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YSU hanging in, holding on
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GETS STARTING NOD: Brandon Summers will get the start at quarterback for Youngstown State in the Penguins' home opener against Central State Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.
By Pete Mollica
The Penguins are hoping the Ice Castle can soothe their wounds.
YOUNGSTOWN — Saturday can’t come soon enough for Youngstown State football coach Jon Heacock.
Since last Saturday’s 40-7 loss to South Dakota State, the Penguins have gone through a trying week and Heacock knows the best thing for his team is to get back out on the field and play the best they can.
Since Saturday, Heacock lost quarterback Todd Rowan, who started the first two games but left the team after he was told he would be replaced in the lineup, and three regulars on the defensive line to injury.
Saturday, the Penguins (0-2) will play their home opener when they entertain Central State at 4 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium.
“It’s exciting to be back at home, especially after two tough road games,” Heacock said. “It’s also a chance for this team to try and get some things going.”
Obviously, one of those things is the YSU offense, which has averaged just 48 yards on the ground and 91 yards through the air, scoring just one touchdown.
Summers, a junior transfer from the Toledo, will be the starting quarterback. Heacock’s decision to switch starters was the main reason Rowan left.
Summers’ statistics haven’t been eye popping; he’s completed 12-of-21 passes for 84 yards and has been intercepted twice. He’s also the team’s second-leading rusher with 29 yards on 13 carries.
“Obviously,\ his ability to run will create problems for the defense,” Heacock said. “There may be a little drop off because he hasn’t had all the reps in practice before this week.”
Heacock said despite the lopsided score at South Dakota State he saw some improvement from the opener against Ohio State.
“Some of the guys really improved,” he said. “Up front we played better and graded better, but we still have a long way to go to get where we need to be.”
The biggest losses came on defense and that’s after allowing 506 total yards to South Dakota State.
Senior All-American tackle Mychal Savage, who injured his shoulder against Ohio State, didn’t play last week and learned this week he will have season-ending surgery this weekend.
His replacement, sophomore Torrance Nicholson, suffered a fractured bone in his foot and will miss four to six weeks, while defensive starting end Luke Matelan, a sophomore, has a broken bone in his foot and will miss six to eight weeks.
“Obviously we are going to have to move some people around,” Heacock said. “Hopefully we’ll be getting Josh Myers back into action and that will help.”
Myers, a 6-foot-2, 275-pound redshirt freshman, was a predicted starter before the season, but injured his knee, and is nearly back to full strength.
Junior Crispin Fernandez is the only healthy starter on the defensive line at nose tackle. Senior Bobby Lykes-Knight will take over at one tackle and junior Jamie Frasure will start at Matelan’s defensive end slot, but the four backups include two redshirt freshmen and a true freshman.
Heacock hasn’t forgotten about Central State.
“They definitely have some talent,” he said. “Two of their defensive players are being looked at by NFL scouts.
“This is an extremely athletic team, which like us has struggled in its first two games.”
Central State has lost to Dayton, a non-scholarship FCS program, 31-12, and last week fell to West Virginia State, 47-12. That game was played at Soldier Field in Chicago.
“Right now our real opponent is us,” Heacock said. “This has been a difficult situation in a very crazy week, but we’ve all stayed together through it all. These kids have been truly amazing.”
mollica@vindy.com