Penguins find their groove

The Penguins are feeling better after trouncing Indiana State, 45-20.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- After struggling through the first eight games of the season, Youngstown State's football team finally put it all together Saturday afternoon at Stambaugh Stadium.
And they did it on senior recognition day.
The Penguins, now 3-6 overall and 1-4 in the Gateway Conference, racked up 418 total yards of offense and rolled to a 45-20 trouncing of Indiana State before a crowd of 10,512.
Once again it was the running of junior tailback Josh Cayson (Warren JFK) and the passing of redshirt freshman quarterback Tom Zetts (Boardman) that led the offense to their best effort of the season.
The 5-foot-10, 165-pound Cayson bettered his career single-game rushing mark for the second straight week as he rushed for 158 yards on 32 carries and scored twice.
Zetts was the picture of consistency as he completed 12-of-19 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 28 yards on four carries.
"It was a great win for the seniors; heck, it was a great win for all of them," said YSU coach Jon Heacock.
Scoring machine
The Penguins, who led only 14-13 at halftime, came out in the third quarter and just blew the Sycamores off the field. They scored 14 points in the third quarter and 17 more in the final quarter to complete the rout.
The YSU defense, which gave up scores -- one touchdown and two field goals -- on Indiana State's first three possessions, shut down the Sycamores in the second half, allowing just seven points.
YSU rushed for a season high 278 yards, while holding the Sycamores to just 121 yards on the ground. Indiana State quarterback Phillip Johnson did throw for 230 yards and the Sycamores finished with 351 total yards.
"It was big that we were able to hold them [Indiana State] to just two field goals in the first half," Heacock said.
The Penguins fell behind early as the Sycamores scored on their first possession, with Johnson hitting Jamie Petrowski with a 30-yard scoring pass.
Zetts then quickly brought the Penguins back on the next series, completing five passes in an 80-yard, 14-play drive that was capped off by a 1-yard run by sophomore fullback Demetrius Ison.
The Sycamores didn't let up on the next drive and quickly moved to the YSU 4, but three straight plays didn't gain an inch and they settled for a 21-yard field goal by Kyle Hooper.
Poor punt
Following a poor punt by YSU's Joe Bishop, the Sycamores got possession at the YSU 30 and in four plays had a first and goal at the 1.
ISU was called for holding on first down, a play in which Andre Forte scored. From the 12 the Sycamores could get only to the 5 on three downs and settled for another Hooper field goal, this time from 22 yards.
YSU took the lead for good on the next drive after Cayson returned the kickoff to the YSU 39.
Five straight running plays put the ball at the ISU 17 and then Zetts tossed a swing pass to senior Matt Rycraft, who got a great block by senior Phil Larmon and scored easily.
YSU took the third quarter kickoff, which Cayson ran back to the YSU 34 and marched 66 yards on 12 plays, the big play a 30-yard scamper by Cayson, who completed the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
The Penguins went up 28-13 after the defense held deep in Indiana State territory. Starting from the ISU 33 it took just four plays with Zetts tossing a short pass to Ison, who followed a big block by senior Mike Roberts and scored easily from 23 yards out.
The Penguins, who scored on four of their five possessions in the second half, added a 27-yard field goal by senior Nick Terracina with 11:50 to go in the game.
The only down spot in the defense's play came following the field goal when they allowed Johnson to complete a deep pass to Markus Naves for a 61-yard touchdown.
After the defense put the Sycamores in a deep hole on their next series, the Penguins got possession at the Indiana 33. Cayson ripped off a 25-yard gain on first down and three plays later finished the drive with a 5-yard scoring run.
mollica@vindy.com