Saturday, October 22, 2011
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
In 1996 and 2001, the Youngstown State football team went 8-3. Both years, two of those wins came against Division II teams.
Both times, they missed the playoffs.
In 2005, the Penguins again went 8-3. This time, only one win came against a Division II team.
Didn’t matter. Again, they missed the playoffs.
So if you’re wondering why YSU is playing St. Francis today — or why it played Valparaiso in Week 2 — stop wondering. As far as the playoff selection committee is concerned, beating a terrible FCS team is worth more than beating a good Division II team.
Of course, not all FCS teams are the same.
Youngstown State, for instance, uses the full allotment of 63 scholarships allowed under NCAA regulations, as do the other eight members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. As a member of the partial-scholarship Northeast Conference, St. Francis (1-6) can use as many as 40 scholarships but has typically used fewer.
Not surprisingly, the Red Flash have had just one winning season in 38 years — they went 9-2 in 1992, when they were in non-scholarship Division III — and their odds of winning today have been declared “Michele Bachmann-esque.”
“Really, we just kind of take the approach that it’s not necessarily who we play, it’s really about us,” said Penguins coach Eric Wolford, whose team is 3-3 after a crucial win over Southern Illinois last weekend. “Regardless of who we play — Michigan State, Valparaiso, doesn’t matter — it’s really about our focus and our ability to be self-disciplined and worry about doing your job.”
The Penguins are 4-0 all-time against St. Francis, with the last win coming in 1953 when YSU was called Youngstown College.
The Red Flash do have a talented running back in junior Kyle Harbridge, who ranks third in the country with 132 yards rushing per game — one spot in front of YSU RB Jamaine Cook.
But St. Francis’ defense is giving up 47 points and 495 yards per game, which means today’s game could look awfully similar to YSU’s win over Valparaiso, where the Penguins scored 63 points in the first half and spent the final 30 minutes running off tackle.
“We can’t go in there thinking we’re going to blow them out,” said YSU junior guard Lamar Mady. “We’ve got to [believe] every game is our most important game.”
It’s not, of course. But with four important games looming, it’s a good chance for the Penguins to get healthy and get one of the seven (or eight) wins they would need to have a shot at the postseason.