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Penguins pull away for a romp
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
Two weeks ago, the biggest question facing Youngstown State’s football team was, “Can it finish games?”
Over the last two weeks, that answer is yes.
Now the Penguins will find out if they can finish a season.
YSU completed its non-conference schedule with a sometimes sloppy, but ultimately convincing 52-23 victory over Saint Francis on Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.
After the Red Flash cut the deficit to 21-16 midway through the second quarter, the Penguins (3-1) scored 31 straight points to put the game away.
It was a mirror image of last week’s game, when Butler pulled within 17-13 midway through the second quarter, only to see YSU score the final 27 points.
“We were known as the first-half team [that would] disappear in the second half,” defensive end Derek Rivers said, referring specifically to YSU’s defense. “Now we can play a whole game.
“Second half is now becoming our strong suit.”
After missing last week with an ankle injury, junior quarterback Dante Nania returned and completed 11 of 22 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore running back Martin Ruiz added 12 carries for 82 yards and two TDs before leaving late in the first half with a shoulder injury.
The Penguins finished with 351 yards rushing and 567 total yards, defeating their third straight lower-level FCS team. Saint Francis (1-3) offers 34 scholarships, while Duquesne (which lost 34-23 in Week Two) had 37 scholarships and Butler zero.
YSU’s loss came in the opener to Illinois, 28-17, when the Penguins failed to hold a 17-14 lead in the fourth quarter.
When asked if the last three games prepared YSU for Missouri Valley Conference play, Penguins coach Eric Wolford said, “I don’t think anything, unless you’re playing a bunch of Big Ten teams or something, gets you ready for our conference.”
After an open date next weekend, YSU opens conference play on Oct. 4 at Missouri State (3-1), which has not played the Penguins since the infamous 2011 finale at Stambaugh Stadium, when the Bears rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit to knock YSU out of the playoff hunt.
Over the last two years, the Penguins have again fallen one game short of the playoffs, thanks to an 0-for-October stretch in 2012 and a three-game losing streak to end the 2013 season.
“Now that these three games are over, I think they’re tuneup games to get ready for the conference,” Nania said. “I think our schedule is set up perfectly where now it’s go time. We got a bye week and we know what’s ahead of us. If we want to win a conference championship, we’ve got to win out.
“We don’t want to be sitting there having to win the last four games to make the playoffs. We know what we have to do now and after this bye week, we know what our objective is, which is to win.”
The Missouri Valley entered this weekend as the nation’s top-rated FCS conference, having gone 15-1 against other FCS foes while placing five teams in the top 25 of the Coaches Poll. Saturday won’t change that, as the league’s only two losses in eight games came against Big Ten teams.
Is YSU ready? There’s only one way to find out.
“Conference, I get real excited,” Rivers said. “I think all the guys on the defense were waiting for this time.
“It’s an exciting time that rolls around. That’s when the real play starts.”