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Hubbard’s Scott catching on with YSU
Scott now among top
three WRs in camp
By Brian Dzenis
YOUNGSTOWN
The possibilities — and options — with Youngstown State’s wide receivers seem endless.
On Friday at Stambaugh Stadium, wideouts coach Brian Crist’s unit made a few highlight plays. Those things come a little easier with a veteran group. The Penguins lost only one wideout this offseason.
“It’s been nice — a little nicer compared to the last couple of years. They’re a good group,” Crist said. “They like to work so even though they have experience, it isn’t monotonous for them. It makes them easier to coach.”
Senior Damoun Patterson hauled in a long pass at the end of a trick play and junior Isaiah Scott made two quality sideline grabs. One of those plays went for 45 yards a touchdown to send his teammates cheering on the sidelines.
“I came through for my team. My number was called and I was able to make a play,” Scott said.
Scott, a Hubbard graduate, finds himself among the Penguins’ top three receivers, along with Patterson and senior Alvin Bailey. His resume is the thinnest of the trio with just 10 career catches, but he’s getting first-team reps.
“He’s had a really good camp so far,” YSU head coach Bo Pelini said. “He’s made some big plays and he’s showing what we’d like to see out of everyone, some consistency.”
Going from his sophomore to junior seasons, Crist has seen Scott mature and that translates to the climb on the depth chart.
“It used to be take two steps forward and three steps back, now we take three steps forward and one step back,” Crist said. “He’s getting better and you see the difference in his attitude, work habits and his execution.
“He’s going to be an important part of this offense.”
Outside of those three, the depth chart gets more fluid. Pelini mentioned redshirt freshman Darius Shackleford as another young receiver who has impressed at camp, even though he is currently missing time with an elbow injury.
“I’m up on the depth chart right now and I’m still competing for a starting position right now,” Scott said. “It’s not going to be handed to me. We still compete everyday, but we’re picking each other up.”
THE FIRST SCRIMMAGE
The team ends weekday practices with live plays between the offense and defense. The extended version of that — the first scrimmage of fall camp — happens at 10 a.m. today.
“I want to see things that need to be fixed be fixed,” Pelini said “I want more consistency.”
RICHMOND UPDATE
When asked about the campus-wide email regarding defensive end Ma’lik Richmond’s status with the football team — which states he’s a member of the team but will not appear in any games this season — Pelini said the arrangement was something the athletic department and university administration created together.
“It’s the process that we’ve established and that continues,” Pelini said.
Richmond practiced on Friday.