YSU NOTEBOOK \ Penguins vs. Redbirds

Senior day: The Penguins introduced all 12 seniors and their parents before the game along with three senior cheerleaders. Head coach Jon Heacock held a breakfast with the players and their parents on Saturday morning.

New look: YSU senior defensive tackle Crispin Fernandez, who has worn his hair down to his shoulders since he’s been with the Penguins, was sporting a new look with his hair cut short for Saturday’s game,

Kicking match: YSU kicker Stephen Blose and Illinois State’s Zach Kutch each kicked three field goals, while Blose had a fourth attempt blocked at the end of the first half as the Penguins were hurrying to get off the play before the half ended. Kutch has made nine field goals in his last two games for the Redbirds, including six in last week’s win over Western Illinois.

Filling in: Junior backup punter Erik Johnson of Boardman was called on to handle the punting duties after senior Ben Nowicki was injured following his blocked punt in the second quarter. Johnson averaged 34.3 yards on five punts and three of them were inside the Redbirds’ 20-yard line.

Defensively: Junior safety Nick Gooden was credited with forcing a fumble, which was recovered by freshman cornerback A.J. Walker. It was the game’s only turnover. The Penguins didn’t have a turnover for only the second time this season and the last time was back in September against Austin Peay.

Offensively: There were 88 passes thrown in the game, 49 of them by Illinois State’s redshirt freshman quarterback Matt Brown, who finished with 328 yards on 32-of-49 passes and was not sacked. The Penguins dominated offensively, especially in time of possession, where they held the ball for 34:35 compared to just 25:25 for the Redbirds. They also led in total yards (472-393), rushing (126-65) and passing (346-328).

Up next: The Penguins will play their final game of the season next Saturday at Fargo, N.D. The Penguins and the North Dakota State Bison will meet at 2 p.m. in the domed stadium in Fargo. YSU hasn’t been to Fargo since 1972 when Ron Jaworski was the quarterback. North Dakota State (3-7, 2-5) defeated Indiana State on Saturday 56-17.

Pete Mollica