Quick Outs...

• YSU is playing its 700th game in the program’s history.

• Saturday is Coach Jon Heacock’s birthday. He will be 48.

• Youngstown State last lost three consecutive games in October 2004 when it dropped four straight.

• Including the final three losses of last year, five of YSU’s last seven defeats have been by a touchdown or less.

• Tyler Griffin, Stephen Meadows, Kamryn Keys, Justin Rechichar and Jaimie Frasure all made their first career starts against Southern Utah.

• A total of 22 players have made their first career starts this season.

• Only seven players - four of which are offensive linemen -- have started each of the first six games.

• TB Jabari Scott is 38 yards shy of rushing for more than 1,000 in his career.

• Ferlando Williams has caught a pass in 16 consecutive games.

• Placekicker Brian Palmer has made a school-record 14 straight field goals.

• Prior to last Saturday, the last time a player returned a fumble for a touchdown against YSU was Western Kentucky’s Sam Sexton in 2005.

• Ben Nowicki’s 66-yard punt at Southern Utah was the longest for the Penguins since Joe Bishop had a 67-yarder at Pittsburgh in 2005.

• PK Brian Palmer is tied for second among active FCS kickers in career field-goal percentage at 80 percent (36-of-45).

Missouri State Breakdown

    Missouri State enters Saturday’s contest looking for its first home win of the season. The Bears dropped their home opener to Washburn (35-27) before losing to Western Illinois (33-21) this past Saturday.

    Sophomore quarterback Cody Kirby has completed 64-of-118 passes for 727 yards and eight touchdowns. On offense, MSU is averaging 323.8 yards and 26.5 points per game. On defense, the Bears are allowing 38.2 points and 477.8 yards per game.

Last Meeting: YSU 49, MSU 21

    Kevin Smith scored three touchdowns and Ferlando Williams added two more as Youngstown State opened conference play with an impressive 49-21 victory over Missouri State last year at Stambaugh.

    After falling behind 7-0 just over two minutes into the game, YSU scored 28 unanswered points to take control of the contest.

After Missouri State cut the deficit to 28-14, the Penguins scored the next two touchdowns -- a three-yard Williams run and a three yard pass from Tom Zetts to Ben Lane -- to lead 42-14.

    MSU pulled within 42-21, but on the ensuing onside kick, Dominique Barnes returned it 37 yards for a touchdown.

Smith rushed for 102 yards and as a unit, YSU had 304. The Penguins amassed 473 yards of total offense. The Bears had 305 total yards, including 183 via the air.

    YSU had five rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown in the game.

    During the contest, Zetts became the school’s all-time leader in pass completions and yardage.

Last Game: SUU 14, YSU 7

    Three costly turnovers proved to be the difference as Youngstown State dropped a tough 14-7 contest to Southern Utah at the Eccles Coliseum on a wet and damp day in Cedar City, Utah.

    YSU took a 7-0 lead on a 45-yard touchdown run by Kamryn Keys early in the first quarter. The Penguins’ next drive ended on the SUU nine-yard line when Dana Brown fumbled. The Guins then turned the ball over at the SUU eight on their ensuing possession when Brandon Summers was intercepted.

In the second quarter Summers left the game with a knee injury. The Thunderbirds tied the game later in the quarter on a one-yard run by Deckar Alexander.

    In the third, quarterback Paul Corsaro fumbled near the sideline and Aaron Fernandez returned it 54 yards for a score.

YSU had a 4th-and-2 at the SUU 18 in the final minute, but Corsaro’s pass for Donald Jones was broken up in the end zone. YSU converted two fourth downs on the drive.

Defense Plays All-Around Game

    The Penguins defense had a solid all-around performance in the 14-7 loss at Southern Utah. YSU allowed 106 rushing yards and 172 yards through the air. For only the second time this year, the Guins held a team under 200 yards rushing, 200 yards passing and 300 yards total offense. SUU had 278 in the contest.

Corsaro Fills in At Quarterback

    Redshirt freshman Paul Corsaro stepped in for injured starter Brandon Summers in the second quarter. For the game, Corsaro completed 10-of-21 passes for 97 yards. He had eight rushing attempts for 13 yards as well.

    He showed improvement throughout the game and was impressive on the final drive that came up just short. He completed six passes for 75 yards and drove the Penguins to the SUU 18 with 30 seconds to go. On the drive, he completed a 38-yarder on 3rd-and-20 to Ferlando Williams and had two fourth-down completions.

Offense Hot at Home, Cold Away

    Youngstown State has played well offensively at home, but in three road games has struggled to get on track.

    At home, YSU has scored 98 points and is averaging 404.7 yards of total offense a game. On the ground, the Guins are averaging 224 yards per game and through the air average 180.7 per contest.

    On the road, YSU has scored 14 points and is averaging 200.7 total-offensive yards. On the ground, the Penguins are averaging 88.7 yards and through the air average 112 yards.

    YSU has seven turnovers on the road and just three at home.

Keys Runs Well

    Redshirt freshman Kamryn Keys led the Penguins in rushing for the second time in his career with 71 yards on 11 carries at Southern Utah. Keys scored on a career-long 45-yard run in the first quarter. He had 50 yards on three carries during the game-opening drive.

Opening Script

    For the fourth straight game the Penguins scored on their first offensive possession. YSU has scored touchdowns against Central State, Liberty and Southern Utah and kicked a field goal against North Dakota State.

    Each of the four drives have been for 64 yards or more. In the second half, YSU has scored on two of six opening drives.

Wide Receivers Step Up

    Thirteen of the 14 receptions at Southern Utah were by wide receivers. In the past two games, YSU’s receivers have combined to make 40 catches.

    Ferlando Williams, who had a career-high nine receptions against Liberty, caught four passes for 61 yards at SUU. Donald Jones has eight in the past two games, including two on fourth down. Da’Michael Horne has nine catches, including a career-best seven against Liberty. Aaron Pitts and Dominique Barnes each have five catches the past two weeks.

Palmer Making His Kicks

    Placekicker Brian Palmer has made 14 straight field goals after starting the 2008 campaign 3-of-3. Palmer made two against NDSU (18 and 40 yards) and one versus Central State (23).

    Last year, Palmer was 14-of-15 on field-goal attempts and is 36-of-45 for his career in field-goal attempts (80 percent). He has made 23 of his last 25 kicks and since the start of 2005 is 29-of-33.

    He has made 136-of-145 career extra-point kicks. Both marks rank third in school history. Palmer has scored 244 points in his career, which puts him in third place for most points scored by a YSU kicker.

O-Line Has Played Together

    Through six games this year the Guins have started the same offensive line on five occasions.

    The Penguins’ three seniors have combined to start 76 games - Brad Samsa (32), Tyler Booth (28) and Nhemie Theodore (16). On the right side, tackle Bobby Coates have 10 starts to his credit while guard Eric Rodemoyer has six this year. Sophomore Justin Rechichar started in place of Theodore at SUU to make his first career start.

    YSU had 170 yards rushing at Southern Utah, its third-highest total of the year.

Freshmen Seeing Action

    So far this season four true freshmen have seen action on defense and they could play an increased role on that side of the ball because of injuries.

    Linebacker Deonta Tate, defensive tackle Joe Marshall and defensive ends Stephen Meadows and Mike Williams have all seen playing time. Meadows started at Southern Utah becoming the first true frosh to start on defense since Rohson Simons in 2006. True freshman Marc Kanetsky is the holder on placement kicks.

    Redshirt freshman to see action this season are Patrick Bellish, Andy Colegrove, Paul Corsaro, Kamryn Keys, Josh Lee, Randy Louis, Brad Miller, Josh Myers, David Rach, David Rogers, John Sasson, Greg Sazdanoff, Scott Sentner, Dionte Snow and Joel Younkins.

Injuries Pile Up Fast

    So far this season a total of 15 players have missed at least one game because of an injury. Of that number, 11 are on defense and four are on offense.

    Players who have been ruled out for the season are FB Kyle Banna (knee), DT Luke Matelan (knee), CB Jarvis Richards (knee)and DT Mychal Savage (rotator cuff). All four started at some point this year.

Great Scott

    Junior tailback Jabari Scott did not play at Southern Utah because of an injury he suffered against Liberty. Scott has 304 yards and three touchdowns this season.

    For the first time in his career he has rushed for more than 100 yards in consecutive games. He had 120 against North Dakota State and a 111-yard performance against Central State.

Scott is the only player on the team to score touchdowns in three different seasons. He had three as a true freshman in 2005, five as a redshirt sophomore in 2007 and three this year for a total of 11 scores.

Nowicki a Shining Star

    Junior punter Ben Nowicki averaged 48.4 yards on five punts against Southern Utah. Nowicki’s day featured a career-long 66-yard boot, the longest for the program since Joe Bishop’s 67-yard punt at Pitt in 2005.

    Nowicki is second in the MVFC averaging 43.9 yards per kick. Nowicki currently ranks eighth in the country in average. Last year, he averaged 37.1 yards per kick.

    He has attempted 27 punts, five of which have gone for longer than 50 yards. Of his 74 career punts, only two have been touchbacks.

D-Line A Work in Progress

    A total of nine players have started in the four spots up front, with only junior college newcomer Crispin Fernandez starting all six games. Last season, YSU had eight different starters on the defensive line.

    All-American defensive tackle Mychal Savage along with defensive end Luke Matelan are out for the year because of injuries. Defensive tackle Torrance Nicholson is sidelined at least two more weeks because of a broken foot.

    Against Southern Utah, defensive ends Stephen Meadows and Jaimie Frasure each made their first career starts. Frasure was a reserve fullback last season while Meadows is a true freshman. Meadows is the first true freshman to start on the line since Mychal Savage in 2005.

22 New Starters This Season

    The Penguins had 10 first-time starters in the contest at Ohio State, added to that with seven first-time starters against Central State and tacked on five more at Southern Utah just for good measure.

    Offensive starters for the first time this year are guards Eric Rodemoyer and Justin Rechichar, fullback Kyle Banna, tailback Kamryn Keys, wide receivers Dominique Barnes and Donald Jones and quarterbacks Todd Rowan and Brandon Summers.

    On defense, ends Joel Younkins, Stephen Meadows, Jaimie Frasure and Josh Myers, tackles Crispin Fernandez and Bobby Lykes-Knight, linebackers Na’eem Outler, John Sasson, Mike Barlak and Jordan Edwards along with safeties Brandian Ross, Andre Elliott and Nick Gooden and corner Tyler Griffin have started for the first time.

Samsa Back Where He Started

    Center Brad Samsa should finish his YSU career where it began, playing center. As a redshirt freshman in 2005, Samsa was a back-up to Ryan Jewell at center and started the final game of the year when Jewell went out because of an injury.

    Samsa started 14 games at guard in 2006 and started the first three games of his junior year at that position before starting the final eight at left tackle. Samsa is a two-time all-conference selection earning first-team honors in 2007.

Summers Had Memorable Night

    Junior quarterback Brandon Summers set a school record by completing 32 passes in the loss to Liberty. The previous mark was 31 set by Trenton Lykes against Eastern Michigan in 1987.

    Summers opened the game by completing his first 12 aerials and ended the evening completing 10 of his last 11, two of which went for touchdowns. For the game he completed 82 percent of his passes.

    His yardage (334) ranks fifth while his 12 straight completions is the second-longest streak in YSU history. He had 383 total offensive yards in the game.

Williams Gets Into End Zone

    Ferlando Williams has four touchdown receptions in the past four games and six in his career. Last year he led the team with two scoring grabs.

    Williams, a first-team all-conference pick and the league’s Newcomer of the Year in 2007, seems to provide a lift to the team when he scores. The Guins are 7-2 in games when he scores a touchdown during his 16-game career.

    Also, he has had two touchdown catches in a game twice in his career. Williams is the first Penguin since Renauld Ray (1996-99) to have two multi-touchdown receiving games in a career.

    He has scored 15 career touchdowns.

Keys to Success

    Redshirt freshman Kamryn Keys became the first freshman since Adrian Brown in 1996 (vs. UNI) to rush for 100 yards in a game. Keys had 146 yards on 21 carries and one touchdown against North Dakota State on Sept. 20.

First-Team All-League

    Since 2005, YSU and Southern Illinois have led the way in first-team all-conference selections with 19. YSU had four first-team selections in 2007, 10 in 2006 and five in 2005. SIU had six last year, seven in 2005 and six in 2006. UNI is third with 15 and Illinois State has had 13.

    YSU had a total of 19 first-team selections from 1998 though 2004.

Rush For 100, Can Mean A ‘W’

    The Penguins have won 21 of the last 23 games when a back rushes for over 100 yards. This year, YSU is 2-0 after beating Central State and North Dakota State. The Guins were 2-0 last year when rushing for 100-or-more yards.

FBS Transfers Part Of YSU

    The Penguins have nine former FBS players on the roster. Those are tailback Dana Brown (Iowa), cornerback Tyler Griffin (Eastern Michigan), defensive tackle Bobby Lykes-Knight (Bowling Green), center/guard Brian Mellott (Ohio), safety Gary Pezzuolo (Akron), offensive guard Eric Rodemoyer (West Virginia), quarterback Brandon Summers (Toledo), offensive guard Nhemie Theodore (Minnesota) and cornerback De’Angelo Wilson (Nevada).

    Last Saturday at Southern Utah, five started and eight played.

Numbers of Note

• 125-16-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points in a game.

• 97-6 when rushing for 200-plus yards.

• 112-11 when scoring 28-or-more points.

• 60-5-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing in a game.

• 139-8 when leading entering the fourth.

• 66-3-2 when holding opponents to 10 points-or-less in a game.

Point-Scoring Streaks

• YSU has won its last 48 games when scoring more than 30 points. The last loss came at Central Florida (44-32 in 1998).

• YSU has won its last 36 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 50-8.

• YSU has won nine of its last 14 games decided by a touchdown or less.

Up Next...Southern Illinois

    The Penguins return home to play host to Southern Illinois next Saturday afternoon.