Posts Tagged ‘Dominique Barnes’

On a perfect Fall evening, a football game involving two teams in a must-win situation took place in Youngstown.  Youngstown State scored 31 first half points and Western Illinois didn’t score any.  However, Western Illinois scored 21 second half points, and YSU failed to score a point.  Combine the two very different halves and the result is a 31-21 YSU victory. 

Youngstown State wasted little time getting on the scoreboard.  Western Illinois booted the opening kickoff out-of-bounds giving YSU the ball on their own 40.  Brandon Summers and the offense efficiently marched 60 yards in 10 plays.  Kevin Smith capped the opening scoring drive with a 1-yard TD to give YSU a 7-0 lead.  This marked the first time all year that YSU scored on their opening possession. 

After stuffing the Leathernecks, the Penguins took over on their own 30 and marched 70 yards in 10 plays and Summers found Donald Jones for a 4-yard touchdown to increase the Penguin lead to 14-0 with 1:03 left in the first quarter.  Kevin Smith had a key 26-yard run on the drive.

Western Illinois went 3-and-out.  On the last play of the first quarter, Lenny Wicks returned a Leatherneck punt 25 yards to the WIU 38.  At the end of one, it was all YSU, 14-0.

YSU covered 38 yards in 5 plays to increase the lead to 21-0.  It was the Dana Brown show on this particular drive as Brown carried the ball on every  play with the last being a one yard rushing touchdown at 12:33 of the second quarter.

In a continual display of dominance, YSU’s Na’eem Outler sacked WIU quarterback Wil Lunt and Sir Demarco Bledsoe pounced on the ball.  On the very first offensive play, Summers went to the end zone for Donald Jones who made a remarkable effort but was interfered with giving YSU first-and-goal on the Leatherneck 8-yard line.  Two plays later, Summers hooked up with Dominique Barnes for the eight yard score pushing the margin to 28-0 with 10:30 left in the first half.

Stephen Blose connected on a 27-yard field goal with 1:52 left in the half.  The Penguin drive was 54 yards in 9 plays.  It almost seemed as though the Penguins were concentrating more on chewing clock and getting Jabari Scott some carries.  To this point, everything had clicked on offense, all three running backs had some yards, and Summers was 9 for 9 passing.

On the ensuing kickoff, YSU’s Brandian Ross recovered a fumble to give the Penguins the ball on WIU’s 37-yard line.  The Penguins were unable to convert the turnover into any points however, about the only bad series they ran in the first half.  Western Illinois seemed content to just run the clock out and try to get to the locker for a halftime regrouping session.  At the half, this one was all YSU as the Penguins dominated the Leathernecks in every possible statistic for a 31-0 lead at the break.

Western Illionois came out a better team in the second half.  The Leathernecks scored on a 30-yard strike from Lunt to Justin Rideau.  The scoring drive was 9 plays for 77 yards and cut the YSU lead to 31-7 with 10:23 left in the third quarter.

Brandon Summers was intercepted by Stephen Moore and a personal foul gave the ball to WIU at the YSU 38.  On a third-and-22, YSU got flagged for a roughing the passer penalty giving Western Illinois the ball on the YSU 12.  On the very next play, Dre Gibbs coughed up the ball by the YSU goal line and Lenny Wicks recovered for the Penguins to help swing the momentum back to the side it was on the entire first half.

At the end of the third quarter, YSU maintained their 31-7 lead with a strong running attack that chewed the last six minutes of the quarter up.  With the start of the fourth quarter, YSU had the ball on their own 48.  The first play of the fourth quarter, however, proved costly as Summers was chased down from behind and the ball came loose.  Brandon Kreczmer recovered the ball for the Leathernecks at YSU’s 34.

With 12:25 left in the game, Western Illinois got an 11-yard scamper from Gibbs to successfully convert the turnover into points and further cut into the dwindling YSU lead, now 31-14.

The Leathernecks continued marching back as Lito Senatus caught a bullet from Lunt for 12 yards and a touchdown with 7:54 remaining in the game.  The lead was down to 31-21 and Western Illinois was playing as good as YSU did in the first half.  Conversely, YSU was playing as poorly as Western did in the first half. 

After another three-and-out, YSU punted the ball away.  Western Illinois started their next drive on their own 29.  Andre Elliott blitzed and absolutely smashed Lunt as he was releasing a pass which wobbled about half of its intended ditance where David Rach was waiting to intercept the ball back for the Penguins. 

YSU successfully chewed up the rest of the fourth quarter on the shoulders of Senior TB Kevin Smith (pictured) and held off a fierce Leatherneck comeback to preserve what seemed like a blowout but ended up somewhat of a nailbiter.

For YSU, Kevin Smith finished with 113 yards on 28 carries and a TD.  Donald Jones caught 8 passes for 94 yards and one TD.  Brandon Summers finished 12-18 for 134 yards, an interception, and two TD’s.  Stephen Blose had a good day as he kicked four extra points and was 1/1 on field goals.

Western Illinois was headed by Dre Gibbs who finished the game with 162 all-purpose yards (155 rushing, 7 receiving).  QB Wil Lunt was 9-19 for 109 yards, one interception, and two TD’s.  Justin Rideau caught 5 Lunt passes for 79 yards and 2 TD’s.  The statistic that buried the Leathernecks was penalty yards.  WIU accumulated 11 penalties for 108 yards compared to YSU having only five penalties.

After the game, Coach Jon Heacock praised the effort of his opponent.  “I don’t care what the records are.  You better show up and play every minute of every game on Saturday.  Give them [Western Illinois] credit for fighting until the end and playing hard.  We have some time [with the bye week] to pick out the things we can’t do and the things that we can do and become more consistent.”

Senior TB Kevin Smith, who has a couple of fumbles this season commented on grinding out the last four minutes of the game.  “It felt good.  I had a couple of drops and it felt good that the coaches had the confidence in me to give me the ball and run down the clock.”

Lenny Wicks talked about whether or not he was ready for the bye week.  “Yes, we have some time to rest and get alot of practice in to get ready for Southern Illinois because that’s a big game.”

YSU travels to Southern Illinois for an October 24th game.  With the extra week of preparation, Coach Heacock will have the team ready for that big game. 

Youngstown State (3-2, 1-1) hosts Western Illinois (1-3, 0-1) in an almost must-win game for both teams this Saturday.  The Missouri Valley Football Conference seems balanced with an exception at the bottom (Indiana State), and a couple of great teams so far (S. Illinois, N. Iowa) at the top.  All of the teams in the middle of the MVC could end up beating each other up all year.  With one loss each, either team could still win the conference championship if they run the table. 

Youngstown State lost to Missouri State, 17-7, in a game that was decided by big plays and bigger miscues.  To drive for 16 plays and 90 yards and come away with no points can be disheartening to a team like Youngstown State.  The game could have easily been won by ten points minus three mistakes.  Those three mistakes were a high snap on a field goal attempt that prevented YSU kicker Stephen Blose to have a clean attempt, converting on fourth-and-inches on Missouri State’s five yard line, and controlling turnovers.  There are not many teams who can overcome four turnovers, a blocked field goal, and getting stuffed deep in the opponents red zone who would only lose by ten points.  I guess that is the best way to take a positive out of last week’s game.

Western Illinois lost to Southern Illinois, 30-10, last week.  When WIU scored a TD in the second quarter, they cut the SIU lead to 14-10, but would get no closer as the Salukis rattled off three field goals and a touchdown to seal a victory.  The Leathernecks have a legitimate deep-threat wide receiver in Lito Senatus.  Senatus caught six passes for 45 yards against Southern, but more impressively, has 30 catches for 435 yards in four games.  Western Illinois will try to run the ball with traditional power formations, a trademark of their teams for years.  However, they will throw a three receiver set in from time-to-time, something new and not seen frequently in the past.

Youngstown State has won the last 5 games against Western Illinois, with four of those contests being decided by seven points or less.  This weeks game marks the 25th meeting between the two schools with YSU victorious 14 times and WIU the winner 10 times.  Last year, YSU won a hard fought 31-28 game in Macomb to end the season.

Coach Jon Heacock looks for his team to roar back coming off of last weeks loss.  “We played outstanding at times.  We had a goal-line stand.  We drive it sixteen plays, and it ends with a turnover.  We went into the game leading the conference in turnover margin.  We turned the ball over 4 times and no longer lead the conference but have slipped down to fourth or fifth.”

Senior WR Aaron Pitts commented on the loss.  “We are definitely upset and embarrassed with our performance Saturday.  We really want to come back strong and get the next one.” 

Senior DL Crispin Fernandez alerted the media that the team is not looking back, but rather ahead.  “We seemed ready.  We did the same things we usually do to get ready.  We were not able to get pressure on the QB because they were picking up our twists and stunts.  We can get to the quarterback this week if we prepare right.”

Penguin Notes

• Senior WR Donald Jones played well in the loss as he tied a school record by having 11 catches in a game.  I sat next to a Philadelphia Eagles scout who was impressed with the effort Jones provided.
• YSU has lost seven consecutive games in October dating back to the 2007 season.
• Youngstown State has 8 interceptions in five games.  Last season they only had 12 in 12 games.
• Eric Rodemoyer has received the Penguins’ Offensive Lineman of The Game award in all four of his starts.  Rodemoyer is a transfer from West Virginia.
• Dominique Barnes is averaging 12.4 yards per catch, best on the team with 5 or more catches.

About the only cooperative factor in Saturdays Youngstown State football game was the weather.  The Penguins (3-2, 1-1) shot themselves in the foot several times and ultimately lost, 17-7, to Missouri State (3-2, 1-1).  Missed opportunities proved to be the difference in the game.  A blocked field goal, a failed 4th-and-1 on the Bears 5-yard line, and three uncharacteristic Brandon Summers interceptions proved to spell the fate of YSU in the loss.

The Missouri State offense didn’t take very long to get on the board.  All-American Tight End Clay Harbor hauled in a 52-yard touchdown pass from Cody Kirby to put the Bears up 7-0.  The drive, which only consisted of four plays, covered 64 yards in 1:26 with the big blow of 52 yards.  Sir Demarco Bledsoe almost knocked the pass down but missed on his swat.

After YSU went three-and-out, the Bears struck again, but this time only got three to extend the lead to 10-0 with 6:57 left in the first.  On the drive, Kirby found Jonathan Davis for a 57-yard completion.  Matt Hottelman connected from 25 for the three-pointer.  YSU dodged a bullet as Missouri State had the ball 2nd and goal on the YSU one, but were unable to convert.

YSU took the next kickoff all the way out to their own 49.  Brandon Summers went to work with a 25-yard gainer to Dominique Barnes, a 16-yarder to Donald Jones, and another 10-yarder to Barnes.  After a couple of runs and a penalty, YSU had a 4th and less-than-one at Missouri State’s five-yard line.  Summers tried to sneak for the needed yardage for a new set of downs but was stuffed and YSU turned the ball over on downs.  Missouri State took over on downs and ran a few plays before the first quarter ended with YSU trailing 10-0.

YSU got on the board with 3:34 left in the second quarter when Summers found Donald Jones for a 32-yard touchdown.  Dana Brown had 4 rushes for 23 yards on the 11 play drive that covered a total of 76 yards.  On the TD, Summers had all day and Jones kept running until Summers found him in the corner for a great hookup to make the score 10-7 in favor of Missouri State.

With Missouri State driving and under a minute to go in the half, Lenny Wicks made a remarkable one handed jumping interception to keep the Bears out of the end zone and the half ended with Missouri State leading Youngstown State 10-7.

Youngstown State took the second half kickoff.  Kevin Smith coughed up the ball and it would be costly as Missouri State drove 36 yards in seven plays and would cash in on a 4-yard jaunt from Jonathan Davis to take a 17-7 lead with 11:36 left in the third quarter.

YSU moved the ball somewhat effectively on their next drive.  The drive was ended when Stephen Blose attempted a 37-yard field goal which was blocked by Waylon Richardet to give Missouri State the ball back on their own 35.  Richardet was dominant on defense all day for the Bears.

The third quarter ended with Missouri State on top 17-7.

Richardet stopped another YSU drive single-handedly when he picked off a tipped Summers pass.  YSU was in a third-and-goal at Missouri State’s 4-yard line when Summers threw his third pick of the evening.  This drive, the third of its kind in the game, covered 90 yards and resulted in nothing on the scoreboard for the Penguins. 

YSU could not stop Missouri State after the turnover.  The Bears were obviously trying to run some of the clock down, and YSU would give up a couple of yards on runs, yet the Bears converted twice on third-and long situations to take more than 5 minutes off of the game clock.  The Penguins finally successfully stopped the Bears and got the ball back with 2:24 left in the game and no timeouts.

The Penguins were unable to score and could not convert when they had to in this game.  A blocked field goal, three interceptions and a failed fourth and inches in the first quarter ultimately spelled doom for YSU as they fell 17-7 to the Bears.

For the Penguins, Kevin Smith rushed for 80 yards on 16 carries.  Dana Brown added 72 yards in 15 carries.  Donald Jones tied a school record with 11 catches for 130 yards and a TD.  Dominique Barnes had 9 catches for 113 yards and finished the game with 169 all-purpose yards.  Summers finished 23 of 39 for 251 yards, a touchdown, and the three interceptions.

Missouri State was led by QB Cody Kirby who finished the game 19-28 for 252 yards with a TD and a pick.  Clay Harbor had 6 catches for 106 yards.  Jonathan Davis finished with 118 all-purpose yards.

After the game, a very disappointed Jon Heacock addressed the loss.  “Missouri State came in and played hard.  They played like their life was on the line, give them credit, they played like crazy.  They were able to pressure us with three and four guys and we were not able to pressure them when we were sending six.”

Heacock also commented on the team being able to bounce back next week.  “If they have got any courage and competitiveness, they’ll be up.  I think our team does.  It’s not going to be easy.  We better buckle up.  If they have any red blood cells they’ll be competitive.”

Mychal Savage addressed the media after the game and took the loss particularly hard.  Having interviewed Savage this past week, I got a vibe that he is the pulse of this defense, the leader.  “I personally feel like tonight I let my team down.  I feel like I owe these guys one and that they deserve more from me.  I feel like I could have did more for this team, and I didn’t do it.”   This particular statement was delivered from the heart and I really feel for Savage.  He is putting way too much blame on himself though.  It is just his nature to assume responsibility for his group during a bad time, the mark of a true leader.  Mad respect for him.

YSU goes back to work in preparation for their Missouri Valley Conference game against Western Illinois Saturday.  The game is set for a 6:00 kickoff.

The Youngstown State University Penguins (3-1) are just starting to scrape the surface of how good they can become this season.  The defense pitched a 28-0 shutout at Indiana State last week and the offense (especially the seniors) played when they had to.  Next up on the Penguin agenda is Missouri State (2-2).

Missouri State has lost to a couple of great teams.  The Bears lost at Arkansas in their opener by the score of 48-10.  They then won two in a row with victories over UT Martin (24-14) and Murray State (35-10).  Last week MSU lost to powerhouse Northern Iowa, 35-7. 

Missouri State has a weapon and a half in TE Clay Harbor.  The 6’4″, 243 lb. senior is an All-American.  YSU Coach Jon Heacock commented on Harbor saying, “Their tight end [Harbor] is a really special athlete.  He blocks like a tight end but runs like a wideout”.   In the Bears four games, Harbor has 16 catches for 149 yards.  Dual-threat QB Cody Kirby has thrown to 13 different receivers this season.  “With their QB [Kirby], a play is never dead.  You have to maintain coverage and contain or he can beat you”, said Heacock of Kirby.

Missouri State LB Antoine Wilkinson is the heart of a 3-4 defense that likes to blitz.  The other three linebackers employed in the scheme (Adam Beauchamp, Terian Washington, and Michael Keck) seem to be anywhere Wilkinson isn’t.  Heacock compared the 30 front to that of Southern Illinois and said it is a complicated defense to face because of the many looks a team can show.

YSU enters the game on a three-win roll.  Three of the next four games are at home and the schedule has been set up beautifully to assist the Penguins inexperience issues as well as getting healthy.  Defensive standouts Crispin Fernandez, Lenny Wicks, and Sir Demarco Bledsoe have not started a game together yet this season.  All three will start against the Bears this week.  If the defense can play like they did last week with their best unit on the field, it could be a very long day for Missouri State’s offense.

Senior TB Dana Brown (pictured) spoke about the offense coming out ready this week.  “We have had a tendency to come out flat.  We need to work on that this week.  This is a must-win game for them because they already have a conference loss.  We expect them to play their A-game with their backs against the wall, so we have to be ready.”

Youngstown State is 6-0 at home against Missouri State and have scored 30 points in five of the six wins.  The Bears won last year 42-28 in Springfield.  Missouri State Head Coach Terry Allen has a career record of 109-82 and will surely have his team ready on Saturday.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be played under cloudy skies with a good chance of rain and temperatures expected to dip into the low 50’s.

Penguin Notes

• Stephen Blose missed two field goals against Indiana State.  Coach Heacock said, “You can’t start messing with mechanics of kickers and punters.  He just missed both tries and kicked the ball right where he was aiming.”
• Sir Demarco Bledsoe leads Youngstown State with 24 unassisted tackles and played only sparingly last week.
• Punter Ben Nowicki had a 67-yard punt last week, a career best.
• YSU has not lost a fumble yet this season.
• Dominique Barnes is the last Penguin to return a kickoff for a touchdown.  Barnes accomplished the fete in 2007 against Missouri State.

Youngstown State University’s offensive unit was flat in the first three quarters, but the defense played outstanding for all four as the Penguins (3-1) got by a pesky Indiana State (0-5) team 28-0 in Terre Haute on Saturday.  YSU pushed the Indiana State losing streak to 31 games in a row, third longest streak in the country.

The Penguins got on the board in the first quarter when Brandon Summers found Dominique Barnes for a 36-yard touchdown.  Summers also hit Donald Jones for a 13-yard completion within the initial scoring drive.  Stephen Blose connected on the first of four extra points to give YSU a 7-0 lead.

Not much else happened in the first half until the Penguins marched 67 yards to the Sycamores 17.  With 2.4 seconds left in the half, Blose came out to attempt a field goal.  Indiana State employed the ‘ice the kicker’ strategy successfully as Blose missed the chip shot to the left keeping the score 7-0 at halftime.

In the third quarter, sophomore Randy Louis picked off an Indiana State pass at the Sycamores 30-yard line.  An apparent touchdown was nullified when Donald Jones was called for interference in the end zone.  Blose came back out for redemption but missed a 43-yard attempt keeping the score at 7-0.

The Penguins first possession of the fourth quarter yielded points.  Kevin Smith capped a 75-yard drive with his 21-yard touchdown dash.  Summers completed five passes on the drive which gave YSU a 14-0 lead.

The next series featured zero passing yards until Summers used a play-action pass to Aaron Pitts for a 1-yard TD.  The drive, which started at YSU’s own 38, showcased the versatility of three running backs.  Smith, Jabari Scott, and Dana Brown ran YSU from their own 38 to the ISU one.  Pitts’ TD reception pushed the Penguin lead to 21-0.

On Indiana State’s next series, Na’eem Outler picked off a Travis Johnson pass and returned the interception 37 yards to extend the Penguin lead to 28-0.  It was the second straight game that YSU scored on an interception.

Summers finished the game 21-33 for 194 yards with two TD’s and a pick.  He also rushed for 11 yards.  Kevin Smith led the way on the ground with 16 carries for 78 yards.  Barnes finished the game with 7 catches good for 86 yards and a TD. 

Youngstown State returns home for a game with Missouri State Saturday.  Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium.

Youngstown State University has a pretty good track record against Indiana State University.  The Penguins have won 12 straight against the Sycamores, 17 of 18 in the all-time series, and have never lost in Terre Haute (9-0).  Sounds like a perfect way to open the Missouri Valley Conference schedule, doesn’t it?  To see YSU Coach Jon Heacock at the weekly press conference on Monday, you wouldn’t know whether YSU was playing Indiana State or Pitt again, a compliment to his ‘underestimate nobody in this conference’ attitude.

In reality, Indiana State has not been a very productive team in recent years.  Head Coach Trent Miles has a career mark of 0-16.  In fact, the last time Indiana State won a game was on October 21, 2006.  They have 14 consecutive home losses and have played a total of 30 games without a win.

Before writing the Sycamores off, understand that they have all of their skill position players back.  Junior tailbacks Darrius Gates and Antoine Brown have experience.  Heacock said, “One of the tailbacks runs as fast sideways as he does downhill”, citing the speed that the Sycamores bring.  They have last year’s quarterback playing at receiver now, they have other receivers back who started last year.  The only new guy is Freshman QB Travis Johnson.

Coach Heacock made it clear that his team will not play inferior football or treat this week with a lazy approach.  “From a defensive standpoint, it’s really easy.  We will just turn on the film from last year’s game and watch their returning tailback run for 120 some yards on us.  It was 21-7 in the first half last year and they were ahead.” YSU ultimately won last year’s contest 35-21.

Brandon Summers is putting up numbers to indicate that the strong finish YSU had at the end of the 2008 season was no fluke.  Against Northeastern, Summers had three rushing touchdowns unveiling his magnitude as an offensive weapon.  He also is quick to praise the YSU defensive unit as well as his blockers, receivers and backs.  When asked about pass distibution and trying to keep everyone happy, Summers replied, “I try my best [to distribute evenly], I don’t want to have any enemies on my side of the ball”.   So far he is doing well as Donald Jones has 13 catches, Dominique Barnes has 12, and Aaron Pitts has 7.

I look for the YSU running backs to have a big week.  Although no conference game can be taken lightly, it is nice to have an opponent that is 0 for their last 30 games to tune up the running game.  Kevin Smith should put up 100 yards against a Sycamore defense that has given up 672 rushing yards in four games or roughly 168 yards per game.

The game is set for a 12:05 kickoff in Terre Haute, Indiana at Memorial Stadium.  The forecast is calling for partly cloudy skies and a high temperature of around 79 degrees.

Penguin Notes

• The winning team in all three YSU games this season has scored 38 points.  Pitt scored 38 against YSU.  The Penguins put up 38 against Northeastern and Austin Peay.
• Junior Andre Elliott is turning into Mr. Momentum for YSU.  Elliott intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown against Northeastern.  He also blocked a punt against Austin Peay.
• YSU is 9-3 all-time in Missouri Valley Football Conference openers since joining the conference in 1997.
• Lenny Wicks should be back to 100% and will strengthen up the YSU secondary.
• The last time YSU played a game without a penalty was in 1995 against Indiana State.
• The last time YSU scored 50 points was also against Indiana State in 2006.

Don’t be fooled by their record, at least that is what Youngstown State Football Coach Jon Heacock thinks about Northeastern University’s football program.  The 1-1 Pengiuins travel to Boston to face the 0-2 Huskies, who lost to Maine last week 17-7.  This marks the first time since 1992 that these teams have met in Boston.  In the 1992 contest, Northeastern won a tight one, 28-23.  Coach Heacock is 1-0 lifetime against the Huskies, a contest that YSU won 35-16 at home in 2005, the last time the teams squared off.

Last weeks Austin Peay vs YSU contest won by YSU, 38-21, showed an offensive balance.  YSU passed for 232 yards and rushed for 202.  The defense showed signs of greatness at times.  There are still many things to iron out on both sides of the ball before this team can be looked at as a National Championship contender.

Northeastern is coached by Rocky Hager.  Coach Hager is in his sixth season and has gone 17-40 over that span.  Coach Heacock was full of praise for the Notheastern program and knows that if the Penguins let their guard down they could have a long Saturday.  “It’s a difficult place to play.  They [Northeastern] are a hungry, competitive, and tough football team.  I don’t care about their record, I have been there enough times to know what we are getting into.  Maine was rated 20th in the country, and that game was to the wire.  You watch some of their games from last year, Villanova, that game was to the wire.”

Heacock talked about what to expect from Northeastern.  “On offense, they are different than anyone we have seen.  They run a spread and a no-huddle, very similar to our offense.  They line up fast.  Against Boston College and Maine, defenses were having trouble lining up right because they get set fast.  They run a pressure defense.  We will be doing some blitzing and stunting during practices this week to prepare for what they might do.  I expect the game to be tough and physical.”

Senior RG Brian Mellott commented on what he saw on film that impressed him about Northeastern.  “Their noseman, #57 [Mike Lukenda] is an excellent football player.  Playing against Williams and the guys we played against two weeks ago [Pitt] we know what to expect.  The two inside linebackers look excellent.  One of them,  #34 [Craig Kenney], is the captain of their team, he is the heart and soul of that defense.  We are in for a challenge.”

Mike LB Dionta Tate described the Huskies QB, Matt Carroll, as a ‘running back who plays quarterback’.  Anytime a team spreads the field and has a quarterback who can run, defenses better know their responsibilities or they will get picked apart.  The YSU coaching staff has made this clear to the players for this game.

The Brandon Summers – Donald Jones show got rolling last week.  Kevin Smith ran hard and made the most of his chances. Mychal Savage is a beast, period.  Aaron Pitts made a huge fourth down catch.  Players on this Penguins team are definitely playing their roles.  The twelve Seniors on this team are leading by example.  Watch this young offensive line improve as they gain valuable game experience.  Brian Mellott may be the best talker I have ever heard at a press conference.  I know he is communicating well with the younger guys as they gain time.

Kickoff at Northeastern is set for 1 o’clock and the game can be heard on AM-570, WKBN with Bob Hannon and Dick Hartzell.  The game can also be purchased to watch online for $8.95 at GoNU.tv.  The early weather is calling for a chance of showers on a 67 degree afternoon at Parsons Field.

Penguin Notes

• Against Austin Peay, YSU Strong Safety Sir Demarco Bledsoe finished with 15 tackles, most by a YSU player in a game since 2004.  The 15 tackles were also the most recorded by a member of the YSU defensive secondary since 2002.
• YSU’s Dominique Barnes has caught a pass in 14 consecutive games, longest streak on the team.
• Lenny Wicks should be ready to suit up for action this week vs Northeastern.
• Seasons that end in the number nine have been kind to the Peguins over the past few decades.  In 1999, YSU played in the NCAA Championship Game.  In 1989, YSU reached the FCS quarterfinals.  In 1979, YSU played for the Division II National Championship.  Can 2009 continue the pattern?

YSU got off to a sluggish start but recovered to take a halftime lead and defeat the Austin Peay Governors, 38-21.  With the victory, Coach Jon Heacock ran his home opener winning record to 9-0, and the Penguins won their 14th consecutive home debut.

It didn’t take Austin Peay very long to get on the scoreboard.  With 13:23 left in the first quarter and YSU in a punting situation, Austin Peay’s Ricky Thomas blocked the attempt and Adrian Mines fell on the ball in the end zone to put the Governors up 7-0.

With 8:10 left in the opening period, Stephen Blose connected on a 31-yard FG to cap a 10 play, 55 yard drive and making the score 7-3 in favor of Austin Peay.

An Austin Peay drive was single-handedly destroyed by Mychal Savage.  Savage sacked Governors QB Trent Caffee, caused a fumble on the sack, and promptly recovered the fumble giving YSU the ball on Austin Peay’s 49-yard line.  The first quarter would come to an end with YSU driving at Austin Peay’s 3-yard line and trailing 7-3.

On a third-and-goal at Austin Peay’s 1-yard line, Kevin Smith barely received the handoff before being hit by Daniel Becker for a four-yard loss.  Stephen Blose attempted a 15-yard FG but hit the right upright and YSU failed to convert the takeaway into points.

Trent Caffee increased the Austin Peay lead to 14-3 with 9:13 to go in the second quarter with a fourth-and-goal run on the Youngstown State one-yard line.

YSU finally found the end zone with exactly five minutes left in the half when Brandon Summers found TE Andy Colegrove for a 4-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 14-10. 

Another Austin Peay miscue gave YSU another chance to score as Caffee was picked off by Bryan Gaiters with 4:18 left in the half.  Kevin Smith gave YSU their first lead in 2009 as he ran seven yards on a second-and-goal with 3:39 left in the half.  The Penguins only needed two plays to go ten yards for the score making it 17-14 Penguins, which is where the scoring ended in the first half.

YSU returned an earlier favor by blocking a Governor’s punt on their first possession of the second half and taking over on the Austin Peay 30-yard line.  Summers would find Donald Jones for a 20-yard scoring hookup to increase the Penguins lead to 24-14.  The Penguins drove 30 yards in four plays on the scoring drive.  Jones showed his great concentration on the scoring reception by pulling in the pass, getting his helmet knocked off, and still holding on for six.

On their next set of plays, YSU showed their explosive scoring side as Summers again found Jones, this time for an 18-yard score making it 31-14 in favor of the host Penguins.  The Penguins went 51 yards in just six plays in under two minutes for the score. 

The third quarter ended with YSU up 31-14 but Austin Peay driving.  On the first play of the fourth quarter Caffee found Darryl Miller with a fade into the right corner of the YSU end zone to cut the lead to 31-21.  Austin Peay drove 75 yards in 14 plays to paydirt.

The YSU defense looked sharp stopping a couple of Austin Peay fourth quarter drives, and the alignment woes from the Pitt game looked to be fixed.  The Penguins defense stopped Austin Peay on a fourth-and-four yards to go play to take over on downs on the Governors 28. 

Summers found Dominique Barnes on a skinny post route for a 17-yard strike after a holding penalty backed the Penguins up to the Governors 17.  Blose nailed his fifth extra point of the game to stretch the Penguins lead to 38-21.  With the touchdown, Summers tied a YSU record for touchdowns in a game being the eighth quarterback in Penguins history to throw four in a contest.  He accomplished the fete last season against Liberty, so the four touchdowns tied a personal best.

Austin Peay would mount another drive as Caffee found Scott Thomas for a 25-yard completion.  Youngstown State helped out with a late hit, a roughing the passer call, and an illegal hands to the face series of penalties.  The Governors eventually turned the ball over on downs as Luke Matelan sacked Caffee and YSU took over on downs at their own 29.

YSU’s second team offense was able to get a couple of first downs and successfully run the clock out to preserve the 38-21 victory for the Penguins to even their 2009 record at 1-1.

After the game, Coach Heacock was very quick to praise his group of twelve seniors and their significance as leaders.  “The Seniors are playing good football.  Mychal Savage, Donnie Jones, Jabari Scott, all of the seniors are playing good football.  They have worked hard.  In the Spring when it was 28 degrees, those Seniors were leaders by example.  They make sure the younger guys are going to class, they work hard, and they truly are a very special group.”

Brandon Summers downplayed his own personal numbers by praising the defense,  “I give it to our defense.  They created the momentum switch.  We had to capitalize on that because we don’t want them to get an interception and then go three-and-out.  I would like to thank our defense.”

Summers finished the game 17-24 for 232 yards and four touchdowns.  Donald Jones led the Penguins receiving statistics with 6 catches for 82 yards and a pair of scores.  Kevin Smith had 20 rushes for 116 yards and a score, he also caught a pass for 15 yards.  The Penguins were penalized 10 times for 110 yards.  Coach Heacock said the penalties may have been a result of lazy play with a big lead, and that the 110 yards were ‘too many, way too many’.

Austin Peay QB Trent Caffee finished 13-31 for 158 yards , a TD, and an INT.  Ryan White had 52 yards in 15 carries to lead the Governors ground game.  Adrian Mines had 49 yards on two catches, one a 43-yarder to lead the receivers. 

YSU  gets ready to travel to Northeastern next Saturday, a place where the Penguins have had very little success.

Brandon Summers is the quiet leader, the guy who wants to show, not say, what he can do on a football field.  Summers had a strong finish in 2008 and came in tabbed the starter for 2009.  He is settling into his role and thinks that this year’s YSU offense is going to show some people why this team’s expectations are so high for 2009.  I recently had a chance to talk with Summers about everything from Sociology to pepperoni.

Paneech: Why did things suddenly start to click toward the end of last year?

Summers: Earlier in the season [2008], we had a little quarterback controversy.  Once I was given the starting job and became more comfortable with the offense, things started to roll for us.  It was hard to have team unity when we didn’t know where we were headed.  Once we did, things were good.

Paneech: Did the two long drives against Pitt fuel a fire for what this offense is capable of?

Summers: They [the drives] proved that we can move the ball against a bigger team like Pitt.  It helps our confidence, and we are gonna go from there.  We still have alot of work to do.

Paneech: You write left-handed and throw right-handed.  I throw left-handed and write right-handed.  Are we weird?  How does that happen?

Summers:  (laughs) I guess you gotta ask the man above about that one.

Paneech: How did you end up at YSU?

Summers: First, I was enrolled at Toledo University for two years.  Then I tried to transfer to Southern Illinois, but the coach there got fired.  A high school teammate of mine, Dominique Barnes, told me about Youngstown and the fact that I might have a good opportunity to play here, so I took that advice in stride.

Paneech: If your brother Derrick were lined up against you (Derrick is a linebacker at Toledo) what could we expect to see?

Summers: You would see alot of competitiveness.  All of our lives, we have been on the same team, but never on the opposite team.  You would see good things.

Paneech: Who is your favorite team and quarterback in the NFL?

Summers: I like Donovan McNabb.  I was compared to him often when I played high school ball.  Ever since then, I keep an eye on what he does and we do many similar things.  The Philadelphia Eagles are my favorite team.  I’m happy for Michael Vick and that he received a second chance.  Everybody messes up, some things bigger than others, and if Vick can capitalize on that chance, I would be happy.  He has shown that he is sorry and he deserved this chance.

Paneech: As a casual YSU fan, why would I buy into this team making the playoffs?

Summers: Last year, I felt we were pretty good, but were hurt by all of the injuries.  This year, we have got everyone back and healthy.  You saw in the Pitt game that we can do some things as a team when everyone is healthy.  Put all of your money on us (laughs).

Paneech: You recently had a touch of the flu, are you 100% now?

Summers: I am about 75% healthy, but getting better fast.  I’m gonna play, and you won’t be able to tell in the game.

Paneech: What is the class here at YSU that you absolutely despise going to?

Summers: Spanish.  I had Spanish in 9th grade way back when and it is hard to pick anything back up. 

Paneech: Why Sociology as a major?

Summers:  I feel like I am good with people.  I like talking to people and finding out why they do what they do.  I feel it is a major that is best suited for me.

One Word Answers

Favorite TV Show?  The Bernie Mac Show

Favorite College QB?  Past?  Troy Smith,  Present, Terrelle Pryor

Favorite Flavor of Ice Cream?   Vanilla

Kim Kardashian or Beyonce?  Since Beyonce is taken, I’ll take Kim Kardashian.

Favorite Fast Food?  Wendy’s

Boxing or Pro Wrestling?  Boxing

Best Cartoon Ever?  Doug

Favorite Baseball Team?  Detroit Tigers

Favorite Video Game and System?  Madden and PS3

If You Were Ordering Pizza, What would You Get On It?   Just pepperoni, in fact, I would tell them to put less cheese on it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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