Oct. 11, 2007

Football: Penguins Return Home to Face Southern Utah

    The No. 12/13 Youngstown State football team returns home to play host to Southern Utah on Saturday afternoon at Stambaugh Stadium. Kickoff for the contest is set for 4 p.m. in the first-ever meeting between the programs.
    YSU (4-2) enters the contest following a tough 24-17 loss at Southern Illinois. The Penguins led the game 10-0 after the first quarter before eventually rallying to tie the game at 17 in the fourth. But SIU scored the game-deciding touchdown with just under two minutes remaining to snap a four-game Penguins winning streak.
    Southern Utah (0-5) has played the nation’s toughest schedule and enters the contest following a 7-3 loss at Montana State. SUU has lost to nationally-ranked Montana, McNeese State, Southern Illinois and Montana State while falling to unbeaten Division II foe North Dakota.
    This is the first meeting between the two schools and marks the third time in the past two seasons the Guins play a team from the Great West Conference. YSU defeated South Dakota State earlier this season after beating UC Davis in 2006.
    This is the latest regular-season non-conference game for YSU since playing Samford in November 2002.
    YSU returns to Gateway play next Saturday entertaining Illinois State.
 

Streaks, Storylines, Sidebars...
    • In 2005, 2006 and 2007 YSU rebounded following losses to BCS schools to win four straight contests before suffering its next defeat.
    • YSU had a seven-game winning streak in contests decided by a touchdown-or-less snapped against Southern Illinois.
    • Against Southern Illinois, senior quarterback Tom Zetts broke the school career records for pass attempts and tied the mark for most starts by a signal caller.
    • Zetts’ start this Saturday will be the 43rd of his career, a school record.
    • Sophomore punter Ben Nowicki was named the Gateway’s Special Teams Player of the Week following his performance at SIU. Nowicki averaged 46.8 yards on four punts against the Salukis.
    • YSU led 10-0 at the end of the first quarter, the last time the Guins squandered a double-digit lead to lose the game was 17-7 (halftime) at SIU in 2005.
    • This year, YSU has outscored teams 100-48 in the first half.
    • In the first half of games this season, the defense has allowed 271 yards rushing on 94 carries (2.9 yards per rush).
    • Ferlando Williams has found the end zone eight times in the past four games. Williams has two receiving and six rushing touchdowns in that time. He had two rushing touchdowns at SIU.
    • Placekicker Brian Palmer had made six consecutive field goals before missing a 41-yarder in the third quarter at SIU.
    • Sophomore cornerback Lenny Wicks had his first career interception. Wicks was credited with a career-high 10 tackles against SIU.
    • Senior wide receiver Rory Berry has caught six passes in three different games this year. Since 1997, only four other Guin receivers have accomplished the feat. He caught four passes last Saturday.
    • Junior tight end Derrick Bush has caught 13 passes, with 10 going for first downs.
    • YSU is the only Gateway team to have individuals named Offensive, Defensive, Special Teams and Offensive Lineman of the Week so far this season.
    • SUU defensive coordinator Cole Wilson played for YSU defensive coordinator Jeff Mills at Idaho in 1995.
 

Southern Utah Breakdown
    Southern Utah enters Saturday’s game following a 7-3 lost at Montana State. The Thunderbirds outyarded the Bobcats 319 to 218 in the contest.
    SUU has scored only five first-half points so far this season, and is looking for its first first-quarter score of the campaign. Quarterback Wes Marshall threw for 226 yards at Montana State. The Thunderbirds average 196.4 yards passing and 117.6 yards rushing per game. Their defense allows 33.2 points per contest.

Last Time Out: SIU 24, YSU 17
    YSU jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but Southern Illinois fought back and with the game tied 17-17, Deji Karim scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:50 remaining for a 24-17 SIU win in a clash of top 10 teams at McAndrew Stadium.
    After SIU fumbled the opening kickoff, YSU capitalized with a 42-yard Brian Palmer field goal. Later in the first quarter, Ferlando Williams scored on a 12-yard run to give the Penguins a 10-0 lead.
    However, SIU tied the contest in the second quarter as John Randle scored on a five-yard run and Kyle Dougherty kicked a 32-yard field goal.
    In the third quarter, SIU went ahead on a 14-yard pass from Nick Hill to Justin Allen.
    The Penguins tied the game in the fourth on a three-yard run by Williams following a Lenny Wicks interception.
Karim scored with 1:50 left to put SIU ahead 24-17. YSU had one final chance, but Tom Zetts’ pass to Rory Berry in the end zone was knocked away as time expired.

Zetts Within Reach of Marks
    Quarterback Tom Zetts eclipsed another YSU career passing record last Saturday. Zetts took over the attempts mark after setting the completions and yardage standards the prior week.
    He now has school records for completions (564), attempts (953), percentage (59.2) and yards (6,670). 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 43rd career start this Saturday, breaking the record of 42 held by Jeff Ryan (1998-2001).
 

Fabulous Four at Tailback
    The Penguins have impressive depth at tailback and it has shown. All four tailbacks - Jabari Scott, Kevin Smith, Brandon Nicholson and Jordan Edwards - have rushed for more than 100 yards this year. Actually, a group of six players - Tom Zetts and Ferlando Williams - is over 100 yards rushing, a first for the Guins since 1997.
    Nicholson, Scott and Smith have combined to score 10 touchdowns.

Mr. Smith in Starters Role
    Junior tailback Kevin Smith has started the past two games at tailback. At Southern Illinois he had 40 yards rushing and 16 yards receiving. In his first start against Missouri State, he scored three touchdowns and picked up the Guins’ first 100-yard rushing game of the campaign.
    Against the Bears, Smith had 102 yards on 15 carries and his three scores. He was the first Penguin with three rushing touchdowns in a game since Marcus Mason had three at Illinois State in 2006.

Williams Knows the End Zone
    Ferlando Williams is the only player in the Gateway with multiple rushing and receiving touchdowns. Williams has scored eight touchdowns this year - six rushing and two receiving. He finished with a career-high 15 rushes against Southern Illinois, two of which wound up in the end zone. He also had a career-best seven receptions against the Salukis. All 16 of his receptions have come in the past five games.

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 60 yards at Southern Illinois.
 

Palmer Making his PATs
    Junior Brian Palmer is third in school history by making 112 point-after kicks. In his career, he has attempted 119, also third most in school history.
    Palmer has made 22-of-31 field-goal attempts in his career and has made nine of his last 11 kicks. He was one-of-two last Saturday at Southern Illinois.
 

Defense Holding Numbers Down
    The Penguins defense has allowed the opposition to score double figures in just three of 24 quarters this season. Two of those came in the season opener at Ohio State while the third came against Southern Illinois.
    The defense held SIU to just 24 points last Saturday, more than 30 points below its season average entering the game.
    Ohio State scored two touchdowns in the second and fourth quarters and SIU had 10 in the second quarter. In the other 21 periods, no one has scored more than seven. Earlier this season, YSU did not allow a touchdown in back-to-back games for the first time since 1996.
    YSU has allowed just 17 points in the first quarter all season.

Offensive Line Coming Together
    A reshuffled group has allowed just seven sacks, 13th fewest in the country, and only five in the past five 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. Brian Mellott, Nhemie Theodore and Josh Tanner have started all six games.
    The Guins have started the same line the past three weeks.

He’s Got the Wright Stuff
    Senior linebacker Jeremiah Wright leads the defense in tackles. Wright has been credited with 53 total stops, including 28 solos. He has been the team’s leading tackler in four of the six games. He has been credited with seven-or-more tackles in every game, including seven at SIU.

Defense Posting Solid Numbers
    The defensive unit ranks in the top 25 in the country in four categories. YSU is 13th in total defense (292.00 yards), 20th in scoring defense (18.17 points), 22nd in rushing defense (111.67 yards) and 22nd in turnover margin (plus-0.83 per game).

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).

Five Captains Represent Team
    The Penguins selected quarterback Tom Zetts, tight end Louis Irizarry, linebacker Jeremiah Wright, linebacker James Terry and strong safety Bob Perez as captains. Of the group, only Terry is not a fifth-year senior.
    Wright is a two-time captain. Last season he was named team captain before being sideline at Penn State with a knee injury. The last two-time captain was Mark Derthick in 1983 and 1984.

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.
 

Rush to the End Zone
    The Penguins have scored 23 touchdowns this season, 17 of which have come via the ground. Surprisingly, only four have come through the air.
    However, in 2001, YSU had only four touchdown passes through the first six games compared to 21 rushing scores. In 2002, the Guins had two scoring throws and 13 rushing through six games.
    YSU finished the year with eight passing scores in 2001 and six in 2002.

Numbers of Note
    • Turnover Margin: Since 1996, the Penguins are 82-14 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.
    • 134-7 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 45-6. The Guins are 2-23 when they fail to score 21 points.

Next Week...Illinois State
    The Penguins play host to Illinois State in their annual Homecoming game on Oct. 20. Kickoff for the contest is set for 4 p.m.
    YSU defeated the Redbirds twice last season, including a 28-21 win in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs at Stambaugh Stadium.
    The Guins have won the last three in the series.