Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Penguins remain undeterred while mired in 1-3 malaise
By Brian Dzenis
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngstown State is still looking for answers.
The Penguins (1-3) are dealing with the same issues that plagued them before their 45-38 loss to Western Illinois last Saturday. This week, the team is once again trying to solve why plays it made in practice aren’t being made on Saturdays.
Head coach Bo Pelini has been asking his players what’s happening.
“They just look at you — and I feel for them. No young man wants to go out there wanting to make a mistake and it kills them,” Pelini said. “We had one play where a guy came off the field and I said to him ‘did you hear the call?’ He said yes. ‘Did you hear the check?’ Yes. I ask what he’s supposed to do and he reiterates to me what’s supposed to happen. ‘Why didn’t you?’ I don’t know.
“I thought to myself on the plane trying to figure it out. We have to keep getting their understanding better.”
The Penguins face Southern Illinois this week and the team is running out of breathing room to make the postseason. Realistically, the Penguins can do no worse than 6-1 to have a chance.
Quarterback Montgomery VanGorder recalled a 1-3 start from his days at Notre Dame in 2016. The Irish finished the season 4-8.
“It can go one of two ways where some guys can check out or we can put our head down and get to work,” VanGorder said. “I know on the offensive side of the ball, we’re going to put our head down and go back to work. Being a leader in that offense and some of the other guys that I’ve talked to, we’re going to do whatever it takes to win.”
For the defensive side of the ball, senior linebacker Armand Dellovade said the players are still engaged.
“Everyone is still bought in. It’s still the same way it is at the start of the season — everyone wants to win more than anything,” the team’s leading tackler said. “Especially with the linebackers, everyone in that room wants to go out there and win. Nobody on this team has quit. Right now, you’re seeing everyone stay after to get extra work on stuff.
“It goes to show you that everyone still cares and still wants to win.”
Pelini has pledged to look at every option to fixing the team, even considering starting some new players.
“There are some errors that are unacceptable and in those cases, you keep turning over stones and looking at guys and giving other guys opportunities to change personnel, whatever it may be,” Pelini said. “You have to find the right combinations where these things aren’t happening. You can’t continue down that road.”
Pelini said it wasn’t time to panic — he’s relying on experience and knowledge of what works as a coach to get through the current rough patch.
But the losing is getting harder to take.
“It rips my heart out. You’ll be hard pressed to find somebody that hates losing more than I do, but you pack it away,” Pelini said. “It’s about serving these kids and giving them a chance to be successful. Emotionally, that part of it is hard, but I’m not feeling sorry for myself.
“We’re in this situation because we put ourselves in this situation and I believe whole-heartedly in the process and staying with it each day.”