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Wolford: ‘I expected … better’
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
With one game left, YSU football coach Eric Wolford was asked for an early report card on the Penguins’ 3-7 season.
Not surprisingly, it wasn’t good.
“I’d say a D, an F,” he said. “I think it starts with myself and I’m always going to be critical of myself.
“I expected us to do better this year.”
In a season full of heartbreaking losses, the Penguins saved their most gut-wrenching for second-to-last, surrendering a 40-yard touchdown pass with less than a second remaining in Saturday’s 41-39 loss to Illinois State.
The last-second play drew the first heavy criticism of the Wolford era. Many felt the team should have done a better job protecting against a Hail Mary pass, specifically by lining up two or more defensive backs near the goal line rather than lining up in a base defense with a prevent scheme.
Wolford defended the approach, pointing out that there were two defenders (a cornerback and a safety) near ISU receiver Tyrone Walker in the end zone.
“One was coming from the boundary with one guy behind him, which is what you want,” Wolford said. “We’re in a form of a prevent defense, we had a gentleman behind the receiver and when the ball was there, he didn’t make a play.
“Nine out of 10 times, if you do it over again, I’d say it probably goes in our favor.”
Afterward, Wolford preached the need to be more aggressive in that situation, even if it means picking up a 15-yard pass interference penalty. The team also worked on that situation in Monday’s practice but the damage was done.
YSU (3-7, 1-6) has now lost six straight games, with four of those losses coming in the final three minutes. And unlike most coaches, whose interviews tend to get shorter as the losing streaks get longer, Wolford treated Tuesday’s press conference as a sort of therapy session, talking for 23 minutes — the longest of the fall.
“It was probably the toughest loss I’ve ever had,” said Wolford. “It was tough on our team. To be closer than we’ve been in the last few weeks and come out in the short end , it’s a tough pill to swallow.
“I tried to jump out of the plane last week and I didn’t realize we were still on the ground.”
The Penguins will play host to Indiana State in Saturday’s finale, trying to avoid their first seven-game losing streak in a season since 1970, when the team went 0-9.
“It’s been a tough run,” Wolford said. “This football team needs a shot in the arm right now.”
On the plus side, YSU has led in every game this season and has lost just one game by more than 10 points — the opener against Penn State. In fact, even with the 3-7 record, the Penguins have outscored their opponents 320-317.
“It’s tough knowing that you’re so close and you’ve played well but you haven’t come out on top,” said redshirt freshman quarterback Kurt Hess. “It’s bittersweet.”
Wolford said expected to have more wins in his first season, but he also expected a few more big losses.
“If you were to ask me prior to the season, if I would have divulged that information to you, I would have told you there were probably two or three teams that I would have thought potentially would have stomped on us,” he said. “Three touchdown, four-touchdown games.
“That’s not the case. We’re in them all. Now have to take the next step to win them all.”