Oct. 13, 2005
Football: YSU Looks to Maintain Momentum Versus Western Illinois
    The 15th/17th-ranked Youngstown State football team looks to keep its strong Gateway Football Conference start going against Western Illinois on Saturday. Kickoff at Stambaugh Stadium is set for 4 p.m.
    The Penguins (5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Gateway) rolled to their most impressive Gateway victory in school history with a 45-0 win at Indiana State last Saturday. The 45-point margin of victory was the largest in a Gateway game since YSU joined the league in 1997. The offense piled up 567 total yards, led by Marcus Mason who had 152 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns.
    Western Illinois (2-4 and 0-2) travels to Youngstown following a 34-24 loss to Southern Illinois at home on Saturday. The Leathernecks battled back from down two touchdowns to tie the game in the third quarter before the Salukis scored 17 of the contest’s final 24 points. The Leathernecks outgained the Salukis by 24 yards and had 352 yards through the air.
     This is the 21st meeting in a series where each program has won 10 games. YSU is very familiar with the Leathernecks having played only three other schools at least 21 times in the school’s 65-year history.
     YSU, which is 2-0 in the league for only the third time in school history, has been 4-0 twice -- in 1999 and 2000.

Streaks, Storylines, Sidebars...
    • A win gives the Penguins their first 3-0 start to a Gateway Conference slate since the 2000 season (4-0).
    • YSU has played the Leathernecks 20 times dating back to 1969. The 21st meeting will tie for the second-most games played against one school. YSU has played Baldwin-Wallace and Gustavus Adolphus 21 times as well.
    • Marcus Mason has rushed for 100 yards in two consecutive games. The last time a YSU tailback had three straight 100-yard games was P.J. Mays in the final three games of the 2002 season.
    • In three home games this year, the Penguins have scored in 11 of 12 quarters.
    • YSU has won four straight home games.
    • The Penguin defense has two shutouts this season. That marks the first time since 1997 in which YSU has two shutouts in the same season. The last time the Penguins had three shutouts was in 1975.
    • Coach Jon Heacock is 2-2 against Western Illinois while WIU Coach Don Patterson is 3-3 against the Penguins.
    • Senior wide receiver Kyle Smith caught three passes for 26 yards against Indiana State and has now caught a game in 27 consecutive contests.
    • YSU has already equaled its conference victory total of each of the last two years (two in 2003 and 2004).

Western Illinois Scouting Report
    Western Illinois is averaging 32.7 points per game, however, the Leathernecks are allowing 38.3 points a contest. In five of six games WIU has scored at least 24 points, but their opponents have scored 34-or-more four times.
    Against Southern Illinois on Saturday, the Leathernecks trailed 17-3 before rallying to tie the game at 17 in the third quarter. However, SIU scored 17 of the final 24 points to earn the win. Western Illinois outgained Southern Illinois 372-348 and dominated time of possession 33:15 to 26:45.
    Quarterback Steve LaFalce is averaging 209.2 yards passing per game. His favorite target is Reggie Gray who has 37 catches for 389 yards and three touchdowns.

Series Knotted at 10 Wins Each
    Youngstown State and Western Illinois have played 20 times and the series is tied at 10 wins apiece. The teams have split the last six meetings while the road team has won each of the last two contests. YSU won for the first time in Macomb since 1982 with a 34-9 victory last year. WIU won the last meeting at Stambaugh Stadium 54-20 in 2003.

Last Time at Stambaugh
    The Penguins watched Western Illinois take a 27-0 lead by the midpoint of the second quarter and could never recover losing 54-20 to the Leathernecks on Oct. 11, 2003. Youngstown State committed five turnovers in the contest.
    YSU cut the deficit to 27-14 early in the third quarter, but Travis Glasford, who rushed for five touchdowns in the game, put the contest away with his third and fourth scores of the game.
    Matt Rycraft rushed for a quarterback record 154 yards and had two scores. Rycraft also threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Mike Roberts.

Last Year: YSU 34, WIU 9
    YSU earned its first win in Macomb since 1982 with an impressive 34-9 win on Nov. 6, 2004. Trailing 7-0 the Penguins built a 20-7 halftime advantage on two Nick Terracina field goals and scores by Monquantae Gibson and Regis Edgerson.
    In the fourth quarter, Gibson and Edgerson each added touchdowns again to wrap up the victory. Gibson rushed for 167 yards on 25 carries while Edgerson had 104 on 19 attempts.
    The YSU defense allowed just 60 yards rushing while the Penguins had 284.

Last Time Out: YSU 45, Indiana St. 0
    The Penguins built an early 14-0 lead before adding three scores in the second quarter and cruised to a 45-0 win at Indiana State on Saturday.
    Tailbacks Marcus Mason and Monquantae Gibson each scored early touchdowns to stake YSU to an early 14-0 advantage. In the second quarter, Mason added another short touchdown run before Vince Gliatta had touchdown passes to Demetrius Ison and Damian Wright just before the half.
    In the fourth quarter, Brian Palmer kicked a 39-yard field goal in swirling wind before Jabari Scott scooted 24 yards for the final score of the afternoon.
The defense held Indiana State to just 59 yards rushing and 269 yards of total offense in 22:52 of possession time. YSU played 54 of the 56 players who made the trip.
 
Rush For 100, Means A ‘W’
Junior tailback Marcus Mason rushed for more than 100 yards for the second straight game and improved the Penguins’ record to 4-0 when a back gains more than 100 yards in a game this season. YSU almost had two backs go over 100 yards as tailback Monquantae Gibson had 99 yards against Indiana State. Mason had a career-best 152 on Saturday after a 126-yard effort against Illinois State. Justin Reams rushed for 122 yards against Slippery Rock while Monquantae Gibson had a career-high 198 against Northeastern -- both wins.

Mason’s Starts Are Impressive
     Junior tailback Marcus Mason has started both of the Penguins’ Gateway games and has made his impact known to the league. In those two games, he has rushed for 278 yards on 45 carries and scored three touchdowns. He had 126 yards against Illinois State in his Gateway debut before following that with a 152-yard, two-touchdown afternoon at Indiana State.

Total Yardage Most Since 2001
     The Penguins’ 567 yards of total offense against Indiana State on Saturday was the most by the program since a 609-yard performance against Elon on Nov. 17, 2001. It ranks as the fifth-best total offensive performance in school history and is the most total offensive yards produced on the road in school history.
    The 379 yards rushing were the most since a 451 yard outburst against Clarion in 2001. The total ranks as the eighth-highest single-game performance in school history and is also a record for a road game.

Defense Posts Another Shut Out
    The defensive unit posted its second shutout of the season by holding Indiana State scoreless in Saturday’s 45-0 win. YSU shut out Liberty 42-0 on Sept. 17. The last time the Penguins had two shutouts in the same season was 1997. The only other times YSU posted shutouts in two road games in the same season was in 1954 and 1938. The last time the Penguins had three shutouts in the same campaign was 1975.

Jackson Up to Four Picks
     Junior cornerback Codera Jackson leads the Gateway Conference and ranks 11th in the nation with 0.67 interceptions per game. Jackson has four interceptions this season through six games. The last time a Penguin had that many picks through six games was LeVar Green who had five in 2001. Green finished the season with seven. Jackson returned one of those interceptions 72 yards for a touchdown at Liberty.

Who’ll Stop the Run?
    The YSU run defense has made a tremendous turnaround this season. In four of six games this season, the Penguins have not allowed an opponent to reach 100 yards rushing. In 2004, that happened just once (60 by Western Illinois) in 11 games. Since 1995, YSU has had three seasons where they held a team below 100 yards rushing -- 1996, 2000 and 2001 -- while holding five opponents under 100 in 2002 (11 games) and six in 1997 (15 games).

Terry a Wrecking Crew
    Sophomore linebacker James Terry led the Penguins in tackles for the second consecutive game. Terry had eight total tackles, including six solo stops. He was also credited with two sacks for 17 yards in losses and had a pass breakup. Against Illinois State he tied his career high with 13 total tackles, including eight solo stops.
    Terry is currently tied for the team lead with Mike Andrews with 40 total tackles.

Andrews One Shy of Career High
    Through six games this season, linebacker Mike Andrews is tied for the team lead with 37 total tackles. Andrews has stepped up his senior campaign and is just a tackle 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.

Takeaways Equal 2004 Number
    Six games into the 2005 season, YSU has forced a total of 16 turnovers to equal the number caused in the entire 2004 campaign. Last year, the Penguins had seven interceptions and recovered nine fumbles. This year, YSU has 11 interceptions and five fumble recoveries. Youngstown State had seven picks in last year’s campaign.
    Entering the contest against Western Illinois, YSU owns a plus-nine turnover margin. That number leads the conference and ranks seventh in Division I-AA.

Gibson Over 1,000 Career Rushing Yards
    Junior tailback Monquantae Gibson has rushed for 1,096 yards in his YSU career. Gibson has rushed for 416 yards this year after a 99-yard effort on Saturday against Indiana State. He had 680 yards in seven games in 2004.
Gibson has scored 11 touchdowns in his career, including a career-high six this season. He scored his sixth touchdown of the year on Saturday against Indiana State.
    Currently, tailback Josh Cayson, who is sidelined with a shoulder injury, is YSU’s active rushing leader with 1,381 yards.

Smith Continues Reception Streak
    Senior wide receiver Kyle Smith had three receptions for 26 yards against Indiana State on Saturday. The team leader in receptions (23), yards (258) and touchdowns (tied with three), he has caught a pass in the last 27 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. The school mark is held by Jeff Patterson who had at least one reception for 28 straight games from 1980 through 1982.

Gliatta Gets Into Passing Act
    Sophomore quarterback Vince Gliatta threw two touchdown passes in the victory over Indiana State. Entering the game, Gliatta’s lone touchdown pass was in the season opener against Slippery Rock. Against the Sycamores, he was 4-of-4 for 59 yards and the two scores. For the year he has completed 11-of-17 passes for 96 yards.

Back in the Rankings
    The Penguins moved up to 15th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and 17th in The Sports Network poll this week following Saturday’s 45-point win at Indiana State. YSU entered both the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and The Sports Network Top 25 on Oct. 3 at the No. 22 spot. It marked the first time since Oct. 21, 2002 that the Penguins had cracked the top 25.

I-A Transfers Big Part Of Program
    The Penguins have nine former Division I-A players who have seen action this year. Those are tailback Monquantae Gibson (Kentucky), fullback Regis Edgerson (South Carolina), cornerback Tyler Griffin (Eastern Michigan), 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).

Smith On The Career Charts
    Senior wide receiver Kyle Smith continues his move up the YSU all-time career receiving lists. Smith ranks 14th with 87 career receptions and is 14th with 1,312 career receiving yards. He also ranks third in two career punt returning categories returns (54) and yards (364).

Touchdown Tommy Zetts
    Sophomore Tom Zetts has thrown a touchdown pass in nine of his last 11 games. On Sept. 17 against 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.

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 67-11 when they win or tie in the turnover margin. When committing more turnovers, YSU is just 11-26.
Since 1990 YSU is:
   • 112-14-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points in a game.
   • 84-6 when rushing for 200-plus yards.
   • 94-10 when scoring 28-or-more points.
   • 54-5-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing in a game.
   • 119-7 when leading in the fourth quarter

Point-Scoring Streaks
   • YSU has won its last 31 games when scoring more than 30 points. The last loss came at Central Florida (44-32 in 1998).
   • YSU has won its last 29 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 28-4. The Penguins are 1-18 when they fail to score 21 points.

Next Week...Missouri State
    The Penguins are again at home next Saturday when they play host to Missouri State. The Bears beat Northern Iowa last Saturday and this weekend are set to play at Western Kentucky. MSU dropped an overtime thriller at Southern Illinois in its Gateway opener.
    Missouri State won last year’s meeting against the Penguins by a 34-28 margin.