YSU-ISU a mirror image
Both teams are looking to make a jump in the MVFC this season
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
They’ve got an explosive offense and a defense that struggled last season and still has a few question marks.
They’ve got a talented, pass-first quarterback and a strong offensive line.
They’ve got a roster with a large number of FBS transfers.
And they’ve got a relatively new coach who’s got Big Ten assistant coaching experience and high expectations for his program.
Those first four paragraphs all apply to the Illinois State Redbirds. They could just as easily apply to YSU.
“They’re well-coached and they’ve got good players — you can see it on paper or you can sit down with me and watch the film,” said Penguins coach Eric Wolford. “They want to be 1-0 in the conference, too.
“It’s gonna be two hungry football teams.”
Led by prolific junior quarterback Matt Brown, the Redbirds (1-1) rank second in the conference in yards per game (456.5, just a half-yard behind Southern Illinois) and third in scoring offense (39.0 per game).
But with 10 returning starters on offense, those numbers are no surprise. The Redbirds’ defense is another story: Illinois State is surrendering just 7.5 yards rushing through its first two weeks, a big improvement over last season, when it gave up 199.8 yards per game on the ground en route to a 6-5 record.
Senior defensive tackle Eric Brunner, a preseason all-conference pick, is coming off a career game in which he had 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and seven tackles.
“He wreaks havoc,” said Wolford, who coached at nearby Illinois from 2007-08. “He plays in the backfield about every play and it all starts with him [defensively].
“They’re shutting everybody down. You can’t run on them, so you’ve got to try to throw.”
University of Illinois transfers Evan Frierson and Nate Palmer have combined for 3.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss in the first two games. They are two of 15 FBS transfers on this year’s roster. By contrast, the Penguins have seven FBS transfers.
Redbirds coach Brock Spack, a former defensive coordinator at Purdue, is 14-12 in three seasons with Illinois State and has targeted this season as an opportunity to move up from the middle of the Missouri Valley pack.
His team lost to Eastern Illinois 33-26 in the opener, then defeated Morehead State 52-21 last week and, like the Penguins, no one’s really sure just good they are — or aren’t.
Both teams will get an answer on Saturday.