YSU FOOTBALL Penguins looking to improve on last year's finish

With a win today, YSU can finish with three straight victories.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- After starting the Gateway Conference season with four straight losses, Youngstown State has a chance to finish with three straight wins and improve on its finish in the league standings from a year ago.
Today the Penguins will take on Southwest Missouri State (5-5, 2-4) at 2 p.m. at Plaster Field and a victory would ensure the Penguins of a fourth place finish in the standings.
A year ago YSU lost its final four conference games and finished 2-5 for sixth in the conference standings, its lowest finish ever.
Prior to last season the Penguins had never finished lower than a tie for third place in the standings, including a second-place finish in 1999. Before last season the Penguins had never lost more than three conference games since joining the league in 1997.
By finishing 3-4 this year the Penguins can finish no lower than a tie for fourth.
Gateway and playoffs
The Gateway Conference is almost assured of having two teams in the NCAA I-AA playoffs, unless second place Western Kentucky would happen to lose its final two games of the season and fall to 7-4. Even then the Hilltoppers would still have a chance to get into the playoffs.
Southern Illinois (9-1, 6-0), the No. 1 ranked team in Division I-AA, has already locked up the conference's automatic bid and a first-round home playoff game.
Today marks the final weekend of regular season play in the conference, but Western Kentucky and Illinois State both have non-conference games set for Nov. 20. The playoffs will begin on Nov. 27.
The Salukis play host to last place Indiana State (4-6, 1-5) in Carbondale, Ill., at 8 p.m.
The Sycamores lead the series 23-18 and had won nine straight games against the Salukis before last year's 37-14 loss in Terra Haute, Ind.
Western Kentucky (7-2, 5-1) closes out league play at home against Western Illinois (4-6, 2-5) at 5 p.m. in Bowling Green, Ky.
The Hilltoppers have dropped three straight regular season meetings to the Leathernecks, but beat WIU in the second round of the 2002 playoffs en route to their national championship.
The Leathernecks won last year's meeting in Macomb, Ill., 33-28, but trail in the overall series, 5-4.
Northern Iowa (5-4, 4-2) is on a four-game winning streak as it plays host to Illinois State (4-5, 2-4) at 6:05 p.m. at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The Panthers won last season 16-7 and lead the series 13-7, but the Redbirds have won four of the past six games in the series, including two of three at the UNI-Dome.
Next week Illinois State closes its season at Florida Atlantic, while Western Kentucky will visit Florida International.