Sept. 29, 2007

Football: All-Around Effort Leads to Gateway Opening Win Over Missouri State

    Youngstown – Kevin Smith and Ferlando Williams combined for five rushing touchdowns to help the Youngstown State football team pick up an impressive 49-21 victory over Missouri State in the Gateway opener for both teams on Saturday night at Stambaugh Stadium.

    The Penguins (4-1 overall and 1-0 in the Gateway) have won a Gateway opener in nine of 11 years since joining the conference in 1997. The Bears dropped to 3-2 overall and 0-1 in the Gateway.

    Smith made the most of his first career start. He had 102 yards on 15 carries and scored three touchdowns. He became the first Penguin to run for more than 100 yards this season and the first to score three TDs in a game since Marcus Mason at Illinois State last season. Williams had 48 yards on eight attempts. For the game, YSU finished with a season-high 304 yards rushing.

    Senior quarterback Tom Zetts passed for 169 yards on 13-of-23 and became Youngstown State's all-time leader in career passing yards (6,506) and completions (545).

    The Bears scored the initial touchdown of the game on an impressive 51-yard run by Gerald Davis. On a third-and-one play, Davis took a handoff up the middle, broke several would-be tackles and scored to give the Bears the early 7-0 lead just over two minutes into the contest.

    YSU answered right back to tie the contest on a seven-play, 65-yard drive. The Penguins took over on their 35-yard line and Zetts completed a 14-yard toss to Rory Berry and a 28-yarder later in the drive to Da'Michael Horne. After a Zetts scramble for nine yards to the Bear 11, Smith scored on an 11-yard scamper to pull to tie the contest 7-7.

    In the opening minutes of the second quarter, Smith scored his second touchdown of the game, this time from one-yard out to put the Penguins ahead 14-7 at the 12:32 mark of the second quarter. YSU moved the ball 53 yards in seven plays to take the lead for good.

    YSU closed out the quarter with its third rushing touchdown of the first half. This time, Williams took a direct snap untouched up the middle from five yards out to give the Guins a 21-7 halftime lead.

    After YSU was held on its initial possession of the second half, sophomore punter Ben Nowicki pinned their Bears at their own one-yard line following a career-long 57-yard punt.

    The defense held and after a short punt by Nathan Stokes, YSU took over at the MSU 34-yard line. It took just four plays for Smith to find the end zone again, this time going in from three yards out to increase the Penguin advantage to 28-7 with 10:44 remaining in the period.

    MSU would not go away quickly answering the YSU score in just over a minute. Freshman quarterback Cody Kirby fired a perfect strike to wide receiver Jeremy Nicholson in the back of the end zone to cut the deficit in half at 28-14.

    Youngstown State came right back to boost the lead back to 21. Williams capped a seven-play, 70-yard drive on a three-yard run to put the Guins up 35-14.

    On the ensuing kickoff, Missouri State's Eric Davis fumbled the return when he tried to exchange hands and Horne pounced on the loose ball at the 28. YSU took advantage of the miscues six plays later when Zetts hit fullback Ben Lane from three yards out to make the score 42-14.

    After Missouri State scored on a three-yard run touchdown by Kirby, the Bears tried an onside kick, but freshman Dominique Barnes picked up the kick at the 37-yard linw and returned it for a touchdown. It was the Guins' first kickoff return for a touchdown since September 2001 (Lock Haven).

    The Penguins venture outside the state of Ohio for the first time this season next Saturday when they play at Southern Illinois.

    The contest against the sixth-ranked and undefeated Salukis kicks off at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time and is set to be televised nationally on CSTV.