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YSU roundup
YSU roundup
News and notes
Can’t trust the bus: Thanks to Saturday’s lightning delays, Youngstown State didn’t head home until about 8:30 p.m. The bus ride from Terre Haute to Youngstown was expected to take about 7 1/2 hours, meaning the Penguins weren’t expected home until about 4 a.m. today Penguins coach Eric Wolford said he’ll be awake the whole way, thanks to two bad bus experiences earlier in his coaching career. The first came at his first coaching stop, when Emporia State was headed to Fort Hay State. “We were driving home and the bus driver was kind of dozing off a little bit,” Wolford said. “I had to yell at him. He got on a rumble strip but he saved it.” The second incident came when he was an offensive line coach at South Carolina in 2009. The Gamecocks were driving through Atlanta on the way to a game against Georgia when the driver had a stroke. “So I had to get up and man the wheel a little bit there,” he said. “I’ve had some unique bus experiences. I prefer flying.”
Fresh starts: Sophomore LB Kevon Caffey got his first start, filling in at Sam linebacker for the injured Dom Rich. LT Trevor Strickland got his second straight start in place of Kyle Bryant (ankle). Freshman RB Martin Ruiz got his first career start.
Hess breaks record: QB Kurt Hess passed Tom Zetts (2003-07) for YSU’s career passing record. He entered the game needing 5 yards to tie Zetts and he passed him on his first attempt, a 16-yarder to Christian Bryan. Hess now has 7,887 passing yards. He also passed Zetts for total offensive yards and now has 8,383. Zetts had 8,277.
Series history: YSU improved to 10-1 all-time at Memorial Stadium, with the lone loss coming two years ago. The Penguins are 20-3 overall against ISU.
Near-record return: Jameel Smith’s 95-yard interception return is the second-longest in school history, trailing Don Cramb’s 97-yarder against Southeast Louisiana in 1969. Pat Durina also had a 95-yarder in 1978 against Saginaw Valley State.