Posts Tagged ‘Brandian Ross’

Dominque Barnes has signed a free agent contract with the Detroit Lions.  The former Youngstown State Wide Receiver grew up in Michigan and will surely flourish in a system needing offense.  Barnes always told me he was going to get to the next level, no matter what, so congratulations Dominique Barnes, you made it!

In his career at Youngstown State, Barnes caught 168 passes for 2,062 yards and 15 touchdowns in 40 games played. His 168 receptions rank second in school history, his 15 touchdowns are fifth and his 2,062 yards are fifth as well.  Barnes set a school record with a reception in 34 consecutive games and became first player in school history to record more than 60 catches in consecutive years.

Ironically, Barnes could someday go against new divisional foe, and college teammate Brandian Ross, who is signed with Green Bay as a cornerback.  “Brandian and I are very close and I am really happy for him too.  He has been my biggest supporter.”

He also joins his friend Donald Jones in the NFL.  Jones, who signed with the Buffalo Bills last season, was someone that Barnes credited many times as being a great influence.  “Donald told me to be patient and good things will happen.”

Barnes has some studying to do as he already received a nice thick Lions playbook, but have faith, he is not only quick with his feet, he is also a quick learner.  Move over Barry Sanders, the little guy is loose in Motown!

“It’s a dream come true”, said Barnes via telephone.  “I have been living with this dream since I first started playing football.”

Former Youngstown State cornerback Brandian Ross (Richmond, Va.) has signed as an undrafted free agent with the World Champion Green Bay Packers. Ross is the first YSU defensive player to sign with an NFL franchise as an undrafted free agent since Russell Stuvaints in 2003.

Ross, a second-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection in 2010, played in 45 games during his YSU career, starting in 33 of his final 34 games. He had 223 total tackles, seven interceptions, three fumble recorveries and two forced fumbles in his career from 2007-10. During his career, he played both safety and cornerback as well as seeing action on special-teams coverage units.

In 2010, he was credited with 60 total tackles, including 40 solo stops. He also had a team-high three interceptions. In 2009, He moved to cornerback from safety during the campaign because of injuries. For the year, he had 47 total tackles and two interceptions. In 2008, Ross was an honorable-mention all-conference selection. In 12 games, he posted a team-high 98 tackles. As a freshman in 2007, he finished with 18 tackles while appearing in every game on special teams and as a reserve in the secondary.

A four-year letterwinner, the 22-year-old Ross was a team captain during his senior season in 2010 and never redshirted.

The only other known Penguin to sign with the Packlers was defensive tackle Harry Deligianis.

Saturday was the end for some young men and women.  It was the last football game that the seniors would participate in.  It was the last football game to cheer, twirl, march, or dance for.  This was a good group of seniors that played football.  A 3-8 record is not something to pattern a life after, but as Coach Wolford said, “It will be the way that these young men handle real life situations in the face of adversity that will define the people that they have become.”  On that note, this group was undefeated.  Here are a few pictures from that last day to remember what a life-changing event the last game is.

  

 

Congratulations on all of your achievements as athletes, cheerleaders, musicians, and scholars.  Best wishes on a productive and healthy future, and keep Tweeting!

Youngstown State University and Indiana State University entered Saturday’s game with no shot at a playoff berth or a conference championship.  This game was simply a way to play out the string and look to next year, a test of pride.  For the Senior Class, this was it, the last game and last chance to shine as a Penguin.  The young Penguins proved truth to the old adage that you cannot play to the level of your competition for 59 minutes every week.  In a game that YSU should have won on paper, playing to the level of their competition again hurt the home team, as the Penguins fell, 30-24.

The Penguins jumped out to the early 7-0 lead two-and-a-half minutes into the contest.  Adaris Bellamy capped off a six-play drive with a one-yard scamper.  The lead was short-lived as Indiana State responded.  Ronnie Fouch found Alex Jones for a 68-yard score, and just like that (two plays), the Sycamores had a chance to tie the game.  The Penguins were whistled for a penalty on the extra point enticing ISU to go for a two-point try.  The attempt was successful as Darrius Gates converted on the run to give the Sycamores an 8-7 lead.

Indiana State would extend their lead to 15-7 with 6:45 to go in the opening period as Fouch kept the hot hand and found Bryant Kent for a 50-yard hookup.  The Sycamore drive covered 66 yards in 3:25.  The Penguins would respond when Jamaine Cook found the end zone on a 5-yard rush.  The Stephen Blose extra point was good and the Penguins only trailed by one.

With 7:27 left in the half, YSU claimed the lead when Stephen Blose nailed a 19-yard field goal to cap off a 10 play 46 yard drive . Fouch and Bryant again connected, this time on a scoring strike covering 11 yards.  Indiana State showed some poise controlling the ball for 5:34 on a drive that took 11 plays and covered 67 yards.

Youngstown State got the ball back with a 1:45 left in the first half.  Kurt Hess tried hard to maneuver the Penguins into at least field goal range but was picked off by C.J. Cook (below).  The Penguins were able to keep the Sycamores off of the scoreboard and the half came to a close with the Sycamores ahead of the Penguins, 23-17.  Fouch had a great first half for Indiana State completing 11-15 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns.

On their first possession of the second half, the Sycamores pushed their lead to 30-17.  Jones was the recipient of an 8-yard pass from Fouch capping off a 4 four play, 52 yard drive.

The Penguins showed some resolve as they marched 81 yards in 13 plays to cut the lead to 30-24.  Bellamy jaunted in for his second 1-yard touchdown run of the day and Dominique Barnes had a few touches within the drive to keep things rolling.  Brandian Ross came up big with an interception to give YSU the ball back on their own 47-yard line.  The Penguins would not convert the turnover into any points.

The Penguins defense held tough and the offense got the ball back on their own 12 with 8:56 left in the game.  On the drive, Dominique Barnes threw a pass on a reverse finding Ely Ducatel for a sizable gain.  The Paneech.com player of the year was doing a little bit of everything in this one.  On a fourth-and-four, YSU went for it, but came up empty giving the Sycamores the ball back with 5:20 to go in the game.

YSU would get one last crack gaining possession at their own 21-yard line with 2:19 left in the game and no timeouts left.  Hess and Barnes hooked up for a couple of key completions covering about thirty yards.  From the Indiana State 31, and facing a fourth down and 14 to go, Hess scrambled for a first down.   With nine seconds left in the game, YSU had the ball down to the Indiana State 11-yard line. On the first shot, Hess looked for Barnes, but it was broken up in the end zone.  On the final play of the game, Hess, threw to the middle again, but overshot Barnes and Indiana State held on for a 30-24 win.

For YSU, Hess finished the game 12-27 for 191 yards and was picked off four times.  Dominique Barnes had 10 catches for 132 yards and one pass for 50 yards.  Bellamy and Cook combined for 39 carries for 155 yards.  For Indiana State, Fouch was 16-23 for 290 yards and four touchdowns.  Gates had 16 carries for 75 yards and a pair of scores for the Sycamores.

After the game, a dejected Eric Wolford addressed the media.  “As bad as we played we had an opportunity, that part is exciting.  We have to find a way to make a play when your number is called.  Give respect to Indiana State, they have developed their players and a pretty good quarterback.  Those kids (seniors) are heartbroken.  They will be successful and able to handle adversity, I can guarantee you they learned those lessons this year.  We are in it together.  We have some work to do.  We just don’t match up well and have to get caught up with the rest of the league.”

Dominique Barnes talked about the end of his career.  “I think the future is bright.  Youngstown will make noise next year in the conference.  I take my hat off to Wolford and his staff, they have things headed in the right direction.  I cannot be happy about the result of this game or this season, there is a lot of emotion going through me right now.”  Barnes and the other seniors deserve praise for smoothly escorting in the Wolford era and having to undergo so many changes.

The Penguins finish the year at 3-8, and 1-7 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Favorite Penguin. Not an easy choice with Ross, Blose, Elliott, and Rodemoyer in the category.  This was a great bunch of seniors, but one is a future YSU Hall of Famer, one has his name etched in the record books, one scored a touchdown against a 1-A opponent on a bubble screen.  Perhaps the biggest reason why Dominique Barnes is the Paneech.com Player of The  Year is because he would trade those last three achievements in for a shot at the playoffs and a better ending for his team.  Barnes is humble, still somewhat shy, and is a huge-hearted person.  Youngstown State will lose a great wide receiver, but more importantly, a great leader, the kind who led by example both on and off of the field.

Paneech: What is it going to feel like when this all ends?

Barnes: It still hasn’t hit me.  I have played in every game here since I got here in 2007.  It’s probably going to hit me after the game Saturday, it’s going to be emotional.  I just hope we can go out with a win.  When I got here as a freshman, I was immature and young, not really sure what I was doing.

Paneech: Who was influential to you here and helped you?

Barnes: The old coaching staff taught me how to grow up, how to mature.  Playing with Donald Jones for two years taught me a lot, and I still talk to him.

Paneech: What’s next?  What will you do after football?  You have looked forward to next year since fourth grade knowing for sure there would be a next year, so where can you go from here?

Barnes: Who knows.  Hopefully I can get a shot at the next level.  I’m here and my mom wants me to graduate, and I really want to graduate from here.  I only have a few classes left, not too much longer.  I’m pretty sure that me, Brandian [Ross], Andre Elliott, Ely [Ducatel], Deonte Snow, a lot of us came in together and formed solid friendships.  It’s going to be tough not playing with those guys anymore.  I’m sure we are going to keep in contact in the future.  I’m still gonna come and see games, I still have friends who will be back next season.  I think next year, we are going to be really good, I’ll be excited.

Paneech: This team was upset about being picked seventh in the preseason polls.  The record does not indicate what kind of year YSU had and it has to leave a sour taste to come so close so many times.

Barnes: It hurts, any loss leaves a sour taste in your mouth.  Our record could be very different based on four or five plays.  We could be 8-2 and getting ready for a playoff game.  It really hurts with all of the time that the seniors put in here and this being the end.  We came into the season with a new coaching staff and it is what it is, but it will always hurt.

Paneech: What was it like adjusting to a new coach and new staff?

Barnes: I won’t lie, it was hard.  They came here in the Spring and we had our differences with the coaching staff.  I was so used to Coach Heacock and his staff because that is who brought me here and that is who I grew up with.  I think I adjusted well and had a pretty good year.

Paneech: What is your proudest achievement here?

Barnes: Well, Youngstown State is a known school across the country.  The fact that I played in every game and when I leave here, people will remember my name, they will remember who Dominique Barnes was.  I was fortunate to break a consecutive games reception record and my name is in the top five on a few other lists too.  Don’t get me wrong, all of the records and history-making stuff is good, but I would trade it all for winning.

Paneech: This is an active group on Twitter.  Are you going to keep Tweeting?

Barnes: When you are winning and everybody loves you, it’s easy to tweet, tweet, tweet.  I’ll make sure I go on Twitter when this story goes up so I can re-tweet it to my followers.

Paneech: I thought Coach Wolford showed a lot of class when he said he would make sure that this graduating class would get a ring when the Penguins win a championship.

Barnes: It’s a great honor.  I wish we could have earned it ourselves.  Once you play at Youngstown State, you are always a Penguin, and thats a great honor.  We are all going to thank him for that and I think within a few years that it is going to happen.

Paneech: Reflect on scoring a touchdown against Penn State, what was going through your mind as you were running down the sideline?

Barnes:  Don’t get caught, don’t get caught! I seen Coach Wolford on my left as I ran by and I kept thinking about not getting caught.  I looked back a few times and thought that if I did get caught how everyone back home would harass me about it, but I made it.

Yes, you did make it. Congratulations on a great career and best wishes for a productive and healthy future Dominique!

One Word Answers

Favorite Cartoon Character: Superman.

Favorite Meal: McChicken, Fries, and a Sweet Tea at McDonald’s.

Worst Class You Took: Accounting.

Best Class You Took: Public Relations, taking it now.

Favorite Halloween Costume As A Kid: Football Player.

Favorite NFL Player of All-Time: Donald Jones.

Other Colleges You Watch: Michigan and Michigan State.

A Coach You Would Love To Play For: (laughs) Whoever is throwing the ball 45 times a game, like Boise State.

Cell Phone Choice: iphone and A T & T.

Favorite ESPN Anchor: Chris Berman.

If you analyzed the turnover that first-year coach Eric Wolford had to deal with in his inaugural season, you probably would scratch your head trying to figure out how Youngstown State was even in so many close games.  Saturday, the Penguins dropped another heartbreaker, 41-39, to Illinois State.  The loss dropped the Penguins to 3-7 overall, and 1-6 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

The NCAA standard for scholarships to award for a football program sits at 63.  Youngstown State is only using 53 due in part to some of the fallout of a new program.  People quit when they do not buy in to something new.  Wolford is a hard-nosed coach who wants his team to be on the same page.  Some of the returning scholarship players from last season’s Jon Heacock era did not buy in to what Wolford was selling and left seeking greener pastures.  The result of this process is a group of talented seniors who are surrounded by youth and inexperience.

The best example would be the defensive secondary.  The loss of Andre Elliott has crippled the Penguins defense, period.  One guy does not make a team, but his senior counterpart, Brandian Ross, just can’t do everything else while the new guys learn as fast as they can.  Coach Ron Stoops recently discussed the blowing of late leads and how inexperience can contribute to such patterns.  We discussed Donald D’Alesio, the talented Cardinal Mooney recruit who earned playing time.  “Donald is good and has the talent, but he hasn’t even had a year to adapt to the speed difference at this level, has not had a full year of weight training which will help him down the road.”  D’Alesio, Will Shaw, and Randy Louis tried to do as much as they could to keep opposing teams out of the end zones late in games.  Since the loss of Elliott, the Penguins are winless.

My praise goes to Defensive Coordinator Rick Kravitz, as well as Stoops, for working with what they have to come so close.  In Saturday’s loss, this defense actually kept the Penguins in the game allowing the offense to score a couple of times before yielding the big play at the end of the game again.  In this situation, Kravitz has tried many different things.  He has blitzed and gotten burned, he has sat in a prevent, like he did yesterday setting up a pair of defenders 25 yards off of the ball, he has disguised blitz and dropped back into coverage, he has disguised coverage only and blitzed…  bottom line is Kravitz is relying on mostly inexperienced players to make big plays at a new level, and it hasn’t worked yet.  He has no alternative, and I am sure it drives him crazy, as much as it baffles Wolford.

“We got closer, there was only point seven seconds left this time.  Usually we let it get away with 53 seconds or so”, commented Wolford after the game.

The critics are running their mouths about how the coaches are losing games.  Coaches do not lose games, despite Wolford always taking the heat with every loss to keep the negativity off of his players.  You can put guys in position to make plays all day long.  If no one makes a play or steps up in these crucial situations, it can’t be pinned on the coaches.  The players are giving their all, some have just never been in these situations at a higher level.  It is unfortunate, especially for the seniors.  In yet another classy gesture, Wolford has exclaimed then when this team wins a championship (and they will within the next three years), he will make sure that this year’s senior class receives rings for their contributions into the new program.

This coming Saturday marks the end for Dominique Barnes, Brandian Ross, Stephen Blose, Eric Rodemoyer, Andre Elliott, Nick Gooden, Bob Gratz, Erik Johnson, Kyle Banna, Jaimie Frasure, Rob Fernbeck, Luke Matelan, Torrance Nicholson, Brad Miller, Bobby Coates, Kyle Brown, Chris Gammon, and Tyler Figueroa.  This senior class did all they could to win, the situation with the turnover in roster hampered their chances. 

Plan on showing up to honor these seniors Saturday as they take the field one last time as Youngstown State Penguins, they are a great bunch of young men who stuck things out when they doubted where the program was headed and came out better people for it.

Kickoff against Indiana State is at 1 p.m. and the seniors will be honored. 

Youngstown State University currently stands at 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.  However, this predominantly young group of Penguins could well be 6-1 and undefeated in the conference.  There are about ten total minutes of game time (all in the second half) that have doomed YSU this season.  South Dakota State (2-4, 2-2) will host the Penguins for a 3 p.m. kickoff this Saturday. 

The two teams seem to be headed in different directions, find their strengths in different halves, and YSU Coach Eric Wolford calls the 2010 Jackrabbits, “the best team I have seen on film this season.”  SDSU had a rocky start to the season with four consecutive losses.  One of those losses was to Nebraska.  Since the 0-4 start the Jackrabbits have racked up victories against Southern Illinois (in Carbondale) by a score of 31-10, and the week before beat Western Illinois 33-29.

South Dakota State holds a 6-5 advantage in the head-to-head matchups against YSU.  Last season the teams did battle in Youngstown with the Jackrabbits pulling off the win, 17-3.  South Dakota State also lashed the Penguins 40-7 in 2008 at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium in Brookings, SD.  The Penguins are 0-3 on the road this season but have not had trouble scoring.  Last week in the loss at Western Illinois, Youngstown State tied the school record with 32 first downs and put up more than 500 yards of total offense for the second time this season.

In order for Youngstown State to have a shot at winning this road game, they must stop Kyle Minett (above).  Minett entered the 2010 season with 3,069 career rushing yards.  Last season he rushed for 1,304 yards and scored 16 TD’s.  Sophomore Thomas O’Brien has 12 starts under his belt.  South Dakota State is undefeated when O’Brien does not get picked off (5-0).  Tyrel Kool has been the favorite target of O’Brien through the air.  Expect Minett to get about 30 carries.  If Youngstown State’s run defense can shut him down, the Jackrabbits may be forced to pass. 

Defensively, Corey Jeske and Derek Domino are the two biggest impact players.  Domino is a 6-3, 225 lb. linebacker that gets downhill fast for someone his size.  Jeske is a 6-0 strong safety who finished the Western Illinois game with 17 tackles.

Offensively, Youngstown State needs to stick to their gameplan, it has been working all season.  In the conference games the Penguins have averaged over 30 points per game but have lost three of them.  The rotation of running backs that was three seems to be down to two.  Jamaine Cook leads the team in rushing with 781 yards on 133 carries.  Adaris Bellamy is coming off of a three touchdown performance.  Dominique Barnes needs one catch to become the Youngstown State all-time leader for consecutive games with a catch (31).  Teams know Barnes will get the ball sooner or later and when he does, anything can happen. 

The achiles heel for YSU has been finishing.  It can’t all be put on the defense because the offense has ended the last couple of games failing conversions.  However, Rick Kravitz has had some really bad luck the last three weeks.  Blitzing and getting burned, sitting back a bit and getting run through, and failing to stop virtually anyone with less than two minutes to go in a game, the Penguins need to treat closing situations with kid gloves.  This defense is loaded with talent.  Brandian Ross is one of the best to ever play in the defensive backfield and Torrance Nicholson showed last week why he is a co-captain.  The rest of the defense has played, well, unpredictably.  Consistency will come sooner than later and I expect the defense to really finish strong this season.

Penguin Coach Eric Wolford has reason to remain optimistic.  “We had a good week of practice, we are enthusiastic and flying around, even having fun.  We sure don’t practice like a 3-4 team and these kids still believe.  I think football is fun, you should enjoy being around your kids and at the same time you must be able to push them, and that is what we emphasize.  We can still finish third, maybe even second in the conference and we won’t quit.”

     

Youngstown State University (3-3, 1-2 MVFC) takes to the road in hopes of breaking a two-game losing streak.  The Penguins have lost back-to-back nailbiters to Missouri State and North Dakota State.  They are also winless on the road (0-2) in their 2010 campaign.  The #23rd-ranked Western Illinois  Leathernecks are currently sitting on a 4-2 record and are 2-1 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and suffered their first league defeat last week to South Dakota State. 

Youngstown State holds a 15-10 edge in the series against Western Illinois with the Penguins winning the last six consecutive games.  Last year at Stambaugh Stadium, the Penguins raced out to a 31-0 lead at the half and Western Illinois rallied in the second half, but ultimately fell, 31-21.  The last time these two teams faced off in Macomb, Illinois, the Penguins squeaked out a 31-28 nailbiter in the last game of the season.  WhenYoungstown State scores 22 or more points, they have won 14 in a row against the Leathernecks.

Last week, Youngstown State had problems with kickoffs.  After the game, Penguins Coach Eric Wolford made no bones about the problem.  “We have a kickoff specialist who has one job, to kick the ball into the end zone, that’s all he has to do.  He failed to do that today and you can expect changes.”  However, when asked directly about the kicking situation for this weekend, Wolford replied, “We made some changes on his fundamentals.  Jake [Smith] has worked hard and ironed it all out.  He just needed to get his fundamentals squared away, he’s gonna be ok.”

For the Penguins to be successful on Saturday night, Adaris Bellamy will have to step up and run hard like he did in the loss to North Dakota State.  On the season, Bellamy has 324 yards on 57 attempts.  Jamaine Cook’s status remains a mystery.  Cook took part in full workouts Tuesday and Wednesday, but did get banged up last week.  Cook leads the Penguins youthful rushing movement with 620 yards on 103 carries.  Jordan Thompson will be back in uniform this week as well to join Torrian Pace and Allen Jones. 

Dominique Barnes had another big week.  Barnes caught 10 passes for a career-high 151 yards last week.  If Barnes catches a pass this week, he will have a reception in 30 consecutive games which would tie him with Kyle Smith for the school record.  With one receiving yard Barnes will also tie Smith on the all-time Penguins yardage total for wideouts with 1,534, and if Barnes can muster 66 receiving yards he will move past Lorenzo Davis and into the Top-10.  With one catch, Barnes will catch Bob Ferranti for fifth all-time in receptions.  Jimmy “Flea” Ferranti still leads the way with 186 receptions, Barnes currently has 129.  Barnes may draw extra coverage allowing Kurt Hess to use other targets such as Ely Ducatel and Kevin Watts.

For Youngstown State, a challenge of holding a lead would be a good goal.  The Penguins have squandered 10 and 17 point leads the last two weeks.  Wolford remarked on that trend.  “We have addressed it, and after looking at it, it is more of a case of shooting yourself in the foot.  We have got to adjust to the adjustments and stop getting penalties and making huge mistakes.”

Western Illinois will need to keep doing whatever it is that is working at home.  The Fighting Leathernecks did not win a home game last season and have not lost one at Hanson Field yet this season.  Offensively, WIU is averaging about 47 points per game at home.  At home, the offense has scored in every quarter (12 total),  rushed for at least 300 yards per game, and the defense has recorded nine takeaways in those three home games.  The offense is led by Lito Senatus at WR and QB Matt Barr who can run the ball as well as heave it.  barr had 125 yards rushing in a game earlier this season.  Defensively, LB Kyle Glazier is a beast.  Glazier had 21 tackles against South Dakota State and obviously has a nose for the ball.

Brandian Ross had 13 tackles the last time these two teams played in Macomb.  He will need another big effort to keep the Penguins going as Andre Elliott will again not dress with shoulder problems.  Luke Matelan has really stepped it up and been the biggest playmaker for the experienced Penguin Defensive Line. 

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. with Bob Hannon and Ed Muransky calling the action on AM-570.

If I were starting a college football team, I would want four Brandian Ross‘s in my defensive backfield.  Ross, who shares the duty of captain with DL Torrance Nicholson, showed versatility last week in a loss.  Ross was asked to slide over to safety to cover for the injured Andre Elliott.  His coverage was superb, just like it is at corner.  This guy is no Average Joe, he is a player, a superb player.  Last week in the Penguins win over Southern Illinois, Ross was named Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of The Week. Don’t expect the recognition, praise and awards Ross will get by season’s end to end there.  If I were a betting man, I would pick Ross to be First-Team All Conference at the end of the season.  Sold Yet?

Here are a few of the highlights in the career of Ross at YSU:

• Lettered as a freshman.  Given the Special Teams Player of The Week Award vs Stony Brook and again vs Indiana State.
• Honorable Mention All Missouri Valley Conference as a sophomore.  Led entire team with 98 tackles.  Led special teams with 15 tackles.  Played a team-high 724 snaps.  Named Hill Barth & King Defensive Player of The Week for his great effort against Indiana State.
• As a junior he was named Defensive Player of The Week for the Pitt game.  Received the Derek Pixley Hit of The Week against Northeastern.  Started all 11 games at a new position, cornerback, making a successful transition from safety.
• Ross leads the team with 189 career tackles, including 26 this season.  He also leads the team in career starts with 27.

Sold Yet?

There is a whole side of Brandian Ross that most people don’t know about.  His personality is outstanding and he stays humble and grounded despite his numerous on-field accomplishments.  Ross commented on being a defensive co-captain.  “I don’t see myself as any more important than a teammate just because I am a captain.  On the field, Torrance [Nicholson] and I handle the calls and penalties, but it isn’t an ego thing.  Whoever is closer to the ref can declare whether to accept or decline penalties.“

Ross talked about his friendship with defensive backfield associate, Andre Elliott.  “Dre is probably my best friend on the team we have the same major and have a lot of classes together plus he is the roommate of my brother.  You gotta respect him [Elliott] because he does the whole parenting thing with his kids, but we hang out when we can.”  Ross is majoring in Psychology and Criminal Justice.

When it came to food, Ross was definitive about his choice.  “There is nothing better than Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich.  It is a number six on the board and it satisfies.”

The most comical answer I got out of Ross was when he answered what he liked best about Youngstown State.  “The girls”, replied Ross, “There are some pretty women here.”  Cant blame the guy for his honesty.

Ross keeps busy.  Between classes, practice, study tables, meetings, and meals, there is little time for anything else.  However, Ross makes time for one essential.  “I love Twitter .  I Tweet something everyday after practice and usually update throughout the day.  Dre [Andre Elliott] turned me on to it and now I am pretty well into it.  The most famous person that follows me is Donald Jones.”

Ross also expressed his mad passion for video games, including the red hot 2K11.  He uses an Xbox and will play online against friends.

It is refreshing to know that there are student athletes who have their head and their heart in the right place.  I don’t believe I have ever interviewed someone so close to both since I started covering YSU Football.  Keep grinding BRoss, keep grinding!

Youngstown State University (3-2, 1-1) will play host to North Dakota State (3-2, 1-1) this Saturday at 4 p.m. in Youngstown.  For the Penguins, undefeated at home, it is a chance to redeem themselves after falling 35-25 at Missouri State last week.  For the Bison, winners of three out of their last four road games, a win is a must to stay ranked.  North Dakota State is ranked at #17 this week.

Last season, YSU won a 39-35 shootout at the famed Fargodome.  Youngstown State leads the all-time series 3-1 and has never lost to the Bison at The Ice Castle (2-0).  However, the largest margin of victory in those three wins has been eight points.

If the Penguins can shut down the tandem of WR Warren Holloway and redshirt freshman QB Brock Jensen, they greatly improve their chances of winning this game.  Last week in a 28-16 loss to Western Illinois, the pair hooked up seven times for 184 yards.  With Andre Elliott’s status unknown, the Penguins have to dig in and take the big plays out of the Bison offense.  YSU will also have to play much closer to the first quarter of the last game rather than the last three quarters because North Dakota State boasts a big-play defense that already has ten takeaways this season.  On the ground, DJ McNorton is the Bison workhorse.  McNorton had 105 yards on the ground last week and over two hundred rushing yards the week before.

This will be a good test for first-year Penguins Coach Eric Wolford.  In the past few weeks, Wolford has been adamant about the importance of these Missouri Valley Conference games.  He has also stressed that this 2010 Penguins team is still getting better.  Expect changes on this weeks depth chart on the defensive side of the ball.  A no-nonsense coach with respect for the game, Wolford claimed he would be sick watching last weeks game film.  Believe me, 106 penalty yards are keeping this man awake at night.

Jamaine Cook and Adaris Bellamy need to keep grinding it out to open the passing game up for Kurt Hess.  Once the Penguins got to the second quarter, they really struggled running the football.  Two touchdowns within 90 seconds forced the Penguins to revert to the pass which was ineffective due to the lack of a ground game to keep the opposing defense honest.  Offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery is a great thinker, expect a couple of new wrinkles.

Defensively, YSU played pretty decent last week.  One blown coverage and a couple of drives in the second quarter hurt, but the two offensive turnovers resulting in touchdowns were the difference.  Look for Brandian Ross and Torrance Nicholson (defensive co-capains) to have big games for YSU’s defense.  Also, Luke Matelan, David Rach, and John Sasson have to keep playing big for the Penguins to have a chance.  Donald D’Alesio has stepped up as a true freshman recording 11 tackles in last week’s loss.

The 4 p.m. start will also mark Alumni Day.  Be sure to hit the tailgate lots before the game and make a day of it.  This group of guys are busting their butts to be better.  The new coaching staff is spending countless hours preparing each week, and the enthusiasm is back, it’s in the players eyes this season.