Filling in for the nation’s leading rusher, Marcus Mason, Gibson ran for a career-high 236 yards on a school-regular season record 43 carries in the Penguins’ 19-3 Gateway Championship and playoff berth clinching win at Western Kentucky.
    Gibson, who is a native of Lexington, returned to his home state in style leading the Guins to their first win at WKU since joining the Gateway and first since 1990. He scored on two one-yard touchdown runs – the first in the second quarter and the final on a fourth-and-goal play with just over four minutes to go.
    His 236 yards were the seventh-best performance in school history. Gibson entered the game have rushed just 43 times for 285 yards on the year. He almost doubled that in one game.
    For his career, Gibson has 1,748 yards rushing while scoring 18 touchdowns in his three years with the program.

    Southern Illinois cornerback Brandon Bruner was named the Gateway's Defensive Player of the Week while Missouri State's Marcus Colbert was tabbed the GFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

    In other news, Mason dropped from first to second in the national rushing standings behind Central Connecticut's Justise Hairston. Hairston is averaging 167.91 yards per game ahead of Mason's 166.22. However, the NCAA factors in postseason contests so the race for first continues.

    YSU napped the Gateway Football Conference's postseason bid and at least a share of the crown finishing 6-1. At 9-2 overall, the Guins are in the running for a first-round home game and a national seed. The playoff pairings will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. on ESPNews.