Streaks, Storylines, Sidebars...
    • YSU will be looking to snap an 11-game losing streak against ranked Division I-AA teams on Saturday. The last time the Penguins beat a ranked foe was No. 6 Western Illinois (41-7) on Sept. 22, 2001 at Stambaugh Stadium. YSU has six straight to ranked teams at home.
    • Youngstown State has not lost four of its first six games to start a year since losing five of its first six to open the 1995 season.
    • The Penguins have never started a Gateway season 0-2 since joining the league in 1997. In 2002, YSU lost its opener at Western Kentucky (13-7) before rebounding the next week to win at SMS 24-17.
    • YSU senior defensive tackle Justin Martin was a member of the Saluki program in 2001 under Coach Jerry Kill.
    • The Penguins played the entire game against WKU without their starting center Ryan Jewell and fullback Demetrius Ison who were out with injuries. In the first half against the Hilltoppers, tailback Monquantae Gibson suffered an injury and did not return.

Southern Illinois Scouting Report
    Southern Illinois enters Saturday’s contest with a 4-1 record following a come-from-behind 40-36 victory over Northern Iowa. The Salukis’ lone loss this year was a 23-22 setback at Northern Illinois when SIU went for a two-point conversion in the final minute.
    On offense, the Salukis are averaging 42.4 points and 487.4 yards (257.4 rushing and 230 passing) per game. While its stingy defense is allowing just 14.2 points and 284.6 yards a contest. SIU has allowed just one rushing touchdown this year. Five opponents have combined to average just 92.4 yards on the ground per game against the Salukis.
    Junior quarterback Joel Sambursky has completed 62.8 percent of his passes (54-of-86) while throwing for six touchdowns and one interception. Tailbacks Brandon Jacobs and Arkee Whitlock have combined for 13 rushing scores this year.

YSU Leads Series By 9-5-1 Margin
    The Penguins have won six of the last eight against the Salukis since joining the Gateway Conference in 1997. The Salukis won 24-17 last year in Carbondale, but YSU has won two of the last three meetings.

Last Meeting: SIU 24, YSU 17
    The outmanned Penguins put up a fight against the third-ranked Salukis in last season’s contest at Carbondale, Ill., but SIU held on for a 24-17 victory.
    YSU limped in to the game with several injuries, but took a first-quarter lead when Marty Hutchinson intercepted a Joel Sambursky pass and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown. Sambursky scored on a five-yard run to tie the game, but Nick Terracina put the Penguins back on top with a 29-yard field goal.
    Later in the quarter, Sambursky scored on a two-yard run and the Salukis never trailed again. Craig Coffin kicked a 35-yard field goal and Tom Koutsos scored on a one-yard plunge to push the lead to 24-10.
    Josiah Doby scored on a five-yard run to cut the deficit to 24-17 with 3:45 remaining. On SIU’s next possession, Sambursky picked up a first down on a 3rd-and-4 play with two minutes remaining and the Salukis were able to run out the clock.

Last Time Out: WKU 44, YSU 19
    The Penguins took a 7-0 lead on their initial drive of the game, but Western Kentucky scored 30 unanswered points as YSU suffered a 44-19 defeat.
    After tying the contest at seven, the Hilltoppers turned two YSU turnovers into two field goals taking a 13-7 halftime lead.
    In the third quarter, Chris James added another field goal to boost the lead to 16-7. The Penguins moved the ball to the WKU one on the ensuing drive, but Regis Edgerson fumbled on a third-down carry and the Hilltoppers came right back. With 19 seconds left in the third, Justin Haddix completed a 27-yard pass to Stephen Willis on a 4th-and-2 play.
    On the first play of the fourth quarter, Deonte Smith intercepted a Tom Zetts pass and returned it 48 yards for a score to break the game open. After that score, both teams traded two touchdowns the remainder of the fourth quarter.

Zetts Has Impressive Gateway Debut
    Redshirt freshman quarterback Tom Zetts (Boardman, Ohio) had an impressive Gateway debut on Saturday night. Zetts completed 28-of-40 passes for two touchdowns and had two interceptions. At one point during the second half, he completed 15 consecutive passes.

Zetts’ Puts Up Third-Best Total
    Tom Zetts completed the third-most passes in a game in YSU history against Western Kentucky. Zetts completed 28 passes on 40 attempts against the Hilltoppers. His 28 completions were the third most in school history and the most in a game since Trenton Lykes completed a school-best 31 passes against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 5, 1987.

Attempts By Zetts Most Since 1995
    Tom Zetts’ 40 passing attempts against WKU were the most in a game by a YSU quarterback since Mark Brungard threw 41 times against Delaware on Oct. 7, 1995.

Yards By Zetts Most Since 1997
    Quarterback Tom Zetts’ 286 yards passing against WKU were the most since Demond Tidwell threw for 300 yards at Buffalo on Oct. 11, 1990. That afternoon, Tidwell completed 19-of-27 passes for 300 yards.

Stats Don’t Tell the Tale
    Against Western Kentucky, YSU had a possession time advantage of 36:59 to 23:01; ran 94 offensive plays to WKU’s 46 and allowed the Hilltoppers to convert just 1-of-8 third downs.

Limongi Plays 99 Snaps
    In Saturday’s game against Western Kentucky, junior guard Tony Limongi (Niles, Ohio) played 99 snaps in the contest. Limongi was in for most of the offensive’s 94 plays (not including penalties) as either a guard or a center. He was also involved in the three conversion plays - one kick, two attempts for two points.

Gibson Hampered By Injury
    Monquantae Gibson’s quest for more than 100 yards in a fourth straight game ended in the first half when he left with an injury. Gibson, who had rushed for more than 100 yards in his first three games, did not play in the second half. Before he left the game, he had 37 yards on 12 carries, including a one-yard touchdown run.

Terracina Ranks Eighth in FGs
    Senior placekicker Nick Terracina (Lake Charles, La.) ranks eighth in Division I-AA in field goals made per game averaging 1.40 a contest. He trails three other kickers who are tied at the top of the list averaging two per game.

Morton Bursts onto Kickoff Scene
    Sophomore wide receiver Tyler Morton (Palm Harbor, Fla.), who was added to the kickoff-return team before the Liberty game, ranks 10th in the nation in return average. Morton is averaging 30 yards on six returns this season. Against WKU he had a career-long 39-yard return in the fourth. He also had returns of 35 and 25 yards.

Cayson Shows All-Around Talent
    Junior tailback Josh Cayson (Warren, Ohio) had a solid all-around effort against Western Kentucky. Cayson rushed for 57 yards on 13 carries and caught four passes for 78 yards. All totaled, he finished with 135 all-purpose yards.

Perry Intercepts Third Pass
    Jason Perry intercepted his third pass of the season against Western Kentucky. Through five games, Perry is the only Penguin to intercept a pass this year.

Penguins Against No. 1 Teams
    Against teams ranked No. 1 in the nation (not seeded as the top team in the playoffs), the Penguins are 3-2 all-time. The last time YSU played the top-ranked team was in 1997 when it defeated Villanova 37-34 in the quarterfinals of the I-AA playoffs. In 1995, YSU lost 31-3 at top-ranked McNeese State in the playoffs. In 1992, the Penguins rolled past No. 1 ranked The Citadel 42-17. The previous year in 1991, YSU won at No. 1 Nevada-Reno 30-28. Surprising, all four of these games were played on the road. YSU's first matchup against I-AA's top team was on Nov. 2, 1985, when it suffered a controversial double-overtime defeat at Middle Tennessee State.

Terracina Almost Automatic
    Senior placekicker Nick Terracina (Lake Charles, La.) has been almost automatic on field goals from inside 44 yards during his career. He is 17-of-19 and has made his last six from that distance.

Terracina Streaking
    Entering the contest against Southern Illinois, Nick Terracina has made 31 straight extra-point conversion kicks. The last time he missed an extra point was at Kent State in 2003. This year, he is 13-of-13 on PAT kicks. He had a streak of seven field-goals made snapped when he missed a 49-yarder against Liberty.

Home Sweet Home
    The Penguins are in their 23rd season at Stambaugh Stadium. The Penguins are 111-38-1 in the stadium. Since 1996, YSU is 43-14 and since 1989 are 88-23-1.

Up Next: Northern Iowa
    The Penguins play their annual Homecoming game next Saturday when they play host to Northern Iowa. The Panthers play host to Western Kentucky on Saturday. UNI is 1-3 and remains ranked. The Panthers’ three losses have come at Iowa State, at No. 1 Southern Illinois and at the UNI Dome to fifth-ranked Stephen F. Austin.