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Longo happy to be closer to home
By JOE SCALZO
YOUNGSTOWN
YSU receivers coach Phil Longo has been looking forward to the Southern Illinois game for a long time. But he insists it’s not for the reasons you’d think.
Really.
“My excitement is about the fact that we’re playing a great football team,” said Longo, who spent the past two seasons as the Salukis’ offensive coordinator, helping them win back-to-back league titles. “No disrespect to anyone else that we played, but when you’re getting ready to start the conference and you’re playing the team that won the conference the year before, it wouldn’t matter.
“It could be MSU [Missouri State]. It could be UNI [Northern Iowa]. It could be SIU.”
The Salukis ranked seventh in the FCS in offense last year and Longo coached 14 all-conference selections on offense, including five first-teamers. SIU went 15-1 in the conference the past two years, outscoring the Penguins 60-8 in the last two meetings.
“Coach Longo knows a lot about their players and gives us a lot of insight there,” said YSU coach Eric Wolford. “They also know Coach Longo is feeding us information and looking at what we see on film and are constantly evaluating what we’ve got to do.
“They’re going to have all kind of different wrinkles this week from what they’ve done.”
Longo speaks fondly of his time at SIU — “I loved my time there and have absolutely nothing bad to say about it,” he said — but decided he wanted to be closer to his home state of New Jersey.
“I spent four years away from home and it was just time,” said Longo, who recently wed Slippery Rock women’s basketball coach Tanya Bauer. “Now I’m 51/2-6 hours away from my friends and family and every home game is an event.”
Southern Illinois coach Dale Lennon credited Longo as one of the reasons for the team’s success the past two years and said it’s going to be strange seeing him on another sideline.
“He’s a good friend and I’m happy things are working out for him,” Lennon said. “It’s always tough to play against your friends.”
Longo has made in-conference moves before “but never at this magnitude,” he said. “Not from one great program to another, so it’s interesting.”
Regardless of what happens Saturday, he said he’s happy with his decision to come to Youngstown.
“The culture here is unbelievable,” he said. “I love it here, absolutely love it here, I can tell you that.
“I love the people, love the area, love the school, love the players. And that’s no bull[crap]. I have no regrets about making this move whatsoever.”