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Sept. 25, 2004
Gibson Paces Penguins to 27-17 Win Over Liberty
Youngstown --
Youngstown State built a 24-10
halftime lead behind two Monquante
Gibson touchdowns en route to a
27-17 victory over the Liberty
Flames on Saturday evening at
Stambaugh Stadium.
Gibson had an outstanding first half, rushing for 92 yards
and a touchdown on 14 carries while
adding another touchdown through the
air. Redshirt-freshman quarterback
Tom Zetts also provided a first-half
spark as he was 6-of-9 passing for
119 yards and two touchdowns.
Gibson gave the Penguins an
early 7-0 advantage when he scored
from 53 yards out on YSU's fourth
play from scrimmage. Zetts connected
with Kyle Smith on a 16-yard strike
to start the drive, moving the ball
down to the YSU 41. Gibson then
rushed for three yards twice before
his 53-yard touchdown scamper down
the right sideline with 10:48
remaining in the opening quarter.
Placekicker Nick Terracina converted on a 42-yard field goal
on YSU's next drive to put the
Penguins ahead 10-0 with 6:34 on the
clock.
YSU was forced to punt for the first time on its next
possession, but linebacker James
Terry jarred the ball free from
Eugene Goodman and Mike Bracken
recovered the fumble on the Liberty
25. Three plays later, Gibson dodged
several tacklers before heading into
the end zone on a 27-yard pass from
Zetts to put the Penguins up 17-0.
The Flames put their first points on the board on their first
drive of the second quarter as Zacry
Kolegue connected on a 24-yard field
goal with 12:35 remaining to cap a
nine-play, 73-yard drive.
The Penguins answered on their next drive as Zetts connected
with Matt Rycraft for a 53-yard
touchdown pass with 9:40 remaining.
Liberty cut the deficit to 24-10 right before halftime on a
15-play, 80-yard drive that resulted
in a three-yard Goodman touchdown
rush. Quarterback Paul Troth was
7-of-11 on the drive, connecting on
a 19-yard pass and two 13-yard
passes.
The Flames got within seven with 12:18 remaining in the third
quarter as they scored on their
first drive of the second half. C.J.
Moore intercepted Zetts on the
Liberty 36, and Goodman moved the
Flames to the YSU 21 on carries of
four, nine and 30 yards. Sam
Gado then scampered 21 yards into
the end zone for the touchdown.
Terracina kicked a 35-yard field goal with 4:17 remaining in
the third for the final tally.
The Flames attempted to get within a touchdown twice, but
Ron-John Finn blocked a 49-yard
attempt with 3 seconds remaining in
the third quarter and Jason Perry
blocked a 38-yard attempt with 2:28
remaining in the fourth.
Gibson finished with 160 yards on 30 carries to lead all
rushers while Zetts was 11-of-16 for
158 yards and two touchdowns. Smith
had three catches for 51 yards and
Mike Roberts had five grabs for 19
yards.
Dorian Chenault had 11 tackles to lead the Penguins while
Terry chipped in with nine.
Goodman finished with 109 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries
while Gado had 101 yards and a score
on 14 carries for the Flames.
The Penguins will open their Gateway Conference schedule
Saturday when they travel to take on
sixth-ranked Western
Kentucky. Kickoff in Bowling Green,
Ky. is set for 7:30 p.m. Eastern
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