Penguins survive real scare

It was a game that never really should have been close, but it also was a game that Youngstown State probably should have lost.

But as coach Jon Heacock stated after the game, “we survived,” and the Penguins are still in control of their own destiny.

I’m not sure when I’ve seen the Penguins play a worse first half than they did Saturday against Southern Utah, a team that came into the game with five straight losses and was giving up more than 30 points and 415 yards per game.

Saturday’s performance wouldn’t be good enough to beat Illinois State this Saturday and it wouldn’t even keep a game close against Northern Iowa in two weeks.

Heacock said last week that he was very concerned about playing a non-conference game between two big Gateway Conference games.

“Even though we warned them all week that Southern Utah was much better than its record, I still don’t think that the focus was there, especially in the first half,” he said.

Junior Ferlando Williams, who has been outstanding this season, agreed with his coach.

“It was just so quiet in the first half, there really wasn’t any emotion out there at all,” said Williams. “I know that it wasn’t that we were looking past Southern Utah because our preparation all week had been very good.

“We just didn’t focus enough tonight,” Williams said.

Pavlik’s visit
provided inspiration

Williams said the Penguins received a big lift last week when Youngstown’s new world middleweight boxing champion, Kelly Pavlik, paid the team a visit at practice.

He addressed the team after Thursday’s practice.

“He told us that just like he did when he was knocked down in the second round that you have to get back up and keep fighting,” Williams said. “I thought it was a big emotional lift for the team.

“Just the other night Coach Heacock popped that fight film into the projector and we watched him come back again and I think that definitely helped us in the final quarter,” Williams said.

Junior placekicker Brian Palmer said he knows what Southern Utah kicker Steve Pulver was going through after the final field goal attempt fizzled for the Thunderbirds.

“It is just a complete team effort,” Palmer said. “The snapper, the holder and the kicker all have to get their job done and if one is not doing it than the whole team fails.

“I’m so fortunate with Mike Barlak as my snapper and Todd Rowan as my holder — they are the best around,” Palmer said. “You also have to give a great deal of credit to the blockers up front, they also do a great job.”

Palmer takes over
on kickoffs

Palmer, a Mineral Ridge High graduate, also took over the kickoff duties Saturday against the Thunderbirds.

“All I do is kick it, the rest is up to the other 10 players who handle the coverage and I thought they did a great job as they have all year long,” he said.

The Penguins have four games remaining and they know what they have to do.

Two of those games are on the road. One of those is at Northern Iowa, which took over sole possession of first place in the Gateway Saturday by beating Southern Illinois 30-24 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

The Panthers beating the Salukis is probably best for the Penguins because if they can knock off the Panthers in two weeks at the UNIDome, all of the three top teams would have one loss. All three would finish with at least nine wins and all three would be headed to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

But that’s still two weeks away and the Penguins have the Redbirds to worry about. They are coming off a 69-17 victory over Indiana State, but then everybody beats Indiana State.

The Redbirds (3-4) already have four losses and will not make the playoffs, but there would be nothing they would love more than to knock off the Penguins during their homecoming weekend this Saturday.

The Penguins survived last Saturday, now they have to take advantage of that during the next four Saturdays.

XPete Mollica covers YSU athletics for The Vindicator. Write to him at mollica@vindy.com.