Steve Wilaj: Bo’s first season was a wild ride

I had to ask — but I didn’t think Bo would ask me, too.

Right after Bo Pelini had his big meltdown at the end of Youngstown State’s Week 10, playoff-hope ending loss to North Dakota State, I asked the coach what he thought of the pass interference call.

Remember — in a one-score game with less than two minutes left and the Bison deep in Penguins territory — the penalty was called on YSU right before NDSU’s game-winning touchdown. It triggered the first-year coach’s vulgar tantrum (which was partly sparked by uncooperative referees, so I’ve been told).

“It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?” Pelini snapped, about 15 minutes after the outburst that earned him two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and, eventually, a reprimand by the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

He then took a five-second pause, jerked his head around the conference room and glared back at me before barking, “What did you think of the call?!”

In that instance, I obviously didn’t give my thoughts on what turned out to be the moment of YSU’s disappointing season (5-6, 3-5). But for what it’s worth — and all bias aside — like Pelini, I think it was a bad call.

Yes, thanks to emails from generous NDSU and Nebraska fans, I’ve seen pictures of YSU cornerback Kenneth Durden with a handful of NDSU receiver Nate Holt’s jersey. I know the MVFC confirmed it was the correct call.

Still, it was a busted play from the start, basically a jump ball and Durden simply made a better, more aggressive play. In the press box, the media all reacted the same way — pretty much stunned by the call. Even the Bison radio team wasn’t in favor of the call in such a crucial moment, while NDSU coach Chris Klieman ducked the topic quicker than Pelini blew a fuse.

But don’t forget, should the flag not have been thrown, YSU still would have needed a stop on fourth-and-3. And the way this season went for the Penguins, well, let’s just say things usually didn’t go their way in key moments.

Pelini’s unexpected question in response to my question fittingly capped an unpredictable and entertaining couple months covering the fiery YSU coach’s debut campaign after stepping in for Joe Scalzo in Week 5. A few plays made here or there and you’d be reading a YSU playoff-game recap for the first time since 2006 rather than a season wrap-up column. But here we are. And here are my thoughts on a Penguins team that was so close, yet so far away from the postseason in 2015:

Three positives

Improved defense — For the previous five years under the offensive-minded Eric Wolford, YSU’s defense usually looked like an afterthought. But in 2015, the defense finished ranked first in the MVFC and was the Penguins’ strength. The defensive-minded Pelini (as well as defensive assistant coaches Carl Pelini, Ron Stoops, Richard McNutt and T.J. Hollowell) gave the group a new attitude and identity. Led by a stout secondary (ranked first in the MVFC and mostly all juniors), a steady pass rush (junior end Derek Rivers is already YSU’s all-time sack leader and a monster) and a young, fast linebacker group (sophomore Lee Wright and freshman Armand Dellovade stood out), YSU’s defense was usually impressive. But it wasn’t perfect. More on that later.

Jody Webb — Let me say this about Jody Webb. The junior running back is a great interview and a good kid. Also, behind the scenes, he often talks about how he needs more touches. And I’m with him. Minus a brief fumbling problem, Webb was good all year, especially phenomenal against Indiana State and even more impressive against North Dakota State (Going in, the Bison were focused on slowing him down. Then he torched the top-ranked run D for 132 yards and two TDs on just five carries). Despite 66 fewer carries than starter Martin Ruiz, he finished as YSU’s leading rusher with 857 yards on 122 attempts and a team-high nine rush TDs. So next year — with no disrespect to Ruiz — I’d say Webb needs more touches. He’s electric with the ball.

Zak Kennedy — The true freshman Cardinal Mooney product set a school-record for field goals in a season. Kennedy, a lefty kicker, made some big kicks en route to finishing 19 of 23 and knows he has room for improvement. Even more, he trains with former YSU and NFL-great kicker Jeff Wilkins. No doubt, Kennedy has a bright future ahead of him.

Needs work

QB situation — Simply put, Hunter Wells’ play often left a lot to be desired (1,975 yards, 13 TDs and seven interceptions). Other than the two-point loss to Illinois State, the sophomore QB wasn’t good in late-game situations, as the Penguins struggled to close out contests. Backup Ricky Davis — also a sophomore — emerged as a solid running option, but didn’t really show the ability to pass. If he can improve in that area, YSU may have a pretty good dual-threat QB. Still, Pelini’s quarterback situation is one I’m sure he’ll analyze extensively.

The improved defense — For as good as YSU’s defense was this season, it had a major problem — the Penguins surrendered 33 plays of 20-plus yards. Often, YSU would be dominating, then it would give up a huge play out of nowhere. The Penguins gave up five plays of 20-plus yards against Illinois State, seven at Southern Illinois and three against NDSU. All close losses and the big plays were a major reason. No doubt, YSU needs to fix this problem.

Offensive line — Pelini never found the right combination of starters. Due to injuries and personal issues, the offensive line became shuffled early. Then, for the majority of the season, the starting five was basically a week-to-week experiment of different players and combinations. All things considered, the O-line actually performed OK. But, obviously, Pelini needs to find the right combination. There’s many different names that may fill the spots, so I’m not even going to speculate which players may possibly step or where.

That’s my take.

One more thing — I’ll be shocked if YSU isn’t a playoff team in 2016. Behind Pelini’s outbursts, it’s clear he has the program going in the right direction.

Did the Penguins underperform this season? Probably a little. But like it or not, a culture change takes time and isn’t smooth. We saw that during October’s three-game losing streak, which finally convinced the team to embrace the change.

Question: What would happen if YSU does miss the postseason again next year under the high-profile coach? I can only imagine.

But don’t ask me, Bo.

Write Vindicator sportswriter Steve Wilaj at swilaj@vindy.com and follow him on Twitter, @steve_wilaj.