YSU NOTEBOOK

YSU NOTEBOOK
Penguins vs. Redbirds
Competition: The Illinois state football playoffs are in full swing here and a couple of games were being played just a mile down the road. Both games had an effect on the attendance here Saturday at Hancock Field.
Unseasonal: When the Penguins arrived in the Normal/Bloominton area on Friday, the temperature was almost 70 degrees, but the wind was blowing hard. At gametime, the wind was measured at 20-to-25 miles-per-hour and blowing from north-to-south. In warmups, both placekickers were trying kicks from beyond the 50-yard line with the wind, but against it they had trouble getting the kicks to the posts from 30 yards out.
Missing trip: Junior tailback Darius Peterson, who has only seen limited action this season, did not make the trip to Normal after sustaining a groin injury last week in practice.
Warming up: Radio analyst Dick Hartzell, the innovator of the rubber bands exercise program, doesn't miss a day of workouts even when he's on the road. While warming up in his hotel room Saturday, Hartzell hooked his rubber band around the bed headboard and began his workouts. He had to quit unexpectedly when the bed headboard pulled straight out of the wall and nearly hit the ceiling. "He never missed a beat though," said play-by-play announcer Bob Hannon, who was rooming with Hartzell.
Another field goal: Stephen Carroll's 56-yard field goal in the first quarter was the 13th consecutive kick made against the Penguins in the last five games. It was also the longest and it set a Hancock Stadium record. The old mark was 53 yards, but it was only the second-longest in Redbirds history. The longest was 57 yards. The kick came behind a 25-mile-per-hour wind and cleared the uprights with plenty to spare. He almost had another one, but a bad snap from center thwarted that attempt.
-- Pete Mollica