Aug. 10, 2009

Football: Penguins Put on Full Pads As Practice Gets Into Swing

    Youngstown – The Youngstown State football team put on full pads for the first time during fall practice taking part in a warm Monday morning workout at Stambaugh Stadium. The squad spent a productive two hours on the warm Beede Field turf as they continued preparations for the upcoming campaign.

    YSU opened the workout with the first several periods devoted to special teams. Following the special teams work, the squad broke into offensive and defensive units for drills.

    The offensive and defensive lines went toe-to-toe while the receivers and secondary went head-to-head at the other end of the field during the middle of the workout.

    The last 20-plus minutes were spent with the offense going up against the defense in the first live scrimmage situations of the fall.

    YSU worked out in helmets on Thursday and Friday before working out in shells on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's workout marked the first that the entire unit spent on the field together.

    The Penguins return to the gridiron with two practices on Wednesday. YSU works out at 9:50 a.m. followed with a 4:20 workout. The practice sessions heat up starting on Wednesday. YSU will workout six times in the next four days before an off day on Sunday. The Guins are set to hold the first of two fall-camp jersey scrimmages on Saturday at 9:30 a.m.

    The Penguins open the season on Sept. 5 at Pittsburgh. Kickoff at Heinz Field is set for 1 p.m. and will be carried in Youngstown on 570 WKBN.