YSUsports.com - YSU Heads to Indiana State For Gateway Road Tilt

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Oct. 6, 2005
Football: YSU Heads to Indiana State For Gateway Road Tilt
    The 22nd-ranked Youngstown State football team plays their first Gateway Football Conference road game of the season on Saturday at Indiana State. Kickoff for the contest between YSU and the Sycamores is 2 p.m. Eastern (1 p.m. in Terre Haute).
    The Penguins (4-1 overall and 1-0 in the Gateway) are coming off a come-from-behind 20-17 victory over Illinois State this past Saturday. Trailing 17-14 in the fourth quarter, the YSU defense stepped up with three interceptions and redshirt freshman placekicker Brian Palmer booted two field goals to earn the win over the Redbirds.
    After beating Illinois State, the Penguins have a chance to open Gateway play 2-0 for the first time since 2000.
    Indiana State (0-5 and 0-1) suffered a tough 38-28 loss to Western Kentucky in its Gateway opener. The Sycamores, who had scored a total of 45 points in four games, held a 28-24 advantage in the fourth quarter before the Hilltoppers scored the final two touchdowns to seal the 10-point win.
    This is the 15th meeting between the Guins and Sycamores and YSU has won 13 times. The Penguins own a perfect 7-0 mark in games played in Terre Haute. The lone victory for the Sycamores in the all-time series was a 13-6 win in 1995. YSU has an eight-game winning streak against ISU.

Streaks, Storylines, Sidebars...
• A win gives the Penguins their first 2-0 start to the Gateway Conference slate since the 2000 season.
• YSU has won eight straight games in the series and is 13-1 all-time against the Sycamores -- 7-0 at Indiana State.
• The last visit to Indiana State was a 30-24 overtime win for the Penguins in 2003 when Josh Cayson scored on the final play of the game.
• During the eight-game winning streak over Indiana State, YSU has scored at least 30 points in seven of those meetings. The Penguins have scored at least 20 points in 11 of the 14 meetings.
• Coach Jon Heacock is 4-0 against the Sycamores while ISU Coach Lou West is coaching his first game against the Penguins.
• Senior wide receiver Kyle Smith caught seven passes for 97 yards against Illinois State and has now caught a game in 26 consecutive contests.
• Indiana State Coach Lou West is a native of Niles, Ohio, and graduated from McKinley High School in 1973.
• Tailback Marcus Mason became the third different Penguin to rush for more than 100 yards in a game this year. Mason had 126 yards against Illinois State on Saturday.

Indiana State Scouting Report
    Indiana State enters the contest with the Penguins after a hard-fought 38-28 loss to Western Kentucky last Saturday. The Sycamores owned a 28-24 lead in the fourth quarter before the Hilltoppers rallied to score the final 14 points.
    ISU is averaging 14.6 points and 396.4 yards per game. The Sycamores defense has surrendered 38.8 points and 433.4 yards a contest. ISU has allowed at least 24 points in every game this season.
    Against WKU, Sycamore quarterback Blayne Baggett threw for 297 yards completing 32-of-53 attempts. In the game four receivers caught at least six passes, including tight end Jamie Petrowski who had 10 grabs for 133 yards.
Wide receiver Sam Logan leads the team with 36 receptions for 306 yards while Petrowski has caught 28 passes for 287.

Series Information
Youngstown State and Indiana State have played every year since 1997, when the Penguins joined the Gateway. The only year the team’s have not played since 1992 was in 1996. YSU won the first five meetings in a series that started in 1988.
Indiana State’s lone win in the series was in 1995 at Stambaugh Stadium (13-6). After the one-year hiatus in 1996, the Penguins have won eight in a row, including a 45-20 win in Youngstown last year.

Last Time at Terre Haute
    The Penguins trailed 24-14 in the fourth quarter before rallying to tie the game following an Aaron Marshall to Phil Larmon 30-yard touchdown pass and 42-yard Nick Terracina field goal.
    In overtime, Matt Briggs forced and recovered a Jake Schiff fumble to stop the Sycamores’ drive. Josh Cayson scored on a 15-yard run to help the Guins pull out a 30-24 win on Oct. 18, 2003.
    Indiana State had 466 total yards on 81 total plays while YSU finished with just 225 on 56 snaps. However, the Sycamores had five turnovers during the game. Cayson had 88 yards on 17 carries as Matt Rycraft and Aaron Marshall rotated at quarterback during the game.

Last Year: YSU 45, Indiana State 20
    YSU outscored the Sycamores 31-7 in the second half to break open a 14-13 halftime advantage and finish with a 45-20 win on Oct. 30, 2004. The Penguins trailed 7-0 and 13-7 before taking a one-point advantage at the intermission.
    Josh Cayson rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries. Tom Zetts threw touchdown passes to Matt Rycraft (17 yards) and Demetrius Ison (23 yards) to help the cause and Steve Reynolds concluded the scoring returning an interception 43 yards for a score. Ison also had a touchdown run as the Penguins had 278 yards rushing.

Last Time Out: YSU 20, Illinois St. 17
    The Penguins overcame a 17-14 fourth-quarter deficit to earn a 20-17 victory over Illinois State in the Gateway opener for both schools last Saturday.
    YSU jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first on a 26-yard score by tailback Marcus Mason. Illinois State came back to go ahead 10-7 at halftime before Tom Zetts threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Smith as YSU went in front 14-10. ISU answered immediately as Rafael Rice scored on a 20-yard run to put the Redbirds on top 17-14.
    Linebacker Mike Andrews set up the first score intercepting a Luke Drone pass at the Illinois State 16-yard line. Placekicker Brian Palmer drilled a 26-yard kick to tie the game with 6:04 left.
    On the next ISU offensive play, Aaron Scales intercepted a Drone pass at the 13, which led to a 21-yard field goal by Palmer. ISU moved the ball from its 14 to the YSU 30 before Joe Juby intercepted another Drone toss and Andrews recovered the subsequent fumble to seal the victory.

The Rush Is On For 100
    Junior tailback Marcus Mason rushed for a career-high 126 yards in his starting debut against Illinois State on Saturday. Mason became the third Penguin this season to reach the 100-yard plateau. Justin Reams rushed for 122 yards against Slippery Rock while Monquantae Gibson had 198 against Northeastern. The Penguins are 3-0 this year when at least one back gets 100-plus yards rushing in a game.

Mason Dazzles Against Redbirds
    Marcus Mason made the most of his first career start against Illinois State. Mason scored on a 26-yard run in the first quarter to put the Penguins ahead 7-0. He was especially impressive in the first quarter picking up 64 yards on just seven carries. He had 126 yards on 27 carries in the game.

Andrews, Palmer Earn Accolades
    Senior linebacker Mike Andrews and redshirt freshman placekicker Brian Palmer were named the Gateway Defense and Special Teams Players of the Week. Andrews had 10 tackles, an interception and a game-clinching fumble recovery in the win over Illinois State. Palmer made field goals of 26 and 21 yards in the fourth quarter to tie the game and eventually win the contest against the Redbirds.

Terry a Wrecking Crew
    Sophomore linebacker James Terry tied his career high with 13 total tackles, including eight solo stops against Illinois State. Terry, who is second on the team with 33 stops, previously had 13 tackles at Missouri State in the season finale last season.

Four Interceptions in a Game
    YSU finished with four interceptions against Illinois State on Saturday. The last time the Penguin defense intercepted four passes in a game was on Oct. 7. 2000 at Illinois State. That day, Justin Dellarose, Tim Johnson, LeVar Greene and Chris Conwell all had picks. This time against the Redbirds, Codera Jackson, Mike Andrews, Aaron Scales and Job Juby had interceptions.

Winning a Close, Low Scoring One
    Against Illinois State, the Penguins picked up their first win in a game which was decided by seven points or less for the first time since beating the Redbirds 24-17 on Nov. 9, 2002. YSU had lost its last eight games in which the game was decided by a touchdown or less. Also, YSU won without scoring 21 points for the first time since winning at Illinois State (14-12) in 2000.

Back in the Rankings
    On Monday, the Penguins were ranked 22nd in both the Sports Network and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. It marked the first time since Oct. 21, 2002, in which Youngstown State had appeared in the top 25. That poll in 2002 had YSU 18th in the Coaches Poll and 23rd in the Sports Network Poll.

Turnovers Forced On The Rise
    Five games into the 2005 season, YSU has forced a total of 15 turnovers and has a plus-eight turnover margin advantage. It took the Penguins nine games a year ago to force its 15th turnover. The last time YSU was at a plus-eight in the turnover margin was the second-to-last game of 2001 season when it was also plus-nine.
    Youngstown State has recorded 10 interceptions after finishing with just seven in 2004.

Andrews Nearing Career High
    Through five games this season, linebacker Mike Andrews leads the team with 37 total tackles. Andrews has stepped up his senior campaign and is just four tackles shy of his season-high total of 41 he set in 12 games back in 2003. He had 24 tackles as a junior last season.
    Andrews also has two interceptions after entering the season with one career pick which came during the 2003 campaign.

Smith Continues Reception Streak
    Senior wide receiver Kyle Smith had a season-best outing with a seven-reception, 97-yard effort against Illinois State. The team leader in receptions (20), yards (232) and touchdowns (three), he has caught a pass in the last 26 games in which he has played. He caught a pass in every game in 2004 and had a reception in the first 11 contests of the 2003 campaign before missing the season finale against Western Kentucky with an injury.
    The school mark is held by Jeff Patterson who had at least one reception for 28 straight games from 1980 through 1982.

Gibson Nearing 1,000 Yards
    YSU junior tailback Monquantae Gibson is just three yards shy of 1,000 for his career. In five games this season he has 317 yards after rushing for 680 in seven games in 2004. Also, Gibson has five touchdowns in five games after finishing last year with five.
    Currently, tailback Josh Cayson, who is sidelined with a shoulder injury, is YSU’s active rushing leader with 1,381 yards in 22 games played.

Jackson Up To Three Interceptions
    Junior cornerback Codera Jackson has intercepted three passes through his first five games with the Penguins. Last year, current cornerback Jason Perry led the team with three for the entire season. Jackson is also fourth on the team with 27 total tackles.

Smith On The Career Charts
    Senior wide receiver Kyle Smith continues his move up the YSU all-time career receiving lists. Smith ranks 16th with 84 career receptions and is 14th with 1,286 career receiving yards. Only 10 players in school history have caught 100 career passes in their YSU careers. He also ranks third in both, in two career punt returning categories -- returns and yards.

Perry Leads in Career INTs
    Junior cornerback Jason Perry leads the team with four career interceptions. Mike Andrews and Codera Jackson are tied for third with three while Marty Hutchinson has two. James Terry, Aaron Scales, Joe Juby and Herb Jones have all recorded the first interceptions of their career this year.

Touchdown Tommy Zetts
    Sophomore Tom Zetts has thrown a touchdown pass in nine of his last 10 games. The only time since the UNI game last year in which he did not throw a touchdown score was at Pittsburgh. At Liberty, he became just the seventh quarterback in school history to throw four touchdown passes in a single game when he completed the feat at Liberty. It also was just the ninth time in the program’s history a quarterback threw for four scores in a game.

I-A Transfers Big Part Of Program
    The Penguins have nine former Division I-A players on the roster. Those are tailback Monquantae Gibson (Kentucky), fullback Regis Edgerson (South Carolina), cornerback Tyler Griffin, wide receiver Jameson Evans (Purdue), quarterback Vince Gliatta (Penn State), nose tackle Greg Jacobs (Vanderbilt), cornerback Antuan Rose (West Virginia), tailback Marcus Mason (Illinois) and linebacker Maurice Smith-Davis (Michigan State).

Team Captains Well Known
    Seniors Kyle Smith, Aaron Marshall, Justin Scholes and Brandon Brown are captains for the season. Smith and Brown are true four-year seniors while Marshall and Scholes are fifth-year seniors having redshirted their freshman seasons.

Numbers of Note
• Turnover Margin: Since 1996, the Penguins are 66-11 when they win or tie in the turnover margin. When committing more turnovers, YSU is just 11-26.
Since 1990 YSU is:
• 111-14-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points in a game.
• 83-6 when rushing for 200-plus yards.
• 93-10 when scoring 28-or-more points.
• 53-5-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing in a game.
• 118-7 when leading in the fourth quarter

Point-Scoring Streaks
• YSU has won its last 30 games when scoring more than 30 points. The last loss came at Central Florida (44-32 in 1998).
• YSU has won its last 28 games when scoring more than 40 points. The last loss came to James Madison (52-49 in 1992).
• When scoring 21-plus points under Coach Jon Heacock YSU is 27-4. The Penguins are 1-18 when they fail to score 21 points.

Next Week...Western Illinois
    The Penguins return to Stambaugh Stadium to play host to Western Illinois next Saturday in a 4 p.m. kickoff. The Leathernecks are 2-3 overall and 0-1 in the Gateway Conference entering its Saturday night game against Southern Illinois.