YSU notebook

Pressed for success: All five YSU quarterbacks got reps in Thursday’s opening practice and, as might be expected, their performances were a little uneven. “The quarterbacks are probably pressing a little bit, all of them,” said YSU coach Eric Wolford. “But that’s to be expected.” Redshirt freshman Kurt Hess, who is battling for the starting spot, didn’t refute Wolford and said the key is not to let one bad play lead to another. “[The competition] is always in the back of your mind and it’s definitely in the back of mine,” he said. “You just want to come out here and do your best and stay with a positive attitude. The coaches keep telling us to just to come back the next play and keep playing. You’re going to get another chance.” The quarterbacks started early with some blitz pickup packages, giving them a chance to run plays against different defensive alignments after a summer of practicing against air. “It felt like I was back playing football,” Hess said, smiling.

Underdog? What underdog? Wolford characterized junior quarterback Marc Kanetsky as someone who’s always been an underdog, who’s always proved doubters wrong. Kanetsky doesn’t see himself that way. “But I feel like a lot of other people see myself that way,” said Kanetsky, a three-sport standout at Hubbard High. “I feel like I can play. I have confidence and I know what I can do. I’m not worried too much about what other people think I can do.”

Poll position: Not surprisingly, several Penguins took offense at the team being ranked seventh out of nine teams in the Missouri Valley Football Conference preseason poll. “I think that’s disrespectful,” said sophomore running back Jamaine Cook. “I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people this year.” But defensive lineman Torrance Nicholson said the ranking wasn’t unjustified after finishing in a tie for fifth last year and starting with a new coaching staff. “To me, we really didn’t earn anything better than sixth or seventh, so that’s just where we are right now and we’ve got to go out there and take it one game at a time and earn that [higher position],”

Playing fast: Wolford said he wants his players to play fast and confident, which is why the 29 practices before the opener are so crucial. YSU’s roster is heavy on new faces and there isn’t much time to master the offensive and defensive playbooks. “In order to play fast, you’ve got to know what you’re doing,” he said. “We’re still a little bit in that infant stage, especially some of these young guys.”

Joe Scalzo