Posts Tagged ‘Kurt Hess’

Kurt Hess threw two first-half touchdowns, and fellow quarterback Patrick Angle had 158 passing yards and a touchdown as the Red Team beat the White 28-14 in the 40th Annual Red-White Spring Game on Friday evening at Stambaugh Stadium.

The Red offense and White defense were comprised of first-string players, and the Red defense and White offense were the second-stringers. The first half featured standard timing rules, and the second half had a running clock.

Hess finished 11-for-19 for 154 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, and the junior-to-be spent the second half on the sideline. Angle was 7-for-14 for 94 yards in the first half for the White team, and he was 4-for-8 for 61 yards and a touchdown in the second half for the Red.

Angle and White quarterback Dante Nania connected with wide receiver Andrew Williams nine times for 135 yards, which was a game high. Jelani Berassa led Red with 82 yards and was one of four players to catch a touchdown pass. Carson Sharbaugh and Kevin Watts added scores through the air for the Red team, and Nate Adams had a touchdown reception for the White.

Jordan Thompson rushed for a game-high 67 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, and Jamaine Cook had 64 yards on 12 carries for the Red. Torrian Pace headlined the White rushing attack with 51 yards and a score on 12 carries.

Pace impressed offensive coordinator, Shane Montgomery.

“Torrian has had a really good Spring for us”, remarked Montgomery.  ”He is faster than he was last year.  We know we can’t keep Jamaine [Cook] on the field as much as we have the last two seasons.  With Adaris Bellamy recovering, Jordan [Thompson] and Torrian got some good reps, I feel real good about our depth at that position and at tight end.”

Travis Williams had 10 tackles, including seven in the first quarter, for the White defense.  Josh Garner and Jeremy Edwards played pretty well for the White defense.  That trio of defenders will play a big role in the defensive turnaround efforts targeted for this season.

With the running clock, Angle put the game out of reach on the Red team’s first drive of the fourth quarter. He connected with tight end Will Shaw for a 25-yard gain on third-and-19 to get the ball down to the White 22, and he found Watts for a six-yard score on the 13th play of the drive.

Shaw and the other two tight ends combined for 114 yards and two touchdowns on six catches.

Jimmy May, Jr. intercepted Angle in the second quarter for the game’s lone turnover. The Red team fumbled twice but recovered each. Brandon Neal and Julius Childs both had pass breakups for the White defense.

Kicker David Brown missed a field goal.  We already know that Coach Wolford likes the math sounds of seven being greater than three and if the Penguins will have a weakness in the red zone, it will be the kicking game.

The Penguins will have a light workout on Monday to finish up the spring practice season.

The Youngstown State football team had a productive two-hour scrimmage on Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.  Anyone not living under a rock knows that all of the pieces from last season are back on offense this season.  However, a young defense with lots of new faces will continue to thrive and improve.  The defensive unit, unfortunately, is competing against an offense that practically rewrote the record books in 2011.

The Penguins worked on moving-the-ball, red-zone, third-down, four-minute and two-minute situations during the workout, and the offense opened the scrimmage with three consecutive crisp scoring drives.

On the first sequence junior quarterback Kurt Hess engineered a 11-play, 70-yard scoring drive. On the drive, Hess was 5-for-5 while senior tailback Jamaine Cook  (above) ran for 22 yards on five carries. Cook rushed for six yards on a fourth-and-two play from the 33 to extend the drive. Three plays later, Hess connected with Christian Bryan on 17-yard scoring toss.

On the second drive, sophomore quarterback Patrick Angle and junior tailback Torrian Pace went to work. Pace carried the ball four times for 16 yards while Angle was 5-for-5, including a 36-yard strike to tight end Nate Adams. After the defense forced a third-and-goal from the eight, Angle found Jelani Berassa (below) in the back of the end zone for a score capping a 10-play 70-yard march.

Angle led the offense on a 65-yard drive on the following possession. Cook opened the drive with a 25-yard rush while Jordan Thompson followed with carries of five, 18, 13 and three yards. On 3rd-and-4 from the 11-yard line, Angle went to Berassa again for nine yards to pick up a first down. Thompson then found a crack of daylight, scoring from two yards out.

“We are going to start to solidify positions”, said Head Coach Eric Wolford.  ”We are pretty deep into this thing.  I was encouraged by things that I saw on both sides of the football.  Overall, we are getting better and there are still missed tackles and things we need to improve on.  Jeremy Edwards did a very good job on Will Shaw downfield today.  Will can run and Jeremy kept him in check.  It’s just an example of the expectations and that we are getting better on that side of the ball.”

“This is a process”, echoed Defensive Line Coach, Tom Sims.  ”Last season, Andrew Johnson was a leader on defense, but there really was not much leadership from the linebackers and defensive backs, partly because they are so young.  Ultimately, we want competition.  If the ones get hurt, we should not have to worry about a two going in, the one should worry about the two going in and taking the ones spot.”

The defense held on the next series and then Jimmy May intercepted a Dante Nania overthrow to quickly end the fifth drive.

The Penguins ran four-minute situations with both the top and reserve units. The scrimmage was capped off with a two-minute drill. Hess found Bryan again for a 30-yard scoring toss with 31 seconds left on the first try. The defense held the reserve offense out of the end zone when Angle’s desparation pass fell incomplete on the final play of the workout.

Here are some statistics from the first portion of the scrimmage:  PASSING - Hess 7-of-7 for 66 yards and two touchdowns, Angle 6-of-7 for 70 yards and a TD, Nania 3-of-7 for 22 yards and one interception. RUSHING – Thompson 9-81; Cook 8-53; Pace 6-21. RECEIVING – Bryan 3-54, 2 TDs; Berassa 3-23, TD; Andrew Williams 2-22.

YSU returns to the gridiron on Monday for its 12th practice of the spring. Next week the Penguins are slated to hold workouts Monday and Wednesday before Friday’s annual Red-White Spring Game. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium.

With Youngstown State starting Spring football, a good question heading into 2012 would be, ‘Is the “process” that the program has undertaken since Eric Wolford got hired ready?’  Time will tell, but at Saturday’s full-pads practice, Coach Wolford seemed very encouraged by what he saw.

“We told the offense that it was a first-and-ten situation and they had to get four yards, and they didn’t do it.”, said Wolford.  ”I saw some improvement and some good things and as the Spring goes on I expect to see more.”

YSU, the only team to beat reigning FCS Champion, North Dakota State, last season, will feel pressure for this program to win.  For two years, Wolford has explained in depth that in a technologically driven society of ‘now’, where everything seems needed at the very moment it is desired, that this is a process.  Now that Wolford has pieces in place, the process needs to transition into the standard, which Wolford defines as winning championships.

One of the reasons YSU can win championships is the lethal team of Kurt Hess and Shane Montgomery.  Montgomery is an offensive genius, last year’s stats would back that statement.  Hess is just a good person.  We talked for 15 minutes after practice Saturday about the start of Major League Baseball, the NCAA Basketball Tournament, his schoolwork, this website, and many other things.  It is hard not to root for someone like Hess.

“We definitely feel the pressure to win now”, remarked Hess.  ”Jelani [Berassa] and I walked out here on the field this Winter.  We came in at the same time under Coach Heacock, but it never felt like this.  There is electricity on this field of magic and we know we want to bottle it this season.”

The Saturday practice was more of an acclamation to full gear than all-out hitting filled session.  By next Saturday, the team’s first scrimmage, the noise will be easily heard between the whistles.

Youngstown State sophomore quarterback Kurt Hess (above) was selected as the team’s John Delserone Most Valuable Player and Outstanding Offensive Player while senior defensive tackle Andrew Johnson was tabbed the team’s Outstanding Defensive Player for the 2011 season.

Hess (Dayton, Ohio) was a first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection becoming the first quarterback in school history and just the second sophomore in league history to earn the honor. For the season he set the school record for single-season touchdown passes (26), completion percentage (64.5), 200-yard games (eight), touchdown passes in consecutive games (11) and touchdown passes in a game (five vs. Missouri State). Hess had a career-high 187 completions for a career-best 2,468 yards during the campaign.

He is the first Penguin since Brandon Summers in 2008 to earn top offensive player and team MVP in the same season.

Johnson (Detroit, Mich.) was a second-team All-MVFC selection in 2011 and was named the team’s Outstanding Defensive Player and Jermaine Hopkins Defensive Lineman of the Year. led the team with 6.5 sacks and 11.0 tackles for loss. It was the most sacks registered in a regular season since Harry Deligianis had seven in 1997. He finished the year with 39 total tackles, including 27 solo stops. It marks the second straight year that a senior defensive tackle (Torrance Nicholson in 2010) has received both honors.

Junior center Mark Pratt (Tooele, Utah) was a second-team All-MVFC selection in 2011 and was tabbed the team’s Jim Zdelar Offensive Lineman of the Year. Pratt started all 11 games at center in his first year with the program. He was the leader of an offensive line that helped the Guins average a school-record 36.2 points per game and a school-best 458.6 total offensive yards per game.

Sophomore punter Nick Liste (Niles, Ohio) was named the Jeff Wilkins/Paul McFadden Specialist of the Year. Liste averaged 39.8 yards per punt on 53 attempts. Of his 53 attempts, 16 were placed inside the opposition’s 20-yard line while eight went for 50 yards or more.

Senior quarterback Marc Kanetsky (Hubbard, Ohio) was named the recipient of the Dr. Pat Spurgeon Torch Bearer Award and the Four Square Academic Award. Kanetsky was a four-year special teams standout as the team’s holder on placement kicks. He also served as a reserve quarterback and threw touchdown passes as a sophomore and a senior.

Sophomore Torrian Pace (Chantilly, Va.) was selected to receive the Dr. Neal R. Frost Outreach Man of the Year Award. Pace was a reserve tailback and member on special teams for the Penguins in 2011. He has been active on campus as a member of the YSU SAAC the past three years.

Senior tight end David Rogers (Kent, Ohio) was named the Ron Stoops Most Inspirational Player. A fifth-year senior, Rogers wore No. 13 during the season to honor a friend who was killed in Afghanistan. Rogers also returned to be a key contributor following a severe injury in the 2009 season finale at North Dakota State.

Freshman wide receiver Christian Bryan (Irwin, Pa.) was selected as the program’s Newcomer of the Year. Bryan, an honorable-mention All-MVFC pick and member of the conference’s all-newcomer team, led all of FCS freshman with 719 receiving yards in 2011. He was one of 20 finalists for the Jerry Rice Award, which is given to the nation’s top FCS freshman.

Also, for their efforts in the 56-14 Homecoming victory over Western Illinois, the starting offensive line of Andrew Radakovich, Lamar Mady, Pratt, Chris Elkins, and Eric Franklin were the recipients of the YSU Football Alumni Group’s Difference Maker Award.

The Youngstown State football team will open the 2012 season at Pittsburgh on Sept. 1, then have a three-game homestand, featuring contests against two FCS playoff squads, the Athletic Department announced on Monday. YSU also has three consecutive games against teams who reached the postseason this year.

YSU has previously traveled to Heinz Field (above) to play the Panthers in 2005 and 2009 and this will mark the eighth consecutive year that the Penguins have played a BCS-member school. Pitt will be in the second season under Head Coach Todd Graham. In 2011, the Panthers posted a 6-6 mark and were invited to the BBVA Compass Bowl against SMU. They have been accepted into the Atlantic Coast Conference, however, it has not been announced if they will join the league this fall. If they are member of the ACC in 2012, it will be the program’s first meeting against a member of that conference.

Things rev up when Youngstown State returns home to face Valparaiso (above) in the home opener on Sept. 8. It marks the second straight season the Penguins and Valpo will meet in the home opener at Stambaugh Stadium. The Crusaders were much improved in the final month of the season, snapping a nearly three-season losing streak with a win over Campbell and suffering a narrow loss at Davidson in the season finale.

The Penguins play three straight games against 2011 FCS playoff foes beginning with their first-ever meeting against Albany. The co-champions of the Northeast Conference, the Great Danes went 8-4 in 2011 dropping a 31-28 contest in the first round of the playoffs at Stony Brook. Albany led that contest 28-10 in the third quarter. The Great Danes are coached by Bob Ford who has 255 career victories in 39 seasons.

YSU opens its 16th season of Missouri Valley Football Conference action against UNI on Sept. 24 at Stambaugh. The Penguins have lost the past two games to the Panthers by four points each, while four of the last five contests have been decided by a total of 10 points.  While the Penguins get a Saturday off on Sept. 29, the schedule does not lighten up in the coming weeks.

For the second consecutive year, YSU returns to Fargo to face co-league champion North Dakota State on Oct. 6. The Penguins knocked off the then-No. 1 Bison, 27-24, on Nov. 12 at the Fargodome this past season. Of the six all-time meetings, none have been decided by more than eight points.

Youngstown State continues road MVFC play on Oct. 13 at Illinois State. The Redbirds won seven games in 2011, with their lone home defeat coming in double overtime to UNI on the season’s final regular-season Saturday. YSU defeated Illinois State 34-27 early in the conference opener for both school’s in 2011. The home team has won each of the past four meetings.

A return to Youngstown features a contest against Southern Illinois on Oct. 20. The Penguins have beaten the Salukis the past two years and will be going for their first three-game winning streak in the series since the late 1990′s. YSU’s 35-23 win in 2011 was its biggest over SIU since 2002.

The Penguins head back out on the road looking for their first win at South Dakota State since 1974 on Oct. 27. The Jackrabbits have won all four MVFC clashes with the Penguins since they joined the league in 2008. In 2011, YSU led 28-21 before SDSU scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to rally for the victory.

Another first-time foe for the Penguins visits the Ice Castle on Nov. 3 in South Dakota. The Coyotes will be in their inaugural season of play in the MVFC in 2012. USD was 6-5 in 2011 with a win over defending FCS Champion Eastern Washington. South Dakota spent the past four seasons in the Great West Conference while making the transition from a Division II to FCS program.

The final regular-season road showdown of the year is at Western Illinois on Nov. 10. The Penguins have won seven of the last eight meetings with the lone blemish a 40-38 defeat in Macomb in 2009. This past campaign, YSU rolled to a 56-14 win over the Leathernecks to earn its 16th win in the all-time series. It will mark the 28th meeting between the two programs making WIU the second-most played foe in school history behind Akron(35 games).

The final regular-season contest is at Stambaugh Stadium against Indiana State on Nov. 17. The much-improved Sycamores are coming off back-to-back six win seasons for the first time since 1995-96. ISU held on for a 37-35 win over the Penguins this past September after jumping out to a 21-0 lead. They feature Walter Payton Award Finalist and MVFC Offensive Player of the Year Shakir Bell. YSU still leads the all-time series 18-3.

The first-round of the FCS playoffs is set to get underway on Nov. 24. A date for the National Championship Game has yet to be announced.

In 2012 and 2013, the Penguins will not face Missouri State. YSU and the Bears had played every year since 1996.

As always, season tickets for the upcoming season are available now in the Athletic Ticket Office at (330) 941-1978.

2012 Schedule

Sept. 1 at Pittsburgh

Sept. 8 vs. Valparaiso

Sept. 15 vs. Albany

Sept. 22 vs. UNI*

Sept. 29 (IDLE)

Oct. 6 at North Dakota State*

Oct. 13 at Illinois State*

Oct. 20 vs. Southern Illinois*

Oct. 27 at South Dakota State*

Nov. 3 vs. South Dakota*

Nov. 10 at Western Illinois*

Nov. 17 vs. Indiana State*

Nov. 24 FCS Playoffs

*MVFC Contest

Red = Home, Black = Away

Christian Bryan finished 2012, not only establishing himself as the future of Youngstown State football, but also by rewriting anything in the record books that had the word freshman next to it.  Bryan, an undersized receiver, was passed over by larger schools.  The records he broke in 2012 include most yards by a freshman in a game and in a season, most receptions by a freshman in a game and in a season, and the most impressive part about all of these broken records is that his totals are nearly double of what the old marks were.  He seems like a possession-type receiver with good hands, runs good routes, and isn’t afraid to go across the middle.

Paneech: How did you get to Youngstown State?

Bryan: During the recruiting process, I picked out a few schools and Youngstown State was one of them I liked.  Really, they [YSU] were the only ones who made an impression with me and they punched that ticket for me.  Some schools wrote me off because of my size and measurements, but Youngstown State extended themselves, so I committed early.  I had a good host on my recruiting visit, Kurt Hess.

Paneech: Tell me how Kurt [Hess] has helped you this season.

Bryan: I was one of the people that voted for Kurt to be a captain.  When I came in for my visit, I could just tell what kind of a person he was and what kind of teammate he would be.  When I got onto a field with him, his leadership and ability really stood out.  He deserves everything he gets and is on track to lead this program to great things.

Paneech: Are you surprised that you were able to make a quick impact as a freshman?

Bryan: Actually, I was very surprised.  I came in and wanted to prove that I had the right mindset and the right attitude.  Coach Coleman and the other coaches all seem to believe in me.  I feel like I fell into a good role as a possession receiver.  People will look at me and maybe think that I am just small and quick, but I like the role that I have now, I think I fit it perfectly.

Paneech: There were no seniors starting on offense a majority of the year.  What does that say about the great finish you guys put together and the future?  Do the seniors hold their lack of playing time against you?

Bryan: I think it is a sign of great things to come.  We had a great team this year and had a shot to get into the playoffs.  The seniors have been cool about the situation. Ely [Ducatel] was one of the guys when I got here this Summer that pulled me aside and helped me out with the playbook and in the weight room.  He has a great attitude and doesn’t  dislike any of the freshmen.  All of the older guys have been supportive, there is no hatred amongst any of us.

Paneech: How different is the speed of the game at this level compared to high school?

Bryan: There is a big difference, I was really shocked at how much the difference is.  When we lost my final high school game last season, I really started to doubt myself.  I regrouped and pulled everything together, worked really hard to get better, and so far it has been amazing – a dream come true for me.  I was a military kid, so I got used to moving.  Being this far away from Irwin, PA isn’t getting me homesick.  I miss my girlfriend, but I am only an hour and twenty minutes away.

Paneech: How has it been working for receivers coach, Andre Coleman?

Bryan: Awesome, but not easy.  He is very critical sometimes.  When I got here, I thought I ran good routes.  I thought I was pretty good when I got here, but I was nothing compared to where he has got me now.  Little things like rounding out of our breaks, if it is off a hair, he lets you know.  Little things like pressing up and exploding out of your breaks, he sees it all.

Paneech: What is the thing you like most about Youngstown so far?

Bryan: I feel real comfortable here in this environment.  I am around the right people, from my friends, to my teachers, to my coaches.  My coaches are good people in the sense that they really want to make me a better person for my future.  They are always tough on me whether I am doing good or bad.  I try to stay at the same level knowing they are going to push me to do more, to be more.

Paneech: What do you do with your free time?

Bryan: I am around my friends as much as possible, or I am just relaxing in my room.  We have study tables figured into our schedules, so I go there and do my homework.

Paneech: Who was your biggest influence to get into football?

Bryan: My father.  Aside from myself, he is my number one critic.  When I was in first grade, I wanted to be like a GI Joe type of kid.  He threw me into football and has pushed me to be the best that I can ever since.  He was my coach for a couple of years, and we would go at it.  I respect him so much though, and if it wasn’t for him, there is no doubt I would not be here today.

Paneech: If there were three people on the game show Jeopardy – Marc Kanetsky, Coach Wolford, and Coach Montgomery, who would win and why?

Bryan: (laughs) Coach Montgomery would win.  He is a genius.  That guy’s brain is always working on something.  He sees everything all of the time and his mind just never stops working.

One Word Answers

Typical Fast Food Order: Three Junior Bacon Cheeseburgers and Fries from Wendy’s.

Favorite TV Show: Sponge Bob.

Favorite NFL Team: Philadelphia Eagles.

Favorite Player: Desean Jackson.

Dream Place To Play: Penn State.

Favorite Fruit: Pineapple.

Song No One Would Expect On Your ipod? Bagpipe Music.

Biggest Phobia: Spiders.

Worst Habit: Always Playing with My Fingers.

High School Employment: Landscaping and Washing Cars.

Somewhere around 3 p.m., Missouri State scored their second touchdown of the third quarter to cut Youngstown State‘s lead to 27-24.  At the same time, Northern Iowa had just kicked a field goal to force overtime at the end of regulation against Illinois State.  YSU, meanwhile, was trying to take care of business, knowing that if they could not beat Missouri State, something they had not been able to do for the past several seasons, the outcome of any other games would not matter.  The Penguins seemed to have control of the game until they gave up some big plays in the last minute, to fall, 38-34, to Missouri State.

“We got two first downs, but we needed three”, said Kurt Hess.  ”This is rough, it was an emotional game.  It hurts, but I hope that we can learn from it and that it will make the team better.  I don’t think it was a successful season because the goal was to live up to a standard of making the playoffs and winning championships, and we failed to do that.  Pain is pain.  Last year we got used to losing like this every week .  This year we got on a roll and played with more confidence, it is different, but again, pain is pain.”

Early on, the Penguins marched 80 yards in 11 plays to grab a 7-0 lead.  Linebacker-turned-TE, Will Shaw caught a pass from Kurt Hess for a ten-yard score.  The game opening drive took 6:29 and the Penguins established the fact that they were ready to play, no flat start this week.

Trevor Wooden and Missouri State seemed up to the challenge as they retaliated with a 61 yard drive that tok eight plays.  Wooden, who was a force to be reckoned with all day, started his havoc through the air finding Cadarrius Dotson for a 16-yard strike to tie the contest.  The Penguins struck back quick as Hess found Shaw again, this time on a 52-yard hookup with a post pattern.  At the end of the first quarter, Youngstown State led 14-7.

After the Bears got a 29-yard field goal from Austin Wittmer, the ‘Guins went back to work.  A drive that lasted six plays and went 54 yards was punctuated by a Hess-to-Christian Bryan score on an 18 yard play.  With the score, the Penguins went ahead 20-10.  After an interception by Jeremy Edwards set YSU up in Southern Missouri territory again.  The opportunistic Penguins took advantage of the situation and punched another score in just before halftime.  Hess threw his fourth touchdown of the half, this time finding Jelani Berassa for a twelve-yard completion to make it 27-10.

In the second half, Missouri State proved they would not go away without a fight.  Wooden took the game over from his quarterback position and kept running for positive yards, first downs, and eventually two touchdowns (45, 3) to pull the Bears back into the game at 27-24.

At 3:20 p.m., Hess threw his fifth touchdown of the game, a school record for touchdowns in a game, finding Kevin Watts for a five-yard touchdown.  Hess also set a record for touchdowns in a season with 26.  He joined Mark Brungard and Trenton Lykes as the only quarterbacks to throw for more than 2,000 yards in a season, twice. It also marked the 13th time in 22 career starts that Hess had thrown for over 200 yards in a game.  Heckler note:  Sophomore Captain?  Answer:  All day…

At 3:31 p.m., Northern Iowa defeated Illinois State, 23-20 in 2 OT, meaning with a win, Youngstown State had better odds of making the postseason FCS Playoffs.  However, at 3:33 p.m., Missouri State scored a touchdown to shrink the Penguins lead to 34-31 with 6:28 left in the game.

With the Penguins taking over the next possession at their own 31, something Eric Wolford had wanted to see happen all year sort of took place.  The offense set out to finish the game by running the ball, chewing the clock, and ending things.  After two first downs, the Penguins were forced to punt.  Missouri State went to block the punt, narrowly missing, but the return set them up on their own 40.  In two plays, the Bears got to YSU’s 36 with 1:32 to go in the game.  A second-and-one, and a third-and-one, both failed to produce a first down.  On fourth down, Wooden snuck around left end for the first down.

After an incompletion, with :25 left in the game, Wooden found Robert Fields at the two yard line with :18 remaining for a 30-yard completion.  With ten seconds left in the game, Wooden found Dotson on a corner fade, and the Bears stunned everyone with their fourth touchdown of the second half to take a 41-37 lead with ten seconds left.  YSU got the ball back and ran two plays but were unable to score and ultimately fell, thus ending their playoff hopes.

“It was the worst loss I have ever experienced in my football career”, said DL Andrew Johnson.  ”We did not take them lightly, and they didn’t do anything different in the second half.  We should have won, and we should be in the playoffs right now.  It was not a successful season because we did not accomplish our goals.”

Eric Wolford (above), in his second season with the Penguins, had plenty to say after the game.

“We did not deserve to win this game today.  We committed several foolish penalties and our kickoff and punt coverages were atrocious.”

“It’s tough for the seniors to go out like this”, said Wolford.  ”A lot of them [the seniors] really didn’t even play that much, but they were always supporting whoever was playing. We have grown to some extent.  We need more consistency.  The games we have lost, we are losing by what – three, four points.  We are in the games and are competitive, now we have to be able to handle the pressure at crunch time.”

Give Wolford and these players credit.  Some wrote them off five weeks ago when they sat at 2-3.  To pretty much control your own destiny after defeating the #1 ranked team says a lot about a couple of things Wolford has stressed – character and dealing with adversity.  Congratulations Penguins on a very exciting season.  Good luck seniors in whatever path life may take you.

Missouri State has owned Youngstown State the last few seasons.  The Bears have given coaches and players fits even putting up some double-digit wins along the way. This year, Missouri State is much in the same position that Youngstown State was in last season – close but no cigar.  Last week, they lost 28-20 to Indiana State, the week before they fell to South Dakota State 43-36 in 2 OT, etc.  Sound familiar?  It should to Youngstown State fans.

Coach Eric Wolford knows that the Bears have enough talent not to be overlooked. He also thinks that if his Penguins can get by the Bears this Saturday that they should be in the playoffs.

“We are a playoff team,” claimed Wolford.  ”We are ranked 15th in a BCS-like formula and history has shown that the top so many in that poll always seem to get in despite where they are in the other polls.  We are playing as well as anybody right now, we are a good football team.  We have quality wins and we deserve to be in the playoffs. With that said, our focus is squarely on Missouri State because if we don’t win, none of the scenarios matter, our season will end.”

Missouri State Senior, Travis Simmons, knows that he and his Bears are in a position to disrupt Youngstown State’s huge momentous surge.

“This is definitely our last game and we know that we have nothing to lose.  It has been very frustrating the way we have lost all of the close games this season, we just can’t seem to pull them out.  We have won the last few times against Youngstown State, but there is no mental edge for us.  Hopefully our coaches can find some tendencies as they continue to break down films.”

YSU quarterback Kurt Hess is excited about the chance to get to the next level, but knows the Penguins need to focus on the task at hand.

“Last year’s game against them was not one of my favorites, they controlled the game. They are a very talented team and seem to be stuck where we were last year, just unable to get over the top.  We feel as though we have played really well in the last five games, we are a hot team right now.  We are in a good position and I like the opportunity.”

On Senior Day, Wolford has exclaimed that the community needs to come out in full force and give the Penguins support.  He also said that the seniors on this years team will be honored before the kickoff, but that there would be no honorary senior starts. The seniors who will be playing in their last, at least, regular season game are Andre Barboza, Ely Ducatel, Josh Lee (above), David Rogers, Deionte Williams, Daniel Stewart, Marc Kanetsky, Scott Sentner, Andrew Johnson, John Sasson, Pat White, Nate Schkurko, and Obinna Ekweremuba.

So much is at stake for Youngstown State.  The casual fan gets the sense that Wolford’s promises have started to turn into reality in a very short period of time.  He knew the talent was there, never made excuses when the Penguins lost, and with a playoff slot within their reach, expect this team to come out fired up.

“Defensivily, they [Missouri State] they do not want you to be able to run the football. They use some plus one in the box and try to outnumber you, force you to make some plays.  Offensively, they run a spread offense where the quarterback will hand it off or keep it, something similar to what we do, a zone read.  The quarterback will have to be accounted for all of the time.”

Kickoff for the game is set for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.  Come out and cheer on your Penguins in the first meaningful season-ending game at Stambaugh Stadium in years.

At first glance, the above picture would not say much.  Some photographers would even say it is a wasted shot and delete it.  The fascinating things going on in the above picture are guys in red uniforms knocking around guys in white uniforms.  If you look to the left, you can see D J Main (#77) knocking his guy out of the picture with the ball ten yards away.  Look to the right and see Mark Pratt (#76) and Lamar Mady (#55) going for more after knocking a would-be tackler on the seat of his pants.  Look at the middle, David Rogers (#13) seems to have made his block.

If you asked Kurt Hess and/or Jamaine Cook why the Penguins offense is so successful, I would bet that neither of them would go beyond the first sentence without crediting this offensive line.  In fact, they both already have several times at press conferences, and with good reason.  With the Penguins averaging about 35 points per game, Penguins offensive line coach, Carmen Bricillo, deserves as much credit as offensive coordinator, Shane Montgomery.

The big guys are getting it done in games that many did not think that they could. Heading into last week’s North Dakota State game, all you heard about was the size of the Bison defensive line and that they had a top-rated defense.  When the two balls collided and the smoke cleared, a good defense was defeated by a better offense. Against the immovable object, YSU scored the most points (27) and had the most total yards (476) against the stingy defense of the Bison, more than any other opponent.

So here is some ink for the hogs – a pat on the back for a group of guys who Coach Eric Wolford says ‘eats way too much and lifts a lot of weights’.  Above photo, L to R, Andrew Radakovich (72),  Mady (55), Pratt (76), Chris Elkins (66), and Eric Franklin (75). Three tight ends have made significant contributions this season, especially with their blocking.  David Rogers, Will Shaw, and Carson Sharbaugh, are very much worth mentioning when giving credit to the non-glory seeking and under-recognized blocking Penguins.

It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that an offensive line will make or break what happens when they have the ball.  Oh, and did I mention that none of the linemen, or their backups are graduating?  They will all be back next season.  Elkins and Pratt have both been named Missouri Valley Football Conference Lineman of The Week this season too.

Coach Wolford has said in the past that during the week he likes to get the car shined up and take it for a ride on Saturday.  Good to know the the tires on the car, the Penguins offensive linemen, are all-weather radials with a lot of tread left.

Youngstown State sophomore quarterback Kurt Hess (Dayton, Ohio) was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week while junior placekicker David Brown (Ojai, Calif.) was tabbed the Special Teams Player of the Week, the league announced on Sunday.

Hess completed 20-of-24 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another in the Penguins upset win over No. 1 ranked North Dakota State. Hess threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jelani Berassa in the second quarter before his one-yard score with 17 seconds left before the end of the first half pulled YSU within 21-17 at the break. In the second half, he threw a 10-yard scoring toss to Jamaine Cook to give YSU a 24-21 lead.

It was the second weekly honor for Hess this year who was named the league’s Offensive Player of the Week following wins over Illinois State.

Brown had a career-high two field goals made, including the game winner as the Penguins upset top-ranked North Dakota State. Brown made a 33-yard field goal in the first quarter and drilled a 30-yard kick in the third quarter which put YSU on top 27-24. That second field goal proved to be the difference in the game. Brown also made all three of his extra-point tries in the Fargodome.

South Dakota State cornerback Winston Wright was named the Defensive Player of the Week while Southern Illinois running back Jewel Hampton was named the Newcomer of the Week.

The Penguins close out the regular season on Saturday when they play host to Missouri State. Kickoff at Stambaugh Stadium is set for 1 p.m.