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MUST WIN: YSU, W. Ill. need win Saturday
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Missouri's Clay Harbor tries to bring in a second quarter pass during Saturday Oct 3, 2009 game at Youngstown State, Defending for Youngstown are Sir Demarco Bledsoe, center, and Lenny Wicks. The pass was incomplete.
YSU, W. Ill. need win Saturday
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN — It hasn’t been a fun start for Western Illinois University this football season and a lot of the disappointment hasn’t even been on the field.
The Leathernecks, who will come into Stambaugh Stadium on Saturday to take on Youngstown State in a Missouri Valley Football Conference matchup at 6 p.m., are 1-3 on the year, 0-1 in the conference. Late last month they got a severe blow when their veteran coach, Don Patterson, announced he was stepping down for personal reasons.
Patterson, who compiled a record of 63-47 with two conference titles and three playoff berths, was diagnosed with tonsillar cancer in July 2008. He missed all of the Leathernecks’ fall camp that year and the first seven games of the 2008 season.
He came back this year to start the season, but battling cancer and the subsequent treatments involved were just too much and he stepped down after three games.
Veteran assistant coach and the team’s offensive coordinator, Mark Henderson, has taken over the reigns. Henderson filled in last year over the team’s first seven games.
The Leathernecks come into Youngstown after losing their MVFC opener last Saturday at home against Southern Illinois, 30-10. It was their third straight defeat after opening the season with a 35-28 win over Sam Houston State on the road. Western also has losses to Northern Illinois (41-7) and Stephen F. Austin (40-30).
To add to the Leathernecks problems, junior starting quarterback Matt Barr went down with an injury early in the contest with Southern Illinois and didn’t return. Redshirt freshman Wil Lunt took over and finished the game and will probably be the starter against the Penguins if Barr isn’t ready.
Barr had completed 59 of 104 passes for 914 yards and five touchdowns in four games. He was intercepted three times. Lunt came on last Saturday and was 7-of-19 for 50 yards and two interceptions in his first major playing time.
“Obviously losing Matt Barr hurts,” said Henderson. “It hurts for any coach to see a player go down, but when it’s your starting quarterback it hurts that much more.”
“I thought Wil Lunt stepped in and for a freshman in his first real live action did a pretty good job staying in control of the situation,” Henderson said.
“I though overall our defense did a pretty good job, except for the two big plays that we allowed, but in the second half we held {Southern Illinois] to just three points and stayed in the game with them,” he added.
“We know that we have our hands full this week,” Henderson continued. “Youngstown State lost a game at home they felt they should have won and they are going to be all fired up for us this week.
“They are a very good football team with so many outstanding individuals,” he said. “We just can’t afford to allow them to do what they want to do and we can’t afford to make the mistakes which have been hurting us the last three games.”
The Leathernecks, who like to run the football, come into the game averaging just 86.2 yards per game this year, while the passing game is averaging 247 yards.
“But it’s not what we want to be doing, most of our passing yards have come because we’ve gotten behind early and had to throw the ball,” said Henderson.
The ground game is led by senior tailback Dre Gibbs (5-foot-10, 220 pounds), who has gained 303 yards on 75 carries and scored two touchdowns. Nobody else for the Leathernecks is even close to 100 yards rushing for the season.
Junior wide receiver Lito Senatus (6-3, 200) is the team’s top receiver with 30 catches for 435 yards and two touchdowns, while freshman kicker Brian Egan leads the team in scoring with 16 points (10 PAT’s and two field goals, one of them over 40 yards).
Junior receiver Todd Speight is one of the league’s top return specialists. He’s averaging 23.2 yards per punt return, including one for a touchdown. He’s also returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
mollica@vindy.com