Youngstown State (0-1) welcomes Valparaiso (0-1) to The Ice Castle for its home opener Saturday.  Kickoff for the game is set for 4 p.m. and the Penguins have to know that, going in,  this is a total reversal of last weeks visit to East Lansing, Michigan to face the #17 ranked Spartans of Michigan State.  Valparaiso will visit the Penguins as the team that nobody will pick to win and YSU has to prove they are the confident team that easily rolls through the opponent when expected to.

“Monday, after the loss, we were a little bit down at practice and that was a good thing”, remarked YSU head coach Eric Wolford.  “Last year, we played ok for 14 minutes, but had pep in our step the following Monday because the expectations were lower.  We feel like we let one get away and that was a good sign at practice.”

Valparaiso throws the ball.  In a 49-35 loss to Franklin last week, the Crusaders chucked it up 42 times and had 394 yards through the air en route to their best offensive output since 2008.  The bad news for Valpo was that Franklin amassed 669 total yards.  Valparaiso held a 28-14 lead in that game before giving up 35 of the last 42 points scored.

Wolford went on to say, “We are going to shine the car up the rest of the week and take it for a drive on Saturday.”

Last week’s Defensive Player of The Game for YSU, Jeremey Edwards, expressed how important it is to stay focused this week. “There were some things we did wrong last week and we should have won that game.  I made two mistakes that cost us and take responsibility for them.  We are fixing those things and want to come out strong this week.  I am very confident and always try to be number one, this team is striving to be number one.  It was a very intense week at practice and everyone was very focused.”

Valparaiso, members of the Pioneer League, has never faced Youngstown State on a football field before.  They will be playing with nothing to lose besides a 21-game winless streak.  Last season, Valpo actually lost a game 86-7 to Jacksonville.  Second-year coach, Dale Carlson, is in his 23rd season and holds an overall record of 110-115-3, but is 0-12 with the Crusaders job.

Look for the offense to get on track this week.  Expect big days from Kurt Hess, any combination of receivers and Jamaine Cook and Jordan Thompson, a couple of running backs, to grab a ‘c-note’ each.  If YSU wins by less than 30, I feel it would be a disappointment, nothing against Valpo, it’s just the Penguins are oozing with that much talent this season.

“We’re not there yet.  We still have a lot of room for improvement and some people think we are getting closer.  This group is very talented and has a chance to win, I can’t guarantee instant success, but I think the future looks very bright because of the combination we have here of a youth movement and upperclassmen leadership”, said Wolford.