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THE HEAT IS ON
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YSU quarterback Brandon Summers during practice.
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Central State vs YSU Sept. 13, 2008
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OOPS: Youngstown State quarterback Brandon Summers (6) spirals out of control against Liberty Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.
By Pete Mollica
YSU counting on big year from Brandon Summers
The senior QB set records for completion percentage and passing efficiency last year.
It doesn’t matter what level of football one is playing, the quarterback is the one everybody is watching and in most cases the one that everyone is counting on to come up with the big plays.
That just about sizes up the situation with the Youngstown State football team, which is expected to depend heavily on senior signal caller Brandon Summers this season.
Summers (6-2, 215 pounds) is in his second season with the Penguins after transferring from the University of Toledo last summer. He quickly took over the starting reins just one week into the season.
Summers, a native of Southfield, Mich., started eight games for the Penguins and led the team to all four of their victories in a disappointing 4-8 season that included a 3-5 record in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
“I really can’t believe this is my senior season,” he said this week. “It has all gone by so quickly.”
Summers survived a bizarre quarterback situation last year that saw two players quit the team. At one time the team was down to its No. 5 quarterback.
Summers played in 10 of the 12 games, missed two with a sprained knee and then returned to lead the team to victories in its last two games.
“It was an unusual situation, but we survived and hopefully we learned from that season,” he added.
He finished the year with some solid statistics, hitting 122 of 195 passes for 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns.
His completion percentage of 62.6 percent was a new school record as was his passing efficiency mark of 152.18. He also tied the school record for most touchdown passes in a regular season. His passing efficiency mark also led the MVFC and was ranked ninth in all of the Football Championship Subdivision.
“I had some success last year, but the bottom line is that we only won four games,” Summers added. “I’m going into this season with the attitude that I have to improve on every phase of my games. If you don’t learn something every time you go out on that field then you are not working hard enough.”
Summers is a double threat in the backfield because of his speed and quickness. Last year he rushed 77 times for 190 yards and three touchdowns.
But Summers knows he’s only as good as the team around him. He is excited about the prospects for the offense and the entire team.
“We’ve got depth on the line, in the backfield and at the receiver positions and what’s even more exciting is that we have a healthy defense on the other side of the ball,” he said.
About the only position the Penguins don’t have any real depth is the position that Summers plays — quarterback.
His backups are two sophomores, who would probably have been redshirted last year if not for injuries and the two defections.
“They are working hard and I’ve got all the faith in the world in them if they need to be called in to play,” Summers said of backups Dailyn Campbell and Marc Kanetsky, who both saw action last year, with Campbell even getting a start when Summers was hurt.
“This is a very talented football team and we’ve been talking about this season ever since the last one ended,” he said. “We talked even more when we were picked so low in the preseason poll. We’ve got a lot to prove and the only way it’s going to get done is through hard work.”
Summers spent three seasons at Toledo before coming to the Penguins. He was redshirted in 2005, played in five games and started two in 2006 and then did not see any action in 2007.
The Penguins will hold their final workout in shells this morning and on Monday will be in full pads when contact drills get underway at 9:50 a.m.