Aug. 18, 2009

Football: Offensive Unit Returns Plenty of Skill Players Entering 2009 Campaign

    Youngstown -- For just the second time since 1990, the Penguins had more passing yards than rushing in 2008. The difference wasn’t much - 50.7 percent to 49.3 - but it has not happened often in the past 19 seasons.

    The Guins scored 28 or more points in seven of the final 10 games after taking some time to get used to the spread offense and a new quarterback. YSU scored more than 30 points in the final three games.

    A major question last year, the quarterback position will be a strength with the return of senior Brandon Summers. Summers took over the starting duties after the Penguins lost the first two games last year and righted the ship immediately.

    He guided the Guins to wins over Central State and then No. 2-ranked North Dakota State. The next week he set a school record for completions with 32 while throwing for 334 yards and three touchdowns in a final-play loss to Liberty.

    Then Summers was hurt at Southern Utah and missed the following two games. But in the final four weeks of the year, he showed amazing potential.

    In the final four contests, Summers completed 61 passes for 864 yards with 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Highlighting those numbers was a 347-yard, school-record-tying four-touchdown performance at Illinois State.

    For the year, he was 122-of-195 for 1,540 yards with 18 touchdown passes and just seven interceptions. His 62.6 completion percentage set a school mark as did his 152.18 passing efficiency. He became the first Penguin to throw 18 touchdowns in a regular season since Ron Jaworski (1972).

While Summers was out, true freshmen Dailyn Campbell and Marc Kanetsky got thrown into the fire.

    Campbell showed a bruising running style when he was inserted into the lineup at Missouri State. He started against Southern Illinois. Campbell had 53 yards rushing on 22 carries while completing 32-of-51 passes for 224 yards and a score. Kanetsky saw action versus SIU and is team’s holder on placement kicks.

    Freshmen Kurt Hess and Gannon Hulea get set to join the program this fall. Hess has good size at 6-2, 225, and ran the spread in high school. He threw for more than 1,800 yards during his senior campaign. Hulea, from nearby Poland, was a dual-threat QB passing for more than 1,000 yards while rushing for over 400.

    The tailback and fullback spots saw some changes last year in the spread attack, and, entering this year there is a great abundance of numbers and talent.

    A thin area last year the fullback spot, has some solid numbers and size this year. Kyle Banna was at the top of the depth chart before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Liberty. He returns in 2009 and YSU returns redshirt freshman Gary Thornton.

    Joining the program to contribute are Dan Banna and talented freshman Rob Stupar. Banna missed his senior season after suffering a knee injury in fall camp, but returned to be an all-state baseball selection in the spring. Stupar, whose brother is a linebacker at Penn State, had 451 yards on 63 carries last year and had a big show at the Big 33 Ohio-Pennsylvania All-Star Game.

    The tailback position is deep beginning with the senior trio of Jabari Scott, Dana Brown and Kevin Smith.

    Scott started the year strong with 427 yards on 78 carries in the first seven games. But an injury limited him to just four offensive snaps in the final five games. For his career he has 1,061 yards.

    Brown came on strong at the end of the year and finished his first season with the program with 259 yards on 73 attempts.

    Smith, who was named to the conference’s all-newcomer team in 2007, sat out last year with a hamstring injury. In 2007, he rushed for 524 yards on a team-high 123 carries and scored five touchdowns.

    Two highly-sought after all-state selections in freshmen Jamaine Cook and Torrain Pace have joined the program. Cook had 1,500 yards and scored 23 TDs his senior campaign while Pace had a huge year rushing for 2,700 yards and scoring 33 touchdowns while being named first-team all-state.

    In fall camp, Ball State running back James Cravens joined the program. Cravens redshirted last year for the Cardinals after rushing for more than 1,200 yards as senior in high school.

    Like the tailbacks, the wide receivers return a lot of numbers. This spot’s growing importance in the spread showed last year as three players caught 30-or-more passes.

    Junior Dominique Barnes led the team in receptions last season while senior Donald Jones was the team leader in yards and touchdowns. Barnes and Jones combined for 69 receptions, 878 yards and 10 touchdowns. Jones finished with seven touchdown receptions, the most by a Penguin in the regular season since 1998.

    Jones and Barnes also became the first tandem of receivers to each have 100 yards in a game since 1987. Both finished with more than 100 at Illinois State in November.

    Two players who will see increased action are senior Aaron Pitts and sophomore Josh Lee. Pitts caught nine passes for 101 yards while Lee bounced back and forth between receiver and tailback. He caught one pass and had 13 carries for 118 yards.

    Others who will be counted on to step in are Ely Ducatel, who missed the season with a knee injury, Dionte Snow, who played primarily on special teams and Paris Wicks Jr. who has moved over from tailback. Freshman Jelani Berassa joins the program this fall from Miami.

    The offensive line loses three starters with the departures of Brad Samsa, Tyler Booth and Nhemie Theodore.
    Starters returning from last year are Eric Rodemoyer (10 games), Bobby Coates (nine), Justin Rechichar (five) and Greg Sazdanoff (one).

    Rodemoyer started eight games at right guard and two at right tackle after transferring from West Virginia. Coates started nine at right tackle, Rechichar started twice at guard and the final three games at center.

    Senior Brian Mellott started nine games in 2007 on the line and should step in at guard in 2009. He rotated between tight end and the line on occasion last year.

    The positions up front are still to be determined. There is a good group of players with experience, but a drop exists beyond that group. However, Mellott is the only senior and could move into the center spot.

    The group of redshirts from 2008 include Bill Dugan, Andy Kowicki and D.J. Main. Other returning players who saw action are Rob Fernback, Tyler Figueroa and Kyle Brown. Chris Gammon, who has played on both the offensive and defensive lines at YSU, is back on offense and could start at tackle.

    Freshman Brandon White brings great size at 6-5, 310 pounds as well as Penn State transfer Andrew Radakovich.

    The tight end spot will see a big change. Veteran Derrick Bush is gone after starting for four seasons, and the returnees on the squad at the position are Andy Colegrove and David Rogers. Rogers moved to tight end after joining the program as a quarterback. Colegrove saw snaps when Bush missed time with an injury but was primarily a blocker.

    Joining the program is a talented freshmen in Carson Sharbaugh. At 6-5, Sharbaugh will provide a big target immediately for the offense. Kyle Sirl, who was originally on the defensive line to start the fall, is now playing tight end.