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HEADING SOUTH
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SACK ATTACK: Youngstown State defensive tackle Torrance Nicholson (94) closes in on South Dakota State quarterback Ryan Berry during Saturday's game.
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GROUNDED AGAIN: South Dakota State noce tackle Brian Fischer (94) celebrates his sack of Youngstown State quarterback Brandon Summers (6) for a safety in the second quarter of Saturday's game in Brooking's, S.D.
YSU fell behind 27-0 in its first Missouri Valley game, losing 40-7.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
BROOKINGS, S.D. — Saturday’s 40-7 loss certainly wasn’t what the Youngstown State football team was expecting for a opener in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
The Penguins, coming off a 43-0 rout to Ohio State last week, suffered more of the same before 11,832 fans at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium as South Dakota State steamrolled the Penguins.
YSU (0-2) never was in the game, falling behind 27-0 in the first half. And even when it scored its first touchdown of the season in the third quarter, things never turned in the Penguins’ favor.
“We just have so much work to do,” YSU head coach Jon Heacock said.
“We’re banged up, we’re playing so many young kids, but we kept playing and we didn’t surrender.
“We’ve got to go back home now and regroup. The season’s not over, but it could be if we don’t get things fixed in a hurry,” Heacock said.
The numbers were better offensively for the Penguins, but the performance wasn’t.
YSU finished with 205 total yards, 107 rushing and 98 passing. While the offense improved slightly, the defense didn’t.
South Dakota State rolled up 506 total yards, 187 on the ground and 319 passing behind the arm of senior quarterback Ryan Berry, who connected on 19 of 30 passes and one touchdown.
Once again the Penguins went with three quarterbacks, trying to find something that worked.
Junior Brandon Summers came out the best as he connected on 9-of-17 for 60 yards, but had two intercepted.
Junior Todd Rowan was 6-of-10 for 38 yards.
Summers ran nine times for 30 yards and directed the Penguins’ only scoring drive in the third quarter.
That drive was the best offensive effort the Penguins have had in eight quarters. It covered 74 yards in 14 plays and used up 5 minutes and 29 seconds.
Summers kept it mostly on the ground, completing just one pass in the drive, but the offense actually looked pretty good for that one series.
Unfortunately, the defense lasted just two plays on the following series as South Dakota State’s sophomore tailback Kyle Minett broke off a 53-yard touchdown run that killed any hopes the Penguins had of a comeback.
Summers did take the team on another good drive in the final quarter. Starting from his own 20, he moved the team to the Jackrabbits’ 18, but he was intercepted at the goal line buy Conrad Kjerstad, who had two on the night.
The Jackrabbits (1-1) added another late touchdown on an 81-yard drive that was culminated by Tyler Duffy’s eight yard touchdown run.
For Youngstown State, things started poorly right at the start and never got any better the entire first half.
Sophomore kicker Stephen Blose’s opening kickoff went out of bounds and the Jackrabbits took over at their own 40.
A 34-yard pass from Berry to Colin Cochart put the Jacks deep in Penguins’ territory, but the defense stiffened and held them to a 20-yard field by Peter Cochart.
mollica@vindy.com