Nov. 8, 2008

Football: Seniors Leave Stambaugh on High Note as Penguins Defeat Indiana State

    Youngstown – On a day that would be the last game to be played at Stambaugh Stadium for 16 seniors, the Youngstown State football  team used 28 unanswered points to down the Sycamores by a final score of 35-21 on Saturday afternoon.

   Junior quarterback Brandon Summers threw for three touchdowns, completing 14-of-23 passes for 142 yards. On the ground the Penguins were led by Kamryn Keys, who rushed for 123 yards on 17 carries.

    YSU trailed 21-7 midway through the second quarter but scored 28 straight points and held the Sycamores scoreless in the second half.

    The Penguins wasted little time in putting the game's first points on the board. The Guins used a 12-play scoring drive that ended when fullback Ben Lane crossed the goal line from two-yards out. The 74-yard drive took 6:22 off the clock and with Palmers extra-point, the Penguins went up 7-0.

    Summers was a perfect three-for-three on the drive for 31 yards and Keys accounted for 45 yards on the ground. Lane scored his second career touchdown, the other also coming against the Sycamores in 2006.

    The Sycamores responded on their first drive, moving the ball to the YSU one-yard line. From there quarterback Ryan Roberts dove into the end zone to tie the score up at seven. The eight play, 69-yard scoring drive only took 3:02 off the clock.

    The Sycamores defense held the Penguins on their next drive and gave the ball back to their offense with 12:21 left in the second quarter on their own 43-yard line.
    Two plays, 57-yards, and 58 seconds later, the Sycamores broke the 7-7 tie. On the first play of the drive, running back Darrius Gates scampered 53 yards to the YSU 4-yard line. On the next play, Roberts scored his second touchdown on the ground to give the Indiana State a 14-7 lead.

     On the ensuing YSU drive, the Indiana State defense forced a Keys fumble and defensive back Donye McCleskey returned it 47 yards to extend the Sycamores' lead to 21-7.

    Down 14 points, the Penguins answered the call.
    Punt returner De'Angelo Wilson set the Penguins up with good field position as he returned a Sycamore punt to the ISU 36-yard line. Keys covered 26 yards on the ground on the first two plays of the drive. Then two plays later, Summers found receiver Donald Jones in the back of the end zone from 10 yards out. Palmer added the extra-point to put the Guins within 7, 21-14.

    On the following ISU drive, the Penguins defense forced a three-and-out to give the ball to the offense with 2:54 left before halftime. The Penguins only need 2:23 to tie the score at 21 apiece. The Penguins put together a nine play, 58-yard drive that ended when Dana Brown scored his first career touchdown from five yards away. On the scoring drive, Brown and Keys combined for 35-yards on the ground.

    Indiana State received the ball to start the second half, but could do nothing to reclaim the lead as they had to punt after four plays. After the punt the Penguins took over on the Indiana State 48-yard line.

    The Penguins continued their strong rushing game as the offense rushed on the first three plays of the drive. On the fourth play, Summers took to the air finding Jones for a second time in the end zone, this time from 23 yards away. With the Palmer conversion, YSU scored 21 unanswered to go up 28-21. The drive lasted 1:31, covering 48 yards.

     With the Penguin defense continuing to stop the Sycamores, the offense continued to score. The offense took their next possession and used a balanced eight-play drive, that covered 68 yards to extend their lead to 14. On the drive Summers found three different receivers for 35 yards, eventually finding Dominique Barnes for an 11-yard score. Palmer kicked his fifth extra-point of the game to make the score 35-21. 

    YSU has now won 12 consecutive games against Indiana State and hold an overwhelming 17-1 record over the Sycamores, with their lone loss coming in 1995.
    With the victory, the Penguins move to 3-8 overall and 2-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference. This win also marks the fifth consecutive year the Penguins have won on senior day. The Sycamores drop to 0-10, and 0-6 in conference play.