Heacock says YSU can still improve

The Penguins have another Div. II tuneup this week against Slippery Rock.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State football coach Jon Heacock is expecting a lot more from the Penguins this week.
Heacock said he wasn't disappointed with the Penguins' performance in their season-opening, 35-11 victory over Edinboro last Thursday, but indicated there was plenty of room for improvement.
"They played hard and played hard right to the end," he said. "It would have been easy for them to slack off in the late going, but they didn't."
The Penguins face another Div. II opponent when Slippery Rock invades Stambaugh Stadium Saturday at 7 p.m.
"We got better as the game went on," Heacock said. "In the first half we weren't lined up properly to play Youngstown defense. The second half was much better.
"I was disappointed with our early fundamental mistakes," he added. "But again, there were a lot of players who were seeing their first game experience."
Better offense
Offensively the Penguins played much better, especially the running game, which produced 278 yards and four touchdowns.
Sophomore tailback Josh Cayson scored on a 73-yard run the first time he touched the ball. He finished with a team-high 136 yards.
"We knew he had the ability to do that," Heacock said. "Now that everybody is going to know much more about [Cayson] when he comes into the game he's going to have play even better than before."
Senior tailback Mike Burns added 84 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore quarterback Aaron Marshall had 37 yards and a score. Marshall also threw for a touchdown.
Cayson and Burns were quick to praise their offensive line, which opened some gaping holes in the Edinboro defensive line and didn't allow any sacks of Marshall.
The Penguins receivers were also impressive, led by junior tight end Mike Roberts, who caught Marshall's scoring pass, and sophomore Kyle Smith.
Quarterback situation
The win wasn't totally without setbacks, though, as backup quarterback freshman Tom Zetts suffered a broken collarbone and will be out for the remainder of the season.
Junior Matt Rycraft will step into the backup roll behind Marshall and senior Luis Gonzalez will move up to third on the depth chart.
"Aaron played like an experienced quarterback on Thursday and made some good decisions out there," Heacock said. "We'll be giving Matt some more reps this week and we'll try and get him into the game early on. There are some things that Matt does better than others."
Senior linebacker Justin Dellarose and senior defensive back Sherod Holmes are both expected back in the lineup for Saturday after missing the opener with injuries.
"We need that leadership out on the field," said Heacock.
On offense, sophomore wide receiver T.J. Peterson and senior fullback Keland Logan, both of whom have been hampered by knee injuries, are expected back.
Junior defensive lineman Matt Porter suffered a shoulder injury on Tuesday and is questionable for Saturday's game.
mollica@vindy.com