Posts Tagged ‘Brandon Summers’

Kurt Hess is one poised young man.  As Hess approached me to do this interview, he rubbed the stitches under his chin and looked at his fingers for traces of blood.  The finger he used to check was on his right hand because most of his left hand was bandaged up too, and the illusion of blood on the bandaged hand could come from either cut, leaving him confused as to where he actually may have been bleeding from.  It is unrehearsed, rational thinking that sometimes makes people special.  Coach Wolford has said on a couple of different occasions this season that adversity is the true test of a player.  Those who bounce back from it are the strongest.  This is a pretty strong redshirt freshman.

Paneech:  Tell the infamous story about quarterback camp in Toledo a few years back.

Hess:   I went to a camp at Toledo University for quarterbacks.  I was going into my sophomore year of high school and was just hoping to learn more so I could get some playing time that year.  Toledo was showing off this marquee quarterback at the camp.  His name was Brandon Summers.  One of the people I got to meet at the camp was Marc Kanetsky, who was from the Youngstown area and we got to be friends through camp.  Our fathers talked and ironically, he and I are both here and Brandon Summers transferred here from Toledo and played quarterback here last year.  (How is that for a great “Small World” story?)

Paneech:  The season has been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride, how much pressure is on you?

Hess:  We are still confident as a team.  There has been absolutely no finger pointing or blaming anyone, it is a testament to just how strong of a group we are.  It is really like a big family, we all care greatly for one another.  I can only keep trying to improve and do things that this team needs me to do to win moving forward.

Paneech:  How are you adapting to Youngstown?

Hess:  Well, I grew up in Dayton and it is very similar to Youngstown, they are both cities that work very hard.  It seems like Youngstown gets a little bit more snow, I remember last year after I was here on a visit, Youngstown got a couple of feet, it was suprisingly different than Dayton.

Paneech:  The general football philosophy is that a team has to be able to run before they can pass.  If an opponent senses you are going to run and put eight men in the box, what do you think of?

Hess:  (laughs)  I pretty much salivate.  I get excited to know that a team is going to try to cover the talented wide receivers that we have in man. 

Paneech:  I watch Coach Montgomery and Marc Kanetsky signal stuff into you.  I get confused.  However, can the other teams catch on by picking off our signs?

Hess:  We don’t keep the signs the same, they change frequently.  Everybody is looking for a part of what is being flashed in.

Paneech:  Who is the best NFL Quarterback and why?

Hess:  Most people would probably say Peyton Manning or Drew Brees, and it is tough to argue with that.  Personally, I think Carson Palmer is the best quarterback in the NFL even though he is struggling a bit this season, he has a gun and is really smart about what he does with the ball.  I grew up a Bengals fan, so that might affect my choice a little.

Paneech:  What are the best and the worst parts of YSU so far?

Hess:  The college is outstanding.  This is a great place to go to school and the people here are great too.  The town is really into their football and the people make it a very family oriented environment.  So far, there isn’t anything that I don’t like about Youngstown. 

One Word Answers

Favorite Color:   Blue.

Worst Habit:  Biting My Nails.

Dancing With The Stars or Desperate Housewives?  Desperate Housewives.

Favorite Sport Other Than FB:    Basketball, NBA and NCAA both.

Best Video Game Ever:  Sonic The Hedgehog on Sega Genesis.

Favorite Band:  Journey.  (Note:  Hess was not born when Infinity was released.)

Donald Jones, the former Youngstown State Penguin, came home for a visit and he didn’t come alone.  Jones ran routes on the Stambaugh Stadium turf early Monday morning.  Scouts from Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Indianapolis were there early to evaluate select Seniors in various categories.

To enter Stambaugh Stadium at 7 am brought back memories of the dreaded eight o’clock classes.  Looking around, the weight room was full of life as several people were doing workouts.  Unsure of where the scouts, players to be tested, or Donald Jones were, Jon Moffett, of the Vindicator, and I walked into the gym to strategize where to be.  Walking toward us was Donald Jones.  Jones had a big smile on his wide awake face and stopped to chat.  “It feels great to be home”, exclaimed Jones.

When asked what to expect today, Jones knew exactly what he would be doing.  “They [NFL scouts] are pretty happy with my numbers from the combine.  All they want me to do today is run routes.”  Jones did just that putting on a good show as classmate Aaron Pitts threw balls to Jones.

Jones enhanced his draft status with a good showing at the NFL Combine a couple of weeks ago.  He tied for first benching 225 pounds a set amount of times and he also ran a 4.47  40-yard dash.  He is projected to go in the fifth round, where he would be a steal.  Jones has the size, speed, and hands to carry a team and as an added bonus the NFL needs a few guys like DJ with their heads screwed on straight.

Phil Kreidler, a scout from the Pittsburgh Steelers organization, remembered me from the Pitt and South Dakota State games, where we spoke about Jones.  His task on this day was to put other Penguins through some tests in hopes of scooping up a good free agent or two.  “We have the guys run two forties, vertical jump, broad jump, and we look for explosiveness.  We also see how many times each person can bench 225.  We then move to some agility drills to evaluate their overall athletic ability and a few change of direction drill as well.”

If someone performs well, Kreidler reports back to the Steelers.  “We grade every Senior and look to see if maybe someone can be helpful to us as a free agent.  Every guy gets a specific grade based on their performance here today.  We then get together and go over every single player we give a draft grade to.”

Many of  last years Seniors were present for the testing.  Mychal Savage (pictured), Lenny Wicks, Dana Brown, Jabari Scott, and Brandon Summers, were all there to get timed, tested, and put there numbers on the board in hopes of making it to the National Football League.  Good luck to all who participated!

In a season where the expectations were high so high at the start, the ending somewhat lived up to its advertised billing.  Youngstown State rallied from an 11 point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat North Dakota State, 39-35, at the Fargodome.

Youngstown State scored first as Marc Kanetsky, who started the game at quarterback for Brandon Summers due to shoulder soreness, connected with Donald Jones from five yards away staking the Penguins to a 7-0 lead at the 10:59 mark of the opening quarter. 

Pat Paschall, the leading rusher in the Missouri Valley Football Conference coming into the game, tied things up when he went over from one yard out.  Paschall will be an NFL back next year and finished the day with 140 yards on 27 carries.  Hard to believe, but the 140 was below his season average of 150+ per game.  The touchdown came at the 12:33 mark of the second quarter and John Obarski’s extra-point attempt was good for the Bison, 7-7 at the dome.

On their next drive, Youngstown State reclaimed the lead when Summers found Dominique Barnes for a 6-yard touchdown.  Stephen Blose split the uprights for the extra-point with 7:14 left in the first half to give the Penguins a 14-7 lead.

Paschall scored from a yard out for the second time in the game with just under five minutes remaining in the opening half to again knot the contest at 14. 

Youngstown State finally got a big play on special teams as Lenny Wicks returned a blocked field goal attempt 79 yards for a touchdown with just over a minute left in the half.  The Penguins, however, would yield a game-tying touchdown when Bison QB Jose Mohler found Warren Holloway for a 21-yard scoring connection.  At the half, this one was all tied up at 21 apiece.

The Bison struck first in the second half at the 6:08 mark of the third quarter.  Matt Veldman hauled in a 27-yard toss from Mohler.  With the PAT successful, the Penguins were on the wrong end of a 28-21 score.

The Penguins managed to get three points in the opening minute of the fourth quarter as a red-hot Stephen Blose nailed a 28-yard field goal to cut the lead to 28-24.

Paschall would give the Bison a seemingly comfortable cushion as he scored his third touchdown on the afternoon, this one a three yarder.  With just under eight minutes, Youngstown State began their unforgettable march to vicory.

The three amigos, Aaron Pitts (#83, left), Dominique Barnes (#29, middle), and Donald Jones (#81, right) have been awesome all year.  Summers has found these three receivers and the offense seemed to be at its best when the ball was headed their way. 

On this particular Saturday, the trio would show their value as they (along with Summers) spearheaded an amazing comeback.  With 5:13 left in the game, Pitts would be the first to step up as he caught a fourth down, four-yard touchdown pass from Summers.  The touchdown made the score 35-30 in favor of North Dakota State.  YSU lined up for the two-point conversion, which was a success when Summers hit another essential cog in the machine, Kevin Smith, for a two-point completion making the score 35-32.

The YSU defense was on fire as they forced the Bison to run three plays and punt.  YSU then started a fantastic drive to really exclamate what could have been.  Summers had several tosses to Jones to move the ball at a rapid rate on both of the last two scoring drives.  Barnes then got to relish in the glory when Summers found him for the go-ahead points with just 22 seconds left in a wild finish.  Blose kicked the extra point to give YSU a four point lead.

North Dakota State had a shot at the end zone on the last play of the game , but YSU’s Scott Sentner picked off the Bison scoring effort to end the game.

Youngstown State was paced by Kevin Smith who had 101 yards on the ground.  Summers finished the game with 259 yards and three touchdowns.  Jones caught 10 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown.

North Dakota State got 238 passing yards out of Mohler along with a couple of touchdowns, as well as a pair of interceptions.  Paschall finished with 140 rushing yards and a 5.2 average on 27 carries.  Holloway caught three Mohler passes for 88 yards and a TD.

Youngstown State (6-5, 4-4) completed the season in unbelievable fashion.  North Dakota State (3-8, 2-6) Coach Craig Bohl will surely want to put this season behind him.  It must be noted that Youngstown State took several more chances and opened up the playbook in the last couple of weeks.  The result of those two games were 63 offensive points (the six by Lenny Wicks on the blocked FG don’t count).  

Congratulations Senior Penguins!  I salute you for not throwing in the towel and exhibiting class under the worst of times.  No fingerpointing, no excuses, and no bickering really made this bunch special to cover all season.  The positions you are leaving will be tough to fill in the future.  All twelve of you are competitive winners, you had the respect of the players under you, the coaching staff, and at least one sports journalist.  Good luck with your futures and thanks for the good memories this season!

On Senior Day, the weather and general atmosphere on the sidelines was warm. It was nice to see the Senior Penguins with their parents before kickoff as they were recognized for their outstanding efforts as Youngstown State athletes.  Coach Heacock stressed all week that it was about this Senior class to succeed in this game, to find ways to involve them into the gameplan in a positive fashion.  They all seemed to contribute.  Pictured are two of the Seniors, Aaron Pitts (left) and Mychal Savage (right).

In what looked to be an even match on paper, Youngstown State and Illinois State were not playing for a championship or a postseason berth, but rather for pride.  The Penguins dug into the cupboard of forgotten plays and tried some new wrinkles on offense. Some of the results were good, others needed to stay in the cupboard. The result was a 30-18 Youngstown State victory.

Youngstown State took their opening possession on their own 14-yard line. The Penguins marched 45 yards in 12 plays to allow Stephen Blose a 45-yard FG attempt. Blose was successful on the attempt, and at the 4:37 mark, YSU held a 3-0 lead.

Coach Heacock rolled the dice and tried an onside kick that the Penguins recovered and the Penguin offense went back to work. Brandon Summers hooked up with Donald Jones for a 30-yard completion, but the Penguin drive stalled and Senior Ben Nowicki buried the Redbirds on their own 5.

The first quarter would come to an end with Youngstown State ahead 3-0 and driving. The Penguins stalled around the Illinois State 19 and were forced to take another Blose field goal to increase their lead to 6-0.

YSU tried a second consecutive onside kick that the Redbirds recovered. The Illinois State offense cashed in on the good field position as Zach Kutch connected from 41 yards out to cut the Penguin lead to 6-3 with 11:11 remaining in the first half.

A scenario the Penguins have become accustomed to this year came back to haunt them. The Redbirds Bert Whigham came up the middle almost untouched and blocked Nowicki’s punt. The ball rolled right into the end zone but the converging Redbirds were unable to come up with the recovery for a touchdown and YSU was lucky to give up a two-point safety. Weird score as YSU still lead 6-5.

The free kick following the safety further exposed the kryptonic special teams play of Youngstown State as Illinois State’s Ben Erickson returned the kick all the way to the YSU 40. Four plays later, with 8:03 left in the half, Cliffton Gordon scampered four yards to paydirt and just like that YSU was behind 12-6.

Southern Illinois caught the onside kick fever and tried their own, unsuccessfully. When the YSU drive appeared to stall and Blose kicked a field goal of 22 yards, a penalty of roughing the snapper set the Penguins up on the three. On the next play Kevin Smith got into the end zone for a 3-yard score and Blose knocked in the extra point to give YSU the lead back at 13-12.

Zach Kutch connected on a career-long 49-yard field goal to give the Redbirds a 15-13 lead with just over a minute left in the first half.

Blose tried to give YSU the lead back on a 42-yard attempt to end the opening half. The kick was blocked and the special teams hamster race continued. Halftime at the Ice Castle, Redbirds 15, Penguins 13.

Youngstown State finally got a big play. Dominique Barnes hauled in a 55-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Summers. Youngstown State held a 20-15 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The Redbirds effective kicker, Zach Kutch was again clutch, this time from 42 yards. The field goal shaved the Youngstown State lead to two points as they clung to a 20-18 lead.

Not to be outdone, Stephen Blose connected from 37 yards away to vault YSU to a 23-18 lead. For Blose, his third field goal capped his most productive day on the season.

At the 9:32 mark of the fourth quarter, Donald Jones caught a Brandon Summers pass from 8 yards away. YSU moved the ball 56 yards in 2:35 in increasing their lead to 30-18. Summers was 2-2 on the drive for 25 yards and a 3-yard run.

The Redbirds had a little left in the tank, but YSU was able to keep them out of scoring range and kept the score where it was to seal the victory.  Final score, YSU 30, Illinois State 18.  With the win, the Penguins improved to 5-5 and 3-4 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.  Illinois State fell to 5-5 and 4-3 in the conference.

YSU was paced by Brandon Summers who finished the game one yard short of a career-high with 346 passing yards on 25-38 passing.  Kevin Smith (pictured) had his third one hundred yard game of the season and finished with 136 all-purpose yards.  The deadly duo on the sides clicked again as Donald Jones caught 7 balls for 105 yards and Dominique Barnes hauled in 8 for 122 with each scoring a touchdown.  Aaron Pitts chipped in with 68 receiving yards on three catches.

The Redbirds Freshman Quarterback, Matt Brown, finished the game 32-49 for 328 yards.  Cliffton Gordon carried 18 times for 58 yards, and TE Cody White had a career-high day with 6 receptions and 76 yards.

After the game, Coach Heacock again praised this Senior class.  “It was a special day for them.  We had a nice breakfast with the parents and loved ones this morning.  They came out and played hard and it was great to see so many of them play their hearts out.  Of all the Senior plays today, none was bigger then Ben Nowicki preventing Illinois State from scoring a touchdown on the blocked punt.”

“Everyone wants ‘THE’ answer, if it was that simple, teams would never lose.  I have been in this business a long time and I don’t believe that there is ever an answer to ‘THE’ problem”, was what Coach Jon Heacock had to say when asked why the seemingly talented team he coaches can’t register wins or finish games in a favorable manner.  Last week, Youngstown State (4-4, 2-3) dropped a hard-fought contest which was again decided by a couple of mistakes.  The loss came at the hands of #9-ranked South Dakota State.  This week, the train of hard stops continues as YSU travels to Cedar Falls to face a very good Northern Iowa (5-3, 3-2) team.

If Northern Iowa sounds familiar to the casual fan, it is because they almost beat Iowa University in the opener for both schools this season, but ultimately lost by one point to the still-perfect Hawkeyes.  The Panthers then rattled off 5 straight wins before consecutive losses to Southern Illinois and South Dakota State.  Northern Iowa is now fighting for its own postseason privelages and YSU is in the unfamiliar role of spoiler.

Northern Iowa is paced by the play of Pat Grace at QB.  Grace is a 6-2, 240 pound Senior with plenty of big game experience.  Grace completes about 63% of his passes and has 17 TD’s through the air this season.  The Panthers also feature a pair of speedy receivers, D.P. Eyman and D.J. Hord, who have combined for 1,000 receiving yards on the season.  Coach Heacock was complimentary of the Panther attack saying, “They throw it down the field.  We will have to defend the run and keep the deep ball to a minimum because they [Northern Iowa] don’t need any help.”

YSU QB Brandon Summers expressed how Youngstown State feels about not going to the playoffs by saying, “We’re disappointed and we’re heartbroken.  We want to win the last three games because it’s not how you start but how you finish that is important.”

When asked what kind of grade he would give his team for the year, Heacock responded, “You didn’t get an ‘A’ so you didn’t pass the test.  The playoffs were the goal this season, and we are not going to be in the playoffs and that is unacceptable.”

Senior WR Aaron Pitts (pictured, #83, left) said says YSU owes the Panthers a little.  “We don’t give up.  We have got to be ready for Northern Iowa.  We lost to them by one point in each of the last two years.  We want to go in there and get it done.”  Pitts was making a reference to last year’s 21-20 loss and 2007’s 14-13  loss at Nothern Iowa. 

Penguins Notes

• Northern Iowa has won 15 of the last 18 games against YSU.
• The last time Youngstown State won at Northern Iowa was 1999 and they are 3-11 all-time at Cedar Falls.
• YSU Freshman Taylor Hill posted a career-high 12 tackles in the loss to South Dakota State.
• UNI Coach Mark Farley is 80-31 and has never lost to Youngstown State (8-0).

The game kicks off at 5:05 and will be aired on AM-570 with Bob Hannon, Dick Hartzell, and Robb Schmidt on the sidelines.  The air team hits the dial at 4:30, so be sure to tune in.  The weather has no bearing this week because the game will be played at the infamous UNI Dome.

Youngstown State University will not be participating in the 2009 Postseason Playoffs.  That is the unfortunate reality following a 17-3 setback to #9 South Dakota State at Stambaugh Stadium.  The Jackrabbits were consistent and opportunistic in defeating a very tough YSU team in a physical game.  Defense and turnovers were the keys to victory for the Jackrabbits (7-1, 6-0) who got the big breaks at just the right times in turning back the Penguins (4-4, 2-3).

South Dakota State took the opening drive and marched all the way to the YSU 2-yard line before a penalty backed them up to the 7. After a couple of plays, the normally reliable Jackrabbit Kicker, Peter Reifenrath, hooked a 25-yard attempt and no scoring was recorded.

YSU took over on their own 20 and got to the South Dakota State 27 before having to settle on a 48-yard FG from Stephen Blose to take a 3-0 lead with 2:43 left in the first period. On the drive, Brandon Summers looked sharp and YSU featured a one-back offensive look with FB Dana Brown exclusively on the field for the entire drive. The first quarter would end with the 3-0 YSU lead.

Senior QB Ryan Crawford  marched the Jackrabbits deep into YSU territory. Good coverage prevented a couple of shots to the end zone and SDSU would have to settle for a Reifenrath field goal of 25-yards to tie the game at 3-3 with 4:33 left in the first half.

After an exchange of possessions, the half ended deadlocked with a 3-3 defensive battle taking place at The Ice Castle on Halloween.

A 5-yard Kyle Minett run put the Jackrabbits in front, 10-3, to capitalize on a Brandon Summers interception on the Penguins first play of the second half.  The turnover gave South Dakota State a ton of momentum coming out of the intermission.

Dailyn Campbell (6-1, Soph.) opened the next drive for YSU at quarterback. Summers had been hampered by an injury he suffered in last week’s loss at Southern Illinois.  Campbell used his speed and elusiveness to create positive rushing yards on a nice drive but the Penguins came up empty on a missed field goal leaving the score at 10-3. The next few drives saw Campbell and Summers being used at different times. After three quarters, the Jackrabbits clung to their 10-3 lead.

It was Minett again scoring at the 4:51 mark of the fourth quarter to extend the Jackrabbit lead to 17-3. The South Dakota State drive took almost five minutes off of the clock as they marched 66 yards in 9 plays.  The pattern that was becoming more obvious during this drive was that the Jackrabbits were not a big-play team, but rather a methodical and well-oiled machine able to get at least four yards per touch with anything extra being a bonus.  The SDSU tight ends and receivers seemed to shift and / or motion on every single offensive play.

The Penguins were able to move the ball 60 yards in less than a minute-and-a-half, but again came away empty turning the ball over on downs as Summers was sacked helped in part by a low snap.

The Penguins defense forced a quick three-and-out while burning their timeouts to get the ball back with just under two minutes left in the game. A sideline interference penalty turned a second-and-one to go into a second-and-seventeen to go, that is just the kind of day it ended up being for Youngstown State. South Dakota State would intercept Summers on fourth-and-twenty to seal the victory in a hard-fought 17-3 win.

For the victorious Jackrabbits, Ryan Crawford was 19 of 28 for 178 yards and 4 rushes for 22 more yards.  Kyle Minett had 22 carries for 87 yards and 2 catches for 32 yards.  Colin Cochart hauled in 6 Crawford passes for 51 yards.  Statistically, the Jackrabbits dominated the contest.  They had more first downs (17-14), more rushing yards (131-73), won the time of possession battle (32:36-27:24), and controlled the turnover battle (2-0).  When you are defeated in those four categories it is tough to win a game.

Youngstown State was paced by Dailyn Campbell (who only played sparingly in the second half) with 32 rushing yards on 7 attempts.  Brandon Summers finished the game going 19-29 for 181 yards and two interceptions.  Donald Jones and Dominique Barnes both caught six balls each to pace the Penguins receiving corps.

After the game, a very exhausted and frustrated Jon Heacock addressed the obvious problems that resulted in a loss.  “The playoffs are shot.  We will continue to practice and prepare like champions.”

Heacock also explained why Dailyn Campbell replaced Summers in the third quarter.  “It’s a tough decision for me to take a Senior out of a game.  In that situation, I was more inclined to give Brandon [Summers] a rest out of concern for an injury he has been battling from last week’s game.  I owe it to these Seniors who have stuck it out this long to always see that they get their chances.” 

Junior Andre Elliott said the Jackrabbits didn’t do anything surprising to win.  “They did everything we expected them to do.  Their offense doesn’t get big plays, they just move the ball.  We will continue to play hard because we want to send our Seniors out on a winning note.” 

The Penguins go back on the road next week traveling to Northern Iowa, their third ranked opponent in a row, for a 5:30 kickoff.

Special teams errors and a Freshman QB proved to be the difference in Southern Illinois 27-8 victory over Youngstown State University (4-3, 2-2).  The Penguins outworked the Salukis (6-1, 5-0)  in the first half yet found themselves in a 14-point hole at the break.  A couple of bad snaps on special teams and one bad play on defense worked into a 17-point swing in favor of Southern and YSU could never get back into the game. 

Youngstown State came out fired up and stuffed the Salukis high-powered offense in three plays.  The Penguins then took possession on their own 20 following a punt and moved the ball all the way to the Southern Illinois 25-yard line before failing to convert on third and fourth down and less than a yard to go.

Southern Illinois took over at their own 25 and drove to the YSU 33.  Chris Dieker was sacked by Andre Elliott setting up a 3rd-and-11 and the Salukis got called for a penalty on the next play.  The third down play was unsuccessful and YSU forced a punt which Saluki Punter Scott Ravanesi rolled to the 6-yard line.  After picking up a first down on a Brandon Summers to Donald Jones passing play, the Penguins had the ball out past the 20-yard line where the first quarter would come to a close locked in a scoreless tie.

Southern Illinois blocked a YSU punt after a high snap and pounced on the loose ball at the YSU 2.  On a second-and-goal from inside the one, Saluki FB Jon Goode powered his way into the end zone to put Southern Illinois in front 7-0.  Starting QB Chris Dieker did not come out for the drive as Southern Illinois sent true freshman Paul McIntosh out.  It was later learned that Dieker had a broken collarbone and is out indefinitely.

After a Penguin punt and a penalty, Southern Illinois took the ball on their own 10-yard line.  On a third-and-six yards to go from their own 14, the Salukis struck big.  McIntosh found Joe Allaria for an 86-yard touchdown, and just when it seemed the momentum was swinging the Penguins way, they found themselves down 14-0.  McIntosh filled in brilliantly for the injured Dieker and finished the game with 133 passing yards and 12 rushes for 81 yards.

The Penguins then got a good kickoff return from Dominique Barnes out to their own 44, but a penalty brought the ball back to the 11-yard line.  Behind six Summers completions and the emergence of Freshman Jermaine Cook’s running, the Penguins moved the ball all the way to the Southern Illinois 12-yard line.  The offense went numb in the red zone again.  Stephen Blose came out to attempt a 25-yard field goal, but the snap was poor and the kick never had a chance.  At the half, it was all YSU (at least it seemed that way), yet they trailed 14-0.

Southern Illinois scored again in the third quarter on a 3-yard run by Deji Karim.  The Salukis started the drive at the YSU 45 after a poor punt by Ben Nowicki.  The TD by Karim, the weapon Coach Heacock said the Penguins needed to neutralize most, was one of his few shining moments in the game as the YSU defense did well containing him all day.

Southern kicker Kyle Dougherty added a pair of field goals  of 44 and 45 yards to complete the Southern Illinois scoring.

YSU got on the board when Summers found Senior Aaron Pitts for a 56-yard hookup.  Pitts had a tremendous game for the Penguins finishing with 7 catches for 102 yards.  The TD made the score 24-8 with a successful two-point conversion.  Donald Jones again tied the school record with 11 catches in a game, the second time he has done so this season.  Jones finished the contest with 11 grabs for 96 yards.

Brandon Summers (pictured) finished the game with 45 passing attempts, a career-high.  He completed 30 of those attempts for 296 yards.  He also finished the game with a touchdown and two fourth-quarter interceptions.  Unfortunately, Summers was also sacked 4 times and finished the game with -41 yards rushing.

The Penguins need to win their final four games to have any shot at all at the postseason.  The task will not be easy as they host South Dakota State (6-1, 5-0), a 24-14 winner at Northern Iowa,  next weekend.  The Penguins then head to the evil dome that is home to Northern Iowa to face another great team.  I’m sure that Coach Heacock will tune up the special teams problems that hurt YSU in the loss to Southern Illinois knowing that you cannot give good teams like this extra reasons to win football games.

As YSU prepares for Southern Illinois on a bye week, I thought it would be appropriate to do a story on a local player.  As it turned out, I got one of my best interviews.  Marc Kanetsky graduated from Hubbard High School with honors of every kind.  There were the athletic honors of breaking records for his passing (5,042 yards and 47 TD’s), being nominated for Trumbull County Athlete of The Year, breaking basketball records in season and career categories for assists, and getting All-Ohio recognition for football twice.  More impressively to me was a 4.0 GPA, being named valedictorian of his class and continuing his academic excellence at YSU.  I recently interviewed Kanetsky and took a liking to his glib persona.  Hubbard deserves praise for producing a prototypical student-athlete.

Paneech:  Besides YSU, who recruited you out of Hubbard?

Kanetsky: I had alot of Ivy League and Patriot League schools like Holy Cross and Colgate because of my grades.  Being undersized hurt with the bigger schools, but I found a good spot here and received a full academic scholarship. 

Paneech:  Being the local guy, do teammates pressure you into being their tour guide?

Kanetsky: Not really.  Most of the older guys know their way around.  Some of the younger freshmen guys I take around when they first get here, but besides that, they usually find their way around and find the party spots before I can let them know where to go.

Paneech: You have carried a 4.0 grade point average for awhile, have you decided on a major yet?

Kanetsky: I am a Biology major and I am thinking about Dentistry after Biology.  One of my brothers graduated from Dental School at Ohio State, and the other one is about to.  I’m leaning towards that, but I still have a couple of years to see what happens with the economy.

Paneech:  If you were in charge of recruiting a student-athlete to play football, how would you convince him that the YSU academics are second to none?

Kanetsky:  I am part of the honors program here.  We have a 99% placement rate into your professional school after you graduate from here.  It’s kind of self-explanatory, if you want to get into school when you are done with the undergrad program here, it will happen.  Get in the honors program, keep your grades straight and work hard.  Get involved with other stuff, that always helps out on a resume.

Paneech:  How hard is it for you to be ready at all times to go into a game if called upon?

Kanetsky: It’s kind of tricky because you always have to be ready.  You sit on the sidelines the whole game and it could be any play.  All week, I sit in the film room to be just as prepared as Brandon [Summers], and I spend equal time going over stuff with the coaches.  Come Saturday, you could get in for an entire half, you could get in on the second play of the game, or you could end up just sitting.  I could just be used to hold on four PAT’s and that will be it.  It’s tough not getting to play, especially coming out of high school where you are the stud athlete, and that is what are used to.  You always have to be prepared, but as far as getting the job, you just have to wait your turn.

Paneech: Did you prosper at Hubbard more under Coach Bayuk or Coach Hoffman ?

Kanetsky:  (laughs) I would say I prospered equally under the two great coaches.  My Sophomore and Junior year (under Bayuk), we had a line that was just unreal.  When those lineman graduated, we only had a couple of experienced guys back so we weren’t able to power it down a team’s throat but rather had to rely on speed.  We definitely threw the ball around more under Hoffman.  Under Bayuk, we were just a well-oiled machine because we could run the ball whenever we wanted to and set up play-action passing which is easy when there are eight guys in the box and only three defenders in coverage.

Paneech:  You played baseball and basketball while at Hubbard.  Do you ever get the urge to go Bo Jackson here?

Kanetsky: No (laughs).  I would have liked to play basketball but I’m too small and I can’t jump.  I’ve got good vision and I play good rec ball.  No aspirations of collegiate ball.  If I wanted to do that I would have played Division-III somewhere where I could have played both.  I still miss basketball, but football is the way to go.

Paneech: How has your experience at YSU changed you as a person so far?

Kanetsky: It has opened me up to different lifestyles.  You get guys coming here from California that have never seen snow.  There are guys from Florida, a guy from Africa here.  All kinds of different guys that you wouldn’t talk to otherwise, and then you join the team and they are your friends that you hang out with on the weekends or going and eating with them after practice.  It’s a great experience, you end up friends with guys you could never see yourself hanging out with in a million years.

Paneech: Walk me through a typical Wednesday during the season.

Kanetsky: I wake up around 7:30, take a shower, and get ready for class.  I go to Spanish class at 8 o’clock for two hours.  Then I go to my American Government class at 10.  Then Organic Chemistry kills me at 11.  I run over here [Stambaugh Stadium] to lift at noon.  I get done lifting at about 12:45 and I run and get something to eat.  I get back here at 1:30 and try to watch a bit of practice film from the day before and then we have meetings at 2:12 followed by practice.  Then whatever after practice, alot of interviews (laughs). 

Paneech:  Do people besides family from Hubbard come to the games to support you?

Kanetsky: I’d like to think so.  I know alot of my friends starting coming when I got moved to number two on the depth chart against Southern Illinois.  I know there alot of people who know my parents and followed me in high school.  I think if I ever get the chance or get in one week and do something positive that more people from Hubbard would come to the games. 

Paneech:  Tell me what it is like playing for Coach Heacock.

Kanetsky: He is a no-nonsense guy.  He’s a great motivator and a great football coach.  He goes out and gives everyone a chance and he doesn’t discriminate against anyone.  He preaches team, family, and faith which is everything you need. 

One Word Answers

Favorite Board Game:   Settlers of Catan.  (I never heard of this game which prompted Marc to laugh.  After researching,  it is a game where you are trying to be the dominant force on the Island of Catan by building settlements, cities, and roads.)

Best Chicken Wings In The Area:  The Lube.

Favorite TV Show:  Sportscenter.

Browns or Steelers:  Browns.

Who Wins The 2009 World Series:  The Phillies.

Favorite Flavor of Handel’s Ice Cream:  Apple Dumpling.

Best Class Offered At YSU:  Athletic Participation Class where you just get an “A” for being on a team.

Word Friends Use To Describe You:  Quirky.

Best Album / CD Ever Made:  Meatloaf’s Bat Out of Hell.

Favorite Fruit:  Pineapple.

Rockband or Madden:  Madden, actually NCAA Football.

Nicest Thing Someone Has Ever Done For You:  My mother gave birth to me, that was a good deal.

On a perfect Fall evening, a football game involving two teams in a must-win situation took place in Youngstown.  Youngstown State scored 31 first half points and Western Illinois didn’t score any.  However, Western Illinois scored 21 second half points, and YSU failed to score a point.  Combine the two very different halves and the result is a 31-21 YSU victory. 

Youngstown State wasted little time getting on the scoreboard.  Western Illinois booted the opening kickoff out-of-bounds giving YSU the ball on their own 40.  Brandon Summers and the offense efficiently marched 60 yards in 10 plays.  Kevin Smith capped the opening scoring drive with a 1-yard TD to give YSU a 7-0 lead.  This marked the first time all year that YSU scored on their opening possession. 

After stuffing the Leathernecks, the Penguins took over on their own 30 and marched 70 yards in 10 plays and Summers found Donald Jones for a 4-yard touchdown to increase the Penguin lead to 14-0 with 1:03 left in the first quarter.  Kevin Smith had a key 26-yard run on the drive.

Western Illinois went 3-and-out.  On the last play of the first quarter, Lenny Wicks returned a Leatherneck punt 25 yards to the WIU 38.  At the end of one, it was all YSU, 14-0.

YSU covered 38 yards in 5 plays to increase the lead to 21-0.  It was the Dana Brown show on this particular drive as Brown carried the ball on every  play with the last being a one yard rushing touchdown at 12:33 of the second quarter.

In a continual display of dominance, YSU’s Na’eem Outler sacked WIU quarterback Wil Lunt and Sir Demarco Bledsoe pounced on the ball.  On the very first offensive play, Summers went to the end zone for Donald Jones who made a remarkable effort but was interfered with giving YSU first-and-goal on the Leatherneck 8-yard line.  Two plays later, Summers hooked up with Dominique Barnes for the eight yard score pushing the margin to 28-0 with 10:30 left in the first half.

Stephen Blose connected on a 27-yard field goal with 1:52 left in the half.  The Penguin drive was 54 yards in 9 plays.  It almost seemed as though the Penguins were concentrating more on chewing clock and getting Jabari Scott some carries.  To this point, everything had clicked on offense, all three running backs had some yards, and Summers was 9 for 9 passing.

On the ensuing kickoff, YSU’s Brandian Ross recovered a fumble to give the Penguins the ball on WIU’s 37-yard line.  The Penguins were unable to convert the turnover into any points however, about the only bad series they ran in the first half.  Western Illinois seemed content to just run the clock out and try to get to the locker for a halftime regrouping session.  At the half, this one was all YSU as the Penguins dominated the Leathernecks in every possible statistic for a 31-0 lead at the break.

Western Illionois came out a better team in the second half.  The Leathernecks scored on a 30-yard strike from Lunt to Justin Rideau.  The scoring drive was 9 plays for 77 yards and cut the YSU lead to 31-7 with 10:23 left in the third quarter.

Brandon Summers was intercepted by Stephen Moore and a personal foul gave the ball to WIU at the YSU 38.  On a third-and-22, YSU got flagged for a roughing the passer penalty giving Western Illinois the ball on the YSU 12.  On the very next play, Dre Gibbs coughed up the ball by the YSU goal line and Lenny Wicks recovered for the Penguins to help swing the momentum back to the side it was on the entire first half.

At the end of the third quarter, YSU maintained their 31-7 lead with a strong running attack that chewed the last six minutes of the quarter up.  With the start of the fourth quarter, YSU had the ball on their own 48.  The first play of the fourth quarter, however, proved costly as Summers was chased down from behind and the ball came loose.  Brandon Kreczmer recovered the ball for the Leathernecks at YSU’s 34.

With 12:25 left in the game, Western Illinois got an 11-yard scamper from Gibbs to successfully convert the turnover into points and further cut into the dwindling YSU lead, now 31-14.

The Leathernecks continued marching back as Lito Senatus caught a bullet from Lunt for 12 yards and a touchdown with 7:54 remaining in the game.  The lead was down to 31-21 and Western Illinois was playing as good as YSU did in the first half.  Conversely, YSU was playing as poorly as Western did in the first half. 

After another three-and-out, YSU punted the ball away.  Western Illinois started their next drive on their own 29.  Andre Elliott blitzed and absolutely smashed Lunt as he was releasing a pass which wobbled about half of its intended ditance where David Rach was waiting to intercept the ball back for the Penguins. 

YSU successfully chewed up the rest of the fourth quarter on the shoulders of Senior TB Kevin Smith (pictured) and held off a fierce Leatherneck comeback to preserve what seemed like a blowout but ended up somewhat of a nailbiter.

For YSU, Kevin Smith finished with 113 yards on 28 carries and a TD.  Donald Jones caught 8 passes for 94 yards and one TD.  Brandon Summers finished 12-18 for 134 yards, an interception, and two TD’s.  Stephen Blose had a good day as he kicked four extra points and was 1/1 on field goals.

Western Illinois was headed by Dre Gibbs who finished the game with 162 all-purpose yards (155 rushing, 7 receiving).  QB Wil Lunt was 9-19 for 109 yards, one interception, and two TD’s.  Justin Rideau caught 5 Lunt passes for 79 yards and 2 TD’s.  The statistic that buried the Leathernecks was penalty yards.  WIU accumulated 11 penalties for 108 yards compared to YSU having only five penalties.

After the game, Coach Jon Heacock praised the effort of his opponent.  “I don’t care what the records are.  You better show up and play every minute of every game on Saturday.  Give them [Western Illinois] credit for fighting until the end and playing hard.  We have some time [with the bye week] to pick out the things we can’t do and the things that we can do and become more consistent.”

Senior TB Kevin Smith, who has a couple of fumbles this season commented on grinding out the last four minutes of the game.  “It felt good.  I had a couple of drops and it felt good that the coaches had the confidence in me to give me the ball and run down the clock.”

Lenny Wicks talked about whether or not he was ready for the bye week.  “Yes, we have some time to rest and get alot of practice in to get ready for Southern Illinois because that’s a big game.”

YSU travels to Southern Illinois for an October 24th game.  With the extra week of preparation, Coach Heacock will have the team ready for that big game. 

Youngstown State (3-2, 1-1) hosts Western Illinois (1-3, 0-1) in an almost must-win game for both teams this Saturday.  The Missouri Valley Football Conference seems balanced with an exception at the bottom (Indiana State), and a couple of great teams so far (S. Illinois, N. Iowa) at the top.  All of the teams in the middle of the MVC could end up beating each other up all year.  With one loss each, either team could still win the conference championship if they run the table. 

Youngstown State lost to Missouri State, 17-7, in a game that was decided by big plays and bigger miscues.  To drive for 16 plays and 90 yards and come away with no points can be disheartening to a team like Youngstown State.  The game could have easily been won by ten points minus three mistakes.  Those three mistakes were a high snap on a field goal attempt that prevented YSU kicker Stephen Blose to have a clean attempt, converting on fourth-and-inches on Missouri State’s five yard line, and controlling turnovers.  There are not many teams who can overcome four turnovers, a blocked field goal, and getting stuffed deep in the opponents red zone who would only lose by ten points.  I guess that is the best way to take a positive out of last week’s game.

Western Illinois lost to Southern Illinois, 30-10, last week.  When WIU scored a TD in the second quarter, they cut the SIU lead to 14-10, but would get no closer as the Salukis rattled off three field goals and a touchdown to seal a victory.  The Leathernecks have a legitimate deep-threat wide receiver in Lito Senatus.  Senatus caught six passes for 45 yards against Southern, but more impressively, has 30 catches for 435 yards in four games.  Western Illinois will try to run the ball with traditional power formations, a trademark of their teams for years.  However, they will throw a three receiver set in from time-to-time, something new and not seen frequently in the past.

Youngstown State has won the last 5 games against Western Illinois, with four of those contests being decided by seven points or less.  This weeks game marks the 25th meeting between the two schools with YSU victorious 14 times and WIU the winner 10 times.  Last year, YSU won a hard fought 31-28 game in Macomb to end the season.

Coach Jon Heacock looks for his team to roar back coming off of last weeks loss.  “We played outstanding at times.  We had a goal-line stand.  We drive it sixteen plays, and it ends with a turnover.  We went into the game leading the conference in turnover margin.  We turned the ball over 4 times and no longer lead the conference but have slipped down to fourth or fifth.”

Senior WR Aaron Pitts commented on the loss.  “We are definitely upset and embarrassed with our performance Saturday.  We really want to come back strong and get the next one.” 

Senior DL Crispin Fernandez alerted the media that the team is not looking back, but rather ahead.  “We seemed ready.  We did the same things we usually do to get ready.  We were not able to get pressure on the QB because they were picking up our twists and stunts.  We can get to the quarterback this week if we prepare right.”

Penguin Notes

• Senior WR Donald Jones played well in the loss as he tied a school record by having 11 catches in a game.  I sat next to a Philadelphia Eagles scout who was impressed with the effort Jones provided.
• YSU has lost seven consecutive games in October dating back to the 2007 season.
• Youngstown State has 8 interceptions in five games.  Last season they only had 12 in 12 games.
• Eric Rodemoyer has received the Penguins’ Offensive Lineman of The Game award in all four of his starts.  Rodemoyer is a transfer from West Virginia.
• Dominique Barnes is averaging 12.4 yards per catch, best on the team with 5 or more catches.