Tonight’s game ends spring ball

YSU Red-White Spring Game

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The YSU football team has one last chance to impress the coaches before the fall.

By PETE MOLLICA

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

YOUNGSTOWN — After struggling through a 4-8 season a year ago with injuries and defections taking its toll on his football team, Youngstown State coach Jon Heacock couldn’t see giving up one last opportunity to help make his team that much better for the upcoming season.

That’s the main reason that tonight, when the Penguins gather at Stambaugh Stadium for the annual Red and White spring game it will me more of a scrimmage session that an actual football game.

But even Heacock knows that it will be much more than just another spring scrimmage.

“I would never call a jersey scrimmage a regular scrimmage,” Heacock said. “We still have some guys sitting out with the injuries that we’ve had. I don’t think it’s fair sometimes to start dividing up teams and then I wonder sometimes how much real work we get out of it and we still need real work.

“Defensively, again selfishly speaking, we need some work and we need some work as a staff. It’s as much for us on our side of the ball as it is for anything.

“I’m a little disappointed for the players because I know they like the draft and the game and all of that. I also think I have to do what’s best for this group because I think they want to have success so I have to make that decision. The best thing for us right now is to compete our best against our best all the time. It will be exciting. They’ll be competing.”

Tonight’s scrimmage, which gets underway at 7:30 at Stambaugh Stadium, will pit the offense against the defense. The offense owns the red practice jerseys which signifies the unit which won the most recent scrimmage. The offense is 2-0 this spring after the defense went nearly a whole year keeping the red jerseys.

In the 37-year history of the game, this will be the third known jersey scrimmage-type spring game. The most recent was in 2001 when Heacock took over the program in January for Jim Tressel. That year, the offense scored a touchdown in overtime to claim a 45-38 victory. The only other scrimmage was in 1995 as the defense earned the victory.

The last six spring games have been contests where the seniors drafted the teams. Since a 3-0 White victory in 2002, the Reds have dominated the series winning six straight games, including a 15-0 decision last spring.

All-Time the team wearing White owns a 20-16 series advantage. However, the team wearing Red has won six straight games and seven of the past eight. The Reds won 15-0 last year.

Tonight kickoffs will be utilized to setup the offense vs. defense situations.

Tickets are $5 for the game and can be purchased at the YSU athletic ticket office. The contest will be aired live on WKBN-AM (570) beginning at 7:15 p.m.

“Our team wants to be good,” Heacock said. “That sounds silly, but when you go out and watch practice you can tell whether guys want to be good or not and I think you can tell our team does. That starts with our older guys. They want to be better and they want to improve. As long as you have that you have a chance. Wanting to be good and working to want to be good are two different things and our guys have worked to want to be good.”

Tonight’s game will last 75 minutes. The offense can score six points for touchdown, three points for a field, two for a two-point conversion, and one for a first down, a play of at least 20 yards and a kicking PAT.

The defense can score 12 points for returning an interception or fumble for touchdown, five for recovering a fumble or interception a pass, three for blocking a field goal or getting a stop on fourth down-and-1 inside the 50, two for a fourth-down stop inside the 20 or getting a sack, and one for forcing a punt, getting a tackle for loss or blocking a PAT kick.

mollica@vindy.com