YSU LIVE | Penguins lead 17-10 at halftime

The YSU football team leads Northern Iowa 17-10 at halftime of Saturday's game at Stambaugh Stadium.

Quarterback Kurt Hess hit Dominique Barnes in stride for a 71-yard TD pass, with Barnes running the final 35 yards after getting behind the Panther corner. Hess threw the pass into the wind, deciding to take a shot when a UNI defensive lineman jumped offsides just before the snap.

UNI hit a deep pass play on its ensuing series to get into the YSU red zone, but the Penguin defense held and Panther kicker Billy Hallgren yanked his 32-yard field goal attempt wide left with 12 minutes left in the second quarter.

UNI QB Tirrell Rennie hit Schuylar Oordt on a 39-yard TD pass with just under 10 minutes left in the quarter as Oordt broke wide open over the middle on a broken coverage. That's been a vulnerable spot for the Penguins all season, particularly when teams get a matchup on a safety deep over the middle. That score was set up by a Hess interception.

YSU scored just before the half when safety Will Shaw picked off a pass and returned it 87 yards to the UNI 13 with 41 seconds left. An illegal block penalty moved the Penguins back to their 22 but a nifty swing pass to Jamaine Cook gained 12 yards on first down. Coach Eric Wolford dialed up a beautiful fake field goal but backup quarterback Marc Kanetsky overthrew David Rach in the end zone and the Penguins had to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Stephen Blose.

YSU is 3-2 when leading at halftime this season.