YSU FOOTBALL There's reason for hope in 2004

The Penguins have fewer injuries and more experience than last season.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- There are a lot of things the Youngstown State football team needs to improve on as the Penguins get set for their season opener Thursday night against Slippery Rock.
But none is bigger than winning.
The Penguins are coming off their first losing season in eight years, when they struggled through a 5-7 campaign, and had their first losing season in the Gateway Conference, going 2-5.
Jon Heacock begins his fourth season as the Penguins coach with a record of 20-14, the best start by any coach in school history.
But, the Penguins have not been to the playoffs under Heacock, something his predecessor, Jim Tressel, did in 10 of the 15 years he was coach. Tressel also won four national championships and finished runner-up twice.
Injuries played a key role in last season's poor finish, especially on the offensive and defensive lines.
The Penguins come into this season on a pretty healthy note, plus they are coming off one of the best spring and summer sessions they've had in a long time.
With a crew of 38 lettermen (including 11 starters) returning, the Penguins had a good nucleus to work with, and Heacock and his staff have added some transfers into the mix.
Key position
The key to the season just might be how quickly redshirt freshman quarterback Tom Zetts handles the starting assignment.
Zetts, a 6-foot-1, 203-pound Boardman native, missed all but one quarter of last season after suffering a broken collarbone in the season opener.
He rebounded with a great spring where he earned the starting position and has carried that effort into the fall.
He's joined in the backfield by junior tailback Josh Cayson, the team's leading rusher last year with 707 yards and four touchdowns.
Sophomore transfers Monquantae Gibson and Regis Edgerson are both expected to help share the load, along with sophomore fullback Demetrius Ison.
For Zetts and Cayson to have success this year, the Penguins need a healthy and solid offensive line. YSU had only one lineman who started all 12 games last year because of injuries.
If Zetts has time to throw, he's got perhaps the strongest group of receivers in school history.
Five of the team's top six receivers return, led by junior wide receiver Kyle Smith and senior tight end Mike Roberts, both with 29 catches.
Better defense
Defensively the Penguins have come a long way since the 2003 season.
It began with the addition of co-defensive coordinators Mike Kolakowski (defensive backs) and Dana Chambers (defensive line), who brought in a completely new package.
While it's taken a while for the defense to grasp the new system, it's shown great improvement.
Led by the team's co-captains, seniors Yancey Marcum and Mike Bracken, the team improved so much that it won the final jersey scrimmage this fall with an outstanding effort.
Marcum has been hurt, but is expected to play in the opener. Overall, the defense has stayed relatively healthy this fall, and boasts nine of the team's 15 seniors.
The entire defensive front is back, led seniors Nate Baston and Matt Briggs and juniors Brandon Brown and Justin Scholes.
The Penguins will be young at linebacker as Marcum is the lone senior, but there is talent, including redshirt freshman transfer James Terry, from Virginia.
The secondary is small, but has good speed, as does the entire defense, which could be the key to its success.
The YSU kicking game has never been better with senior kicker Nick Terracina and sophomore punter Joe Bishop both returning.
The schedule, which last year was the toughest in Division I-AA, will be difficult again, especially in the Gateway Conference, where the Penguins were picked to finish sixth in the eight-team field.
It all begins Thursday at 7:30 p.m. when Slippery Rock invades Stambaugh Stadium.
mollica@vindy.com