Penguins expected to finish in third

Newcomer North Dakota State is the favorite for the renamed Missouri Valley Football Conference.

ST. LOUIS — Youngstown State has been picked to finish third behind North Dakota State and Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley Football Conference poll of the league’s head coaches, sports information directors and media.

The Penguins garnered 209 points and one first-place vote while North Dakota State, one of two newcomers to the league, captured 13 first-place votes and a league-best 289 points.

Northern Iowa was picked second with a league-best 15 first-place votes and 275 points, 66 points ahead of the Penguins.

Western Illinois was picked fourth with four first-place votes and 202 points to edge Southern Illinois, which was ranked fifth with 201 points and two first-place votes.

Missouri Valley Football newcomer South Dakota State was tabbed to finish sixth with 149 points while Missouri State (105 points), Illinois State (104 points) and Indiana State (41 points) were picked seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively.

The Penguins also placed three players on the 2008 preseason all-league team and two players garnered honorable mention.

Senior center Brad Samsa, senior defensive tackle Mychal Savage and senior wide receiver Ferlando Williams were all named to the preseason first team, while senior tight end Derrick Bush and senior placekicker Brian Palmer earned honorable mention honors.

Samsa was a second-team All-America selection by the Associated Press and honorable mention All-America by The Sports Network as an offensive tackle in 2007.

Samsa was also tabbed first team all-conference in 2007 and second team all-conference in 2006.

Savage, a two-time first-team all-conference selection at defensive tackle, was a third team selection by Sports Network in 2007. Last season, he posted 43 total tackles, including 26 solo stops, had five tackles for losses and 4.5 sacks for 31 yards in losses.

Williams, the 2007 Gateway Football Conference newcomer of the year, was named first-team All-Gateway as a wide receiver, the first in school history. He posted 464 yards rushing on 74 carries and scored nine touchdowns and caught 42 passes for 499 yards and two scores.