YSU players disappointed, but enjoyed the ride

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By CHARLES GROVE

cgrove@vindy.com

FRISCO, TEXAS

There were plenty of stunned faces and disappointment, but no tears or looks of regret as Youngstown State football players quietly shuffled out of their locker room.

James Madison players were whooping and hollering, donning their fresh-out-of-the-box national championship shirts and hats.

Teams don’t always take losing games of this magnitude with grace, especially when the opponent is gifted easy possessions and benefits from turnovers, but the overwhelming sense coming out of the YSU locker room was pride.

“There’s a lot of disappointment, but with how far we’ve come we have to hang our heads high,” senior tailback Jody Webb said. “We’ve come a long way and that’s something to smile about.”

It wasn’t the storybook ending sports writers salivate over when thinking of potential angles.

The hometown coach, returning to where he grew up.

An underdog, unseeded team.

A veritable turnstile at quarterback, with four different players starting.

Suspensions to four significant starters in the middle of the playoffs.

All of it made for a great story, but the ending wasn’t the one the Penguins wanted.

But while this season’s chapter has come to a close, many will relive these moments with fondness.

“I couldn’t ask for a better way to go out,” senior defensive end Derek Rivers said. “It’s the last time playing with these guys in that locker room. I wouldn’t trade this season for anything.”

Quarterback Hunter Wells, who wasn’t even putting on a jersey or traveling to road games early in the year, said this season was beyond belief.

“If you told us this would happen back in whatever month it was, I probably wouldn’t have believed you,” Wells said. “It really shows the character of that locker room.”

This season was filled with highlights.

The Penguins broke the school record for single-game rushing yards in Week 1 against Duquesne with 394 yards. Two weeks later, YSU held Robert Morris to -13 rushing yards in another blowout win.

YSU came back to defeat Northern Iowa with third-string quarterback Nathan Mays leading the way after Ricky Davis and Trent Hosick were knocked out of the game with injuries.

A punt return by Darien Townsend saved the day against Indiana State when the offense just couldn’t put together a drive.

The Penguins dominated favored Jacksonville State on the road with an aerial assault and then came back the next week to win a thriller in double-overtime against a scappy Wofford team.

And then of course there was Kevin Rader’s miracle reception at Eastern Washington with one second left to punch YSU’s ticket to Frisco.

“We’re fighters,” YSU center Vitas Hrynkiewicz said. “No matter what the score is, we give it our all. Coming back in the fourth quarter against Eastern Washington is something I’ll never forget.”

For seniors like Avery Moss, their college careers are now over. Moss wasn’t quite sure how to describe now being the guy who won’t be returning.

“You start to realize you’ve got to now move on,” Moss said. “It hurts. You have so many memories with those guys. It’s crazy seeing people go away as a freshman but you never think about how it’s going to be when it’s you in that situation. It’s mind-boggling.”

But next year is another chance to finally win that fifth national title, and many players believe the pieces are still in place.

“This was a great experience,” YSU linebacker Armand Dellovade said. “It makes us that much more hungry to come back next year.”

Despite the frustrating loss, offensive tackle Justin Spencer believes the Penguins are on the right track.

“It was a great season,” Spencer said. “We’re the only team that played 16 games this year. And I really believe the seniors have built the foundations for what’s to come next year.”