Seniors trying to put loss in past

Captain Kyle Smith says the team must focus on Southern Illinois.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State senior captain Kyle Smith knows he didn't play his best game last Saturday when the Penguins suffered their first Gateway Conference defeat at Northern Iowa.
The 6-foot, 170-pound wide receiver from San Diego, Calif., said Tuesday that most of the senior players felt the same way about their performances, which resulted in a 21-7 defeat to the Panthers at the UNI-Dome.
Even though Smith caught five passes for 60 yards, he didn't feel the Penguins played well enough to win.
"Right now we have to put Northern Iowa behind us and look to the great opportunity that we have ahead of us the next two weeks," Smith said.
"I know that I didn't play my best game and a lot of us seniors feel the same way," he added.
"But I feel real good and I'm confident in my ability to pick it up these next two games.
"We're still in the driver's seat, a great position to be in and now we have to take advantage of the situation," he said.
Extended reception streak
Smith caught five passes to lead the Penguins, gaining 60 yards. It also enabled him to tie the school record of having caught a pass in the last 28 games he has played.
A reception this week against Southern Illinois will give him the school record that he currently shares with Jeff Patterson.
"We have to make sure that we go out and do the things we need to do this week," Smith added.
"Last week we might have been thinking a little big ahead of ourselves and we can't let that happen this week."
Tied for Gateway lead
The Penguins are 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the Gateway, sharing the top spot in the league standings with Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky, the two remaining teams on their schedule.
YSU coach Jon Heacock said he knows the kind of effort that he'll get this week from his seniors.
"Those seniors have worked very hard to get us to the point that we are playing for the conference championship these next two weeks," he said.
"We have to focus on the moment we are in and that moment is Southern Illinois," Heacock said. "We have to go there and give them the best game that we've got."
Now 15th in poll
The Penguins dropped to 15th in the Sports Network I-AA poll this week and are 17th in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
Southern Illinois (6-2, 4-1 Gateway) will play host to the Penguins in a 4 p.m. kickoff in Carbondale, Ill., on Saturday.
The Salukis, by virtue of their 31-20 win over then No. 1 ranked Western Kentucky, have moved up to No. 5 in both polls this week.
mollica@vindy.com