The 16th-ranked Youngstown State football team plays the first of two straight road games at Southern Illinois on Saturday. Kickoff for the contest at Saluki Stadium is set for 7 p.m. Eastern Time/6 p.m. Central time. The game is available on WKBN 570 AM, iHeartRadio, WBCB TV, ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN App.
    YSU (3-3 overall, 1-2 in the MVFC) will be looking to rebound following a 38-8 Homecoming loss to South Dakota State last Saturday. The Penguins never got on track against the Jackrabbits, who grabbed the lead in the first minute of the game and never looked back.
    YSU trailed 7-2 after the first quarter and 17-5 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Penguins trimmed the deficit to 17-8 on a 40-yard field goal by Zak Kennedy. But the Jackrabbits scored the last three touchdowns for the final margin. Highlighting the contest for YSU was Kennedy, who has now made his last eight field goals, and junior DE Derek Rivers. Rivers had a pair of sacks in the contest to eclipse the school record for most sacks in a career. Rivers now has 23 sacks in his YSU career to best the mark of 22 held previously by Jermaine Hopkins since 1995.
    Southern Illinois (2-4 and 1-2) had another hard-luck loss last Saturday falling at Indiana State, 39-36. SIU, which has lost its four games by a total of eight points, had 554 yards of total offense against the Sycamores, but allowed 561 in the defeat. Indiana State went ahead 17-14 at halftime and never trailed in the second half. The Salukis have lost a pair of games by one point (Indiana and Western Illinois) and two by three (Indiana State and SE Missouri State). SIU has scored at least 34 points in each of its past four games.
    The Penguins own a 14-11-1 all-time lead in the series, including wins in four of the past five contests. Last season, the Guins won 26-14 at Stambaugh Stadium. YSU took a 17-0 lead and led 20-14 after three quarters. A nine-yard touchdown run by TB Jody Webb midway through the fourth quarter was the game's final score. Last time at Southern Illinois, the Penguins trailed 27-14 in the fourth quarter before two touchdowns in the final 10 minutes lifted them to the victory.

Pregame Notes
• YSU has won its last two games in Carbondale after dropping its previous four contests to the Salukis.
• The Penguins will be playing back-to-back games in Illinois for the first time in school history. YSU visits Carbondale this Saturday before travelling to Macomb on Oct. 31.
• The last time the Penguins won both games of a two-game MVFC trip they beat Southern Illinois and Indiana State in 2013.
• PK Zak Kennedy has made his last eight field-goal attempts and this year is 11-of-13 on attempts. From 39 yards and closer he is a perfect 8-of-8.
• Against SDSU, the Penguins did not score a touchdown in a game for the first time since the Jackrabbits held them out of the end zone in 2009 at Stambaugh Stadium.
• Against South Dakota State, sophomore QB Hunter Wells attempted a career-high 39 passes. Wells and QB Ricky Davis combined to throw 41 passes in the game. The 41 passes were most since YSU attempted 42 at SDSU in 2012.
• DE Derek Rivers had a pair of sacks to move past Jermaine Hopkins and become YSU's all-time career leader in the category. Rivers entered the game with 21, one behind Hopkins, but his pair of sacks now give him 23 for his two-and-a-half year YSU career.
• WR Andre Stubbs had his fourth-career 50-yard plus rushing performance last Saturday. Stubbs had 51 yards on just four carries against SDSU.
• YSU recorded its first safety since Sept. 1, 2006, against Slippery Rock. YSU's Nate Dortch tackled SDSU's Brady Mengarelli in the end zone for a safety in the first quarter.

South Dakota State Recap
    YSU never got on track against South Dakota State losing 38-8 to the Jackrabbits at Stambaugh Stadium.
    South Dakota State grabbed the lead in the first minute of the game and never looked back.
    YSU trailed 7-2 after the first quarter and 17-5 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Penguins trimmed the deficit to 17-8 on a 40-yard field goal by Zak Kennedy. But the Jackrabbits scored the last three touchdowns for the final margin.
    In the contest, DE Derek Rivers had a pair of sacks in the contest to eclipse the school record for most sacks in a career. Rivers now has 23 sacks in his YSU career to best the mark of 22 held previously by Jermaine Hopkins since 1995. As a unit, YSU's defense registered four sacks in the game.
    WR Andre Stubbs rushed for a season-high 51 yards on four carries while Kennedy made field goals from 22 and 40 yards.
Last Year vs. SIU
    YSU built a 17-0 lead and was able to wrap up a 26-14 win over Southern Illinois behind a solid all-around defensive effort and a ball-control offense at Stambaugh Stadium last year.
    The Penguins held SIU to just 224 yards of total offense, including 75 on the ground. YSU dominated time of possession holding the ball for 37:33 while opening and closing the game with long time-consuming drives.
    To cap the first drive of the contest, QB Hunter Wells connected with Jelani Berassa on a nine-yard score. Later in the quarter Joey Cejudo made a 27-yard field goal.
    In the second quarter, Jody Webb scored on a 19-yard run as the Guins led 17-0 at the half.
    After SIU crept within 20-14 late in the third, Webb's second TD run of the game increased the advantage to 26-14.
    The Guins milked the final 6:59 off the clock marching to the SIU five-yard line as time expired.

Series History
    The Penguins have won four of the past five games to take a 14-11-1 advantage in the all-time series.
    After losing four straight at Southern Illinois from 2003-09, YSU has won the last two contests in Carbondale. SIU had won six of seven games in the series from 2003-09.
    Last year in Youngstown, YSU jumped out to a 17-0 before Southern Illinois pulled within 20-14 after three quarter. A YSU touchdown extended the lead to 26-14. At SIU in 2013, the Penguins trailed 27-14 with 10 minutes left. But two Kurt Hess touchdown passes, the last of which came with 1:30 left in the game, helped rally the Guins.

Balanced Offense
    Through six games, the Penguins are averaging 188 yards rushing and 184.2 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.

Defense Ranks Highly
    The Youngstown State defense is seventh in the FCS in total defense and still leads the nation in passing defense through games as of Oct. 17.
    YSU, which led the FCS in total defense at one point this season, is now ranked seventh this week allowing just 268.4 yards per game. The Penguins still lead all FCS teams in passing defense allowing just 90.8 yards per contest.
    YSU is fourth in team passing efficiency defense (91.24) and is fifth in first downs defense allowing just 79 this year.

Pass Defense Stout
    YSU has allowed its opponents to complete just 39 passes in 95 attempts (41 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 90.8 yards per contest.  Alcorn is second to the Guins as well in passing yards allowed as well at 106.6.
    YSU has not allowed more than 145 yards passing in a game this season. Illinois State's 145 yards would have been the 10th fewest yards allowed in a game out of 12 contests last year.
    YSU is averaging 6.5 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 545 total passing yards.
    YSU has allowed three passing TDs this season, and none have come in the first three quarters. Last season, the Guins allowed 23 passing touchdowns in 12 games.

Rivers Sets YSU Sack Mark
    Junior DE Derek Rivers became the school's all-time sack leader with 23 after a two-sack performance against South Dakota State. Rivers eclipsed the school mark of 22 which had been held by Jermaine Hopkins since 1995. Hopkins played for the Penguins from 1992-95 and his career sack totals include postseason contests.
    Impressively, it took Rivers just 28 games to break the 20-year-old record.
    Rivers has sacks in four of the six games this season with two against Pittsburgh and South Dakota State.
    Last season, Rivers registered 14 sacks while during his first campaign in 2013 he had three.

Kuhn A TD Machine
    Sophomore TE Shane Kuhn has scored a team-high six touchdowns this year - four on the ground and two through the air.
    Kuhn had scored a touchdown in four consecutive games prior to the contest against South Dakota State.
    Against Illinois State, Kuhn scored on short runs of three and one-yard. 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 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 2,812 yards rushing while his 553 career attempts are eighth. Only six players in school history have rushed for more than 3,000 yards in a career.
    Williams has caught 126 passes and is sixth in school history. He is four shy of Bob Ferranti's 130 for fifth place. His 2,073 receiving yards put him fifth on the career charts. He is 90 yards shy from fourth (Ferranti).
    Ruiz now has 3,583 all-purpose yards in his career, which puts him 11th in school history. Senior WR Andre Stubbs is just behind in 12th with 3,561.

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 six games and been credited with 17 total tackles on the season, including nine solo stops.

Going to the Wells
    Sophomore QB Hunter Wells has thrown seven touchdown passes. In his 16-game  YSU career, Wells has thrown 21 touchdown passes.
    Wells had a streak of 12 straight games with a touchdown pass snapped against South Dakota State last Saturday. He attempted a career-high 39 passes in a losing effort.
     In his 16 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 on Oct. 10.
    Wells had a then-career-best 38 attempts in the opener at Pittsburgh and threw for a season-high 274 yards against the Panthers.

The Wright Stuff
    Sophomore LB Lee Wright had a career-high nine tackles against South Dakota State. Wright also set a new career standard in solo tackles with five.
    For the season he has 28 tackles, including 19 solo stops. Prior to his season-high output against SDSU, his season best in stops was six at Pittsburgh.
    He also had two tackles for losses and a sack against the Jackrabbits.

Alexander The Great
    Junior S LeRoy Alexander, who is new to the program in 2015, has made an impact on the YSU defense.
    Alexander has been credited with a team-high 38 total tackles, including 22 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. Last time out against SDSU he had eight tackles.
    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.

Kennedy Keeps Kicking
    Freshman PK Zak Kennedy is having an outstanding first year with the program. Kennedy is 11-of-13 on the season in field-goal attempts and has made eight straight.
    It is the second straight season in which a YSU kicker has made at least eight in a row as Joey Cejudo converted nine consecutive field goals in 2014.
    Kennedy's 49-yard field goal against Illinois State 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.

Williams A Top Target
    Senior WR Andrew Williams has caught a pass in 21 straight games after a pair of receptions against South Dakota State.
    Williams caught three-or-more passes in each of the first five games before being limited to two last Saturday.
    Williams has caught a pass in 38 of the last 40 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 126 passes and is sixth in school history. He is four shy of Bob Ferranti's 130 for fifth place. His 2,073 receiving yards put him fifth on the career charts and is 90 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 31 career games played.
    Against Saint Francis he had his first 100-yard rushing performance of the season going for 103 yards on 20 carries. 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 six 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 31 tackles, including an impressive 27 solo stops. He has 11.5 TFLs and six sacks on the campaign as well. 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 3,561 all-purpose yards in his career. His total ranks 12th 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 36 of the 40 games he has played since the start of his sophomore season. Against South Dakota State he had a season-best 51 rushing yards on four carries.

Back-to-Back Illinois Trips
    The Penguins play consecutive games in the state of Illinois for the first time in school history. YSU is at Southern Illinois this Saturday and will be back in the Prairie State next weekend to take on Western Illinois in Macomb.

Webb is Big-Play Scorer
    Junior TB Jody Webb scored on runs of 22 and 20 yards 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.

Impressive Road Win
    The Penguins opened MVFC play with a 31-3 road victory at South Dakota. The Coyotes made national waves last Saturday with an upset win at North Dakota State.
    The 28-point margin of victory was the biggest in a road conference game since beating Indiana State 28-0 on Sept. 26, 2009.
    YSU did not allow a touchdown in a league game for the first time since Nov. 11, 2012 (Indiana State). The last time YSU did not allow a TD in an MVFC road game was Sept. 26, 2009, at Indiana State.

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 while FS Tre' Moore and DE Terrell Williams each have been credited with 108 tackles.
    Among juniors, LB Jaylin Kelly leads the way with 119 tackles while FS Jameel Smith has 103.

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 20-58.
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 80 straight games.

Up Next: Western Illinois
    The Penguins make a return trip to Illinois this time to take on Western Illinois. YSU heads to Macomb on Halloween making its first trip to Macomb since 2012.
    The Leathernecks have played in Youngstown the past two seasons. WIU is off to a strong start in Valley play posting a 3-0 league