Williams honored as YSU’s top offensive player

By Pete Mollica

It was the second straight week the wide receiver was honored by the Penguins.

YOUNGSTOWN — For the second straight week receiver Ferlando Williams was named Youngstown State’s offensive player of the game.

The thing that Williams doesn’t like about the awards is that the Penguins lost both of those games.

Last Saturday Williams had another outstanding effort in the Penguins’ 14-7 loss to Southern Utah. The 6-foot, 210-pound senior from Warner Robins, Ga., caught a team-high four passes for 61 yards, rushed nine times for another 22 yards and even attempted one pass, which was incomplete.

He also returned two kickoffs for an average of 22 yards.

Williams often lines up in the backfield despite being listed as a receiver, and in cases like Saturday, when Brandon Summers went down with a knee injury, Williams is also called on to play some quarterback.

Williams knows even though the Penguins (2-4) are struggling, they still control their own destiny as far as the Missouri Valley Football Conference race is concerned.

“These next six games become our real season,” said Williams Saturday after a 14-7 loss to Southern Utah. “We’re hurting with a lot of players down right now, but we’ve just got to step it up with what we’ve got and get the job done.”

Williams said he has no problem stepping into the quarterback slot when the coaching staff feels he needs to, but he also feels confident that redshirt freshman Paul Corsaro can get the job done if Summers isn’t able to go Saturday.

The Penguins make their second consecutive road trip when they take on Missouri State in a 2:30 p.m. kickoff in Springfield, Mo.

The latest report on Summers is that his knee injury is just a sprain, but he didn’t practice Monday and wasn’t expect to do much Tuesday. YSU coach Jon Heacock said he wouldn’t expect to make a decision until at least Thursday.

“At this point he’s questionable and it will probably come down to a game-time decision as to whether he plays or doesn’t,” Heacock said Tuesday.

Bobby Lykes-Knight, a 6-0, 310-pound tackle from Cleveland, was named Hill, Barth & King defensive player of the game.

Lykes-Knight, one of the few remaining defensive linemen with playing experience, made three tackles Saturday and cemented a defensive front that held Southern Utah to just 106 yards rushing and 278 total yards.

Special team honors went to junior punter Ben Nowicki, who has continued to improve his season average almost every week. Saturday the 5-10, 170-pounder from Gilbert, Ariz., averaged 48.4 yards on five punts, including a 66-yarder which was the longest since 2005 when Joe Bishop boomed one 67 yards. Nowicki is averaging 43.2 yards per kick for the season.

Sophomore tackle Bobby Coates (6-4, 300) was named the Jim Zdelar offensive lineman of the game and sophomore linebacker Jordan Edwards (6-0, 210) was the Jermaine Hopkins defensive lineman award winner.

Senior fullback Ben Lane of Hubbard had the Wash-On-Wheels/Derek Pixley Hit of the Week and sophomore free safety Brandian Ross was the Haines Family player of the game selected by the YSU radio broadcast team.

mollica@vindy.com