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BLACK TUESDAY
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READY FOR START: Brandon Summers, a transfer from Toledo, will get the start at quarterback for Youngstown State against Central State in Saturday's game at Stambaugh Stadium.
By Pete Mollica
QB leaves Penguins, injuries decimate line
Junior Brandon Summers will take over behind center for Todd Rowan.
YOUNGSTOWN — Just when things seemingly couldn’t get any worse for the Youngstown State football team, they did.
Coach Jon Heacock said Tuesday that junior quarterback Todd Rowan, who started the first two games, has left the team.
Heacock then said senior All-American defensive tackle Mychal Savage is scheduled to have surgery on his injured shoulder and will miss the remainder of the season.
There’s more.
Starting defensive end Luke Matelan, a sophomore, suffered a broken bone in his foot against South Dakota State and will be out six to eight weeks, and sophomore defensive tackle Torrance Nicholson has a slight fracture in his foot and could be out four to six weeks.
Rowan’s decision to leave the team was the most surprising. He completed 14-of-23 passes for just 84 yards and an interception in the first two games.
“It’s a decision Todd made,” Heacock said. “Obviously I’m disappointed, he’s a fine young man. I didn’t see anything to indicate this was coming.”
Last Saturday, in a 40-7 loss to South Dakota State, Rowan started the first three offensive series. He completed 4-of-8 passes but was intercepted in the second series that led to a Jackrabbits’ touchdown.
He was replaced by senior Ferlando Williams, who ran two series, then junior transfer Brandon Summers played until he was shaken up in the fourth quarter. Rowan returned for the Penguins’ final series.
Summers was the most effective of the three and led the Penguins on their only scoring drive to open the third quarter. He will start at quarterback Saturday when the Penguins play their home opener against Central State.
“I’m sure it has a lot to do with the frustrations at the position,” sad Heacock. “I’ve talked with quarterback coach Brian White, I talked with Todd and with his parents. Right now I’m not completely sure just what his reasons were for leaving.”
Summers was 12-of-21 for 84 yards and two interceptions in the first two games, but against South Dakota State he took the team 74 yards in 14 plays to give the Penguins their only touchdown this season.
He was also named the starter for Saturday’s game before Rowan’s decision to leave the team.
It’s been a whirlwind couple of days for Summers
“Right now it’s a little stressful, but I’ve still got a lot of things to learn here,” he said Tuesday following practice.
But the Southfield, Mich., native feels he deserves this shot.
“I definitely feel that I’ve worked hard enough to get this chance to start,” Summers said. “I deserve it, now I’ve got to make things happen.
“There is nothing really wrong with our offense that good hard work this week in practice won’t take care of,” he added. “We’ve just have to do the things we need to do and eliminate the mistakes, but there is nothing wrong with the offense.”
Summers (6-foot, 210 pounds) said it’s up to him to get the team motivated and back on track.
“I’ve got to know what I’m doing and what everybody else is doing out there, but there is no doubt in my mind that we can make this work and turn things around quickly,” he said.
Savage, a 6-2, 305 tackle from Hartsdale, N.Y., was injured in the Ohio State game. He made the trip last week to South Dakota, but didn’t dress. He will have surgery this weekend.
“After the surgery we’ll apply for a medical redshirt for next season,” Heacock said.
Both Matelan and Nicholson were injured in the South Dakota State game, which left the Penguins with just one starter on the defensive line, junior transfer Crispin Fernandez.
“These trying times just didn’t begin this week, it all started back in August when we lost video photographer Shaun Coin,” Heacock said. “But we’ve still got 90 guys and coaches who are still hanging in there.
“It’s something you have to do, you don’t have any other option and I’m proud to say they we had a whole bunch of guys show up on Sunday ready to get back to work.”
Heacock predicted better days are ahead.
“It’s been tough; there are days when everything goes well, but lately those have been few and far between,” he said. “I’m blessed with a great group of guys; most of them were there Sunday going over film with the coaches and just about begging to be coached.
“When you have guys who care you just keep going,” Heacock said. “We are all together in this. If this happened to a team that wasn’t still together they wouldn’t survive. We will survive.”
mollica@vindy.com