Peterson runs way to red jerseys

The senior tailback had 99 yards on 18 carries and two TDs in the jersey scrimmage.
& lt;a href=mailto:mollica@vindy.com & gt;By PETE MOLLICA & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Senior Darius Peterson isn't sure where he fits into the offensive plans of the Youngstown State football team, but he plans to be ready for every opportunity.
Thursday afternoon, in the jersey scrimmage at Stambaugh Stadium, Peterson was a standout in the backfield, as the offense defeated the defense 44-23 and claimed the red practice jerseys for the remainder of the season.
The 5-foot-8, 180-pound Peterson, a Cleveland native and graduate of Shaker Heights, came to the Penguins in 2000 after one season at Ohio Wesleyan, where he played defense.
Possessing great speed, Peterson was moved to tailback and had a good spring practice in 2001, but played sparingly over the next two seasons as a backup.
Breakout performance
Thursday, he led all rushers in the scrimmage, gaining 99 yards on 18 carries, and he scored a pair of touchdowns.
"We finally got [the] red jerseys back," said Peterson. "This unit has been working very hard all camp and some of that hard work is starting to pay off."
The Penguins have five tailbacks on the roster, three of them seniors.
Mike Burns of Niles and Josiah Doby of California are listed 1-2 on the depth chart, while Peterson, the third senior, and sophomores Josh Cayson of Warren JFK and Justin Reams of Miami are bidding for playing time.
"We've got a lot of good backs this year and that's why it doesn't matter to me just where I'm at, because I know that I'll be ready for wherever or whenever they need me," Peterson said.
"The offense has really come a long way from last spring," he added. "It's because we are together all the time, we do everything together and it has brought us closer together as a unit."
Varying numbers
Peterson had his best year as a sophomore when he played in 10 games, rushing for 339 yards on 70 carries and scoring five touchdowns. Last year he carried the ball just 11 times for 51 yards and scored one touchdown.
YSU coach Jon Heacock was pleased the team came out of the scrimmage without any injuries.
"That is always a big plus," he said. "I thought the offense looked pretty good, but again they've got a lot of people back from last year and we expect them to be a little better at this point.
"I'm sure after I look at the films, there will be some areas that I expected them to get better yet.
"We kept the football off the ground for the most part and that was good and I thought the kids that we had in there on defense -- a lot of them [were] playing out of position because of injuries -- did a heck of a job out there," said Heacock.
Sophomore quarterback Aaron Marshall had one of his best performances, completing 10-of-17 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. He directed all three of the offense's touchdown drives.
Marshall hooked up with sophomore wide receiver Kyle Smith on a 3-yard touchdown pass, one that Smith pulled down one-handed for the score.
Two plays before the touchdown, Marshall hit Smith with a 31-yard pass. Smith finished as the leading receiver with five catches for 74 yards and the touchdown.
Reams was the second leading rusher with 36 yards on 16 carries, while Doby added 35 yards on eight tries. Burns had 27 yards on six carries and Cayson 16 yards on six tries.
QB derby
Freshman quarterback Tom Zetts completed 5-of-10 passes for 45 yards, while junior Matt Rycraft was 5-of-8 for 46 yards, but had one interception. Luis Gonzalez was 1-for-1 for 15 yards.
Defensively, senior defensive back Scott Thiessen led all tacklers with eight, while sophomore linebacker Joe Juby added seven. Freshman linebacker Dorian Chenauot had the only interception and added three tackles for losses.
Junior Nick Terracina kicked a 28-yard field goal, but missed a 39-yarder. Redshirt freshman Joe Bishop kicked a 27-yard field goal.
The Penguins were scheduled for two sessions today, at 8:40 a.m. and 7 p.m. Both workouts were to be in full pads.
& lt;a href=mailto:mollica@vindy.com & gt;mollica@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;