Penguins go back on the road next week traveling to Northern Iowa, their third ranked opponent in a row, for a 5:30 kickoff.