Posts Tagged ‘Kurt Hess’

Youngstown State entered the game ranked for the first time in a couple of years.  First-year Coach Eric Wolford said before the Penguins meeting with Missouri State that this game would be no cake walk.  “They don’t care that we are ranked, nor do they care that we are 3-1. All they care about is that they can beat Youngstown State.”  In the end, the Penguins came out on the short end of the stick and were handed a 35-25 setback.  The Penguins opened strong racing out to a 17-0 lead, but Missouri State roared back countering with 27 unanswered points to grab control.  It is also hard to win when you compile 106 yards in penalties.

Youngstown State got out of the gate early as Jamaine Cook (above) burst through the right side of the line for a 71-yard touchdown. On the play, Senior guard Eric Rodemoyer (next photo down) pulled and buried Missouri State’s DE to spring Cook for the long run. Stephen Blose knocked in the extra point to put the Penguins ahead 7-0.

Blose increased the lead to 10-0 when he connected on a 24-yard field goal.  On the drive, the Penguins were deep in Missouri State territory when Jordan Thompson mishandled the exchange from quarterback Kurt Hess.  Thompson fell on his own fumble to retain possession, but the chance for a touchdown instead of a FG was decreased.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Penguins caught a big break when Jamarious Boatwright fell on a free ball deep in Bears territory at the 25-yard line.  With 3:10 remaining in the opening quarter, Cook scored from five yards out to give YSU a 17-0 cushion.  Missouri State responded before the half when Cody Kirby hooked up with Cadarriu Dotson from 30 yards away to cut the YSU lead to 17-7 with 13:43 left in the half.

In the second half, the Penguins came unglued and played very undisciplined football.  With a 17-7 lead and the ball on their own two yard line following a punt, Hess and Thompson again had exchange problems, this time in their own end zone, and this time resulting in a Bears touchdown.  Howard Scarborough pounced on the loose ball in the paint to make it a 17-14 game.

On the next drive, Hess was picked off by Bears LB Adam Beauchamp who returned the pick 40 yards to give the Bears a 21-17 lead. Jordan Chiles, who had a rough day missing three field goal attempts for the Bears, knocked in all of his PAT’s on the day.  Suddenly, Youngstown State’s Offense was shooting itself in the foot.  Two defensive touchdowns should not be indicative of the performance of YSU’s Defense.

After Missouri State made it 28-17 on Chris Douglas’ 22-yard scoring run, YSU found some rhythm on offense.  Hess connected with Sophomore Juilian Harrell for gains of 11, 24, and 12 yards.  Those gains set up a 2-yard Thompson touchdown to make the score 28-23.  Coach Wolford opted to go for two points to draw the Penguins into a three rather than four point deficit.  The decision was a good one as Hess popped in for a successful conversion to make the score 28-25.

Starting the next drive on their own 38, the Bears marched the field in nine plays with the end result a Jemain Saffold 43-yard touchdown reception on a third-and-twelve.  Chiles kick was good to make the score Missouri State 35, Youngstown State 25.

The Penguins got the ball back when Chiles missed his third field goal of the game with 2:46 left in the game.  After moving the ball about 30 yards, YSU ran out of downs and Missouri State was able to kneel on the ball to run out the clock.  The Bears improved to 2-2 on the season and 1-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Sophomore Juilian Harrell lead the Penguins receivers with five catches for 65 yards.  For Harrell, a transfer from Miami (OH), it was his best game of the season.  Jamaine Cook racked up 167 yards on 26 attempts with a pair of touchdowns.  Kurt Hess was 13-33 for 165 yards but was picked off twice.  Freshman Donald D’Alesio had 11 tackles and John Sasson 9 to lead the Penguins defensively.

For Missouri State, a much more experienced team, QB Cody Kirby connected on 24 of 39 for 298 yards and a pair of touchdowns.  Chris Douglas recorded 11 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown.  Jermaine Saffold hauled in nine balls for 114 yards and a score.  The Missouri State offense only had a couple of truly effective drives, but the Bears (based in Springfield, MO, home of Brad Pitt) came up with the big plays and used their prevailing veteran status to punch the ticket when they needed to most.

The statistic that was the hardest to comprehend were the penalties.  The Penguins compiled nine penalties for 106 yards. Many of the penalties were of the undisciplined variety, things such as late hits and personal fouls.  Many of the nine penalties were also 15 yards or more.

After the game, Coach Wolford commented on his predominantly young team’s mental mistakes and penalties.  “It’s hard to win games in the conference on the road, especially when about 30 of our guys have never played a conference game on the road before.  I have to watch the film and I’m sure I’ll be sick. We have to get those kind of mistakes corrected or we are not going to win many conference games.”  Wolford also put the blame on himself and the coaching staff, deflecting the heat from any of the players, yet another reason to like him.

With the loss, the Penguins dropped to 3-2 and 1-1 in the conference.  YSU will return home to face North Dakota State and kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.  The Penguins are 3-0 at home and look to keep the momentum at The Ice Castle intact.

Youngstown State University (3-1, 1-0)  takes to the road this weekend to face Missouri State (1-2, 0-1).  Both teams opened Missouri Valley Conference play last weekend.  Youngstown State cleared the big hurdle called Southern Illinois in convincing fashion scoring 31 unanswered points against the defending champs.  With the big win, the Penguins find themselves ranked 20th in the latest FCS polls.  Missouri State lost a nailbiter to Illinois State in two overtimes, 44-41.  The two teams will play for a fifteenth time Saturday with YSU holding an 11-3 series lead.  However, Missouri State has won the last two meetings.

The Bears won 17-7 at Stambaugh Stadium last season and posted a 42-28 victory the last time these two teams played at Plaster Field in Springfield, Missouri.  The teams have split with three wins each over the past six years with Youngstown State winning seven consecutive times before that.  For Youngstown State, the bullseye has been officially placed after being forecast as a seventh place team.  No more hiding in the weeds, everyone knows there is talent on this team.  The next hurdle for first-year coach, Eric Wolford, is to win one on the road.  The Penguins are a perfect 3-0 at home and 0-1 on the road with a loss to Penn State. 

For Missouri State, a better defensive effort is needed across the board.  Wolford and his crafty Offensive Coordinator, Shane Montgomery, have used a variety of weapons all season.  Nobody has truly emerged as the #1 running back.  Jamaine Cook has gotten the most carries but Adaris Bellamy and Jordan Thompson have been very effective and Torrian Pace has shown he can handle the load when called upon.  Kurt Hess has been outstanding for a Freshman.  Hess does not make mental errors and does a great job controlling the football.  Ely Ducatel and Kevin Watts have proven that if Dominique Barnes is taken out of the game and double teamed that they can step up and make plays.  The Bears can score, but are giving up 462 yards per game and 34 points per game. 

Youngstown State needs to realize that Missouri State rises to the challenge of big games.  The Bears have a very capable offense with senior quarterback Cody Kirby at the controls.  Missouri State averages 222 passing yards per game and just under 200 rushing yards per game, that is a pretty healthy balance.  Kirby poses adual threat of being a good runner as well as a great passer.  If the Penguins can bring the heat and contain Kirby at the same time, they should be successful stifling the Bears offense.  Coach Wolford has praised the Missouri State offensive line all week and called the Bears, “a dang good football team.” 

The Penguins will be playing without Andre Elliott, who is sidelined with a neck / shoulder problem.  Nick Gooden will step in and see some quality minutes in place of Elliott.  Brandian Ross (last week’s Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of The Week), Randy Louis, and Donald D’Alesio will have to work hard not only to contain Kirby, but also concentrate on shutting down Bears RB Chris Douglas (76 YPG) on the perimeter and WR Jermaine Saffold (16 catches, 263 yards) to keep the Bears on the ropes.

When asked if being ranked meant anything at this point, Coach Wolford responded.  “It’s obviously good for the fans and the media and the alumni.  It is what it is and we try not to let it be a distraction.  The only rankings that matter here are the ones at the end of the year.”  The last time the Penguins were ranked was in 2008 and this years 3-1 start equals last seasons record after four games.

You can catch all of the action on AM-570 with the pregame show starting at 1:30 p.m. and kickoff slated for 2 p.m.  Bob Hannon will have the call with Ed Muransky offering his analysis and Dave Sess chiming in from the sidelines.

After being picked to finish seventh in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, Youngstown State University had to have September 25 circled on their calendars for a long time.  Not only would that date signify the beginning of conference play, but it would also mark a game with Southern Illinois, defending champs and reigning FCS powerhouse of the past few years.  Coach Eric Wolford and staff proved up to the biggest challenge of the season and rattled off 31 unanswered points to stomp the Salukis, 31-28.

Southern Illinois hit the scoreboard first with 2:16 left in the first quarter when Taylon Hunter returned a blocked punt 38 yards.  The blocked punt came after YSU had punted the play before and downed the ball on the 1-yard line but a penalty forced the Penguins to kick again.  The Salukis are not a team to give second chances to, and this particular instance proved that.

Southern Illinois scored again to push their first quarter lead to 14-0.  Chris Dieker found John Goode in the end zone for an eight yard touchdown strike with just four seconds left in the quarter.

The mark of a good team is how they play in the face of adversity.  Down 14-0, YSU could have packed it in and handled the beating. Coach Eric Wolford transcends a difference not seen here since Jim Tressel as his Penguins would rattle off 31 unanswered points over a quarter-and-a-half.  The Penguins took the ball on their own 19 and marched 81 yards to get on the board.  Kurt Hess put the exclamation point on the drive finding Kevin Watts in the right back side of the end zone.

When Southern Illinois got the ball back, YSU showed a flash of serious momentum on defense.  David Rach (pictured above) knocked the ball from Dieker and Luke Matelan landed on it to give the Penguins the ball on Southern Illinois 18-yard line.  Hess again found Watts from eight yards out to tie the game at 14.

Brandian Ross got into the act with a spectacular pick of Dieker setting the Penguins up on the Saluki 41-yard line.  Hess showed a lot of poise on the drive that would give YSU a 21-14 halftime lead.  Three times on the drive, Hess looked as though he would be sacked for a loss but each time managed to throw the ball for a completion.  Carson Sharbaugh hauled in  a 3-yard heave (below) from Hess to give the Penguins their first lead in the contest.

In the third quarter, YSU gave Southern Illinois a healthy dose of Jamaine Cook.  Cook had consecutive carries of 10,8, 3, and 1 yard with the one-yarder resulting in another YSU touchdown.  The plunge of a yard made the score 28-14 with 5:59 left in the third quarter and the lid came off of the place as all 17,660 red-wearing Penguin fans were cheering wildly.

Stephen Blose hit a 37-yard field goal to increase the Penguin margin to 31-14.  The Penguin defense was outstanding and set the offense up with great field position the entire game.

Southern Illinois scored a touchdown with 1:28 when Dieker ran one in from four yards out to make it 31-21.  Dieker then found Joe Alaria cut the lead to 31-28 with 44 seconds remaining.  Southern Illinois attempted another onside kick but the ball went out of bounds on the hop and YSU ran the clock out for the win.

After the game, Hess talked about the victory.  “Being down 14-0 is not what we expected or wanted, beating the defending champions was a big win for this program.  We worked hard all Summer for this, we are going to celebrate and then get ready for Missouri State next week”.  Hess finished the game 9-15 passing for 94 yards and three touchdowns.  He also had six carries for 24 yards but more importantly, he did a great job managing the clock and making some clutch plays under pressure.

Jamaine Cook was the leader on the ground for the Penguins (3-1, 1-0) with 26 carries for 115 yards.  Cook commented on the win.  “I think this win sent the message to everyone that this is not the old Youngstown, this is a new Youngstown, and we’re back.  The offensive line did a tremendous job and they are getting better every week.”

Coach Eric Wolford was in a great mood after the game and had praise for everyone involved with his program.  “It’s a big win, I tried to downplay the game.  We worked fundamentals hard this week.  We gave them the 14 points at the beginning.  They are a good football team but I didn’t sense any panic on the sidelines.  You really find out what kind of person you are when you face adversity in your life.  I have a lot of confidence in our football team and we all believe in each other, we have a really tight family.  I told the team that we have been one of the teams doing the hunting, now we have officially become the hunted.  We are ten scholarships under everyone else using 53, this win is a tribute to this coaching staff.”

Southern Illinois  (1-3, 0-1) was paced by Dieker’s 24-42 passing for 258 yards.  Dieker flipped a pair of touchdowns in the loss.

Youngstown State University (2-1) welcomes Southern Illinois (1-2) to town for the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams.  Southern Illinois has enjoyed recent success against YSU winning the last three meetings.  Things have changed at both schools in the past year.  Eric Wolford has taken over YSU’s program and has the team really playing with a beam of confidence.  Southern Illinois seems to be missing their patented running game.  Overall, the series is tied at 10-10-1.

Last season, the Salukis defeated the Penguins, 27-8.  The last meeting at Stambaugh Stadium was forgettable for the Youngstown sports faithful as Southern Illinois won in a blowout, 33-0.  There are several streaks heading into Saturday’s game to make note of. Southern Illinois has won a conference record 14 straight Missouri Valley match-ups.  However, the Salukis are currently on a two-game losing streak falling to SE Missouri State last week and being handled easily by Illinois.  Their lone win came in the opening week of the season, a 70-7 (not a typo) win against Quincy.

Youngstown State opened with a loss at Penn State and the Penguins have posted back-to-back wins over Butler and Central Connecticut to boost their win total, but more importantly, their confidence level.  One notable streak to watch will be based on the performance of Dominique Barnes.  Ironically, Barnes originally signed a letter of intent to attend Southern Illinois but later changed his mind and came to Youngstown State.  With one catch, Barnes will extend his consecutive games with a catch streak to 27 straight games. With two catches he will tie Renauld Ray for sixth place on the all-time Penguins reception list.  With six catches, Barnes can tie Lorenzo Davis for fifth on the all-time Penguin reception list.  If Barnes goes completely ballistic and catches 14 balls, he will tie Bob Ferranti for fourth.

The thing Southern Illinois has to be most concerned with is the arsenal of players Wolford has used this season.  Last week against Central Connecticut, the Penguins used four different running backs who all had at least nine carries each.  Adaris Bellamy, Torrian Pace, Jamaine Cook and Jordan Thompson have all had quality touches the first three weeks of the season.  Wolford has proven in the last two games that this year’s Penguins team is multi-faceted.  Take the run away and Kurt Hess can throw to Barnes, a healthy Ely Ducatel, and Kevin Watts.  It has been set up rather cleverly as a “pick your poison” type of offense.

The key to Youngstown State coming out of this with a win is to minimize penalties and mistakes.  The perfect game is what YSU needed to play to beat Penn State.  Sloppy play will not cut it this week.  The Penguins do a good job taking care of the ball and Southern Illinois is not the type of team you can make too many mistakes against .  YSU Receivers Coach, Phil Longo, coached at Southern Illinois as the Salukis Offensive Coordinator over the past two seasons.  He will surely provide some insight as to schemes, personnel, and even tendencies — more stuff than the Penguins could ever see on game films.

Coach Wolford said that this game has to be played as a normal conference game, nothing more.  “Every conference game is a big game for us.  However we don’t make this particular game out to be the Super Bowl or anything.  If we approached it like that and made it too big, I think maybe guys would get too tight.  There is a certain degree of looseness you want and a right time to tighten down the screws and go. With young people, you have got to squeeze ’em.  When we squeeze them, we are pushing them to get better. At the same time, you better hug them and love them, squeeze them that way too.  These kids know that we love them even though we coach them hard.”

Wolford has done something really impressive.  Before each home game, the coaches and players, in suits and ties, walk through the main tailgate lot to share in the joy of a Saturday in Youngstown with the great Penguins fans.  Wolford has seem to have done everything right so far.  Attendance is up, there is no media scrutiny, his relationships with executives at YSU remain increasingly positive, and he has really liked coming home.

Beware this week, Southern Illinois, these are not the same Penguins you have beaten up on since 2007.

Youngstown State University opened the home portion of their 2010 football schedule Saturday.  The opponent for the home opener was the Butler Bulldogs, defending co-champs of the Pioneer Football Conference. Youngstown State rode a very consistent offensive effort to rack up 286 rushing yards on their way to a 31-7 victory over Butler giving Eric Wolford his very first head coaching victory.

The Penguins got on the scoreboard first with 3:35 left in the first quarter.  Jordan Thompson hit pay dirt from eight yards out. Thompson had the last three carries of the drive, covering 25 yards on runs of six and eleven yards before his scoring jaunt of eight yards.  Kurt Hess hooked up with Kevin Watts for 14 yards to start the scoring drive.  Stephen Blose knocked the extra point through to put YSU ahead, 7-0.

YSU added to their lead with 11:22 left in the first half when Adaris Bellamy tallied from five yards out.  The Blose extra point made it 14-0 in favor of the Penguins.  Bellamy had only four carries in the first half, good for 28 yards.

Butler got on the board with a touchdown when Andrew Huck found Jeff Larsen on an out pattern.  The drive was set up on a gadget play when Butler covered 41 yards on a double pass.  Huck took the snap, threw a lateral to Matt Kobli, who found Huck 10 yards downfield, and by himself.  Huck ran the other 31 yards after the catch.

YSU marched almost the length of the field before halftime, but had to settle for a 29-yard Stephen Blose field goal to make the score 17-7 at intermission.

As the second half started, so did the rain. The elements were not enough to contain Mr. Electricity, Dominique Barnes.  Barnes fielded a punt and seemed contained but erupted through a small seam in the middle before getting downhill and racing past the Bulldog coverage for an 86-yard score.  The punt return was the second longest in school history.  Blose knocked the extra point through to put the Penguins comfortably in front, 24-7.

In the fourth quarter the Penguins tacked on 7 more points.  Bellamy, who averaged 10 yards per carry, capped off an 8 play 80 yard drive with a 25-yard run off of the left interior.  With Bellamy, Jamaine Cook, and Thompson, the Penguins showed a versatile selection of backfield weaponry.

The defense played strong too.  Andre Elliott and Brandian Ross were all over the field making tackles.  Butler went to a short passing game in the second half.  Once Huck found a receiver and threw the ball Ross was immediately in the face of the receiver. John Sasson had 10 tackles (six solo) and true freshman Donald D’Alesio had seven tackles with five solo.

For Eric Wolford, it was win #1 as a head coach.  Wolford commented on how he felt notching his first victory.  “It really is different as a head coach.  You win a game 31-7 but you want to win 50-0.  It is special, but as a head coach it is also more stressful.”

Dominique Barnes spoke about the big punt return that took the wind out of Butler’s sails.  “Coach told us we needed to make a big play and we got one.  I have to praise the punt return unit for the great blocking on the touchdown.”  Barnes also commented on the run heavy play calling.  “We showed we can pass last week, this week we showed we can run, it is the best of both worlds.”

Youngstown State (1-1) gained a balanced 286 rushing yards in the game.  Jamaine Cook had 98 yards on 18 carries, Jordan Thompson had ten carries for 65 yards.  Adaris Bellamy had six touches for 60 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Torrian Pace had 9 carries for 39 yards.  Wolford commented on the youth factor at the running back position.  “We have three freshmen and a sophomore that can all get the job done.  The person with the hot hand will get a majority of the touches.”

Butler (1-1) was paced by Matt Kobli who had 46 yards on the ground.  Andrew Huck finished the game 20-32 for 148 yards through the air.

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.

YSU Football Coach Eric Wolford seemed concerned with the weather.  “I hope it doesn’t get real hot again, not when it is this cool.”  The weather is probably the last thing on the first-year leader’s mind these days.  Wolford and staff are trying to tie up all of the loose ends on both sides of the ball in preparation of the 2010 season. 

“I am at my dream job.  If you have to interview for a job, one you have really wanted, in the morning, you are not going to sleep real well.  You should always keep a paper and pencil next to your bed so when you wake up you can write stuff down and then hope you can go back to sleep “, declared Wolford after practice Tuesday.  Wolford’s Penguins are working very hard to get ready for their opening game, a September 4 trip to Happy Valley to face #14 ranked Penn State.

Kurt Hess has been named the starting QB for the Penguins.  Hess has no previous game experience.  Consequently, he is taking a majority of the snaps with the first unit through practices.  Marc Kanetsky and Najee Tyler will start the season as backups.  Quarterback Coach and Offensive Coordinator, Shane Montgomery, explained the unique situation of inexperience at the most important position on offense.  “I don’t want him [Hess] out there thinking if he makes a mistake that he is going to come out of the game.  Kurt knows that we put a lot of responsibility in the quarterback and he has to step up.  In all fairness, we have to work to take some of the pressure off of him too.  We have to be able to run the football to open up the passing game and take that pressure away from Kurt.”

Receivers Coach Phil Longo said the process takes time.  “It’s not really ‘polish’ time yet.  We are sharpening up everything that has been installed and now we are taking steps to get better at executing what we will be doing on offense.  The expectation here is to play every game hard enough to go win the thing.”  Longo also praised one of the new guys when asked if there were any surprises on the team. ” I have been surprised by Andre Barboza, a transfer from Erie.  He catches the ball well, runs well, and has really worked hard.”

Wolford has seen some turnover since taking over.  In March, the plan was to ‘weed out’ the guys who would not fit into the system.  Wolford commented on how that process has gone.  “The dead weight weeded itself out, we didn’t have to do anything.  Some guys just hang themselves.   We have got to lay a foundation here for a future.  If you are trying to do a quick fix, you are bringing in renegades and guys that got into trouble with other programs.”

With September 4 fast approaching, the Penguins are pretty much injury-free and are taking the approach of intensity to new levels.  Wolford is a perfectionist in many ways and declared that his team did not do enough in practice on Tuesday to win.  Thursday was to be an off day, but that may change based on the premise of sharpening things up.

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.”