No fun against the run: Salukis topple Penguins

Southern Illinois’ ground game was the difference in YSU’s 24-17 defeat.

By PETE MOLLICA

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Youngstown State football team’s hopes of successfully defending its Gateway Conference title took a hit Saturday as the Penguins dropped a 24-17 decision to Southern Illinois before 13,188 at McAndrew Stadium.

The Penguins (4-2, 1-1 Gateway) came into the contest allowing just 92 yards a game rushing.

But the Salukis revised that figure upward by picking up more than 200 and two rushing touchdowns to hand YSU its first conference loss and snap the Penguins’ four-game winning streak.

“We just didn’t do enough things right today,” YSU head coach Jon Heacock said. “We turned it over a couple times, but when you get down to this stretch of the season you just can’t make those kinds of mistakes.

“The kids played very hard and it was an excellent football games, but we just didn’t execute like we are capable of today,” Heacock said.

The Penguins, who led 10-0 after the first quarter, finished with 166 rushing yards.

Senior quarterback Tom Zetts, forced to pass in the final quarter with the team behind, was just 19 of 34 for 164 yards and one interception.

Once again, junior Ferlando Williams came up with the key plays as he scored both YSU touchdowns on runs from the quarterback position and led the Penguins in rushing with 87 yards on 15 carries.

Zetts also carried the ball 12 times in the game for 37 yards.

After battling to a 10-10 halftime tie, the Penguins came out the third quarter and moved quickly downfield, with junior Kevin Smith ripping off a big 23-yard gain.

But the drive stalled at the Salukis’ 24 and junior kicker Brian Palmer was wide right with a 41-yard kick.

Southern Illinois took advantage on the next series and drive 76 yards in eight plays to take its first lead in the game when senior quarterback Nick Hill hit Justin Allen with a 14-yard scoring toss with six minutes left in the third quarter.

The Penguins got a break when Lenny Wicks picked off a Hill pass at the YSU 40 and returned it to the Salukis’ 45.

With Zetts and Williams sharing quarterback, the Penguins rolled. First, Zetts hit Rory Berry with a 31-yard pass and Smith ran 16 more. Williams made two runs of 16 and the last for eight and the touchdown to tie the game with 11:32 remaining.

The Salukis made their game-winning drive with 5:30 remaining in the contest and it started from their own 13.

Hill connected with Jeff Evans for 40 yards and threw two more passes and a 9-yard run by Deji Karim to put the ball at the YSU 15.

On the next play, Evans darted off tackle, cut up the middle and waltzed into the end zone with 1:50 remaining.

Zetts got the Penguins down Salukis’ 35 and with time running out heaved a “Hail Mary” pass into the end zone for Berry, but it was knocked away.

The Penguins got a big break right off the opening kickoff as Southern Illinois returner Craig Turner was hit by YSU’s Lenny Wicks and fumbled at his own 34 where Jarvis Richards recovered for the Penguins.

YSU stalled on the drive, but Palmer drilled home a 41-yard field goal to give YSU the lead.

The Salukis started to drive on their next series reaching the YSU 30. But on fourth down from there, Myles Banford raced in and sacked Nick Hill for a 10-yard loss.

YSU then drove 60 yards in nine plays to open a 10-0 lead.

Zetts completed five passes in the drive, the big one being a third down 7-yard pass to tight end Derrick Bush that kept the drive alive.

With the ball at the SIU 12 yard line, Williams came in and took a direct snap, slanted off tackle and then cut back to the inside where he dove the final two yards for the touchdown.

The Penguins punted the Salukis into a deep hole late in the quarter when junior Ben Nowicki dropped a kick at the SIU 3 yard line with junior Da’Michael Horne there to down the kick.

But the Salukis drove 97 yards to get on the scoreboard, behind the passing of Hill and the running of tailback John Randle.

Randle carried the final three times, including a 23-yard run, before slanting over from the 5 yard lline.

The Penguins blew a scoring opportunity midway in the second quarter when they drove from their own 29 to the Salukis 25, but on first down, Zetts took the ball up the middle on a keeper, but fumbled and Turner recovered for SIU at their own 19.

Southern Illinois managed to tie the contest just before halftime when they drove to the YSU 17 where freshman Kyle Dougherty kicked a 32-yard field goal as time expired.

mollica@vindy.com