Duquesne has YSU’s attention


YSU’s next opponent, Duquesne, put a scare into Buffalo last week

By Joe Scalzo

scalzo@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Last weekend, Duquesne entered its opening game against Buffalo as 28-point underdogs and nearly left western New York with a win.

Don’t think Youngstown State didn’t notice.

“With Duquesne’s showing against Buffalo, I think they have our attention,” YSU coach Eric Wolford said.

The Penguins begin the first of three straight games against lower-level FCS opponents on Saturday against the Dukes, who led the Bulls 28-24 early in the fourth quarter before falling 38-28.

“They look like a much-improved team,” said Wolford, whose Penguins beat Duquesne 59-17 last season. “I don’t necessarily view them as a lower-level team.

“They have scholarships, too. I’m sure they have creative ways of working grant-in-aid. They have 40-plus scholarships. Obviously, that didn’t matter when they played Buffalo.”

While the FCS allows schools to offer a maximum of 63 scholarships, Duquesne’s league, the Northeast Conference, has a 40-scholarship limit. (The Penguins’ Week Four opponent, St. Francis, also competes in the NEC, while next week’s opponent, Butler, competes in the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League.)

Duquesne competed with just 18 scholarships in 2008 and is up to 37 this season, but the Dukes also use academic scholarships and need-based grants to supplement that total.

That scholarship boost has given them more talent and depth, but it wasn’t enough last season to match a Missouri Valley team. After cutting the deficit to 24-14 with nine minutes left in the third quarter, Duquesne got outscored 35-3 down the stretch.

“I’ve still got a bad taste in my mouth because we did not finish the way I wanted to,” said Duquesne junior DL Zach Zidian, a Boardman High graduate. “Now we’ve got a lot more guys with more experience under our belt and we have more depth on both the offensive and defensive lines.”

Zidian, a second team all-conference selection last year, was recruited by YSU as an offensive lineman. (“They were thinking of me as a center,” he said. “I’m definitely a defensive lineman.”) He sprained his MCL in the first quarter of the loss to YSU but finished the game, recording three tackles.

Zidian (6-1, 325) finished 2013 with 44 tackles, including 5.5 for a loss, and has started 21 straight games, the second-longest streak on the team. A preseason first team all-conference pick, Zidian had three tackles against Buffalo in the opener.

“I’ve definitely been growing every year,” Zidian said. “I’m learning the game more and more and I feel like an old veteran. Coming back, I got myself in the best shape I’ve been in.

“Physically, I want to be dominant every play.”

Although Youngstown State passed for 328 yards in last year’s win over Duquesne, Zidian knows the Penguins will look to run it early and often, especially with mobile quarterback Dante Nania set for his second start.

“You know they’re going to be physical,” Zidian said of the Penguins. “They try to run inside zone and power you. Their quarterback isn’t as experienced and it’s not as experienced an offensive line, so I think they’ll keep it basic.

“Plus, their running back [Martin Ruiz] is a real talented guy, so it’s going to be a run-first game [plan]. It’s going to be a battle.”

Saturday’s game is just the second meeting between the teams, who are separated by about 70 miles. Since Zidian doesn’t know if he’ll play YSU again, he’s hoping to make the most of this matchup.

“I’m just excited to be back at YSU,” he said. “I’ve got a sour taste in my mouth from last year and I want to go back there, dominate the game and come out with a W.”

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