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Penguins eye more than just paycheck vs. MSU
By Joe SCALZO
YOUNGSTOWN
Andrew Johnson hails from Detroit, which is 45 miles from the University of Michigan and 90 miles from Michigan State.
Which did he root for?
“Growing up, I was a Michigan guy,” he said.
Does that mean he hates Michigan State?
“I dislike anyone we play against,” Johnson said.
Johnson is a 6-foot-3, 285-pound bear of a defensive tackle who can joke through an interview or growl through it.
On Tuesday, he was growling.
“I feel like we can compete against anyone,” said Johnson, who played in 10 games last fall, starting eight, after transferring from Bowling Green. “They put their pants on one leg at a time, just like anyone we play.”
Since the Penguins started playing “guarantee games” in 2005, they’ve been outscored 241-26 by Ohio State, Penn State and Pitt. Fourteen of their points came last year in a 44-14 loss to Penn State as YSU scored its first two touchdowns against a BCS school.
But while YSU’s main motivation for scheduling Friday’s game is the $600,000 guarantee, sophomore QB Kurt Hess wants to come home with more than that.
“We’re not trying to make a check, we’re not trying to make money, we’re not going up for a moral victory and we’re not going up there to score a touchdown,” he said. “We expect to win.
“Us captains have gotten together and said we want to go 1-0 every week. In order to do that this week, we have to beat Michigan State.”
FBS schools hold a 1,740-388-17 (.815) record all-time against FCS schools and Michigan State is 2-0 against FCS competition. Overall, Big Ten schools are 76-7 against FCS schools.
One of those losses came last year when future Missouri Valley member South Dakota beat Minnesota 41-38.
South Dakota’s win was one of four by FCS schools in Week 2 last year, with James Madison shocking Virginia Tech 21-16, Gardner-Webb beating Akron 38-37 in OT and Liberty beating Ball State 27-23.
“It’s a very small margin from our league to the Big Ten,” Hess said. “I think that gap is getting tighter and closer every season.
“We’re at a point right now [where we say], ‘Why not us? Why not be the I-AA team that’s going to knock off a Big Ten opponent?’”
The Penguins led Penn State 7-6 late in the second quarter last year before the Nittany Lions scored 17 points over a 92-second span between the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third.
“We played two quarters of football last year,” said YSU coach Eric Wolford. “I’d like to see us play four quarters of Youngstown State football and see what happens.”
Wolford coached two years in the Big Ten at Illinois but never faced Michigan State. He said there’s a fine line between playing up Friday’s game and not making too much of it.
“You can build the game up to be something big and there’s a pitfall there if you don’t play well,” he said. “It’s a tall task. We know when you play a team superior to you, you have a low margin of error. That’s with any team. When we line up against Northern Iowa, we have a lower margin of error than we do when we may play other teams.”
On the other hand, Wolford knows his players might be more motivated, since many on the roster feel they were good enough to play at a BCS school.
“A lot of the young men in the locker room probably have dreams and aspirations of playing at a Michigan State or schools bigger than that,” he said. “That’s the reality of it all.
“But we’re all here for a reason and it’s meant to be that way and we’ve embraced it.”
Eye on the D: The Penguins have a whopping 49 new players since last fall, with two-thirds of those on defense. Five of YSU’s defensive starters weren’t even on the team in the spring. “The defense is young but it’s much improved,” said senior co-captain John Sasson, who started every game last fall and led the team in tackles. “There is more depth this year. The biggest thing we’ve been stressing through all our offseason workouts is to finish.” Sasson said the team has simplified the defense a little bit to accommodate the youth and inexperience. “We’re gonna play smart and do what we do well,” he said.
Lineup notes: YSU made one change in its starting lineup since releasing its first depth chart last week. Sophomore WR Kevin Watts was promoted to the first team, while senior WR Andre Barboza was dropped to the third team. Also, Hubbard High graduate Kurtis Drummond earned the backup spot at strong safety on Michigan State’s two-deep chart. Drummond is a redshirt freshman, missing last fall with shoulder surgery.
Oh captain, my captain: YSU coach Eric Wolford said eight or nine players got a significant number of votes for team captain. Sasson, senior DT Andrew Johnson, junior RB Jamaine Cook and sophomore QB Kurt Hess were named the four captains. “I visited with the captains and told these other gentlemen got a significant amount of votes and you need to lean on them,” he said.
Spread the red: First Place Bank is sponsoring a “Spread The Red to Feed Hungry Families” campaign this season. First Place Bank donated $4,000 to the Second Harvest Food Bank on Tuesday and will donate $150 each time YSU gets into the red zone this fall at Stambaugh Stadium.
Star player: Former YSU football player Ed O’Neill, who lettered for the Penguins in 1967-68, got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Tuesday. O’Neill is best known for roles on “Married With Children” and “Modern Family.”