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Keys to victory: YSU snaps skid
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Donald Jones left and Derrick Bush react after Jones scored a TD for the Penguins Saturday.
By Pete Mollica
After a costly fumble, redshirt freshman Kamryn Keys finished with 123 yards in a 35-21 win.
YOUNGSTOWN — One losing streak ended, the other goes on and on.
The Youngstown State football team snapped a six-game losing streak Saturday afternoon, posting a come-from-behind 35-21 victory over Indiana State before an announced crowd of 8,913 at Stambaugh Stadium.
The Penguins (3-8, 2-5 Missouri Valley Football Conference) trailed 21-7 early in the second quarter, but scored 28 unanswered points to hand the Sycamores their 10th straight loss this season and 24th in a row dating back to 2006.
“This game was important to the seniors, who were playing their final home game of their careers,” said YSU head coach Jon Heacock. “These seniors have spent four or five years here putting forth their efforts day after day and we just weren’t about to let them go out without another win.”
Heacock said the difference between the YSU team that fell behind 21-7 and the one that scored 28 straight points was defense.
“We played defense after we fell behind and we made some good drives on offense,” Heacock said. “We told them that you have to keep doing what you’ve been doing, but do it better.”
“I’ve said all week that Indiana State is not a bad football team and the way they played in the first half was exactly the way they played last week against North Dakota State,” he said. “We watched it on film.”
Now the Penguins have their open date next Saturday before closing out the season on the road on Nov. 22 at Western Illinois.
The Penguins finished with 415 total yards, which was just a yard fewer than the Sycamores were giving up a game this year. YSU also finished with 273 rushing yards and they did get another 100-yard rushing performance out of redshirt freshman Kamryn Keys, who finished with 123 yards on 17 carries — all in the first half. He was benched after a costly fumble in the second quarter that resulted in the Sycamores returning it for a touchdown and jumping to the 21-7 lead.
“You’ve got to take better care of the football, especially in a game that we are trying so hard to win for our seniors,” Heacock said.
But the defense was the difference, especially in the second half.
It stopped ISU on its opening series and the offense quickly took advantage when junior quarterback Brandon Summers fired a perfect pass to junior wide receiver Donald Lewis from 23 yards out as the Penguins regained the lead.
Summers finished 12 of 21 passing for 119 yards and two touchdowns and did not throw an interception.
Indiana State had the ball on six possessions in the second half. The Sycamores punted four times and were stopped on fourth down the other two.
The Penguins added another score on Summers’ second touchdown pass, this one for 11 yards to sophomore wide receiver Dominique Barnes early in the final quarter.
Indiana State tailback Darius Gates had 116 yards rushing in the first half on 11 carries. He finished the game with 110 yards on 17 carries. The Sycamores had 162 total yards at halftime and finished with 238. But they did not have a turnover, while the Penguins lost two fumbles.
“We lost the turnover margin, but won the game and that doesn’t happen very often,” Heacock said.
The Penguins jumped out to the early lead, taking the ball 74 yards on 12 plays on their first possession. Summers hit Donald Jones with a 17-yard pass and Keys carried the ball six times before senior fullback Ben Lane scored his second career touchdown on a 2-yard run.
The Sycamores came right back and drove 69 yards on eight plays to tie the game. Darius Gates had the big play, a 17 yard run and it was Roberts who carried over from the 1.
When the Penguins’ offense sputtered, the Sycamores made them pay as they pulled ahead early in the second quarter after a 53 yard run by Gates and then a 4-yard touchdown run by Roberts.
The Penguins then made their first big mistake as Keys, trying to get to the outside, was hit and fumbled and Donye McCleskey was there to scoop it up and race 47 yards for the touchdown that gave the Sycamores a 21-7 advantage.
But the Penguins fought right back and were helped by a punt return by senior D’Angelo Wilson to the Sycamores’ 36 yard line. Four plays later, Summers hit Jones with a perfect 10-yard scoring toss.
YSU’s defense again came up strong, stopping the Sycamores and again Wilson made another great punt return, this time toting the ball from his own 18 to the Indiana State 42.
Summers used Keys on three straight runs before going to the air and connecting twice with Dominique Barnes, the second for 15 yards to the ISU 5-yard line.
Summers then called on junior Dana Brown who rolled into the end zone untouched to tie the game at halftime.