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Hess sets rookie record
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
YSU redshirt freshman quarterback Kurt Hess and senior receiver Dominique Barnes sat side-by-side on Tuesday afternoon looking at a sheet showing where Barnes stood in YSU’s record books. After a few minutes, the conversation turned to passing numbers — specifically, whether any freshman had thrown for 2,000 yards in a season.
Turns out, no one had.
Even more surprising, YSU’s all-time freshman passing leader still has one game left.
Hess, who wasn’t aware he held the mark, has thrown for 1,926 yards in 10 games. The next-best season by a freshman QB came in 1968, when Denny Klembara threw for 1,855. YSU’s career passing leader, Tom Zetts, threw for 1,822 in 2004.
But Hess cares more about wins than yards, which is why he gave himself a B-minus so far.
“The quarterback position is graded a little more on wins and losses and 3-7 is not the best record to have,” said Hess, the only freshman starter in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
When asked if he agreed with that grade, Barnes shook his head.
“Kurt did a real good job,” said Barnes. “He surprised me, just the way he improved from the first game to this game and from spring time.”
Hess needs 74 yards Saturday to become the 10th QB in YSU history to throw for 2,000 yards. If he passes for his average of 192 yards, he’ll finish with 2,118 — just 5 yards behind Ron Jaworski’s best year.
“There are things I’ve done well,” Hess said. “There’s things I’ve done to put the team in position to win, and I’m proud of myself about that.”