YSU FOOTBALL Stats favor the Penguins in Northeastern matchup

A couple of players who missed the opener will see action this week.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown State University football team has fared well when playing against teams from the Atlantic 10 Conference.
The Penguins are 25-16 all-time against the Atlantic 10 going into today's 4 p.m. contest against Northeastern University at Stambaugh Stadium.
YSU is 5-3 against the Huskies but lost the last meeting 28-23 in 1992. The Penguins are 4-0 against Northeastern at Stambaugh Stadium.
The Penguins' last game against an Atlantic 10 team was in 2000 when they lost 10-3 to Richmond in the opening round of the I-AA playoffs. That also marked YSU's last postseason appearance.
The Penguins (1-0) won their season opener 44-14 against Slippery Rock, while Northeastern suffered a 41-38 overtime loss to Georgia Southern.
The Penguins' attack was bolstered this week with the return of several players who missed the opener.
Junior transfer tailback Marcus Mason will return to action along with defensive lineman Greg Jacobs, a sophomore transfer.
Other conference games
Six of the other Gateway Conference teams are also in action today. Western Illinois defeated Northern Colorado 28-23 Thursday night.
Today Western Kentucky (1-0) plays host to cross-state rival Eastern Kentucky at 7 p.m. in Bowling Green, Ky. The Hilltoppers lead the series 45-33-3, including a 21-8 victory last season.
Four teams play new opponents. Southern Illinois (1-0) goes for its second straight win against a Division II opponent, playing host to Union (Ky.) in Carbondale, Ill., at 7 p.m. Northern Iowa (1-0) will play host to Minnesota-Duluth, also a Div. II school, at 8:05 p.m. in the UNI-Dome at Cedar Falls, Iowa. Missouri State (0-1) will play host to Quincy (Ill.), a NAIA school, at 7 p.m. in Springfield, Mo. Indiana State (0-1) will be trying to get the first win for new coach Lou West, a Niles native, when the Sycamores play host to Div. II St. Francis (Ind.) at 2 p.m. in Terre Haute, Ind.
mollica@vindy.com