Steamrolling Salukis pulverize wounded Penguins, 33-0

By Pete Mollica

YSU couldn’t stop Southern Illinois’ solid rushing attack.

YOUNGSTOWN — Things keep going downhill for the Youngstown State football team.

Playing with a patched-up lineup due to injuries and with their fourth and fifth string quarterbacks handling the offense, the Penguins went into Saturday’s Missouri Valley Football Conference game with Southern Illinois needing to start a five-game winning streak to finish the season.

They didn’t come close.

Unable to run the football and not able to stop the Salukis most of the game, the Penguins saw any hopes of playing in the postseason go right down the drain with a 33-0 setback before an announced crowd of 14,679 at Stambaugh Stadium.

The Penguins (2-6, 1-3 MVFC) could muster just 70 yards rushing against the Salukis (4-2, 3-1), who riddled the Penguins for 199 yards on the ground and 306 total yards.

“You just can’t play this game without running the football,” YSU coach Jon Heacock said. “We had our opportunities and we didn’t do a very good job taking advantage of them.

“Southern Illinois is a good football team, but you have to line up and block them in order to move the ball and we didn’t do that,” Heacock said. “That’s a pretty veteran group we have up front and we’re going to take a good look at this film to see just what the problems were.”

The Penguins started a different quarterback for the fourth time in eight games. True freshman Dailyn Campbell got the call and the youngster performed well when he wasn’t running for his life.

“Sure, we had to limit our offense with the young quarterback, but no matter what plays we call if we don’t block you’re not going to execute them,” Heacock said.

Campbell completed 15-of-29 passes for 102 yards but he was sacked four times and hurried many times in the game by the Salukis’ rush.

“They were sending a lot of people at him, but that’s what they do and we knew they would be doing it,” Heacock said.

YSU’s running game consisted of 68 yards on 13 carries by redshirt freshman Kamryn Keys and 20 yards from junior Dana Brown.

But Campbell’s 20 yards lost on his sacks brought the total down to 70 for the game.

Campbell was banged up but hung around until late in the final quarter when he took another shot. The Penguins brought in their fifth quarterback, true freshman Marc Kanetsky, who had never taken a snap from center in a college game except when he helps for placement kicks.

Kanetsky, a Hubbard native, was 4-of-11 for 35 yards. Both he and Campbell were intercepted once, although Campbell’s pick was returned 52-yards for a touchdown in the first quarter by Southern Illinois’ Ryan Patton.

“Both of those young guys did a heck of a job,” Heacock said. “They are both competitors and they want to do well.”

Southern Illinois wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as it scored on its first offensive series in just three plays.

On the second play from scrimmage, senior tailback Larry Warner ripped off a 42-yard run. On the next play, quarterback Chris Dieker hit Joe Allaria with a 24-yard scoring pass.

YSU’s defense then stepped up and held off the Salukis, but the offense didn’t respond.

Campbell, from his own 45, threw into a crowd and Patton stepped in front for the pickoff and raced down the sidelines for the game’s second score.

YSU made its first scoring threat early in the second quarter after senior D’Angelo Wilson returned a punt to the Salukis’ 37-yard line.

The Penguins got to the 13 before Campbell was sacked on third down at the 21 and senior Brian Palmer’s 38-yard field goal attempt was blocked.

Just before halftime, the Salukis added three more points, but it took three kicks to do it.

Kyle Daugherty lined up for a 42-yard field goal and kicked it through, but the Penguins had called timeout just before the snap. His second attempt was blocked by Mike Barlak, but again the officials ruled that the ball wasn’t ready for play at the time of the snap. Daugherty got a third chance, which he made as time expired.

On YSU’s opening drive of the third quarter, Keys ripped off a 38-yard run and then added a 15-yard scamper to get to the Salukis 17.

But after two straight losses, Palmer’s 43-yard field goal attempt was wide right.

The defense held again, but again the offense gave up points as Campbell was sacked at his own goal line and fumbled. Teammate Tyler Booth recovered, but he was in the end zone for a safety.

The Penguins did thwart a Salukis drive in the third quarter when Na’eem Outler intercepted Dieker in the end zone.

Southern Illinois came back to score two more touchdowns in the final period to complete the rout.

mollica@vindy.com