43
River magic inspired 1991 team
Gallery
YSU to celebrate 25th anniversary of title
In 1991, Youngstown State was 4-3, had just lost back-to-back games to Akron and Liberty and had to face the two-time defending national champions Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Ga.
The Eagles also were 4-3 and whoever lost could kiss the Division I-AA playoffs goodbye.
The Penguins won 19-17, converting two fourth downs on their final drive to keep the Georgia Southern offense off the field.
It was an enormous win for YSU, but head coach Jim Tressel wanted something a little extra to motivate his team to come back when the national championship game was to be played in Statesboro.
“After we beat Georgia Southern, we went down to Eagle Creek and Tressel said ‘I’m going to take the water from Eagle Creek and we’re going to mix it with water from the Mahoning River. We’re going to bring it back here in seven weeks and win the national championship,’” 1991 defensive tackle Chris Vecchione said.
“They always said it was magical water,” then YSU head coach and now President Jim Tressel said. “They sprinkled it on their field and that was part of their magic. So we thought if we would get some of their water and mix it with the Mahoning River water it could be even more magical.”
That mixture of Ohio and Georgia water sat on the equipment desk for the rest of the year, serving as a constant reminder of the team’s goal.
The team knew in order to return that water, losses were not an option.
“We were playing with our backs against the wall,” freshman defensive back Randy Smith said. “It was do or die. We just came out and we played the best we ever played.”
“We were really good the year before and we lost in the first round,” Tressel said. “I think we were more focused on going into the next year on gradual improvement instead of what our record was.”
The Penguins closed out the regular season with wins over James Madison, Slippery Rock and Towson State to sneak into the playoffs.
“Nobody expected us to be there,” Smith said. “We were one of the last teams [to qualify for] the playoffs.”
Once the playoffs rolled around, while other teams were just learning to deal with the pressure of a one-and-done type scenario every week, the Penguins weren’t bothered. They had been living in that reality for nearly a month.
“We knew we couldn’t lose,” Vecchione said. “We lost and we were done.”
“We had to play on an upward trajectory or we were going to be done,” Tressel said. “Urgency does good things for teams.”
The Penguins may have felt like a team of destiny with that vase of river water, but destiny was going to make them earn every game. YSU trailed 16-7 to Villanova in the first round of the playoffs before a fourth-quarter rally gave YSU the 17-16 win.
That was followed up the following week against Nevada when the Penguins gave up a safety late in the game that cut the YSU lead to 30-28 and give the Wolfpack the ball back. Nevada had a chance but a last-second field goal sailed wide.
The games were close and physical, just the way the Penguins liked to play.
“I really believe when it came down to it no team out-physicaled us,” Smith said. “A lot of those teams were finesse teams that would always throw the ball. We liked to run and play defense.”
That defense showed up in a big way in the semifinals against Samford. YSU held the Bulldogs to -4 rushing yards and didn’t allow a single third-down conversion. The defense forced two fumbles and intercepted six passes, three of which were snagged by Smith.
“The wind was blowing and we were just all over it,” Smith said. “I remember it was really cold and they were a finesse team that all they’d do was throw the ball.”
Tressel called it the coldest game he’s ever been a part of.
“Our physical style really helped us,” Tressel said. “They were from Alabama and they were in shock. You could just look across the field. They were shivering. Plus we were hitting them and that’s a bad combination when you’re cold and being hit.”
The defense scored the only touchdown on the day when Vecchione returned a fumble for a score.
The final score was only 10-0, but with the defense as dominant as it was you might as well have added another digit onto the YSU score.
That win was the one that allowed the team to bring the water back.
“I remember we got down there and Tressel went down to the creek in his sweater vest,” Vecchione said. “He went down the hill and he stumbled a little bit, almost fell in.
“But he poured the water back in the river.”
The championship game against Marshall was not unlike most of the playoffs. It was another close game that took some fourth-quarter heroics.
Marshall led 17-6 to begin the fourth quarter but with that water back in the river, the team wasn’t going back to Youngstown quietly.
“The momentum swing in the fourth quarter is what I remember most,” Vecchione said. “There was no quit in anybody, no doubt we were going to come back.”
Smith credited the mentality of Tressel in that situation for not panicking the team and maintaining focus.
“We had a coach that was always upbeat,” Smith said. “No matter what there was no yelling, it was more about motivating. He was always positive and it trickled down to all of us.”
The clock hitting zeroes is something Smith said he’ll remember forever, but it took years for him to truly grasp how much that win meant for the program and himself.
“Being a true freshman, I didn’t really embrace the magnitude until I was a senior,” Smith said. “Seeing what it meant to the seniors on that team after all the work they put into the program, it meant a lot.
“There were a lot of tears.
“The parade was unreal. It was like the whole town was at the airport.”
The team will be mostly back together again on Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium for the game against Northern Iowa, but it will hardly be one of the few times the players keep in touch.
“After this long the friendships and the camaraderie is still as strong as ever,” Vecchione said. “We have an alumni game ever year, we keep up with each other on social media, and I even bought insurance from a former teammate.”
The team will convene at Tressel’s house this afternoon and YSU head coach Bo Pelini invited the 1991 team to join the current Penguins during their pregame meal on Saturday.
Vecchione said the team still brings up that season with regularity. And it will be nice to be all back on the field again being officially recognized.
“We bring up the good old days too,” he said. “We have such deep connections with each other when you accomplish something like a national championship.”