No shame at the ’Shoe

Anybody who thought the Youngstown State football team would go undefeated this season was probably disappointed this weekend.

For the rest of us who were hoping that the Penguins would go down to Columbus Saturday and make a respectable showing against Ohio State, but most importantly, come away without any serious injuries, were happy.

Anybody with any real knowledge of the college game didn’t figure the Penguins would make a serious challenge against the Buckeyes, but those same folks probably didn’t give Appalachian State much of a chance to beat Michigan, either.

Defensively, more
than respectable

The Penguins were more than respectable defensively, they were competitive, making the Buckeyes work for every rushing yard they acquired.

Nobody was more glad to see the game end than Ohio State coach Jim Tressel. It’s been a difficult week for Tressel, preparing to play against the program he helped put on the map.

He’s said it was tough just watching films of the Penguins that brought back so many memories of his days at YSU when he led them to four national championships.

Coaching against YSU’s Jon Heacock was no easy thing for Tressel either.

Especially since Heacock’s brother Jim is an Ohio State assistant and Tressel considers Jon like a brother of his own and the two coached together for many years at YSU.

Tressel was asked after the game if he was glad this one was over. “Absolutely,” was his quick answer.

Penguins still have
a long way to go

The Penguins can hold their heads up high this week, but both players and coaches know the team still has a long way to go before being ready to take on the Gateway Conference and the playoffs.

The Penguins struggled offensively, but it was more a matter of consistency than anything else.

Senior quarterback Tom Zetts, who waited his whole life for a chance to play in Ohio Stadium, said it was more fun than he even expected.

“This is a game that I will remember for a long time,” Zetts said. “We did a pretty good job, we got in there and banged heads with them. In some cases we got pushed back, but we knocked them back a few times as well.

“I was happy that we were able to put two scoring drives together,” he said. “Disappointed that they weren’t touchdowns, but against a defense that is as good as they are you have to be happy with that.”

One of the questions coming into the game was who was going to step up as the Penguins’ No. 1 tailback. The Penguins had only 85 yards against the Buckeyes, so nobody really stepped up to take the lead role.

Scott, Edwards,
Nicholson saw time

There were three tailbacks who all had some good carries in the game, including sophomore Jabari Scott (nine attempts for 26 yards), redshirt freshman Jordan Edwards (nine for 28) and junior Brandon Nicholson (six for 21).

The performance showed that the Penguins will still be a running offense this season, which should only make Zetts that much better in the passing game.

Junior transfer Ferlando Williams also came on as Zetts’ backup to show what he can add to the offense. The Penguins would love to have sophomore Todd Rowan to be the backup so they could move Williams back to wide receiver, where he’s probably at his best.

The Penguins have four straight home games, beginning Saturday against South Dakota State.

The Jackrabbits, who will officially join the Gateway Conference next season, come to Stambaugh Stadium also with a 0-1 record after losing to Western Illinois last Thursday in game that went four overtime periods.

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