Now, the waiting game

If only Youngstown State had played the last two weeks like it did Saturday afternoon.
If they had, the Penguins would be 10-1, champions of the Gateway Conference and most likely a top-four seed in the NCAA I-AA playoffs, playing at home Nov. 27.
The Penguins put on a tremendous effort Saturday in beating Western Kentucky 42-10 at Stambaugh Stadium. It was their sixth straight win this year at home.
It still looks very good for the Penguins getting into the postseason, but it's a far cry from what it could have been.
The Penguins didn't get any help at all from Southern Illinois Saturday as the Salukis blew a 24-10 third quarter lead and lost 25-24 to Northern Iowa in the UNI-Dome.
What that means is that the Penguins finished in a three-way tie for the Gateway Conference title, but because they lost to both Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa they will be the third team out of the Gateway for playoff consideration.
Northern Iowa, on the other hand, was on the verge of folding just three weeks ago after losing to Illinois State and falling to 2-2 in the Gateway. The Panthers have won three straight games against their chief competition and has clinched the Gateway's automatic berth into the playoffs.
YSU on bubblefor playoff berth
According to YSU athletic director Ron Strollo, the Penguins were sitting in the No. 15 slot for the 16-team playoff field prior to their win over Western Kentucky.
They aren't going to go any lower and should move up a spot or two after beating the No. 12-ranked Hilltoppers, who folded down the stretch, dropping their last three games. WKU still has a date against Florida International Saturday.
Matt Dougherty, the main man behind the Sports Network I-AA poll who was at Stambaugh Stadium Saturday, believes the Penguins are in the playoffs after the big win. It was Dougherty's belief that the Penguins might be paired up against the Southern Conference's Georgia Southern in a first round matchup.
Strollo had indicated last week that he thought the Penguins, if they won, would be headed for a matchup against an eastern team such as Massachusetts or Lehigh.
There isn't anybody in the YSU football family, coaches or players, who gives a hoot about who they could be playing in two weeks. All they're concerned about is that they're playing.
Saturday's win over Western Kentucky gave the Penguins a perfect 6-0 record this year at Stambaugh Stadium. The last time that happened was in 1994 when the Penguins were rolling to the third of their four national championships.
Successful seasonwill lead to extension
YSU coach Jon Heacock went into this season still uncertain about his future with the Penguins, since he was in the final year of a five-year contract.
Opening the season with seven wins in the first eight games dispelled any rumors that he would not get a new contract and a berth in the playoffs will only make that new deal even more impressive.
Still, Heacock said Saturday's big victory was not about him, but about the seniors on this year's team.
"That's all I every cared about was getting them the recognition that they've deserved," he said. "These seniors have gone through some rough times here and nobody deserves this success anymore than they do."
The Penguins came out of Saturday's game without any serious injuries, but now comes the hard part -- waiting until Sunday when the final 16 teams are announced.
No matter who says it or how many times they hear it, the Penguins are not going to believe they are in those playoffs until they see their name on the television screen.
Can you blame them after they've been disappointed before, most recently in 2001?
But all that waiting will be worth it when the announcement is made and the Penguins return to the I-AA playoffs for the first time since 2000.
XPete Mollica covers YSU athletics for The Vindicator. Write to him at mollica@vindy.com.