Oct. 16, 2007

Football: 12th-Ranked YSU Plays Illinois State in Homecoming Tilt
    Youngstown – The No. 12 Youngstown State football team plays their annual Homecoming contest against Illinois State on Saturday. Kickoff for the game against the Redbirds at Stambaugh Stadium is set for 4 p.m.
    YSU (5-2 overall and 1-1 in the Gateway) enters the contest following a come-from-behind victory over Southern Utah. The Penguins trailed 22-16 in the fourth quarter before taking a 23-22 advantage with just over five minutes left. The Thunderbirds moved the ball inside the YSU 20, but a 34-yard field-goal attempt went awry and the Guins were able to hang on.
    Illinois State (3-4 and 1-2) picked up its first Gateway victory of the season pounding Indiana State 69-17 last Saturday. The Redbirds had three 100-yard rushers in the contest while amassing 592 yards of total offense, including 438 on the ground.
    This will be the third meeting between YSU and Illinois State in less than a year. In 2006, the Penguins won 27-13 in Normal (Oct. 28) during the regular season while earning a 28-21 triumph in the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs at Stambaugh Stadium (Dec. 2).
    Youngstown State has won the last three meetings and six of the previous eight to take a 9-7 series lead. Of the 16 all-time contests, nine have been decided by a touchdown or less.

With a Victory YSU:
    • Improves to 6-2 on the season and 2-1 in the Gateway.
    • Avoids consecutive Gateway losses for the first time since falling to Southern Illinois and UNI in 2005.
    • Posts at least six wins for the 16th time in the past 19 seasons.
    • Earns its 411th win in school history and 213th since joining the FCS in 1981.
    • Earns its 25th victory in the past 33 games since the start of 2005 season.
    • Extends a home winning streak to nine games dating back to a loss versus UNI on Oct. 21, 2006.
    • Improves to 6-0 at home this season.
    • Makes it 20 wins in the past 21 home contests.
    • Coach Jon Heacock wins his 49th game as the Penguins’ head coach.
    • Improves to 10-7 all-time against Illinois State while earning its fourth straight win over the Redbirds.
    • Improves to 42-21 all-time in Gateway Conference play.
    • Improves to 48-17-1 on Homecoming.

Streaks, Storylines, Sidebars...
    • The Guins’ one-point victory over Southern Utah was their first one-point win since defeating McNeese State 10-9 in the 1997 National Championship Game.
    • Senior quarterback Tom Zetts engineered the fifth fourth-quarter comeback of his career last Saturday.
    • YSU has won three straight games against Illinois State, including two victories last season.
    • The Penguins have won 20 of their last 21 home games, including eight victories in a row.
    • Zetts’ start this Saturday will be the 44th of his career, an on-going school record.
    • Junior placekicker Brian Palmer made a career-high three field goals in the win over Southern Utah.
    • Ferlando Williams has found the end zone 10 times in the past five games. Williams has two receiving and eight rushing touchdowns in that time. He had two rushing touchdowns against Southern Utah.
    • This year, YSU has outscored teams 103-55 in the first half.
    • In the first half of games this season, the defense has allowed 390 yards rushing on 121 carries (3.2 yards per rush).
    • The Guins have allowed just one 100-yard rusher this season, but have also had just one 100-yard rusher.
    • YSU has allowed an opponent to score double figures in just three of 28 quarters played.
    • In four games against Illinois State, Zetts is 47-of-92 (51.1 percent) for 572 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions.
    • YSU is the only Gateway team to have individuals named Offensive, Defensive, Special Teams and Offensive Lineman of the Week so far this season.
    • Senior wide receiver Rory Berry has caught six passes in three different games this year. Since 1996, only four other Guin receivers have accomplished the feat. He caught four passes last Saturday.
    • Junior tight end Derrick Bush has caught 16 passes, with 11 going for first downs.
    • YSU is 47-17-1 in Homecoming games, but has lost three of its last four. At Stambaugh Stadium, YSU is 19-6.
    • Palmer has made nine of his last 10 field-goal attempts.
 

Illinois State Breakdown
    Illinois State has scored 110 points in the past two games and is 3-1 this season when scoring at least 24 points. ISU snapped a three-game losing streak last Saturday beating Indiana State 69-17. The Redbirds had three 100-yard rushers against the Sycamores.
    Senior quarterback Luke Drone has thrown for 1,235 yards and 11 touchdowns. Rafael Rice has rushed for 664 yards and six scores while Geno Blow has ran for 612 yards and seven touchdowns.

2006 Playoff Meeting Recap
    Youngstown State jumped out to a 28-7 lead and held on for a 28-21 win over Illinois State in the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs at Stambaugh Stadium.
    After ISU went in front 7-0, the Guins scored 28 unanswered points taking a 28-7 lead into the fourth quarter.
During the 28-point outburst, quarterback Tom Zetts threw two touchdown passes and ran for another. Tailback Marcus Mason, who finished with 138 yards, scored on a two-yard run in the third.
    ISU struck for two scores in the fourth but YSU was able to hold on when James Terry intercepted a Luke Drone pass in the game’s final minute.

2006 Regular Season Recap
    The Penguins defense held Illinois State to 161 total offensive yards while Tom Zetts and Marcus Mason each had more than 100 yards rushing in a 27-13 YSU victory at Hancock Stadium.
    Mason rushed for 176 yards and scored two touchdowns on 34 carries. Zetts ran for 110 yards on 12 attempts and scored a touchdown. Tailback Monquantae Gibson scored on a 17-yard run as the Guins amassed 345 yards on the ground.
    The Guins went up 6-0 before Illinois State’s Jarek Thomas returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown.
YSU answered as Gibson’s touchdown run made the score 12-7 at halftime. Mason’s seven-yard scoring run and a two-point conversion pass from Zetts to Louis Irizarry put YSU ahead 20-7.
    ISU cut the deficit to 20-13 in the fourth before Zetts’ one-yard sneak sealed the victory with 4:43 remaining.

Series Breakdown
    Youngstown State holds a 9-7 all-time series lead after winning the last three games and six of the previous eight contests. Of the 16 meetings, nine have been decided by a touchdown or less. When holding ISU under 30 points, YSU is 9-1.

Last Time Out: YSU 23, SUU 22
    The Penguins overcame a 22-16 fourth-quarter deficit to pull out a thrilling 23-22 victory over Southern Utah last Saturday.
    Ferlando Williams’ second touchdown of the game came with 5:26 remaining and Brian Palmer’s extra point put the Guins in front 23-22.
    SUU marched to the YSU 17-yard line, but Steve Pulver’s kick off a poor hold sailed wide left with just over a minute remaining and the Penguins were able to run out the clock for the one-point victory.
    Palmer kicked a career-high three field goals and Williams accounted for YSU’s other score in game that featured five lead changes.
 

Zetts Holds Five Career Marks
    Quarterback Tom Zetts is the school-record holder for completions (579), attempts (979), percentage (59.1) and yards (6,834). He ranks second in 200-yard passing games (one shy) and touchdown passes (two shy).
    His next 200-yard performance will tie a school record held by Ron Jaworski.
    Zetts will be making his 44th career start this Saturday, also a school record.
 

Palmer Making His Kicks
    Junior placekicker Brian Palmer 6-of-7 on field-goal attempts and 24-of-25 on his extra-point tries this year. Palmer ranks third in school history by making 114 point-after kicks. In his career, he has attempted 121, also third most in school history.
    Palmer has made 25-of-34 field-goal attempts in his career and has made 12 of his last 14 kicks. His 25 career field goals rank fifth in school history while his 73.5 percent rate of success is first.

Williams Knows the End Zone
    Ferlando Williams leads the Penguins with 10 touchdowns this season - all of which have come in the past five games.
    Williams ranks second on the team in rushing yardage with 324 for the campaign on 52 attempts while scoring eight touchdowns. He has caught 19 passes for 214 yards and two scores.
    The last two games, Williams has rushed 27 times for 138 yards and four touchdowns. He had 12 carries for 51 yards against Southern Utah after finishing with a career-high 15 rushes for 87 yards against Southern Illinois. He also has 10 receptions the past two contests.
 

Tailbacks Spread the Wealth
    The Penguins have impressive depth at tailback and it has shown. The four tailbacks - Jabari Scott, Kevin Smith, Brandon Nicholson and Jordan Edwards - have rushed for a total of 877 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.
    Leading the way is sophomore Jabari Scott who has 363 yards on a team-high 71 carries. Scott (four games) and Smith (three games) have rotated starting duties this season. Both Scott and Smith had 59 yards rushing against the Thunderbirds.

Berry Becomes Go-To Receiver
    Senior wide receiver Rory Berry has caught six passes in three different games this season. Berry is one of just four YSU players since 1996 to catch at least six passes on three different occasions during the same year. He has six catches against Missouri State, South Dakota State and Stony Brook. He had four catches for 57 yards at Southern Utah.
 

Defense Holding Numbers Down
    The Penguins defense has allowed the opposition to score double figures in just three of 28 quarters this season. Two of those came in the season opener at Ohio State while the third came at Southern Illinois.
    Ohio State scored two touchdowns in the second and fourth quarters and SIU had 10 points in the second quarter. In the other 24 of 25 periods, no one has scored more than seven (Southern Utah had eight in the third). Earlier this season, YSU did not allow a touchdown in back-to-back games for the first time since 1996.
    YSU has allowed just 24 points in the first quarter all season.

Offensive Line Coming Together
    A reshuffled group has allowed just seven sacks, 12th fewest in the country, and only five in the past six games. YSU has lost tackles Tyler Booth, Matt Kishman and Stiles O’Brien to injuries, but do-everything Brad Samsa is filling the left-tackle role. Samsa, center Brian Mellott, tackle Nhemie Theodore and guard Josh Tanner have started all seven games.
    The Guins have started the same line the past four weeks with Leon Edwards at right guard.

He’s Got the Wright Stuff
    Senior linebacker Jeremiah Wright leads the defense in tackles. Wright has been credited with 58 total stops, including 31 solos. He has been the team’s leading tackler in four games. He has been credited with seven-or-more tackles in all but one game.

Defense Posting Solid Numbers
    The defensive unit ranks in the top 30 in the country in five categories. YSU is 14th in total defense (296.43 yards), 17th in scoring defense (18.71 points), 26th in rushing defense (120.14 yards), 25th in turnover margin (plus-1.00 per game) and 29th in pass defense (176.29 yards).

Rush For 100, Can Mean A ‘W’
    The Penguins have won 18 of the last 20 games when a back rushes for more than 100 yards. The Guins are 1-0 in 2007 after beating Missouri State last Saturday. YSU won nine of 11 games last year when someone rushed for over 100 yards - losses to UNI and at Appalachian State. YSU was 6-0 in 2005 and won its last two in 2004.

Plenty of Senior Leadership
    For the second straight year, the Penguins have at least 20 seniors, with 20 on the current roster. However, of those 20, Matt Kishman, Tyler Booth and Joe Nicholson have been sidelined with injuries.
    Last season, YSU had 27 seniors, of which 25 were on the 60-player postseason roster. Of the 20 seniors, 15 are taking part in their fifth season with a collegiate program - 12 of which have been at YSU that long.

Newcomers, First Timers in 2007
    The Penguins have had plenty of new faces contribute in 2007. So far true freshmen Na’eem Outler, Nick Gooden, Dominique Barnes, Erik Johnson, Stiles O’Brien and Brandian Ross have seen action.
    Freshmen who redshirted last year but have played significantly in 2007 are Stephen Blose, Bobby Coates, Jordan Edwards, Chris Gammon, Luke Matelan, Nick Mernedakis, Torrance Nicholson, Justin Rechichar and Deon’te Williams.
    Other newcomers who have contributed are Nevada transfer De’Angelo Wilson, junior college transfer Kevin Smith, junior redshirt Ferlando Williams and sophomore redshirt Jabari Scott who have stepped in at key spots on offense as well.

Going For Three Titles
    The Penguins will need a little help to win their third consecutive Gateway title in 2007. Only twice in the league’s previous 22 years has a team won three straight Gateway titles -- Southern Illinois from 2003-2005 and UNI from 1990-1996.
    Besides winning Gateway titles in 2005 and 2006, YSU won an Ohio Valley Conference championship in 1987 and Mid-Continent Conference Championships in 1978 and 1979 at the Division II level.
 

Guins Work Overtime
    Members of the team spent a tremendous amount of time since the end of last season saying thanks to Mahoning Valley for outstanding support during 2006. The Penguins’ annual community-service program, which is called “Overtime”, was in full force. YSU spent more than 1,000 hours giving back to the community.

Numbers of Note
• Turnover Margin: Since 1996, the Penguins are 83-14 when they win or tie in the turnover margin. When committing more turnovers, YSU is just 13-30.
Since 1990 YSU is:
• 122-14-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points in a game.
• 94-6 when rushing for 200-plus yards.
• 108-10 when scoring 28-or-more points.
• 60-5-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing in a game.
• 135-7 when leading entering the fourth.
• 64-3-2 when holding opponents to 10 points-or-less in a game.

Point-Scoring Streaks
• YSU has won its last 44 games when scoring more than 30 points. The last loss came at Central Florida (44-32 in 1998).
• YSU has won its last 35 games when scoring more than 40 points. The last loss came to James Madison (52-49 in 1992).
• When scoring at least 50 points, the Penguins are a perfect 20-0. YSU is 18-2 in games following a 50-point contest.
• When scoring 21-plus points under Coach Jon Heacock YSU is 46-6. The Guins are 2-23 when they fail to score 21 points.

Next Week...at Northern Iowa
    The Penguins play the first of two consecutive road games visiting top-ranked Northern Iowa next Saturday. Kickoff at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, is set for 4:05 p.m. Eastern time.
    The Panthers are 6-0 and took over the top spot in the Sports Network Poll on Monday. UNI travels to Western Illinois this Saturday in a battle of Gateway unbeatens.
    YSU has not beaten the Panthers since the 2000 season, losing six straight.