NOTEBOOK YSU vs. Fla. International

Overtime: The Penguins were playing in their ninth overtime contest since overtime went into existence back in 1984 by the NCAA. YSU is 6-3 now in those games. The last time the Penguins played in overtime was a year ago at Indiana State where they won 30-24. The Penguins had won four straight overtime games before Saturday.
Brothers meet: Youngstown State sophomore defensive back Justin Reams is a native of Miami, Fla. His younger brother Julian is a freshman running back for Florida International. While Justin did see action for the Penguins, Julian did not get into the contest for the Golden Panthers. Both played at Coral Reef High School in Miami.
Gliatta missing: Freshman redshirt quarterback Vince Gliatta, a transfer from Penn State, did not dress for Saturday's game against Florida International. Gliatta, who did not play in the opener with Slippery Rock, was sick all week and did not practice.
Penguin's saddened: Former YSU placekicker Paul Massaro of Niles, who kicked for the Penguins back in 1994 and 1995, passed away this past week. Massaro still holds the YSU record for most extra points in a single game with nine. He also has the fourth most PAT's in a season with 47. He kicked on the 1994 NCAA I-AA national championship team.
Defensive stats: The Penguins were led by sophomore linebacker Jeremiah Wright who had 12 tackles and also added a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. Senior defensive back Mike Bracken and sophomore Jason Perry each had 11 tackles. One of Perry's was for a loss. Florida International was led by strong safety John Haritan who led all tacklers with 21 stops.
Missed opportunites: Although there were 91 passes thrown by both teams in the contest there were no interceptions. Although defensive players had their hands on at least eight different passes, but just couldn't hold on. The Golden Panthers threw the ball 58 times, completing 32 for 338 yards, while YSU was 17 of 33, all by freshman Tom Zetts, for 168 yards.
The crowd: Attendence was listed at 14,071, but that had to have been the total that bought tickets. There couldn't have been more than 10,000 fans in the seats.
Next up: The Penguins, now 1-1, will take to the road for the first time this season when they take on McNeese State next Saturday in Lake Charles, La. Game time is 8 p.m.
Pete Mollica