Author Topic: Spring Game  (Read 4059 times)

Offline peteonastick

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Spring Game
« on: April 23, 2022, 12:46:40 PM »
Anyone go?  Had another commitment.
THE DRIVE FOR 5

Offline Double ET

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Re: Spring Game
« Reply #1 on: April 23, 2022, 02:12:42 PM »
Anyone go?  Had another commitment.
I went and we had a pretty good turn out.
QB  Crenshaw had couple nice deep throws. Couple of the RBs showed some quickness. 2 or 3 interceptions by the CBs. New QB BA had some good runs but threw an interception.
Receivers made a few nice catches.
Offense lined up and missed a FG to send the game to OT. D won by 3.

Offline IronGuin14

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Re: Spring Game
« Reply #2 on: April 23, 2022, 02:39:21 PM »
Boy that sun was cookin'!

I really had no idea how they were keeping track of the points? The halftime D-Line vs O-Line fielding punts was fun.

I was pretty impressed with the D-Line - it seemed they often times had their way with the O-Line. LBs were flying around making some nice plays.


Offline YSUGO

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Re: Spring Game
« Reply #3 on: April 23, 2022, 03:33:18 PM »
How did Crenshaws mechanics and footwork look.  Did they work on his throwing motion etc
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Offline Double ET

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Re: Spring Game
« Reply #4 on: April 23, 2022, 03:53:25 PM »
How did Crenshaws mechanics and footwork look.  Did they work on his throwing motion etc

He threw couple pretty good deep balls. His passes to the side lines weren’t as good.
I think the coaches were trying to work on the passing game to the receivers instead to the TE or RB.
It was difficult to assess his footwork since he was trying to avoid being touch (play stopped) instead of avoiding being tackled. The DL did a pretty good job in pressuring QB and RB.
The half back pass trick played worked well.

Offline dwj

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Re: Spring Game
« Reply #5 on: April 23, 2022, 05:08:11 PM »
Crenshaw still throwing side arm a lot.  Not the best for a 6’1” QB.  Not the best game scenario to show off his running skills when he was down by touch.  They need to roll him out more and use some option plays.  Davidson is the better passer but we don’t have the OL to protect a drop back QB.  Don’t know if DL better or our OL that bad.

Offline ytownchief22

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Re: Spring Game
« Reply #6 on: April 24, 2022, 09:03:34 AM »
O-Line still looks shaky.

Offline Double ET

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Re: Spring Game
« Reply #7 on: April 24, 2022, 11:23:44 AM »
From today’s Tribune/Vindy


Penguins’ defense shines in spring game

YSU SPORTS
APR 24, 2022

JOEL WHETZEL
Staff writer
jwhetzel@tribtoday.com
 
 

Staff photo / Joel Whetzel Youngstown State quarterback Demeatric Crenshaw (10) escapes the pocket as he’s pressured by Dylan Wudke (17), being blocked by Ryan Johnson (55).

YOUNGSTOWN — Football fans caught their first glimpse of next season’s Youngstown State squad Saturday, as the team held its Red-White intrasquad spring game at Stambaugh Stadium.


The event featured the team’s offense (White team) against the defense (Red team). Starters matched up against starters, and the team worked its way down the depth chart throughout the day.

The defense won, 27-24.

“It always starts with the attitude and effort and the competitiveness,” said YSU head coach Doug Phillips. “We want to compete. It’s not like we were playing South Dakota State or North Dakota State today; we’re playing our own games. At the same time, you want to be able to have fun, play with great fundamentals, but take care of each other.”

On that note, he was pleased to see the Penguins get through the day with no injuries, save for one player exiting for muscle cramps.


“You can’t win a game in the spring; you can only lose it (with injuries),” he said. “So we got through spring ball and in the Red and White Game injury free to me (was important) as we head into that next cycle and in the weight room.”

The defense made plays throughout the day, courtesy of some pressure on YSU’s quarterbacks and some playmaking in the secondary.

In the first drive of the game between first stringers, defensive back D’Marco Augustin had a sack of 11 yards on Demeatric Crenshaw, and linebacker Griffin Hoak had a hurry on the next play. Later in the drive, Tyjon Jones had a pass breakup and an interception.

Later on, Hoak had a pass breakup, and James Jackson recorded a sack.

Phillips says the defensive line is what stood out to him this spring.

“What jumped out at us — and I saw it in the weight room in February — is the strength of our defensive line,” he said. “We have about 10, 12 guys and two didn’t play this spring — Jelani Stafford and Hunter Allen had surgeries — so you can go into the season with 12 guys you can put on the field. And a lot of these young men have three or four years of experience.”

Hoak added, “I’m just really excited to come out and play behind this defensive line in the fall.”

The defense is under new leadership, as Jahmal Brown took over as defensive coordinator for Joe Schaefer, who left for a job with Texas A&M.

“It’s mostly been getting to know (Brown), kind of building that chemistry with the coaching staff,” Hoak said. “That trickles down — their leadership becomes our leadership, and then we take over the responsibility of being leaders out on the field. So just getting to know them and their philosophy really makes things a lot better.”

For his part, Crenshaw showed flashes of what the passing game can become. He connected on an 11-yard pass to C.J. Charleston on the first drive, and later hit Bryce Oliver for gains of 12 and 30 yards on separate drives.

In the run game, Liberty grad Dra Rushton worked with the starters for Jaleel McLaughlin, who was held out of the scrimmage. On the starters’ second drive, Rushton had a nine-yard run, a 46-yard reception on a pass from Charleston on a trick play and then capped the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run.

Of Crenshaw, Phillips assessed, “I liked that we were behind the sticks at times and were able to have explosive plays, the plus-15 (yards). I thought that was the one area of improvement. … We know we can run the football, and we have to be able to put the ball downfield. I thought you saw that. Those are the areas we really did make major improvements in this spring.”

Crenshaw credited his offensive line for making strides and also noted the developing chemistry between the receivers and himself.

“The way our offensive line focused on the progression — we were better on that in a lot of practices. This week was a good one for them,” he said. “And us (quarterbacks) and the receivers going through progressions and making good plays downfield.”

The Penguins will get a little time off before returning for workouts in May.

“Finish as strong as we can academically,” Phillips said of what’s next for YSU. “Then in late May we have to get back in the weight room, and we have to make another major jump in that weight room in the months of May, June and July.”


Offline YSUFANSINCE1990

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Re: Spring Game
« Reply #8 on: April 25, 2022, 09:16:50 AM »
  Agree with many of the comments above.   D-line looks like a strength.   I think we have capable back up running backs with Dra Rushton and Randy Smith, appears to be more depth and talent at wide receiver.   McLaughlin did not play, I think he and Crenshaw give us skill and talent to compete.  However, the O-line is an issue, just not very good.   Going to be hard to win in our conference without a good o-line.

Offline Wick250

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Re: Spring Game
« Reply #9 on: April 25, 2022, 01:20:30 PM »
  Agree with many of the comments above.   D-line looks like a strength.   I think we have capable back up running backs with Dra Rushton and Randy Smith, appears to be more depth and talent at wide receiver.   McLaughlin did not play, I think he and Crenshaw give us skill and talent to compete.  However, the O-line is an issue, just not very good.   Going to be hard to win in our conference without a good o-line.

Agree.  Did all the o-linemen play?  Is that really the starting unit or did we experiment? With 17 o-linemen on the roster I am still hoping that we can find five who can form a cohesive unit.  One good thing is that of the three MVFC teams that annihilated us up front last season (NSDU, SDSU, UNI,) we don't play two of them this year.

Offline IronGuin14

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Re: Spring Game
« Reply #10 on: April 30, 2022, 12:21:42 PM »
Keyon Martin has entered the portal

Offline dwj

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Re: Spring Game
« Reply #11 on: May 01, 2022, 03:09:20 PM »
Kenyon Martin is good hate to see him go.  Wish him the best. 

Offline Double ET

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Re: Spring Game
« Reply #12 on: May 01, 2022, 03:16:31 PM »
Keyon Martin has entered the portal

From Tribune/Vindy

YSU’s Martin, Stafford transferring

LOCAL SPORTS
MAY 1, 2022

 
 
Staff report


YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown State defense lost a pair of players this week, as lineman Jelani Stafford and defensive back Keyon Martin announced via Twitter they entered the portal.

Stafford played in all 10 games last season for YSU and made one start at Michigan State. He had 13 tackles, including nine solo stops, and forced a fumble against North Dakota State. Stafford announced Thursday he had received an offer from Ohio University.

Martin started all 10 games last season. He recorded 32 tackles, including 22 solo stops, had 10 pass breakups and one interception. That pick and a forced fumble came against Missouri State.

Martin received an offer from Colorado State on Saturday.