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D’Alesio steps up for key YSU role
Gallery
MVFC | Players of Week 2
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER
WR/RS Dominique Barnes, Youngstown State
5-11, 185, Sr., Southfield, Mich. (Southfield)
Barnes returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown in the Penguins’ 31-7 victory over Butler. With the Penguins holding onto a 17-7 lead late in the third quarter, Barnes took just his second career punt return back for a back-breaking touchdown. It was the second-longest punt return for touchdown in school history behind a 92-yard return by Ray Rohan in 1965. It eclipsed the schools FCS record of 81 set by Robert Thompson against UNI in 1982. He finished with two returns for 90 yards. He also caught two passes for 22 yards extending his games with a reception streak to 25.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER
Cody Kirby, Missouri State
5-11, 202, Sr., QB, Rogers, Ark., Rogers High
In his 32nd consecutive start, Kirby collected a career-high 333 yards of total offense in the game at Kansas State. Kirby threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions against the FBS Wildcats, while rushing for a team-high 52 yards on 10 carries. It was his highest rushing output in 7 games and his third-highest passing total in his career. He engineered scoring drives of 80, 58, 74, and 99 yards in helping the Bears accumulate their highest point total against an FBS program since 2002.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER
DL Ben Boothby, UNI
6-0, 280, Jr., Clinton, Iowa (Clinton)
Boothby tallied seven tackles, including four sacks, in the Panthers 16-9 win over #21 North Dakota State. Boothby’s four sacks ties the UNI school record for sacks in a game, and his 4.5 tackles for loss ranks second in the UNI record books. Boothby helped the Panthers tie the school record with 11 sacks, last set in 1997.
NEWCOMER
QB Tirrell Rennie, UNI
6-0, 198, Jr., North Lauderdale, Fla. (Coconut Creek/Ellsworth)
Rennie passed for 172 yards and rushed for 96 in the Panthers 16-9 win over North Dakota State. Rennie had a 47-yard pass to Terrell Sinkfield among his 10 completions.
Staff report
By JOE SCALZO
YOUNGSTOWN
After missing a few games of his senior football season with an MCL strain, then skipping basketball season because of a broken bone in his wrist, Donald D’Alesio seemed like a prime candidate to redshirt his freshman year at Youngstown State.
There was just one problem. When healthy, he was too good to stay off the field.
“Donald’s a good football player,” Penguins coach Eric Wolford said.
Which is why, with all the talented recruits Wolford brought in over the past few months, D’Alesio emerged as the first true freshman to start for YSU’s new head coach when he started at strong safety against Butler on Saturday.
The other 10 defensive starters? All upperclassmen.
“I’m the youngest one there, but they kind of look out for me,” said D’Alesio, a Mooney High graduate. “They help me if don’t know what do.”
D’Alesio was a three-year starter for the Cardinals, breaking into the lineup as a sophomore on Mooney’s talented 2007 squad that lost in the state championship game. Two years later, he helped the Cardinals to their first 15-0 season in school history.
D’Alesio had seven tackles, including five solos, against the Bulldogs — second most on the team behind John Sasson’s 10. He had three tackles (all solos) last week against Penn State, although Nick Gooden got the start in that one.
Although Butler didn’t have the same talent — “Not to take anything away from those guys but Penn State, they’re just on another level,” he said — its zone read offense and mobile quarterback created a challenge for the Penguins. Butler held the ball for nearly 31 minutes and played YSU close for almost three quarters.
“In film, they run a couple plays but they run them all really well,” D’Alesio said. “We knew how to play it and we just needed to adjust to a couple things at halftime.”
When asked what he learned from the game, D’Alesio smiled and said, “I learned a lot, actually. I learned you’ve got to know what you’re doing, where to line up, expect things before they happen, like checks when receivers motion and what plays are gonna come.”
Although he’s at a new school, much remains familiar. D’Alesio still plays home games at Stambaugh Stadium and he still has Ron Stoops yelling in his ear when he’s out of position. (Stoops, Mooney’s longtime defensive coordinator, is now an assistant secondary coach at YSU.)
“It was a lot of fun, especially in front of the home crowd, this many people,” D’Alesio said of the home opener. “I’m used to the field but it was a little more people, a little more excitement.”
Final thoughts
Three years after Appalachian State’s big upset of Michigan, college football fans are no longer stunned when FCS teams beat the big boys.
North Dakota State’s win over Kansas in Week 1 was greeted with a collective yawn and James Madison’s win over Virginia Tech on Saturday garnered more attention for its effect on Boise State’s title hopes (the Broncos beat the Hokies in Week 1) than anything else.
“There’s a lot more parity in college football than people think,” Wolford said. “Anybody can beat anybody on any given Saturday.”
Pete-on-a-stick is back.
Saturday’s game marked the return of this cherished YSU tradition in which a stuffed Pete the Penguin (on a stick) watches the game from the end zone.
“Pete-on-a-stick, he’s won a bunch of ballgames,” Wolford said, smiling. “We’re going to keep Pete-on-a-stick in there. He’s got a little home there in his den, his igloo I guess you could say. Pete’ll be with us.”
A new tradition is born.
Before Saturday’s game, Wolford and the team walked past fans through a tailgate lot — something he hopes to continue in future games.
“I think our fans were excited about it and hopefully it becomes a big tradition here,” he said.