YSUsports.com - Penguins Travel To Cal Poly; Await Postseason, Gateway Fate

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Nov. 14, 2000
Penguins Travel To Cal Poly; Await Postseason, Gateway Fate
   The No. 9/9 (Coaches/SportsNetwork) Youngstown State Penguins travel to an unknown place this Saturday with a familiar course ahead of them. YSU plays in the state of California for the first time when the Penguins play at Cal Poly on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 4 p.m. (EST). While the Penguins play in an unfamiliar site, they have their eyes focused on playing in their ninth Division I-AA Playoff in the past 12 years.
   Youngstown State (8-2) is coming off a heartbreaking 21-20 loss to Southern Illinois last Saturday. YSU led 20-0 before allowing three Saluki touchdowns in the final 12 minutes. YSU’s offense finished the game with just 80 total yards.
   With the defeat, the Penguins finished Gateway Football Conference play with a 4-2 record and still have hopes at earning a piece of the conference title. For that to happen, YSU needs Northern Iowa to defeat Western Illinois on Saturday night. A Panthers victory will leave UNI, Western Illinois and YSU with 4-2 conference records, but the Penguins win the tiebreaker and earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Field of 16.
   The Penguins can help solidify themselves for an at-large bid, if they do not earn the Gateway’s berth, with their first-ever win in California.
   Cal Poly is 3-7 entering its final game of the season. The Mustangs have lost four straight games entering the contest with the Penguins. Cal Poly is allowing 36 points and 492.7 yards per game.
   For the second straight game, YSU quarterback Jeff Ryan will be looking to become the school’s all-time leader in touchdown passes. Ryan is tied with Trenton Lykes and Keith Snoddy with 40 after a four-touchdown performance against Hofstra on Nov. 4.
   If the Penguins do not earn they Gateway title, they will find out their postseason fate on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 12:30 p.m. when the selections for the I-AA Playoffs are announced.

Last Time Out: Southern Illinois 21, Youngstown State 20
   • The No. 2 Penguins led 20-0 with 11:33 in the game before the Salukis turned the momentum of the game and rallied for a 21-20 victory in front of 16,549 fans on Senior Day at Stambaugh Stadium. Youngstown State jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when Josiah Doby scored on a 26-yard run. The Penguins increased the lead to 13-0 when P.J. Mays scored on a five-yard touchdown run on the first play following a Tim Johnson interception. A missed extra point gave YSU a 13-0 lead at the end of the first half. In the third quarter, Eric Lockhart scored on a two-yard run to increase the Penguins lead to 20-0. Then in the fourth quarter, the roof caved in for Youngstown State. SIU punter Scott Everhart kicked a ball that hit YSU’s Demetrius Rich in the helmet and was recovered in the end zone by Matt Frazee to make the score 20-7. Just over two minutes later, Sherard Poteete threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Brian Hamlett to pull within six. On their next possession, the Salukis took the lead with 5:43 remaining when Poteete hit Kevin Gleeson on a nine-yard score. YSU had one last chance after a botched snap gave them the ball at the SIU 30 with 2:53 left. The Penguins could not gain a yard and Jake Stewart’s 47-yard field goal attempt was wide.
   • The 20-point lead that YSU lost in the fourth quarter marked the first time since 1979 that the Penguins had blown a 20-point lead and lost the game. Against Delaware on Nov. 10, 1979, YSU led 31-7 at halftime before losing 51-45.
   • Youngstown State finished with eight first downs in the contest, the third fewest first downs in a game in school history. The school mark is seven, set twice. The Penguins finished with a minus-nine yards rushing to set a school record for their worst rushing performance in a game. YSU’s previous school low was 19 set on Sept. 5, 1987 against Eastern Michigan.
   • Team captains for the game were senior defensive linemen Robert McGinty and Montrial Thomas, senior punter Troy LeFever and senior guard Steve Rovnak.
   • Tidbits: The defeat snapped the Penguins’ eight-game home winning streak and prevented YSU from having its first perfect home regular season since 1993. It was the first one-point loss since Sept. 13, 1986 against Eastern Michigan and only the second one-point defeat under Head Coach Jim Tressel.

Breakdown of the Cal Poly Mustangs
   The Mustangs enter their matchup against the Penguins on a four-game losing streak after losing at Cal State Northridge 45-27 last Saturday. This season, 3-7 Cal Poly has beaten Montana State, Saint Mary’s and Western New Mexico. The Mustangs and Penguins have two common opponents this season in Northern Iowa and Hofstra. Cal Poly lost both games by a total of five points, while YSU won both games by a total of 11 points.
   Cal Poly’s offense has scored 27-plus points the past six games and for the season is averaging 392.7 yards per game. On defense, the Mustangs have struggled allowing more than 33 points in the past four games. In seven of the 10 games, Cal Poly has allowed more than 30 points. As a defense it is allowing 492 yards per game and gives up an average of 36 points a contest.
   Leading the offensive attack is junior quarterback Seth Burford. Burford is averaging 258.1 yards passing for game and has thrown 23 touchdown passes. He has thrown just six interceptions in 291 attempts this season. His favorite target is sophomore wide receiver Kassim Osgood. Osgood has caught 71 passes and is averaging 123 yards per game. The 6-foot-6 target has 12 touchdown receptions.
   On the defensive side, strong safety Brett Baker leads the team with 105 tackles, and he has three interceptions. Kurt Rubin leads the team with four interceptions. Steve Prejean has eight tackles for losses, including four sacks.
   Cal Poly is coached by Larry Welsh (Northern Arizona, 1966) who is in his fourth year with the school. Welsh owns a 19-24 career record in his four seasons with the Mustangs.

Last Year Against Cal Poly, YSU Wins 10-7
The Penguins and Mustangs’ lone meeting in the series was a thrilling 10-7 YSU victory on Oct. 16, 1999 at Stambaugh Stadium.
Last Meeting: The Penguins jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the second quarter when Jeff Ryan threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Elliott Giles. Cal Poly answered back on its next drive to tie the game just before the end of the first half on a 16-yard pass from Andy Jepson to Jason Brennan. In the third quarter, Mark Griffith kicked a 20-yard field goal with 6:01 left in the period to give YSU a 10-7 lead. Cal Poly had a shot to rally in the fourth quarter Twice the Mustangs moved into YSU territory only to turn the ball over. Cal Poly fumbled at the YSU 10-yard line and at the YSU 37.