YSU FOOTBALL Road-weary Penguins set to start homestand

YSU will try to improve its record against Southwest Missouri State to 6-0.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown State football team is excited to be back at the Ice Castle today.
The Penguins (4-1, 2-1 Gateway Conference) host Southwest Missouri State at 4 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium.
YSU is coming off two straight road games, a 30-11 defeat at Northern Iowa and last week's 35-21 victory over Indiana State.
The Bears (2-3, 0-2) are coming off two straight conference losses, 23-7 at Western Kentucky and last week at home against Northern Iowa, 27-3.
YSU's senior quarterback, Jeff Ryan, said the Penguins offense was better last week, but still has a long way to go.
"We probably learned a lot from the loss at Northern Iowa," Ryan said. "It might have been the best thing for this team. Now we know that we just have to keep on working hard in practice and keep getting better each week."
Back to basics: YSU coach Jon Heacock took the team back to fundamentals this week.
"We want to be a good football team on Saturday afternoon and the only way that's going to happen is if we do all the basic fundamentals right," he said.
The Penguins have never lost to Southwest Missouri State, winning all five previous meetings.
"But we struggled to win most of them," said Heacock.
Today's contest is the first of three straight home games for the Penguins, all Gateway Conference contests. Next week, in the Homecoming game, the Penguins play host to Illinois State at 4 p.m., and on Oct. 27 they will play Western Kentucky at 1 p.m.
Other matchups: Three other Gateway Conference games will be played today.
Northern Iowa (4-1, 2-0) will host Southern Illinois (1-3, 1-1) at 5:05 p.m.
The Panthers, who defeated the Salukis 34-14 last year, have won seven straight games against them in the UNIDome.
Western Illinois (3-1, 2-1) visits Illinois State (0-5, 0-1) at 2:30 p.m.
The teams have met 82 times, the most in Gateway Conference history. Western Illinois holds a 42-37-3 advantage.
Indiana State (1-4, 0-1) hosts Western Kentucky (3-2, 1-1) at 7:30 p.m.
Western Kentucky leads the series 7-5-1, but this will be the first time the two have met as Gateway opponents. The Hilltoppers won last year 28-3.