Penguins need to get better quickly

A column by sportswriter Pete Mollica.
They say that the only things for certain are death and taxes, but I think it's a pretty safe bet to say that Youngstown State's only chances of getting back to the I-AA playoffs this year is to win the Gateway Conference.
It is also pretty safe to say that if the Penguins don't get a lot better and quickly, they don't stand much of a chance even competing in the Gateway, let alone winning it.
The Penguins were pretty disappointing Saturday night in their 13-6 loss to Florida Atlantic University.
Granted, the Owls have come a long way in just three seasons of football under Howard Schnellenberger, but I also don't expect them to be competing for a playoff berth come November.
The Penguins are now 2-2 on the season and 0-2 as far as the NCAA I-AA selection committee is concerned, since they don't take into consideration wins against Division II competition.
Next up Liberty
The Penguins have one more non-conference game before they begin play in the Gateway. This Saturday they travel to meet Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.
The Flames snapped a three-game losing streak at home this past Saturday by beating up on Div. II Kentucky Wesleyan, 47-7. Two of their three losses were to Mid-American Conference powers Toledo and Bowling Green, so their 1-3 record may not be as bad as it looks.
But regardless the Penguins need to get straightened around quickly. Too many mistakes have doomed the Penguins the last two weeks.
Saturday, another costly fumbled killed a potential scoring drive against the Owls.
On the drive in the second quarter, on a dropped pass in the end zone from Aaron Marshall, the Penguins were called for holding on the play anyway. It moved them back to a third-and 21 situation, instead of a third-and 11 and the next play netted 12 yards and the Penguins had to settle for a field goal.
Kicking game improved
If there is one thing that has improved over the last year it is the kicking game. Junior Nick Terracina and redshirt freshman Joe Bishop have both been doing an outstanding job.
Terracina's only miss was an extra point that he overkicked against Kent State and hit the upright so hard that it could be heard all over the stadium. Bishop has had 19 punts this season and seven of them have been inside the opposition's 20 yard line. He averaged 42 yards on seven punts against the Owls.
Both the offense and defense has looked good at times, but very poor other times. The defense, although giving up a lot of yardage, seems to pull together when the opposition gets inside the red zone and has allowed only one touchdown in each of the four games.
Marshall didn't have a good game against Florida Atlantic. He and backup Matt Rycraft each had one good drive in the game. Part of the problem could have been with the offensive line, which had a difficult time blocking the Owls defense, which recorded 14 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Doby returns to action
It was good to see Josiah Doby get back into action Saturday. He led the team with 59 yards on eight carries. Mike Burns continues to run well, but he's had two fumbles in the last two games.
Defensively the secondary has been disappointing in their coverage. Receivers are too wide open. Possibly it's the fault of the Penguins' rush, which is mostly effective when the linebackers are blitzing and then there are fewer people to cover the pass.
Whatever it's going to take to fix the problems needs to be found soon, because time is running out on the Penguins with the Gateway just around the corner.
XPete Mollica covers YSU football for The Vindicator. Write to him at mollica@vindy.com.