Kyle Smith, Brown get top awards

James Terry, Jason Perry and Brad Samsa also earned YSU honors.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Saturday afternoon the Youngstown State football seniors wanted to make sure of one thing -- that their final season didn't end the way the last three had ended.
Two of those seniors, wide receiver Kyle Smith and defensive end Brandon Brown, did everything they could to keep the Penguins playoff hopes alive in the 42-10 victory over Western Kentucky at Stambaugh Stadium.
"The only thing that was in our mind was winning," said Brown, a former Ursuline High standout. "We knew if we wanted to have a chance to play again we had to win and that's the way we played the game."
Smith, who was named the Hill, Barth and King offensive player of the game, didn't waste any time doing his part.
The 6-0, 170 pounder from San Diego caught five of his game-high six passes in the first two quarters, two of them for touchdowns. He finished with 111 receiving yards.
Extends streak
Smith has caught a pass in 30 straight games, extending his own YSU record. He also became the 11th player in YSU history to catch more than 100 passes in his career. He has 101.
"We definitely didn't want our season to end with a loss," said Smith. "I thought the coaches did a great job of preparing us for this game."
Brown, who was named the Jermaine Hopkins defensive lineman of the game, came up with four tackles, one of them for a loss and also forced a fumble.
The Hill, Barth and King defensive player of the game was junior cornerback Jason Perry.
Perry excels on defense
The 5-8, 160-pounder from Warrensville Heights finished the game with six tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a pass breakup as the YSU defense did not allow the Hilltoppers to get in the end zone.
Sophomore linebacker James Terry earned special teams honors, although he played outstanding on defense as well.
The 6-2, 220 pounder from Stafford, Va., finished with eight tackles, one for a loss, and was all over the field on special teams play.
The Jim Zdelar offensive lineman of the game honors went to redshirt freshman center Brad Samsa of Howland.
The 6-3, 270 pounder was filling in for injured starter Ryan Jewell and helped anchor an offensive line that rolled up 400 total yards, including 151 rushing and 249 passing.
Took dual honors
Brown and Smith also earned dual honors for the week as Brown had the Wash-on-Wheels Derrick Pixley hit of the week, while Smith was also selected as the Haines Family player of the game selected by the YSU radio broadcast team.
The Penguins are idle this week and will have to wait until Sunday afternoon when the NCAA Division I-AA 16-team playoff field is announced to see if their season will be extended or not.