• PDF Game Notes
• Head Coach Bo Pelini Video
• DT Steve Zaborsky Video
• WR Andre Stubbs Video

    The 11th-ranked Youngstown State football team will play host to No. 7 South Dakota State in the Penguins' annual Homecoming game on Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium. Kickoff for the contest is set for 4 p.m. The game is available on WKBN 570 AM, iHeartRadio, ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN App.
    YSU (3-2 overall, 1-1 in the MVFC) is coming off a tough 31-29 loss to fourth-ranked Illinois State last Saturday. The teams combined for 31 fourth-quarter points after scoring 29 in the first three periods.
    YSU trailed 7-0 in the first quarter on a 26-yard interception for a touchdown by Illinois State's Josh Burch. The Guins struck right back to pull within 7-6 on a three-yard run by Shane Kuhn, but trailed 17-12 after three quarters. Early in the fourth, Kuhn scored on a one-yard run to give YSU its first lead of the game at 20-17. But three plays later, Illinois State answered and regained a 24-20 advantage on a Tre Roberson to Anthony Warrum 39-yard scoring toss. YSU crept back within one following a career-long 49-yard field goal by Zak Kennedy, but the Redbirds pushed the lead back to 31-23 on a 19-yard score by Marshaun Coprich. YSU's final drive was jump started by a 54-yard kickoff return by Jody Webb. Starting at the ISU 45, the Guins covered that in 10 plays when Wells found Martin Ruiz on a 13-yard scoring toss with 32 seconds left. On the two-point try, Wells apparently scored on a keeper, but video replay ruled him down short of the end zone and Illinois State hung on for the win.
    South Dakota State (4-1 and 1-1) picked up its first conference win of the season knocking off Indiana State 24-7 last Saturday in Brookings. The Jackrabbits took a 14-0 lead at halftime and led 14-7 after three quarters. SDSU scored 10 points in the first two-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter to push its lead to 24-7. Reserve quarterbacks Taryn Christion and Dalton Douglas threw for 247 yards in the win. Christion added 99 yards on the ground on 16 attempts.
    The Jackrabbits own a 10-6 advantage in the all-time series, but the Penguins won the most recent meeting. Last year in Brookings, YSU picked up a 30-27 win to stop a six-game SDSU winning streak in the series. The Penguins' last home win in the series was in 2007.

ISU Game Notes
• YSU scored on its final five possessions of the game. The Penguins kicked three field goals and scored a pair of touchdowns on their final five drives of the contest.
• PK Zak Kennedy kicked three field goals in a game for the second time this season. Highlighting Kennedy's kicks was a career-long 49-yarder in the third quarter. It was the longest made field goal for the Penguins since  Nick Terracina kicked a 56-yarder at Liberty in 2003. It was the longest made by a YSU kicker at home since Jeff Wilkins kicked a 51-yarder against James Madison on Nov. 9. 1991.
• TE Shane Kuhn scored a touchdown in his fourth consecutive game. Kuhn had two rushing scores in the game and has now scored six times in the last four games.
• TB Jody Webb amassed a career-high 200 all-purpose yards in the game. Webb rushed for 107 yards on 16 carries, caught four passes for 39 yards and had a kickoff return for 54 yards.
• QB Hunter Wells has thrown a touchdown pass in a school-record 12 consecutive games. Wells threw a fourth-quarter scoring toss to Martin Ruiz in the last minute to keep his streak alive.
• WR Andrew Williams eclipsed 2,000 yards in career receiving during the contest. Williams now sits at 2,058 for his career.
• Ruiz eclipsed 2,800 yards rushing (2,809)and 3,500 all-purpose yards (3,569) in a career during the contest.
• YSU had more total yards (447-367), more passing yards (240-145), more offensive plays (71-52), more first downs (24-20) and more time of possession (34:04-25:56) in the game.

Illinois State Recap
    YSU came up just short in a tough 31-29 loss to Illinois State last Saturday night at Stambaugh Stadium.
    The Penguins trailed 31-23 late before pulling within 31-29 with 32 seconds remaining after Hunter Wells threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Martin Ruiz. On the two-point conversion try, Wells found an opening and dove into the end zone for a would-be tying score. However, replay determined that Wells' knee was down before he crossed the plane and the score was whipped out.
    In the fourth quarter the teams combined for 31 points after 29 in the first three quarters.
    YSU trailed 17-12 early in the fourth before taking its first lead of the game at 20-17 on a one-yard run by Shane Kuhn and two-point conversion pass from Wells to Jacob Wood.
    But three plays later, Illinois State regained the lead 24-20 on 39-yard pass from Tre Roberson to Anthony Warrum. YSU trailed 24-23 following a 49-yard Zak Kennedy field goal, but ISU pushed its lead to eight on a 19-yard run by Marshaun Coprich with 4:18 left.

Last Year vs. SDSU
    YSU seized the lead from South Dakota State just before halftime and did not let it slip from its grasp in a 30-27 win last October at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.
    The Guins scored 20 second-quarter points as Martin Ruiz and Hunter Wells scored via the ground and Wells hit Jody Webb on a 22-yard scoring toss. Wells' touchdown came just 11 seconds before halftime and put YSU in front 23-20 at the break.
    That was the score until midway through the fourth quarter when Wells threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jelani Berassa with 8:21 remaining.
    YSU allowed the Jackrabbits to pull within 30-27 with 4:16 remaining and after being forced to punt, Joey Cejudo pinned SDSU at its two-yard line with 2:00 left. On fourth-and-19, Julius Childs broke up a pass that would have been an SDSU first down with 57 seconds left to seal the victory.

Series History
    The Penguins snapped a seven-game South Dakota State winning streak in the series with a 30-27 win last year in Brookings.
    The Jackrabbits have won 10 of the 16 all-time meetings between the programs in a series that dates back to 1942.
    YSU's last win in Youngstown came in 2007 when the Penguins won a 23-17 contest. Since that time the Jacks have three straight, the last of which ended in a near blizzard on Nov. 23, 2013.

Pelini's 100th Game
    YSU Head Coach Bo Pelini will coach his 100th game on Saturday when the Penguins take on South Dakota State.
    Pelini is coaching just his sixth game with the YSU program after leading Nebraska in 94 contests as a head coach. Pelini's first game as a head coach was in 2003 when the Huskers defeated Michigan State in the Alamo Bowl. He served in an interim role that evening replacing Frank Solich.
    Pelini was Nebraska's head coach from 2008-14 and won at least nine games every season.

Defense Ranks Highly
    The Youngstown State defense is fourth in the FCS in total defense and still leads the nation in passing defense through games as of Oct. 10.
    YSU, which led the FCS prior to the Illinois State game, dropped to fourth this week allowing just 268.4 yards per game. The Penguins still lead all FCS teams in passing defense allowing just 84.6 yards per contest.
    YSU is second in team passing efficiency defense (80.41 behind Dayton) and is third in first downs defense allowing just 62 this year.

Pass Defense Stout
    YSU has allowed its opponents to complete just 31 passes this season in 81 attempts (38.3 percent). The next closest team in the FCS is Alcorn which has allowed just 47 completions.
    The Penguins remain the top passing defense in the FCS allowing just 84.6 yards per contest.  Alcorn is second to the Guins as well in passing yards allowed as well at 106.6.
    YSU allowed a season-high 145 yards passing in the loss to Illinois State. That total would have been the 10th fewest yards allowed in a game last year.
    Through five games, YSU is averaging 6.2 completions allowed per contest. The most completions allowed in a game this year was 11 to Pittsburgh in the season opener.
    This season the Penguins have allowed just 423 total passing yards. Of those, five  completions - 35, 39, 42, 55, 63 - combine for 234 yards.
    YSU has allowed two passing TDs this season, and none have come in the first three quarters. Last season, the Guins allowed 23 passing touchdowns in 12 games.

Balanced Offense
    Through five games, the Penguins are averaging 200.6 yards rushing and 190.4 yards passing per contest, showing once again they are a balanced offensive unit.
    Three times this season YSU has amassed more than 400 yards of total offense so far. The season-best output was 471 against Saint Francis. YSU is coming off a 447-yard effort against Illinois State.

Rivers Closing In On Sack Mark
    Junior DE Derek Rivers needs just one sack to tie the school record for most in a career. Rivers enters the contest against South Dakota State with 21 and trails Jermaine Hopkins (1992-95) by just one sack.  Impressively, Rivers has done it in just 27 games.
    Rivers has sacks in three of the five games this season with a high of two at Pittsburgh. At South Dakota he had a strip-sack in the first quarter.
    Last season, Rivers registered 14 sacks while during his first campaign in 2013 he had three.

Kuhn TD Streak At Four
    Sophomore TE Shane Kuhn has scored six touchdowns in the last four contests for the Penguins.
    Against Illinois State, Kuhn scored on short runs of three and one-yard. The previous week at South Dakota he caught a 13-yard scoring toss. In the win over Saint Francis (Pa.), he had  five carries for 18 yards and two rushing touchdowns. In the overtime triumph vs. Robert Morris he had a one-yard TD catch in the fourth quarter.
    He has scored touchdowns in the fourth quarter in three of the past four games. Through five games, Kuhn is tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns with four.

Williams, Ruiz Moving Up
    Junior TB Martin Ruiz and senior WR Andrew Williams have continued to make a steady climb up the YSU career rankings in various categories.
    Ruiz now ranks seventh in school history with 2,809 yards rushing while his 551 career attempts are eighth. Only six players in school history have rushed for more than 3,000 yards in a career.
    Williams has caught 124 passes and is sixth in school history. He is six shy of Bob Ferranti's 130 for fifth place. His 2,058 receiving yards put him sixth on the career charts. He is four shy of fifth (Dominique Barnes) and 105 from fourth (Ferranti).
    Ruiz now has 3,569 all-purpose yards in his career which puts him 11th in school history. Senior WR Andre Stubbs is just behind in 13th with 3,469.

Zaborsky NFF Semifinalist
    Senior DT Steve Zaborsky has been named a semifinalist for the 2015 William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.
    Zaborsky is one of 135 student-athletes that the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame has chosen as semifinalists for this prestigious award. He is also one of only 23 student-athletes representing the FCS.
    Zaborsky has started all five games and been credited with 15 total tackles on the season, including seven solo stops.

Going to the Wells
    Sophomore QB Hunter Wells has thrown seven touchdown passes. In his 15-game  YSU career, Wells has thrown 21 touchdown passes.
    After throwing a late touchdown pass to Martin Ruiz,  Wells has now thrown a touchdown pass in a school-record 12 straight games dating back to last year. In his 15 games played, he has a touchdown pass in 13.
    Wells had his second 200-yard passing performance of the season throwing for 240 yards against Illinois State. He had a solid second half completing 10-of-13 passes for 140 yards against the Redbirds.
    Wells had a career-best 38 attempts in the opener at Pittsburgh and threw for a season-high 274 yards against the Panthers.

Homecoming Happiness
    The Penguins are playing their 75th Homecoming contest this Saturday against South Dakota State.
    YSU has won four straight Homecoming contests and will be looking to win its fifth consecutive on Saturday, the most since winning 11 straight from 1992-2002.
    Last season, the Guins defeated Southern Illinois 26-14. In 2013, YSU beat Western Illinois 24-14. In 2012, the Penguins defeated South Dakota 13-10 and in 2011, YSU dispatched of the Leathernecks 56-14.
    The Penguins own an all-time mark of 51-22-1 in Homecoming contests. South Dakota State has been YSU's Homecoming opponent on just one occasion - 2009. The Jackrabbits won that contest 17-3.

Alexander The Great
    Junior S LeRoy Alexander has made an immediate impact on the YSU defense.
    In five games, Alexander has been credited with 30 total tackles, including 17 solo stops. He has a team-high three interceptions and returned a fumble 50 yards against South Dakota.
    Against Illinois State he had a career-high 11 tackles, including seven solo stops.
    In his first YSU game at Pittsburgh, Alexander had a pair of second-quarter interceptions, including returning one 41 yards for a touchdown.
    The next week against RMU, Alexander had eight total tackles, a sack and an interception.
    He is the first Penguin with interceptions in the first two games of a season since Bruce Hightower in 2001.
 
Freshman Making Impact
    True freshman LB Armand Dellovade has started the past four games at the MIKE linebacker spot.
    He was credited with a career-best eight tackles in the win at South Dakota. He had a career-best five solo stops and the first sack of his Penguin career. His sack ended the first drive of the game for USD. Against Illinois State, he had five tackles, including three solo stops. He had one of YSU's two TFLs in the contest.

Williams A Top Target
    Senior WR Andrew Williams has caught a pass in 20 straight games after a three-reception performance against Illinois State. He had 59 yards against the Redbirds.
    Williams has caught three-or-more passes in each of the first five games this season. He had four catches for 39 yards against Saint Francis,  three receptions for 46 yards against RMU and three for 40 yards at Pitt. Against USD he had his first touchdown reception of the season while hauling in four passes for 79 yards.
    Williams has caught a pass in 37 of the last 39 games he has played in dating back to the start of the 2012 season. The only two times he failed to catch a ball was against Pitt in 2012 and at Western Illinois in 2013.
    Williams has caught 124 passes and is sixth in school history. He is six shy of Bob Ferranti's 130 for fifth place. His 2,058 receiving yards put him sixth on the career charts. He is four shy of fifth (Dominique Barnes) and 105 from fourth (Ferranti).

Ruiz Model of Consistency
    Junior TB Martin Ruiz has rushed for at least 74 yards in a game on 24 occasions in 30 career games played.
    Against Saint Francis he had his first 100-yard rushing performance of the season going for 103 yards on 20 carries. In his last outing he had 84 yards on 18 carries against Illinois State. He also tied his career high with four receptions in the game, including a fourth-quarter TD grab.
    On 13 occasions he has rushed for more than 100 yards, including a career-high eight times last year. Only five times has he been limited to under 50 yards rushing in a game.
    Additionally he has scored a touchdown in 21 games, with eight multi-TD performances.

Rivers on Watch List
    Junior DE Derek Rivers is among a group of FCS standouts who are named to the STATS Defensive Player of the Year Watch List.
    Rivers is one of six non-seniors on the Watch List, and the MVFC is well represented with three players. Joining Rivers on the list from the conference are Indiana State's Connor Underwood and Illinois State's  Pat Meehan.
    This year he has 19 tackles, including 15 solo stops. Last season Rivers was a first-team All-MVFC honoree after being credited with 50 total tackles, including 17 TFLs and 14 sacks.

Stubbs Is A Mainstay
    Senior WR Andre Stubbs has amassed an impressive 3,469 all-purpose yards in his career. His total ranks 13th in school history, but among players who were primarily wide receivers he sits behind only Jim Ferranti (4,054).
    Stubbs has had more than 100 all-purpose yards in a game on 16 occasions.
    At Pittsburgh in the season opener he had a career-best 147 yards receiving on a career-high-tying six receptions. Last year, his best all-purpose performance came against Western Illinois when he had 158 yards.
    He has caught a pass in 35 of the 39 games he has played since the start of his sophomore season.

Turnovers On The Rise
    The Penguins have forced eight turnovers in the first five games of the season and are plus-3 in turnover margin.
    Last year, YSU was a minus-5 in the turnover margin and forced just 14 in 12 games.
    The Guins have four fumble recoveries this year after just recovering five a year ago.

Webb is Big-Play Scorer
    Junior TB Jody Webb scored on runs of 22 and 20 yards in the win against Saint Francis. For Webb it marked the second time this year that he had scored two touchdowns in a game. In the opener at Pitt Webb scored on a 75-yard run and a 27-yard run.
    In his career, Webb has been a big-play touchdown scorer. Of his 19 career rushing touchdowns, 11 have been of more than 20 yards.

Pelini Takes The Reigns
    The Penguins are under the direction of Youngstown native Bo Pelini this season. Pelini spent the past seven years at Nebraska before returning to his hometown last December. He is a graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School and grew up on Youngstown's South Side.
    With with the Huskers, Pelini won at least nine games every season, including 10 during three different seasons.
    Pelini is also just the sixth coach in FBS history at a Power Five conference (Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC) school to win nine games in each of his first seven campaigns. The others in the group include Tom Osborne (Nebraska), Barry Switzer (Oklahoma), Earle Bruce (Ohio State), Steve Spurrier (Florida) and Mack Brown (Texas).
    Pelini and Alabama's Nick Saban are the only two FBS coaches to notch nine-or-more wins in each season since 2008.

No TDS in Consecutive Games
    The Penguins did not allow a touchdown in consecutive games for the first time since the 1996 season. YSU defeated South Dakota, 31-3, on Oct. 3 and Saint Francis (Pa.), 48-3, on Sept. 19.
    The last time the Guins did not allow touchdowns in consecutive games was at the outset of the 1996 season. In the first two games of the 1996 campaign, the Penguins posted shutout wins against Wofford and Slippery Rock.

Effort Best Since 1979
    The YSU defense held Saint Francis to just 87 total yards in the win on Sept. 19. The last time YSU limited an opponent under 90 yards was when Alabama A&M had just 68 yards in the 1979 playoffs. That was the fewest yards allowed in a game in school history.
    The only other game in which the Guins allowed fewer yards was in 1973 when Eastern Illinois had 76. The lowest total that YSU had allowed as an FCS opponent was 90 against Buffalo in 1994.

Veterans on Defense
    The Penguins have five players on the defensive side of the ball who have 80-or-more tackles in their careers.
    Senior LB Dubem Nwadiogbu leads the way with 149 stops, FS Tre' Moore has 108 tackles and DE Terrell Williams has 103 tackles.
    Among juniors, LB Jaylin Kelly leads the way with 112 tackles while FS Jameel Smith has 97.

Numbers of Note
• Turnover Margin: Since 1996, the Penguins are 121-30 when they win or tie in the turnover margin. When committing more turnovers, YSU is just 20-57.
Since 1990 YSU is:
• 148-19-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points in a game.
• 121-15 when rushing for 200-plus yards.
• 144-24 when scoring 28-or-more points.
• 75-9-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing in a game.
• 174-13 when leading entering the fourth.
• 77-3-2 when holding opponents to 10 points-or-less in a game.
More recently:
• YSU has scored points in 79 straight games.
• YSU has scored in double figures in 35 consecutive contests.

Up Next: Southern Illinois
    The Penguins play their next two games on the road beginning with a contest at Southern Illinois next Saturday night.
    Kickoff for the contest at Saluki Stadium is set for 7 p.m. Eastern/6 p.m. Central time. SIU plays host to Indiana State this Saturday.