Frowns surround despite victory

YOUNGSTOWN -- Ugh.
That's all you could say after YSU's 27-14 win over Clarion Thursday night.
This win rhymed with ugly and it was spelled the same.
This win was 18 kinds of ugly.
This win made John Madden look like a male model.
"We weren't sharp," Penguin coach Jon Heacock said. "Clarion played championship football and we didn't."
After the game, Heacock was asked about the positives of the game.
He frowned. "We won," he said.
Heacock did a lot of frowning. Granted, Heacock isn't a compulsive smiler, but it's obvious that he was expecting much better.
And there's no reason to believe that YSU won't get better.
"I still believe we can be a very good football team," Heacock said.
No blowout
Everyone expected YSU to dominate Clarion, much like it did last year when the Penguins opened a 37-0 halftime lead en route to 44-0 victory.
Problem was, this year's Clarion team was much better than last year's Clarion team. They had a lot of veteran players -- including a three-year starter at quarterback in Adam Almashy, a Newton Falls High graduate.
The game's first 10 minutes weren't pretty, but the Golden Eagles managed to throw the first punch. Clarion's Kareem Shelton returned the opening kickoff 78 yards to the YSU 19.
Almashy then fumbled two plays later. Then YSU went three and out.
Then Clarion drove down and missed a field goal. Then YSU went three and out. Then Clarion went three and out.
For 10 minutes, the Penguins' standout running back, P.J. Mays, had not touched the ball.
For 10 minutes, Mays was just a decoy -- and, considering how badly the game started, not a very good one at that.
Then, with 5:30 remaining in the first quarter, Mays got the ball.
He bullied his way for 4 yards. Then he broke for a 73-yard run. Then he rammed the ball in for a 1-yard touchdown.
"It's amazing to watch him run," Clarion defensive lineman Troy Bowers said of Mays. "He's hard to tackle, he's powerful and he's got nice speed. Put it together and you've got a great running back."
Let's be fair
It's easy to criticize the Penguins after one game, but it's not really fair. There were a lot of bright spots and it's unreasonable to expect the Penguins to win every game against Clarion by 50 points.
YSU's defense looked very good at times.
Senior linebacker Jon Tekac was a terror -- recording nine tackles, including two sacks and two more tackles for a loss.
Senior defensive tackle Guy Mazard had two sacks and led a Penguin defensive line that was in Almashy's face all day.
The Penguins gave up 127 yards rushing, but that total is inflated considering that Clarion runs the ball almost exclusively.
"At times, we were a Youngstown defense," Tekac said. "Other times, we weren't."
Mays finished with 26 carries for 165 yards and two touchdowns, but he wasn't the only offensive highlight. Junior running back Josiah Doby had five carries for 129 yards -- an average of 25.8 -- and a TD.
Quarterbacks Colby Street and Luis Gonzalez weren't spectacular, but they didn't make major mistakes that could cost the Penguins the game.
And let's remember, the Penguins did have a 20-0 halftime lead.
The mistakes will be corrected. The passing game will improve. The season is not lost.
"This week is over," Mays said. "It's in the past. From now on, we're focused on McNeese State."
When the Penguins woke up this morning, they woke up with an unbeaten record.
Only wins and losses matter. And in the standings, even ugly wins are beautiful.
XJoe Scalzo is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write him at scalzo@vindy.com.