Real tests await Penguins

Although it was a "W," the Youngstown State University football team's 24-17 victory over Florida Atlantic Saturday is still a long way from the effort that it is going to be needed the next two weeks of the season.
Regardless of how talented YSU coach Jon Heacock says the Owls were, they are still a team that has lost six straight games and a team that might not win one the rest of the season.
As good as the Penguins were in the first half, they were not that good in the second 30 minutes. Possibly the heat -- and it was hot down on the field -- played a big role in the effort.
The Penguins were tired and dragging as they left Pro Player Stadium in Miami. But in any case, they finally ended the Florida jinx with the victory. YSU had lost four straight in Florida previously.
The easy games are over for the Penguins, although YSU didn't make the win over FAU an easy one.
After going without a turnover a week ago against Indiana State, the Penguins gave up two against the Owls, both fumbles by freshman quarterback Aaron Marshall.
However, the defense didn't allow any points off of either of those mistakes.
Punt problems
The punting game cost the Penguins 14 of the Owls' 17 points. Against teams like Northern Iowa and Western Illinois (the next two opponents), that could be a killer to the Penguins.
Senior Kosta Karapetsas got a bad break on one punt when the ball took a reverse bounce and he lost about 15 yards. It was a net kick of 23 yards and the Owls took it in from there.
The blocked punt was not the sole fault of Karapetsas as his blocking broke down in front of him, but the results were the same.
Despite the two fumbles, Marshall is still the best quarterback the Penguins have, but he's got to be able to throw the ball more when the Panthers and Leathernecks take the field.
Other than the fumbles, the only play when he looked bad came in the second half when he rolled out and took too long to find a wide-open T.J. Peterson way behind the defense. When Marshall finally threw it, the pass was behind Peterson, who fell down trying to get to the ball.
Sack attack
Marshall was still sacked four times in the contest. His quickness and ability saved a couple of other plays from being sacks as the offensive line struggled at times.
Junior center Nick Roberts was playing with a sore shoulder, but the Penguins did get a solid game from sophomore guard Norris Kennedy.
Things have to get better offensively and time is running out on the Penguins. They have their backs to the wall every week now, knowing another loss would probably put them out of playoff contention.
Senior tailback P.J. Mays is still carrying the load on offense and the Youngstown native has proved that he's one of the best backs in Division I-AA football.
Mays had 130 yards Saturday and he got a lot of it on his own, but he still knows that his success depends on his offensive line. That's why he was standing right over Roberts when he went down in the second half, and didn't leave the field until Roberts was on his feet and walking off.
The verdict is still out on how good Northern Iowa and Western Illinois are this season, but it is a good bet that both are much better than Florida Atlantic.
Every game is a "must win" situation for the Penguins and they know that it is going to take a much better effort these next two weeks than they've given in any game this season.
Hats off to the YSU fans for their showing Saturday night in Miami. The Penguins had almost as many fans at the game as Florida Atlantic and they made just as much noise as the Owls fans.
XPete Mollica covers YSU football for The Vindicator. Write to him at mollica@vindy.com.