Nov. 24, 2003
Football: Penguins Play I-AA's Toughest Schedule
Youngstown -- According to figures released by the
NCAA at the conclusion of the
regular season, the Youngstown State
football team played the toughest
Division I-AA schedule this past
fall.
YSU's Division I-AA opponents posted a 63-39 mark for a .618
winning percentage. The Penguins'
schedule included five I-AA playoff
teams, a Division II playoff
participant and eight teams who
finished .500-or-better for the
year.
The strong Gateway Football Conference landed four schools in
the postseason -- Northern Iowa
(9-2), Southern Illinois (10-1),
Western Kentucky (8-3) and Western
Illinois (8-3). Also, Florida
Atlantic, a Division I-AA
independent, qualified for the
playoffs posting a 9-2 mark. YSU's
other non-Gateway I-AA opponent,
Liberty, ended the season strong
winning four consecutive games to
finish 6-6.
Edinboro, qualified for the Division II playoffs, losing in
the first round to Saginaw Valley
State and finishing with a 9-3
record. Slippery Rock and Kent State
were the only two non-league teams
the Penguins faced to finish below
.500. The Rockets were 4-7 while the
Golden Flashes completed the year at
5-7. The five wins for KSU marked
just the second time since 1988 the
school won five games in a single
campaign.
Behind YSU,
Princeton, Sam Houston State, SMS
and Morehead State rounded out the
top five. Gateway members Illinois
State (seventh), Northern Iowa
(11th) and Western Kentucky (13th)
also placed in the top 10.
Next season, the Penguins are scheduled to travel to McNeese
State, the top-seed in the 2003
playoffs, to face the Cowboys. |
