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YSU picked to finish fourth in MVFC preseason poll
YSU picked to finish fourth in preseason poll; 3 earn all-league
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngstown State football coach Bo Pelini spent his first few months getting to know his football team.
He’s spent the last few months getting to know the Missouri Valley’s other football teams — and he’s impressed.
“This is a great conference,” he said. “I spent a lot of time watching what goes in this conference. It’s a qualify conference, lot of very well-coached football teams and a lot of talent in the conference.”
That starts at the top, where four-time defending national champion North Dakota State was picked first in the MVFC’s preseason poll on Monday. The Bison earned 32 of the 40 first-place votes from the league’s coaches and media.
Illinois State, which lost to the Bison in last year’s FCS championship game, was picked to finish second and earned the other eight first-place votes.
Northern Iowa was picked third and YSU fourth in the 10-team league, which put a record-setting five teams in last year’s playoffs.
South Dakota State and Indiana State, which both made last year’s postseason, were picked to finish fifth and sixth, respectively. Southern Illinois was seventh, followed by Western Illinois, Missouri State and South Dakota.
Youngstown State went 7-5 last season, including 4-4 in the MVFC, and missed the playoffs for the eighth straight season. Eric Wolford, who was fired in November, oversaw five of those seasons.
The Penguins have made the playoffs just once since Jim Tressel left following the 2000 season, advancing to the national semifinals in 2006 under Jon Heacock.
“Our benchmark is conference titles and a national championship,” said Pelini, a Mooney High graduate who was hired in December after seven seasons with Nebraska. “Believe me, I understand that with the conference that we’re in and this division and how hard it is and the playoffs and everything else, it’s not going to be easy to do. So we better be ready to work hard to go earn what we’re gonna get.”
All-league honorees
Three Penguins earned preseason first team all-conference honors: junior RB Martin Ruiz, sophomore OT Justin Spencer and junior DE Derek Rivers.
Two others earned honorable mention: senior WR Andrew Williams and senior DE Terrell Williams.
Ruiz rushed for 1,320 yards and 10 touchdowns last fall, earning second team all-conference honors following the season. Rivers was a first team selection, setting a YSU record with 14 regular season sacks. Spencer started all 12 games last season and made the MVFC’s all-newcomer team.
Andrew Williams led last year’s team with 54 catches for 976 yards and six TDs. Terrell Williams had 10 sacks, including eight in league games.
The Penguins open practice on Aug. 4 and play their first game on Sept. 5 at Pitt.