Penguins Head to Missouri State Looking to Bolster Playoff Resume

by YSU

Thursday, Nov 17, 2016 7:06 am

The 14th-ranked Youngstown State football team plays their final game of the regular season this Saturday when the Penguins take on Missouri State in Springfield, Mo. Kickoff for the contest at Plaster Field is set for 3 p.m. Eastern time/2 p.m. Central time. The game is available on WKBN 570 AM, iHeartRadio, WBCB TV and ESPN3/WatchESPN App.

    YSU (7-3 overall and 5-2 in the MVFC) closed out a perfect home season with a 21-14 win over Southern Illinois last Saturday. The Penguins, who went 6-0 at home this year, jumped out to a 14-0 lead only to see the Salukis tie the contest in the fourth quarter. But a resilient YSU team found another way to win when QB Hunter Wells threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Darien Townsend with 4:59 remaining. From there the defense had to stop two late drives by SIU to seal the win.

    Tevin McCaster gave the Penguins a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter when he scored on a one-yard run. On their next offensive possession, YSU extended the lead to 14-0 with 11:56 left in the second quarter on a 10-yard pass from Wells to Alvin Bailey.  SIU tied the game with touchdowns in the third and fourth quarter before Wells found Townsend with 4:59 left. SIU had a first-and-goal at the YSU 10-yard line, but did not score. A final play hailmary pass completion ended the game at the Penguins' five.

    Missouri State (4-6, 2-5) has had an improved second year under Head Coach Dave Steckel. The Bears are coming off a 37-0 loss at Illinois State in their most recent outing. ISU amassed 514 yards of total offense in the contest while limiting MSU to 193. The Redbirds broke the game open with a 17-point second quarter to lead 20-0 at halftime. MSU owns conference wins against Southern Illinois and Indiana State after going winless in league play in 2015.

    The Penguins have won the past two meetings in the series, including a 47-7 win at Stambaugh Stadium last year. In their most recent trip to Missouri State in 2014, the Guins held on for 14-7 victory. Prior to the back-to-back wins, the Bears had won five of the previous eight meetings, including four straight before the two Penguins victories.

    YSU leads the all-time series by a 13-5 mark after winning the first eight contests between the programs. The Guins have won six of the nine contests played in Springfield since the series started in 1996.