YSU LIVE | Penguins lead 17-7 at halftime

The Youngstown State football team leads Missouri State 17-7 at halftime.

After falling behind 17-0 in the first quarter, Missouri State drove 80 yards in eight plays, capped by a 39-yard TD pass by Cody Kirby with 13:43 left in the second quarter.

That was it scoring-wise in the second quarter, which was dominated by MSU statistically. But the Bears didn't have anything to show for it as YSU LB John Sasson blocked Jordan Childs' 27-yard field goal attempt with about 45 seconds left.

Here's some halftime highlights:

For YSU, Jamaine Cook has rushed 11 times for 102 yards, but 94 of those yards came in the first quarter. Cook is also the leading receiver with three catches for 50 yards.

Kurt Hess is 5 of 12 for 68 yards and, for the first time this year, has looked like a freshman quarterback. He's missed some open receivers, been late on some throws and tried to jam others into tight spots.

Niles High graduate Nick Liste had a booming 69-yard punt in the second quarter.

Missouri State QB Cody Kirby has been as good as advertised, comleting 17 of 27 passes for 184 yards. What's most impressive is the fact that he's stood in and delivered some throws when he knew he was about to get hammered.

MSU hasn't been able to run the ball, with just 30 yards on 15 carries. Still, the Bears ran 30 offensive plays in the second quarter, compared to just 10 for YSU, so it'll be interesting to see if the Penguins' defense is tired.