Notebook: YSU vs. Maine

Defense: The YSU defense had a good second half against Maine. They held the Black Bears to a minus-3 yards in total offense and forced two turnovers. The Penguin linebackers were a force in the game. Three of them finished in double figures in tackles, led by senior Jeremiah Wright with 12. Junior James Terry and senior Marty Hutchinson each added 10. Terry had 2 1/2 tackles for losses and 1 1/2 sacks, while Wright had two TFL and Hutchinson one. Hutchinson forced a fumble and recovered it. Bob Perez had an interception and a 25-yard return.
Receiving: Once again the Penguins spread their pass receptions around as six players caught passes. Last week it was nine. While T.J. Peterson led the way with five, junior Rory Berry had three. Senior Josh Cayson, playing in his first game after recovering from a foot injury, caught his first pass.
Penalties: The Penguins were hit with 10 penalties for 81 yards, which concerned head coach Jon Heacock. YSU killed its opening drive when it took back-to-back holding penalties from the Maine 15 yard line. They also blew a big opportunity when the Black Bears fumbled deep in their own territory and recovered at the 2-yard line. On the next play the Penguins stuffed the Bears, but YSU had 12 men on the field and Maine was given a first down. "It [penalties] is a concern," Heacock said. "We can't make those mistakes playing against the teams we're playing."
Tough in the clutch: The Penguins converted on eight of 13 third down conversions against the Bears, while Maine was just 4-14 and just 1-6 in the second half. Maine also was 1-of-3 on fourth down conversions, while the Penguins didn't try any. YSU scored on 4-of-6 tries while in the red zone, while the Bears never got to the red zone.
Next up: The Penguins will make their first-ever trip to play a Big Ten opponent next Saturday when they visit Penn State University. The Nittany Lions (1-1) suffered a 41-17 loss at Notre Dame Saturday.
Pete Mollica