Nov. 1, 2007

Football: No. 22 Penguins Play Final Road Tilt at Indiana State

    The No. 22 Youngstown State football team plays their final road contest of the season with a trip to Terre Haute, Ind. to take on Indiana State. Kickoff for the contest is set for Noon.
    YSU (5-4 overall and 1-3 in the Gateway) is coming off a gut-wrenching 14-13 loss at top-ranked UNI. The Penguins dominated the first half and built a 13-0 lead through three quarters. But in the second half, YSU failed to reach UNI territory and the Panthers used two fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull out a one-point win and remain unbeaten.
    Indiana State (0-9 and 0-4) plays its final home game of the season on Saturday. The Sycamores return home after suffering a 63-7 setback at Missouri State. ISU has lost 36 of its last 37 games since the 2004 campaign. The Sycamores have allowed at least 50 points in five of their last six games since a three-point loss at Southeast Missouri State.
    The Penguins have won 15 of the 16 all-time meetings between the programs, including all eight games at Memorial Stadium. YSU has won 10 straight in the series while scoring at least 30 points in the previous eight contests.
    Youngstown State returns home to play host to Western Illinois next Saturday in the season finale.

With a Victory YSU:
• Improves to 6-4 on the season and 2-3 in the Gateway.
• Avoids four straight Gateway losses for the first time since 2004.
• 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.
• Coach Jon Heacock wins his 49th game as the Penguins’ head coach and improves to 7-0 against Indiana State.
• Improves to 42-23 all-time in Gateway Conference play.
• Snaps a four-game road losing streak while picking up its first road win of the season.
• Avoids three straight regular-season losses for the first time since 2004.
• Improves to 16-1 all-time against the Sycamores while winning its 11th consecutive versus ISU.
• Wins its fifth straight game in the month of November.
• Hands Indiana State its 10th loss of the season.

Streaks, Storylines, Sidebars...
• YSU has won 10 straight games against Indiana State and is a perfect 8-0 in Terre Haute, Ind.
• The current combined record of the Penguins’ first three road opponents of 2007 is 24-1 - Ohio State (9-0), Southern Illinois (7-1) and UNI (8-0).
• Quarterback Tom Zetts’ start this Saturday will be the 46th of his career, an on-going school record.
• In three games against Indiana State, Zetts is 35-of-54 (64.8 percent) for 395 yards, three touchdowns and no INTs.
• Junior placekicker Brian Palmer has made eight straight field goals. It is the sixth time in school history a Penguin has made eight straight field goals. The school record is 10 held by Jeff Wilkins.
• Junior tight end Derrick Bush caught a 29-yard touchdown pass at UNI. It was Bush’s second career touchdown reception at the UNI Dome. He does not have a touchdown catch in any of his other 30 games played.
• Bush had a career-best 59 receiving yards while fellow tight end Louis Irizarry had a career-high five receptions.
• Against UNI, YSU lost a game when leading at halftime for the first time since 2005 - at Southern Illinois. The Guins lost a game when leading into the fourth quarter for the first time since at Illinois State in 2004.
• The 14 points surrendered in the loss were the fewest in a defeat since a 13-6 loss to Florida Atlantic in 2003.
• Of the seven offensive linemen to start this year, five made their first career starts - Nhemie Theodore, Matt Kishman, Brian Mellott, Leon Edwards and Bobby Coates.
• YSU has allowed double figures in points in just five of 33 quarters. All came during losses - two by Ohio State (14 twice), one by Southern Illinois (10), one by Illinois State (13) and one by UNI (14).
• Junior wide receiver Ferlando Williams has scored a team-high 10 touchdowns. He has eight rushing and two receiving scores. He had eight catches at UNI.
• In the first half this season, the defense has allowed 553 yards rushing on 155 carries (3.6 yards per rush).
 

Indiana State Breakdown
    Indiana State is still looking for its first win of the season through its first nine games. The Sycamores are allowing 48.1 points per game while averaging 11.3 points on offense.
ISU is under the direction of interim head coach Dennis Raetz. Raetz was the head coach of the program from 1980 through 1997. He replaced Lou West after the Sycamores’ loss to Eastern Illinois.

Last Meeting...YSU 55, ISU 17
    Marcus Mason rushed for 197 yards and two touchdowns and Justin Reams added 100 yards and two scores as the Penguins cruised to a 55-17 victory over Indiana State at Stambaugh Stadium.
    Indiana State scored first on a 21-yard field goal, but the Guins came back to lead 27-3 at halftime.
    YSU scored on its first possession of the second half on a Reams run, but ISU scored two touchdowns to pull within 34-17.
The Guins regrouped as Mason scored on a 56-yard run, Jason Perry returned a punt 64 yards for a score and Ben Lane rambled in for a 23-yard touchdown run.
 

Series Breakdown
    Youngstown State has won 15 of the 16 all-time meetings, including all eight games played at Memorial Stadium in Terre Haute. YSU won 45-0 during its last trip to Indiana State in 2005.
Of the 16 contests, seven have been decided by a touchdown or less. The Sycamores’ lone win came on Oct. 28, 1995 (13-6 at Stambaugh Stadium).

Last Time Out: UNI 14, YSU 13
    Youngstown State held top-ranked UNI scoreless until the fourth quarter before the Panthers scored two touchdowns rallying for a 14-13 victory.
    The Penguins took their opening possession and went ahead 7-0 on a 28-yard pass from Tom Zetts to Derrick Bush. Later in the quarter, YSU led 10-0 on a 22-yard field goal by Brian Palmer. Palmer’s second field goal of the contest, this time from 37 yards, put the Guins ahead 13-0.
    UNI hung around and was able to make some big plays in the fourth quarter to pull out the victory. On third-and-two from the YSU 29, Eric Sanders connected with Johnny Gray for a touchdown.
    After forcing a YSU punt, the Panthers were able to move 80 yards for the game-winning score.
    Facing a third-and-10 from the UNI 48, Sanders connected with Schuylar Oordt for a 34-yard gain. The next play from the YSU 18 was a reverse with Gray racing to the end zone for the deciding score.

Zetts Holds Six Career Marks
    Quarterback Tom Zetts is one touchdown pass shy of owning seven school career records. Zetts has thrown 49 career touchdown passes, one shy of Jeff Ryan’s record of 50.
    Zetts is the school record holder for completions (618), attempts (1,044), percentage (59.2) and yards (7,234).
    Against UNI last Saturday, Zetts threw for a season-high 245 yards while completing a season-best 25 passes. It was the 12th 200-yard passing game of his career, tying the school mark held by Ron Jaworski.
    Zetts will be making his 45th career start this Saturday, also a school record.

Palmer Making His Kicks
    Junior placekicker Brian Palmer is 11-of-12 on field-goal attempts and 27-of-28 on his extra-point tries this year. He enters the contest against Indiana State having made his last eight field-goal tries.
    Palmer’s streak of eight is tied with five others for the second best in school history. Jeff Wilkins made 10 in a row to set the standard.
    Palmer ranks third in school history by making 115 point-after kicks. In his career, he has attempted 123, also third most in school history.
    Palmer has made 30-of-39 field-goal attempts in his career and has made 17 of his last 19 kicks. His 30 career field goals rank fifth in school history while his 76.9 percent rate of success is first.

One-Point Games
    For just the sixth time in school history the Penguins have played two one-point games in the same season. YSU beat Southern Utah 23-22 on Oct. 13 before losing at UNI 14-13 this past Saturday. The last time YSU played two one-point decisions in the same year was 1986.

Leads Not a Sure Thing
    In seven games this season, the Penguins have built double-digit leads, but three times they lost the game and on another occasion the contest was eventually tied.
    In three defeats, YSU led 13-0 at UNI and built 10-0 leads against Illinois State and Southern Illinois. The Penguins also led South Dakota State 17-0 before the Jackrabbits tied the game in the fourth quarter. YSU eventually won 23-17.
    YSU has been ahead in each of the past eight games since losing at Ohio State.
 

Williams Knows the End Zone
    Ferlando Williams leads the team with 10 touchdowns. Williams is second on the team in rushing with 390 yards and second in receiving yards at 351.
    Williams has rushed for eight scores while catching two passes for touchdowns. His 10 touchdowns are a team high. He has 23 receptions the past four contests, including a career-best eight catches for 66 yards against UNI.

Tailbacks Spread the Wealth
    The Penguins have 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 1,007 yards and 12 touchdowns.
    Smith, who has started a position high five games, has rushed for 409 yards on 87 carries and scored seven touchdowns. Scott has run for 375 yards and three scores on 79 attempts.

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 had six catches against Missouri State, South Dakota State and Stony Brook. He had two catches for 17 yards at UNI.
 

He’s Got the Wright Stuff
    Senior linebacker Jeremiah Wright leads the defense with 71 tackles. Wright has been credited with a team-high 40 solo stops. With a four-tackle effort at UNI, he became the 12th player in school history to be credited with more than 300 tackles in a career. Wright currently has 303 stops.

Defense Makes A Turnaround
The defensive unit ranks in the top 25 in the country in two categories. YSU is 19th in scoring defense (19.11 points) and 21st in total defense (316.00 yards). In 2006, the Guins were 60th in scoring defense (23.07 points) and 83rd in total defense (360.43).

Defense Keeping Numbers Down
    The Penguins defense has allowed the opposition to score double figures in just five of 36 quarters. Two of those came in the season opener at Ohio State (14, first and fourth) while the other three were at UNI (14, fourth), vs. Illinois State (13, second) and at Southern Illinois (10, second).
    In 30 of the other 31 periods, no one has scored more than seven (Southern Utah had eight in the third quarter).
    Earlier this season, YSU did not allow a touchdown in back-to-back games for the first time since 1996.

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 with a win over Missouri State. YSU won nine of 11 games last year when someone rushed for over 100 yards.

Offensive Line Holding Together
    Despite having five first-time starters this season, the Penguins offensive line has surrendered just seven sacks. YSU leads the Gateway and ranks 11th in the country.
    The only two players to start every game at the same position are Nhemie Theodore and Josh Tanner. Brad Samsa started the first three games at guard before moving to left tackle. Centers Brian Mellott and Bobby Coates along with guard Leon Edwards all made their first career starts this year. YSU lost tackles Tyler Booth, Matt Kishman and Stiles O’Brien to season-ending injuries.

Six FBS Transfers Part Of YSU
    The Penguins have six former FBS players on the roster. Those are safety Vince Gliatta (Penn State), tight end Louis Irizarry (Ohio State), center Brian Mellott (Ohio), defensive end Maurice Smith (Michigan State), offensive tackle Nhemie Theodore (Minnesota) and cornerback De’Angelo Wilson (Nevada).

Newcomers, First Timers in 2007
    The Penguins have had plenty of new contributors 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 been major contributors are Nevada transfer De’Angelo Wilson, junior college transfer Kevin Smith, junior redshirt Ferlando Williams, sophomore redshirt tailback Jabari Scott and sophomore punter Ben Nowicki.

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.
 

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.
    Of this group, 15 are taking part in their fifth season with a collegiate program - 12 of which have been at YSU that long.

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 13-32.
Since 1990 YSU is:
• 122-15-2 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.
• 135-8 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 46-7.
• When scoring under 21 points under Coach Heacock YSU is 2-24.

Next Week...Western Illinois
    The Penguins, the only team ranked in the top 25 with four losses, play their final game of the season on Nov. 10 against Western Illinois. Kickoff at Stambaugh Stadium is set for 1 p.m.
    YSU has beaten the Leathernecks three straight times, including a 35-28 win in Macomb last season. WIU, which is ranked 19th this week, plays host to Southern Illinois this Saturday in a key Gateway matchup.