COLLEGE FOOTBALL Burns again named YSU award winner

Tailabck Mike Burns repeated on offense while back Mike Bracken won the defensive award.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- If it weren't for his three fumbles, two of which Southern Illinois recovered, P.J. Mays probably would have been the Youngstown State offensive player of the week for the fifth time this season.
Mays had a school career-record fourth 200-yard rushing game Saturday in the Penguins' 21-9 Gateway victory over the Salukis.
The 5-foot-9, 220-pound senior tailback rushed for 210 yards on 28 carries and scored one touchdown. Those statistics earned him the Gateway Conference offensive player of the week honors.
YSU's offensive honors for the second straight week went to junior tailback Mike Burns of Niles. Burns had his career-best game with 123 yards on just 12 carries, including a 44-yard touchdown run.
Second time
The Mays and Burns combination marked the second game this season that the Penguins had two backs rush for more than 100 yards. The other time was the season opener against Clarion when Mays and junior Josiah Doby each cracked the 100-yard barrier.
Mays, who became the first YSU running back to have back-to-back 1,000 yard rushing seasons since Tamron Smith, has 1,001 yards this season. He had been tied with Smith for the most 200-plus yard games before Saturday.
The former East High standout, who transferred to YSU as a sophomore from the University of Cincinnati, has accumulated 3,228 yards in three seasons as a Penguin. That's good enough to rank fourth on YSU's all-time career list.
Mays went past Paris Wicks (1979-82) last week into fourth place and with two games remaining is 528 yards behind No. 3 Robby Robson (1977-80), who totaled 3,639 in four seasons.
All three players ahead of Mays (Tamron Smith, 4,866; Adrian Brown, 3,978, and Robson) all made their totals in four seasons at YSU.
Bracken cited
Saturday's defensive player of the game was sophomore defensive back Mike Bracken (6-0, 208) from Imperial, Pa.
Bracken finished with seven total tackles and had a forced fumble and a pass deflection.
Special teams honors went to senior linebacker Russell Stuvaints (6-0, 215) of McKeesport, Pa. Stuvaints had 5 1/2 tackles and a forced fumble and was also named the Haines family player of the game by the YSU broadcasters.
Junior guard Wil Sanders was the Jim Zdelar offensive lineman of the game for the third time this season. The 6-1, 286-pound performer from Weaver, Ala., led an offensive line that helped the Penguins rush for 376 yards.
The Jermaine Hopkins defensive lineman of the game was senior linebacker Jon Tekac, who has earned most of the honors for the defense as he is having his best season ever for the Penguins.
Tekac (6-1, 235) from Pulaski, Pa., again led the Penguins in tackles with 11, one for a loss and had a force fumble.
mollica@vindy.com