LYNCHBURG, VA. Zetts' 4 TD passes lead YSU, 42-0

The Penguins will carry a 3-0 record into Heinz Field against Pitt on Saturday.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
LYNCHBURG, Va. -- The Liberty University football team came out Saturday bound and determined to shut down Youngstown State's running attack.
And for a while, the Flames did a pretty good job.
But with Liberty putting up eight- and nine-man fronts against the Penguins, sophomore quarterback Tom Zetts went to the air and YSU rambled to a 42-0 victory, its third straight this season.
Zetts hit on 10 of only 12 passes for 205 yards and four touchdowns.
Junior defensive back Cordera Jackson returned a pass interception 72 yards for a touchdown as YSU (3-0) warmed up for next Saturday's contest against Division I-A Pitt (0-3) at Heinz Field.
The Penguins, who were averaging more than 260 yards on the ground, had only 38 yards rushing in the first half. But eventually, the Flames had to lighten up their defense and YSU went over the 150-yard mark early in the final quarter.
Zetts' scoring targets
Zetts had touchdown passes of 66 yards to T.J. Peterson, 43 yards to Damian Wright, 27 yards to Jameson Evans and 10 yards to Regis Edgerson, all in the first three quarters.
The standout from Boardman probably wouldn't have thrown the final touchdown pass, but sophomore backup quarterback Vince Gliatta, who came in for Zetts in the third quarter, was shaken up and had to leave the game for a play.
Zetts came back in and tossed the touchdown pass.
"We took what they gave us tonight," YSU head coach Jon Heacock said. "It's tough to run when they've got eight and nine people around the line of scrimmage."
YSU defense helps
The Penguins didn't score a rushing touchdown until midway in the final quarter with the help of the YSU defense.
Safety Bob Perez blitzed Liberty quarterback Zach Terrell and sacked him at the Flames 13 where he fumbled and junior Jim Phelan recovered.
Two rushes later by freshman tailback Jabari Scott, and the Penguins had a 42-0 lead.
The Penguins defense proved to be every bit as tough as it has been this year, holding the Flames under 100 yards rushing, marking it three straight weeks they've done so.
But Liberty, which had 60 yards rushing in the first half, was forced to go to the air in the second half because it was so far behind.
Liberty never threatened until the final minutes when it drove to the YSU 6-yard line, but was unable to convert on fourth down.
The Flames (1-2) have allowed 101 points in their last two games, both losses.
Youngstown State had the football for less than three minutes during the entire first quarter and for the first three minutes of the second.
YSU jumps ahead
But it didn't matter as the Penguins still jumped out to a 14-0 advantage.
Liberty took the opening kickoff and moved from its own 5 to the YSU 46 in 11 plays, but had to punt.
The Penguins had their only offensive drive of the first quarter begin from their own 10.
After three short rushes and a short pass, Zetts dropped back and fired a perfect strike down the sidelines to Peterson who ran under it and never broke stride on his way to a 66-yard touchdown.
After the Flames used 11 plays on their second drive to reach the YSU 22, the Penguins quickly shut the door as junior cornerback Jackson stepped in front of a Terrell pass near the sidelines and raced 72 yards.
Once the Penguins got the football in the second quarter, they provided more headaches for the Flames.
Zetts, who was on the money with just about every pass, connected with Wright with a 43-yard perfectly thrown touchdown pass.
A few minutes later, Zetts had a beautiful pump and run lob pass to senior Jameson Evans for 27 yards and the final score of the half.
The Penguins rushed for 38 yards in the half on only 11 carries, but Zetts was 9 of 11 for 195 yards passing.
Senior Kyle Smith, who had two first-half receptions, extended his consecutive game streak to 25 games, three short of the school record.
Smith did not play in the second half after sustaining a mild concussion.