YSU

YSU
Football
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown State football team finished 14th in both the final Sports Network Poll and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
YSU was one of four Gateway teams to be in the final polls. In the Sports Network poll, national runner-up Northern Iowa was second, Southern Illinois was seventh, YSU was 14th and Illinois State came in at 22. In the ESPN/USA Today Poll, UNI was second, SIU was seventh, the Penguins were 14th while Illinois State was 24th.
The Penguins (8-3, 5-2) tied the Panthers and Salukis for the league title. The Gateway and the Atlantic 10 were the only two conferences to finish with four teams in the top 25.
Upon conclusion of the Gateway season with UNI's 21-16 loss to Appalachian State in the Division I-AA National Championship Game on Thursday, the Penguins secured the title in several conference statistical categories.
YSU was first in the Gateway in scoring defense (16.2 points per game), turnover margin (0.91 per game), total defense (330.4 yards per game), pass-efficiency defense (112.8 rating), fewest first downs allowed by an opponent (198), fewest penalties (59), fewest penalty yards (41.9 per game) and time of possession (31:25 per contest). The Penguins were also second in passing defense (196.9 yards per game) and kickoff coverage (41.5 per game average) while finishing third in rushing offense (191.6 per game), kickoff returns (20.9 per return), third-down conversions (46.5 percent) and sacks allowed (19).
In the final national Division I-AA statistical categories, YSU's two highest team finishes were seventh in scoring defense and 12th in turnover margin.
Junior cornerback Codera Jackson placed fifth in the nation in interceptions per game at 0.55 per contest. Jackson was the highest rated YSU individual in all the individual categories.
Men's basketball
INDIANAPOLIS -- Junior guard Quin Humphrey was named the Horizon League men's basketball player of the week.
Humphrey, who leads the league in scoring averaging 17.9 points per game and is second in rebounding averaging 8.8 boards per game, earned the honor for the second time in his career. Humphrey also won on Dec. 27, 2004 following a 26-point performance against Loyola.
This past week, Humphrey recorded his league-best fourth double-double of the year with a 20-point, 11-rebound effort in a 72-51 win over Duquesne. The 11 rebounds tied his career high while he also added three assists. With his fourth double-double, he became the first Penguin since Desmond Harrison in 2000-01 (four) to have at least four double-doubles in the same year.
REGION
Ilgauskas, Goodenkept out of practice
CLEVELAND -- Cavaliers All-Star center Zydrunas Ilgauskas did not practice on Monday because of a mild concussion sustained two days earlier when he collided with Miami's Dwyane Wade.
Ilgauskas was going for a loose ball when he banged into Wade's shoulder in the final minute of Cleveland's 115-107 win Saturday night. The 7-foot-3 Ilgauskas stayed on the floor for several minutes before being helped off with a large lump already swelling over his right eye.
The Cavaliers said Ilgauskas was questionable for tonight's game against the Utah Jazz.
Forward Drew Gooden also was kept out of practice Monday with a sprained left ankle. He got hurt when he came down on Shaquille O'Neal's foot in the first half against Miami and did not return.
Gooden said his ankle was sore, but that he would try to play tonight.
Blue Jackets
COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday reassigned forward Steven Goertzen to the club's top minor-league affiliate in Syracuse.
Goertzen has played in 31 games this season, shuffling between the Blue Jackets and the Crunch.
Mullen out, Therrien inas Pens club coach
PITTSBURGH -- Joe Mullen, fired last week as a Pittsburgh assistant coach, will coach Wilkes-Barre -- the Penguins' AHL affiliate -- for the rest of the season.
Michel Therrien, previously the coach at the Penguins' top farm club, replaced Eddie Olczyk as Pittsburgh's coach on Thursday. Mullen and Randy Hillier, Olczyk's two assistants, also lost their jobs when Therrien took over.
Wilkes-Barre was 21-1-2-1 under Therrien, the best start for a team in AHL history. Mullen, a Hall of Famer, and former Pittsburgh coach Rick Kehoe coached Wilkes-Barre to a 2-1 record over the weekend after Therrien left.
NATION
Manning leads voting
NEW YORK -- Two-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning received a record 1,184,142 votes to lead the fans' balloting for the 2006 Pro Bowl.
Fan voting concluded on Friday with a record 70.5 million votes cast.
Vindicator staff/wire reports