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YSU offense kicks in as tempers flare
By Charles Grove
youngstown
The Youngstown State football team’s previous practice showed an offense capable of opening up holes for solid gains on the ground. Friday’s practice showed an offense capable of creating big plays.
On a windy day that felt like a late-season contest, the Youngstown State offense grabbed chunks of yardage in a number of creative ways.
Quarterback Ricky Davis turned a busted play into a near 40-yard gain. During red-zone practice, big rushing plays and a wheel route were run to perfection.
“I was supposed to give [the ball] off, but Avery Moss just came off the edge so hard so I pulled it and tried to make a play and made it happen,” Davis said. “All the credit goes to the offensive line. They opened up the hole and I just finished the job.”
The YSU defense wasn’t the be outdone though. Multiple big hits by linebackers and the secondary sent plenty of “ooohs” from the sidelines. Ball carriers went down to the turf with no real chance of a broken tackle during what many called one of the most intense spring practices this season.
“Coaches talk about getting low every day during practice and when it’s not live in practice we normally stay too high,” YSU safety LeRoy Alexander said. “When we’re too high it’s a bad habit that leads to missed tackles.
“We want to get out there and show the coaches we can be as physical as they really want us to be.”
The more big hits the defense tallied, the chippier practice became, eventually leading to players needing to be broken up after Moss took Davis down on a sack. While it didn’t appear punches were thrown, players were on top of each other as players tried to break up the chaos and coaches yelled at each other about why the whistle didn’t blow earlier.
Still, the consensus after practice was intensity at that level will only help the Penguins.
“It’s the last go around for the seniors so we definitely want to toughen up our offense so that’s the way we like it,” Alexander said. “It breeds more positivity, more competitiveness and brings out the best of everyone in the end.”
During the red-zone portion of practice, Martin Ruiz ripped off a run on the first play and got down to the 2-yard line. Two plays later, Ruiz got the carry again and met Deion Hall at the one yard line. Ruiz stood Hall up and powered into the endzone for a score Ruiz said he had to have.
“Pretty much no matter who was right there, I’m two yards out from the end zone so I’ve got to get it in there,” Ruiz said.
Davis hit Tevin McCaster on a wheel route on a perfectly thrown ball on the next play for a 20-yard score — the type of score YSU head coach Bo Pelini hopes his team can replicate this fall.
“[First string] was one for two in the red zone and [second string] was 100 percent and that’s good,” Pelini said. “[The red zone is] an area we weren’t very good at last year so that was especially good to see.”
Especially encouraging today was the offensive line, according to Davis, who credited much of the scoring plays today to the big uglies up front who have taken the brunt of the injuries this spring.
“They’re working hard and sticking with one of the best defensive lines in the Missouri Valley Conference,” Davis said. “We’re young and we’re hurt and we’re sticking with them. It’s a real test of their character.”
YSU has practice today at 10 a.m. inside WATTS which should go until about 11-11:30 a.m. according to the YSU athletic department.