YSU LACKED OFFENSE

By Pete Mollica

Scott disappointed in showing at Ohio St.

The tailback said OSU was good while YSU was installing a new offense.

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State junior tailback Jabari Scott said that while he was excited to participate in last Saturday’s game against Ohio State, he’s glad the event is in the rear view mirror.

Scott and the YSU offense didn’t get a lot accomplished in the 43-0 loss to the Buckeyes before over 105,000 fans at Ohio Stadium, and he was disappointed with the unit’s performance.

“We really felt good about the offense going into the game, but the feeling of the entire unit after the game was one of disappointment,” said Scott.

“I know from my own standpoint that I had hoped to do much better, but it never happened,” he said. “They [Ohio State] were good, so much better than a year ago.”

Scott (5-foot-10, 190 pounds), from San Antonio, Texas, said the fact the Penguins were implementing a new offense against the Buckeyes added to the team’s problems.

“We just didn’t execute the way we were supposed to do it, but their defense had a lot to do with the problems,” he added. “We all expected to do much better than we did and the entire offense was very disappointed after the game because we knew we didn’t play up to our capabilities.

“But this is a game that we now have to put behind us and get ready for this week’s game,” he said.

The Penguins will open play in the Missouri Valley Football Conference Saturday when they travel to South Dakota State for a 7 p.m. kickoff in Brookings, S.D.

“For us, the real season begins on Saturday,” Scott said. “It’s going to be a tough game, on the road and in the conference opener.”

Scott only carried the football five times against the Buckeyes and managed just 4 yards, while his longest gain was 3 yards.

Still he’s excited about what’s ahead for the Penguins.

“Our no-huddle offense needs some work, and that’s what we’ll be doing all this week,” he said. “We definitely have some work ahead of us, but we know that we’ll be ready for the task come Saturday night.”

While the Penguins’ performance last Saturday wasn’t one of their best, the coaches, after viewing the films, found some positive things to take into this week.

Senior offensive center Brad Samsa, a Howland High product, was selected the game’s top offensive player, while junior cornerback Lenny Wicks of Pittsburgh, Pa., earned defensive player of the game honors and also had the Derek Pixley Wash on Wheels hit of the week for his bone-jarring tackle on Ohio State wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher.

Junior punter Ben Nowicki of Gilbert, Ariz., was the special teams player of the week after averaging 42.7 yards on seven punts against the Buckeyes.

Sophomore transfer Eric Rodemoyer, a Sharon Kennedy Catholic product, was named the Jim Zdelar offensive lineman of the game, while sophomore Torrance Nicholson of Columbus earned defensive lineman of the game honors.

mollica@vindy.com