For YSU QB, there is still work to do

Brandon Summers intends on leading the Penguins to a successful end to the season.

By PETE MOLLICA

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

YOUNGSTOWN — The 2009 football season has been a big disappointment for the Youngstown State team, but probably nobody has been more disappointed than senior quarterback Brandon Summers.

Summers (6-foot-2, 200-pounds), from Southfield, Mich., came to the Penguins in 2008 after spending three seasons at the University of Toledo.

He began last season as the No. 2 quarterback to then-starter Todd Rowan, but when Rowan was benched after less than two games Summers took over the job. A mid-season injury kept him out of two games, but he still finished the year with 1,540 passing yards and 18 touchdowns and another 190 yards rushing with three TDs.

He finished the year with his two best games and the Penguins couldn’t wait for 2009 to get underway with him leading the attack.

But things just haven’t gone as he or the Penguins have expected this year and last week with a 17-3 loss to South Dakota State the Penguins were eliminated from any postseason hopes.

In 10 games a year ago Summers threw just seven interceptions. He’s got 13 already this year in eight games and while his passing yardage is up (1,560 yards) his rushing average is way down. In eight games and 50 rushes Summers has a minus-12 yards on the ground.

Saturday, Summers and the Penguins will travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa, where they will take on Northern Iowa in a 5:05 kickoff at the UNIDome.

“It’s disappointing to have our playoff hopes dashed,” said Summers. “We’re heartbroken, but we still have business to take care of these next three weeks.”

“It’s very difficult to pinpoint the problems that we’re having on offense,” he said. “The past couple of weeks we’ve played well in the first half, but finished poorly.

Summers said that his rushing statistics are not something that he controls.

“If the play calls for a run, I run, but if it doesn’t I’m not,” he added.

He’s lost a total of 197 yards this season carrying the football and most of those losses have come on sacks, something that is not entirely his fault.

When asked what kind of grade that he would put on this team this season, he answered “just average.”

Did he think this team would be just average when the season began?

“No I didn’t,” he said. “We had high expectations and we all thought this team would compete for the conference title and even a national championship.”

“We still have to go out and play hard these last three games,” he added.

“We feel that we prepare very well during the week, but game time things just seem not to go our way, but at no time this year have we ever given up,” he added.

The senior looks forward to the challenge this week at Northern Iowa.

“We’ve played them tough the last two times and we feel confident that we can play with them again this year,” he added.

mollica@vindy.com