YSU NOTEBOOK \ Penguins vs. Salukis

New stadium: Southern Illinois is building a new football stadium, just over a football field away from 73-year-old McAndrew Stadium. The new stadium is adjacent to the SIU basketball field house and has all the steel girders in place for the seating. The field is expected to be ready for the Salukis’ home opener in 2010.

Penguins missing: Several Youngstown State regulars didn’t make the trip to Carbondale, Ill., because of injuries. Junior offensive tackle Chris Gammon, junior free safety Gary Pezzuolo and sophomore defensive end Josh Myers all remained in Youngstown. Gammon and Myers are expected back in action this season, while Pezzuolo is out for the rest of the season with a broken collarbone.

Longest play: The Southern Illinois touchdown pass from backup quarterback Paul McIntosh to wide receiver Joe Allaria that covered 86 yards in the second quarter was the longest pass play against the Penguins since 1982 when Northern Iowa’s Larry Miller connected with Daryl Goree for an 88-yard touchdown pass.

Nearly twice: The Penguins avoided a second straight shutout by the Salukis when they scored in the final quarter. The last time the Penguins were shut out in back-to-back seasons by a opponent was in 1951-52 by Bowling Green.

Defense: The Penguins had only one quarterback sack and that came from a blitzing Andre Elliott at safety. YSU had only three tackles for losses and just one pass breakup. Junior linebacker Na’eem Outler led the Penguins with nine tackles, while sophomore safety Sir Demarco Bledsoe finished with eight.

Jones at his best: Senior wide receiver Donald Jones tied the school record for pass receptions in a game for the second time this season when he hauled in 11 passes for 96 yards. Senior Aaron Pitts finished with seven catches for 102 yards and a touchdown and junior Dominique Barnes also had seven catches.

Pete Mollica