YSU NOTEBOOK

YSU NOTEBOOK

More from Saturday’s game vs. NDSU

More on the pass interference: The crucial call — from the press box and TV angles — appeared to be a questionable one. The play was busted from the start, as Easton Stick took the snap while most of his offensive line moved out of sync. It prompted a quick YSU pass rush and an off-balanced throw to Nate Moody. Kenneth Durden appeared to cleanly swat the ball away with his right hand. If anything, Durden may have been grabbing at Moody’s jersey with his left hand. Nonetheless, instead of NDSU facing a fourth and 3, the Bison were awarded a first down. “I mean, I didn’t agree with it,” Webb said. “Then again, hey, I’m not the one out there calling the game.” NDSU coach Chris Klieman said he didn’t get a good look at the play.“I don’t have any comment,” he said. “I didn’t see anything. I didn’t pay any attention to it, to be honest with you.”

Kennedy breaks FG record: Freshman YSU kicker Zak Kennedy connected on a 44-yard field goal at the end of the third quarter to give YSU a 24-10 lead and set a school-record. It marked the Cardinal Mooney graduate’s 18th field goal of the season (18 of 22). He tied the record last week.

Passing game sputters: After a strong first half of going 8 of 12 for 93 yards, YSU quarterback Hunter Wells went just 1 of 9 for 11 yards in the second half. Meanwhile, Ricky Davis (11 carries, 62 yards) finished 0 of 3 through the air. The fading passing game was a big reason why the Penguins’ offense struggled mightily in the fourth quarter. Wells did deliver a pretty pass to I’tavious Harvin long down the sidelines midway through the fourth, although it was dropped and a big play was missed. “I thought we did some good things [on offense],” Pelini said. “The design was good. But we left some plays out there that hurt us — we missed a couple throws here and there that may have changed the outcome of the game. It’s too bad.”

Big plays sting YSU: While the YSU defense performed well most of the day, three big plays really hurt the Penguins. Stick hit Zach Vraa on a botched defensive play by YSU for 66 yards to set up NDSU’s first-quarter field goal. He then connected with RJ Urzendowski on a 41-yard pass in the third quarter to set up a touchdown, while Bruce Anderson’s 57-yard run to open the fourth quarter led to another Bison TD. As usual, YSU performed well against the pass — Stick went 8 of 16 for 176 yards — while it struggled a bit against the run (Anderson 67 rushing yards, Frazier 66, Stick 51).

Steve Wilaj