Series vs. SMS always close

As coach of Southwest Missouri State, Randy Ball hasn't beaten the Penguins.
& lt;a href=mailto:mollica@vindy.com & gt;By PETE MOLLICA & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- In four seasons as coach of Southwest Missouri State, Randy Ball has yet to beat Youngstown State.
Ball, who previously spent 16 seasons as coach at Western Illinois, knows what it's like to defeat the Penguins -- he did it the last two times he faced them with the Leathernecks, in 1997 and 1998.
Saturday, Ball will bring the Bears to Stambaugh Stadium for a 7 p.m. game in the Gateway Conference opener for both teams.
In fact, SMS has never beaten the Penguins in seven attempts, dating to 1996, a year before the Penguins became members of the Gateway.
Outlook
"All of our games with Youngstown have been close ones," Ball said. "You don't like to dwell on the past. This is a new season and two new football teams."
The Bears are 3-1 with their lone defeat at the hands of Oklahoma State, 42-3. They have one I-AA win, over Southeast Missouri State, 17-10, and beat up on two other teams, Div. II East Central, 48-0, and NAIA Bacone College, 51-14.
"This team has probably the best attitude and the best work ethic of any team we've had here," Ball said. "We still have some concerns in certain areas, but overall they've been improving each week."
The Bears have two talented running backs -- junior Cody Pratt and senior Tommicus Walker. Pratt (5-foot-10, 215 pounds) leads the team in rushing with 432 yards on 84 carries, while Walker (5-11, 198) has 304 yards on 33 tries. They have scored eight touchdowns between them.
"They are both very different type runners," Ball said. "One [Pratt] likes to bang right up the middle, while the other [Walker] is a slashing type runner."
The Bears also utilize two quarterbacks. Sophomore A.J. Porter (6-3, 217) is the starter and has completed 22-of-42 passes for 346 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Junior Steve Cota (6-4, 203) is 17-of-34 for 191 yards with two TDs and one interception.
Receivers
Their top receivers are junior Steve Rush (5-11, 196) and junior Michael Sparks (6-1, 190) with eight receptions each. Rush is averaging 24.6 yards per catch and has one touchdown.
The offensive line is led by senior tackle John Duggan (6-6, 309) and senior guard Jon Zweygardt (6-2, 298). The Bears are averaging 382 yards per game, including 244 yards rushing.
The defense has yielded 66 points in four games, but 42 of them came against Oklahoma State.
The Bears have allowed 310 yards per game, 139 rushing and 171 passing.
The leaders are senior Kailan Williams (6-2, 195), a defensive back with 26 tackles and an interception; senior Daryl Warren (6-1, 217), a linebacker with 24 tackles, including five for losses and one sack, and senior Steve Watson (6-3, 225), an end with 23 tackles and four for losses, including two sacks.
Punter Robbie Kemp, a senior, is averaging 40.1 yards per kick with the long of 57 yards, and sophomore kicker Jon Scifres is 5-of-8 in field goals, the longest being 35 yards.
Little difference
Ball sees little difference in the YSU team this season.
"It's a typical YSU team that plays hard, is well coached, very physical and doesn't make mistakes," Ball said.
"Their defense is very quick and they have very athletic linebackers," he added. "Offensively they are a great running football team and their quarterback [Aaron Marshall] has made big strides since last season."
& lt;a href=mailto:mollica@vindy.com & gt;mollica@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;