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YSU overcomes adversity, special teams errors
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
On the first drive of the third quarter, after YSU’s defense held Southern Illinois to minus-1 yard over three plays, Penguins coach Eric Wolford decided to go for the big play over the smart play.
“I went for the block,” Wolford said.
The Salukis were punting into the wind from their own 14, with YSU’s dangerous return man Dominique Barnes near midfield waiting for the ball. But after barely missing the block, YSU’s Juilian Harrell barrelled into SIU punter Austin Pucylowski for a 15-yard roughing the kicker penalty.
“We got blocked into him, I hope,” said Wolford. “That was a poor decision on my part. They were kicking it into the wind and I wanted to go for the home run ball and put them away.”
It didn’t cost YSU much — Southern Illinois punted four plays later — but it was one of several special teams mistakes by the Penguins in Saturday’s 31-28 win.
SIU scored its first touchdown when Luke Thuston blocked Nick Liste’s punt and Taylon Hunter scooped it up for a 38-yard return. Making matters worse, that play came after an illegal formation penalty wiped out a Liste punt that was downed at the 1.
YSU also missed two field goals, with Stephen Blose missing wide right on a 40-yard attempt early in the first quarter then getting a 39-yarder blocked late in the second. Add in SIU’s successful onside kick and it’s easy to say YSU’s special teams played poorly.
But the Penguins also did some good things on special teams, blocking a punt of their own and forcing a fumble on a kickoff return (on a big-time hit by YSU’s Thomas Sprague).
“There’s a lot of things we need to do better,” Wolford said. “If we want to win a championship, there’s a lot of things we can learn from that football game.”
Wolford always tells his players to expect adversity in every game. For YSU, it came when the Penguins trailed 14-0 after one quarter. Fortunately for Wolford, his team responded well.
“You really find out what kind of person you are when you have adversity,” he said. “When everything is going well, it’s easy to be good.
“The people who handle adversity in life and make something of it, those are special people.”