Penguin Football News
Penguins Head to Frisco For Title Matchup Against James Madison
by YSU
Friday, Jan 6, 2017 9:39 am
YSU (12-3) continued its postseason to remember with a final-second 40-38 win at Eastern Washington on a frigid afternoon at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash., on Dec. 17. The Penguins scored 20 fourth-quarter points in the come-from-behind win after trailing 31-20 at the start of the period.
Down 11, an interception in the end zone by Billy Nicoe Hurst late in the third quarter helped turned the momentum YSU's way. The Penguins pulled within 31-27 on an 11-yard pass from Hunter Wells to Alvin Bailey with 12:14 left. After forcing an EWU punt, Tevin McCaster's third touchdown of the day, a 12-yard run with 6:30 left, gave YSU a 34-31 lead. The quick-strike Eagles offense answered just over two minutes later as Shaq Hill scored on a one-yard run with 4:24 left. The Penguins took over with 4:20 remaining and with six seconds left faced a second-and-goal at the EWU five-yard line. Hunter Wells' pass attempt in the end zone was somehow pinned on the back shoulder of EWU's Kenter Kupp by TE Kevin Rader, who held on for the game-winning score with just one second left.
James Madison (13-1) snapped the five-year championship run by North Dakota State with an impressive 27-17 win over the Bison in Fargo, N.D., on Dec. 16. That contest was tied 17-all in the fourth quarter before the Dukes scored the final 10 points to cap off the victory.
This is the fifth all-time meeting between the teams, the last of which was also in the postseason. YSU won a memorable 35-31 nationally-televised contest in the first round of the 2006 FCS Playoffs at Stambaugh Stadium.
YSU ranks third all time in FCS National Championships with four after winning titles in 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1997. The Penguins also appeared in the title game in 1992 and 1999 as well as playing for the Division II national title in 1979.
Quick Notes
• YSU is bidding to become the first three-loss team to win the FCS title since Richmond in 2008.
• At the outset of the 2016 season, the Guins were picked to finish fifth in the MVFC and were unranked in both the coaches and STATS preseason polls. The highest YSU in-season ranking was 11th prior to the contest vs. UNI.
• The 2016 Penguins join the 2013 Towson Tigers and the 2014 North Dakota State Bison as teams to play 16 games in a season. However, YSU is the first team to play five FCS playoff games since the field expanded in 2010.
• YSU is appearing in the FCS Championship Game for the seventh time in school history and a championship game for the eighth time (1979 Division II title game). YSU won championships in 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1997 and lost the finale in 1992 and 1999.
• The Penguins celebrated their 25th anniversary of their 1991 championship in October at Stambaugh Stadium.
• This is the fifth meeting between the Penguins and the Dukes. Ironically, all five games have occurred in years YSU appeared in the postseason, including a 2006 opening-round tilt at Stambaugh Stadium. YSU rallied in the fourth quarter for a 35-31 win.
• The last time YSU played in Texas was on Sept. 11, 1993, at Stephen F. Austin.
• YSU has won 21 consecutive games against FCS non-conference opponents dating back to a 2009 loss to Liberty.
• The Penguins have set season school record for sacks (47), field goals (20) and field-goal attempts (33).
• TB Tevin McCaster has scored a touchdown in a team-high nine games this season. YSU is 8-1 when he scores a touchdown. He had a career-high three TDs at EWU.
• YSU has not allowed a rushing touchdown in the second quarter this season.
• At EWU, the game-time temperature was 12 degrees with a real-feel temp of 5. The contest was played in snow while the temperature dropped to single digits during the game.
• TB Jody Webb has had more than 200 all-purpose yards in six consecutive games. He had accomplished the feat three times in his first 40 games before his recent hot streak.
• In his last six games, Webb has rushed for 961 yards (160.1 per game average) on 137 carries and scored six touchdowns.
• In FCS playoff neutral-site games, YSU is 3-1. All of the games were title contests.
• YSU has had to play against the MVFC Offensive Player of the Year (regular season), the SoCon Offensive Player of the Year, the OVC Offensive Player of the Year, the co-Big Sky Offensive Players of the Year and now the CAA Offensive Player of the Year (JMU QB Bryan Schor).
Playoff History
The Penguins are appearing in the FCS playoffs for the 12th time in school history. One of the most successful FCS postseason programs, YSU is 29-7 all-time.
The Guins have an .805 winning percentage, which is second all-time among FCS schools. YSU also ranks third in championships won (four) and championship-game appearances (six).
Last Time Out: YSU 40, EWU 38
TE Kevin Rader's touchdown reception with one second remaining helped cap off a 20-point fourth quarter as YSU beat Eastern Washington 40-38 on a frigid day at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash. With snow falling and kickoff temperature at 12 degrees, both teams had to battle the elements in a game for the ages.
Late in the third quarter, the Guins trailed 31-20, but an interception in the end zone by Billy Nicoe Hurst gave them life.
Alvin Bailey caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Hunter Wells with 12:14 left before Tevin McCaster's third rushing score of the game gave the Guins a 34-31 lead with 6:30 left.
EWU answered with a seven-play, 80-yard drive and went back ahead on a one-yard run by Shaq Hill with 4:24 remaining.
YSU took over at its 42-yard line with 4:20 left and moved to the EWU five-yard line with six second remaining. Hunter Wells' pass attempt in the end zone was somehow pinned on the back shoulder of EWU's Kenter Kupp by TE Kevin Rader, who held on for the game-winning score with just one second left.
Last Meeting: YSU 35, JMU 31
A career night from QB Tom Zetts helped lead the Penguins to a come-from-behind 35-31 victory over James Madison in the FCS playoffs at Stambaugh Stadium on Nov. 25, 2006.
Zetts passed for a career-high 314 yards and a touchdown while TB Marcus Mason finished with 72 yards and two touchdowns.
Mason scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:12 remaining to cap an 11-point fourth-quarter rally, and Marty Hutchinson and James Terry stopped QB Justin Rascati on a fourth down keeper on JMU's final drive.
JMU scored 14 straight points in the second half to take a 31-20 lead with 14:52 remaining in the fourth quarter.
After forcing a three-and-out, Zetts hit T.J. Peterson for a six-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion to get YSU within three.
The Dukes went for a first down on fourth and inches with 4:41 left, but the Guins held and 58 seconds later Mason had the go-ahead score.
Title-Game History
The Penguins are appearing in their seventh National Championship Game on the FCS level and eighth all-time when they take on the Dukes.
YSU is 4-3 all-time in title tilts, with wins coming in 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1997. In 1991, YSU scored 19 fourth-quarter points to beat Marshall 25-17 in Statesboro, Ga. In 1993, the Guins beat Marshall 17-5 on its home field in Huntington, W. Va. In 1994, the Penguins capped off a 14-0-1 season with a 28-14 win over Boise State in Huntington.
In 1997, YSU claimed its fourth National Championship with a late touchdown to beat McNeese State 10-9 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Success In the Classroom
The Penguins also had a good run in the classroom this fall posting a cumulative team GPA of 2.74. Leading the way were LB Armand Dellovade, TE Jacob Wood and FS Kyle Hegedus who posted 4.00 GPAs in the fall 2016 term.
In the fall, 36 football student-athletes had a GPA of 3.00 or higher and 29 members of the roster are over 3.00 in cumulative GPA for the YSU academic careers.
Also, five Penguins earned their degrees at commencement the day after the win over at EWU - David Rivers III, Nate Dortch, LeRoy Alexander, Joshmere Dawson and Jody Webb.
Long Drives Against EWU
YSU was able to was able to control the clock in the second half in its comeback win at Eastern Washington.
The Penguins' first drive of the second went 13 plays for 79 yards and took 6:41 off the clock. A Zak Kennedy field goal capped off that drive.
The third drive of the half was the longest - 14 plays, 82 yards, 6:47 elapsed time - that ended on an Alvin Bailey TD reception. An eight-play 56-yard drive that took 4:30 off the clock ended on a Tevin McCaster scoring run.
The final drive was 11 plays, 58 yards in 4:19 that finished with a Kevin Rader TD catch with one second left.
Rader's One-Handed Catch
At approximately 9:19 p.m. Pacific Time/11:19 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, Dec. 17, Kevin Rader made a touchdown catch that was more or less a life changer.
Rader pinned a Hunter Wells pass on the left shoulder of EWU linebacker Kenter Kupp and secured the ball to Kupp's back while falling to the frozen red turf for a touchdown.
After instant replay reviewed the play and let it stand, one second remained in the contest.
Not only did it win a playoff game for the Penguins, social-media numbers of the catch exploded thanks to ESPN, SportsCenter, Sports Illustrated and numerous other outlets.
All-America Honors
Three Guins earned All-America honors for their performances during the regular season.
Senior DE Derek Rivers earned second-team All-America honors from The Associated Press and from STATS during his senior campaign.
Senior SS LeRoy Alexander was a second-team pick by the AP and third-team honoree by STATS.
Senior TB Jody Webb was a third-team All-America honoree as an All-Purpose Player by The Associated Press as well.
Pelini Sets Best Win Mark
Head Coach Bo Pelini has won a career-high 12 games this season in his second campaign with the program.
It marks the eighth time in his nine years as a collegiate head coach that Pelini has coached a team to at least nine wins.
In seven full seasons at Nebraska from 2008-14 he won at least nine games each year, including 10-win seasons in 2009, 2010 and 2012.
Last year YSU was 5-6, but the year featured a two-point defeat, a pair of three-point losses that came in the final minute, an OT loss by a touchdown and an eight-point loss at Pittsburgh.
Pelini celebrated his 49th birthday during the Penguins' playoff run on Dec. 13.
Webb Season Flip
The turnaround in TB Jody Webb's season has been nothing short of amazing.
In his first seven games (through YSU game nine), Webb had 75 carries for 340, with a best performance of 96 yards against Duquesne.
In the past six games, he has carried the ball 137 times for 961 yards and has six touchdowns. During that time, Webb is averaging 160.2 yards and 22.8 carries.
He has 19-or-more carries in five of the six games. In the first seven games his high for carries was 15. That's been his low in the last six outings.
Fourth Quarter Wins
The Penguins have rallied for fourth-quarter wins five times this season and won another game when tied in the fourth.
In the regular season, YSU beat Illinois State 20-6 after trailing 6-3 in the fourth on Oct. 8. The Penguins beat UNI 14-10 after trailing 10-0 in the final period on Oct. 15. Against Indiana State the Guins overcame a 10-6 deficit to win 13-10 on a late punt return for a score on Oct. 29. Against Southern Illinois, the contest was tied at 14 in the fourth before YSU won 21-14.
In the postseason, YSU was behind Wofford 23-20 before a field goal tied the game. The Guins won that game in the second overtime. Last time out, the Penguins trailed EWU 38-34 before scoring a TD with one second left.
All-MVFC Honorees
The Penguins had five players named first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference while a total of 13 players earned honors.
Earning first-team honors were DE Derek Rivers, DE Avery Moss, TB Martin Ruiz, OG Brock Eisenhuth and FS LeRoy Alexander. Earning second-team All-MVFC honors were SS Jameel Smith, LB Armand Dellovade, OT Justin Spencer, P Mark Schuler and return specialist Darien Townsend. The Penguins who were named honorable-mention All-MVFC are OT Dylan Colucci, TB Jody Webb and CB Kenny Bishop.
It is the third consecutive year that Rivers was named first-team All-MVFC. He is just the fourth player in YSU history to be named a three-time first-team all-league honoree. The other Penguins to be named first team three times are Mychal Savage (2006, 2008 and 2009), James Terry (2005-07) and Dwyte Smiley (1997-99).
Season Sack Record Set
YSU has set a new school record for sacks in a season with 47. The previous mark was 44 set back in 1982.
While DE Derek Rivers continues to lead the team in sacks with 14, plenty of Penguins have been involved in a strong pass-rushing attack.
Impressively, 16 different players have at least one sack while eight have at least two.
DE Avery Moss is second on the squad with 10 sacks while DT Savon Smith is third with five and DT Donald Mesier has three. LB Armand Dellovade, LB Jamar Pinnock, SS Jameel Smith and CB Kenny Bishop each have two. The combination of Moss, Rivers, Smith and Mesier have combined for 32 of the 47 sacks.
Points Not Allowed
The Penguins have allowed more than 25 points just twice this season. Both times the opponent finished with 38 points - Eastern Washington and West Virginia.
The Guins have allowed 24 points in four other contests as Jacksonville State, Samford, North Dakota State and South Dakota State all finished with that total.
Six times this season the Penguins have allowed 14 or fewer points in a game.
YSU Defense Ranks Highly
The Penguins' defensive unit ranks highly in the FCS in numerous categories entering the James Madison contest.
YSU ranks ninth in scoring defense (19.4 points per game), ninth in sacks per game (3.17), 19th in total defense (324.4 yards per game), 24th in rushing defense (128.1 yards per game) and 25th in third-down percentage defense (33.8 percent).
YSU's defense has allowed just 27 touchdowns in the last 48 quarters. The Guins did not allow an offensive touchdown against Illinois State and UNI.
Few Rushing TDs Allowed
The YSU defense has surrendered just 10 rushing touchdowns this year. It's the fewest rushing touchdowns since 1996 (nine in 11 games). In the regular season, YSU allowed just three rushing scores.
The Guins did not yield a rushing score for the first six games before allowing a rushing touchdown at South Dakota State.
Only six teams have a rushing score against YSU. The Penguins have allowed 10 rushing TDs in 60 quarters (and two OTs).
McCaster TD A Good Sign
Sophomore TB Tevin McCaster has been a key part in the Penguins' backfield rotation. McCaster is YSU's second-leading scorer this season with 11 touchdowns. He has rushing touchdowns in nine different games this year, and YSU is 8-1 in contests when he scores, including playoff wins over Samford, Wofford and Eastern Washington.
Dellovade a Key Stopper
Sophomore LB Armand Dellovade, a second-team all-league selection, leads the Penguins with 98 tackles this year, including 65 solo stops. He is third with 11.5 TFLs, which includes a pair of sacks.
In conference play he had 60 total tackles, highlighted by a career-high 11 stops against South Dakota State on Oct. 22. He had 39 solo tackles in MVFC play. Dellovade has had five-or-more tackles in 12 of the last 13 games.
Going with Wells
A familiar face has started for the Penguins the past eight games in junior QB Hunter Wells.
Wells, who made his season debut on Oct. 29 against Indiana State, has led the Penguins to a 7-1 record, including six straight wins, since being inserted into the lineup.
He had a season-best three touchdown passes in the double-overtime win over Wofford. At Eastern Washington he completed 16-of-24 passes for 244 yards and a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns.
At Jacksonville State he threw for 290 yards completing 10-of-18 attempts (29 per completion average). At JSU he had four passes of 35-or-more yards with completions of 85, 70, 50 and 38 yards in the contest.
A veteran with 26 career starts, he has thrown for 5,190 yards and 36 touchdowns while completing 387-of-662 passes. Last year he started all 11 games for YSU completing 159-of-291 passes for 1,975 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The Wright Stuff
Junior LB Lee Wright, a 2015 second-team All-MVFC honoree, missed the regular season but has returned to the lineup for the postseason.
He has started twice for the Penguins and has six-or-more tackles in the last three playoff games. At Eastern Washington he had seven tackles, with three TFLs, two QB hurries and a sack. Against Wofford he had seven tackles, including six solo stops. In his first start of the year at Jacksonville State, he had six tackles, including five solos, and a pass breakup.
Last year, Wright started all 11 games and led the Penguins with 78 total tackles, including 48 solo stops. He also had six sacks and 9.5 TFLs, ranking second on the team in both categories.
Wells Shows Moxie
Junior QB Hunter Wells showed moxie in helping lead YSU to late wins in the last two games.
On the final drive at Eastern Washington he was 3-for-4 for 26 yards with his lone incompletion a throw away on 1st-and-10 at the EWU 21. Wells also used his legs to contribute on the last drive running for nine yards on 3rd-and-6 at the Eastern 30 with a minute left in the game.
On the last three drives of the game he was 7-of-9 for 81 yards and two touchdowns. He had another first-down rush picking up six yards on a 3rd-and-3 at the EWU 15.
After the first quarter against Wofford, Wells completed 11 of his final 16 passes for 143 yards and three scores.
In the second overtime, he was 3-of-3 for 19 yards, including consecutive eight-yard completions after YSU faced a 2nd-and-12 from its 27-yard line. After an eight-yard completion to Alvin Bailey gave YSU a first down at the Wofford 11-yard line, the Penguins scored a touchdown three plays later.
Webb Over 200 All-Purpose
For the sixth straight contest, TB Jody Webb had more than 200 all-purpose yards. In those games, YSU is 6-0.
Webb had 218 yards in the semifinal at Eastern Washington. He had the best performance of his career, and school history, with 331 all-purpose yards against Wofford. Against the Terriers, he carried the ball a career-high 34 times for a career-best 213 yards. Webb had nine carries in the first half, 20 in the second half and five more in overtime.
In the four postseason games he has 859 all-purpose yards, an average of 269.2 yards a contest (276 vs. Samford and 252 vs JSU).
In the final two regular-season games, he had 240 at Missouri State and 214 against Southern Illinois.
Kennedy With 19 FGs Again
Sophomore PK Zak Kennedy has made 19 field goals in back-to-back seasons. In 2015, he had an outstanding first year making 19-of-23 attempts to earn first-team All-MVFC honors.
Kennedy is 19-of-29 this season despite missing two games with an injury. He was 11-of-17 before his injury and since returning to the lineup is 8-of-12. Three of those misses were against Wofford.
At Jacksonville State he had one of the best games of his career making 4-of-5 attempts. On a freezing cold day at EWU he was 2-of-2, making a 42-yarder in the contest.
With his 19 and Connor McFadden's field goal against Missouri State, the Penguins have set a school mark with 20 made field goals this year. The 33 attempts are also the most in school history.
Moss Having Best Campaign
DE Avery Moss earned first-team all-conference honors in 2016. Since suffering an ankle injury against Missouri State, Moss has battled to stay in the lineup. He missed the Samford contest and left the EWU game in the second quarter with an injury.
Moss has 51 total tackles, 35 of which are solo stops, and is second on the team with 10 sacks. Against Wofford, Moss finished with a career-high nine tackles, seven of which were solos. Moss is second on the team with 14.5 TFLs while ranking first in forced fumbles.
Last year, he had 25 total tackles,14 solos, and three sacks for the entire 2015 campaign.
Pair Named Newcomers
Redshirt Freshman P Mark Schuler and sophomore C Vitas Hrynkiewicz were named to the MVFC All-Newcomer team.
Schuler was a second-team All-MVFC pick in his first season as well. Hrynkiewicz has started all 15 games this year at center after transfering from Independence (Kan.) JC.
Rivers The Past 38 Games
Senior DE Derek Rivers has had an impressive YSU career, but since the start of the 2014 season, Rivers has been one of the top defensive players in the FCS.
Overall in his career, Rivers has 167 total tackles, 116 of which are solos. He has an impressive 54.5 TFLs, which rank him fourth in school history. This year he has 52 tackles, 41 of which solos, with 16.5 TFLs and 14 sacks.
As a junior, he had 52 tackles, including an impressive 37 solo stops. He had 15.5 TFLs and nine sacks on the campaign as well. As a sophomore, Rivers was credited with 50 total tackles, including 17 TFLs and 14 sacks.
In his last 38 games, he has 153 total tackles, 50 TFLs and 37 sacks. Rivers has had at least one sack in 21 of his last 31 games.
Rivers Owns Sack Mark
Senior DE Derek Rivers is the school's all-time sack leader with 40 and is third in the FCS in most career sacks.
On Oct. 17, 2015, following 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.
Impressively, it took Rivers just 28 games to break the 20-year-old record.
He has eclipsed the previous record by 18.
Call 9-11
The Penguins' defensive-end combo of Avery Moss (No. 9) and Derek Rivers (No. 11) is one of the top ones in the nation.
WVU Head Coach Dana Holgorsen was quoted as saying following the contest "These two cats that we played against from Youngstown State were as good of pass rushers as I've seen" (h/t @mitchsherman).
Rivers has a team-high 14 sacks and 20 quarterback hurries while Moss has 10 sacks and eight QB hurries. It marks the third time in YSU history that two players have 10-or-more sacks in the same season (2014 and 1982).
Schuler Shows Big Leg
Redshirt freshman P Mark Schuler, a second-team All-MVFC honoree this year, leads all freshman FCS punters and ranks 15th overall averaging 42.4 yards per kick. He has 14 punts of 50 yards or longer and has placed 26 inside the 20-yard line.
The school record for average in a season belongs to Nick Liste, who averaged 44.2 yards in 2013. The freshman mark is also held by Liste, an average of 41.4 yards in 2010.
Schuler had a career-long boot of 74 yards in the first quarter against Samford. He also has a 62-yard punt (Indiana State) and a 61-yarder (Southern Illinois) to his credit this year.
No Pass Completions
YSU faced diverse opponents in consecutive games in Eastern Washington and Wofford.
Eastern Washington threw the ball 35 times and had 385 yards. Wofford attempted just three pass attempts, with no completions, and two came on the final two snaps of overtime.
The only other passing attempt in the game was late in the second quarter when Wofford sent a receiver deep on a 1st-and-10 from its 35-yard line. Forced into a 3rd-and-long in OT, Wofford tried a gadget play that YSU defended. On the final play, Brandon Goodson's pass was under thrown.
Webb's Day To Remember
Senior TB Jody Webb had a career-high 34 carries for a career-best 213 yards rushing in the win over Wofford. Webb averaged 6.3 yards per carry and had a long run of 31 in the game.
He returned four kickoffs for a total of 118 yards with a long of 44. Combined, his kickoff return yardage and rushing yards gave him a school-record 331 all-purpose yards, besting the mark set by Dave DelSignore on Sept. 20, 1969, against Western Illinois (323).
Webb had broken the record in the first overtime, but a TFL moved him back behind DelSignore. Webb then reclaimed the record in the second overtime.
Best Offensive Output
The Penguins rolled up a school-record 747 yards of total offense and had a school-best 572 yards rushing in the regular-season finale at Missouri State.
The Guins scored a season-high 65 points against the Bears. The Penguins averaged 10.5 yards per play and 10.6 yards per rush at MSU. YSU had five touchdown runs of longer than 50 yards in the contest. YSU also had three 100-yard rushers in a game for the first time in school history as Joe Alessi had 190, Martin Ruiz had 183 and Jody Webb added 166.
Defensive Effort Impressive
The Penguins had one of the best all-around defensive halves in school history against Robert Morris back in September.
YSU held the Colonials to 0 yards on 24 plays in the opening half. RMU had 14 rushes for two yards while completing 4-of-10 passes for minus-2 yards. The Guins did not allow a first down until 6:07 of the second quarter.
RMU finished with minus-13 yards rushing, which was the sixth-best performance defensively in school history and lowest total allowed in a game since 1994.
The Guins were impressive in the first quarter allowing minus-five yards on 12 snaps. Thirty-five plays into the game, RMU had 20 yards of total offense with 3:27 left in the third quarter. Of the 103 yards gained, 82 came on two plays (52 and 30 yard passes) in the third quarter.
Best Drive in 31 Years
Trailing 14-0 midway through the third quarter against UNI on Oct. 15, the Penguins put together one of the most impressive drives in school history. YSU had a 22-play, 86-yard march that melted 11:40 off the game clock.
The 22-play drive against UNI was the longest for the Penguins since 1985.
During the 22 plays, YSU ran the ball 20 times and threw just two passes. The lone completion of the drive was an 11-yard pass from Nathan Mays to Jody Webb that converted a 3rd-and-7 situation at the UNI 38-yard line.
YSU ran the final 15 plays of the third quarter after taking over at its 14-yard line with 8:27 remaining. The final eight plays of the drive were all rushes as Tevin McCaster capped it off with a one-yard touchdown run with 11:47 left in the fourth quarter.
Three QBs Not By Design
Because of injuries, the Penguins were forced to use three quarterbacks in the come-from-behind win over UNI on Oct. 15.
Starting QB Ricky Davis played the first quarter and two drives in the second quarter before leaving the game with a lower-body injury. Second-string QB Trent Hosick played four snaps of the next drive before exiting. On a 28-yard run Hosick broke his collarbone when he was pushed to the ground out of bounds.
That forced third-string QB and scout-teamer Nathan Mays into the mix. Mays played the final possession of the first half and all of the second-half in the come-from-behind win.
Numbers of Note
• Turnover Margin: Since 1996, the Penguins are 130-33 when they win or tie in the turnover margin. When committing more turnovers, YSU is just 25-61.
Since 1990 YSU is:
• 157-19-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points in a game.
• 132-16 when rushing for 200-plus yards.
• 154-25 when scoring 28-or-more points.
• 83-9-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing in a game.
• 183-15 when leading entering the fourth.
• 83-3-2 when holding opponents to 10 points-or-less in a game.
More recently:
• YSU has scored points in 106 straight games.
Penguin Football Game Day
Our Thanks
ysupenguins.com would like to thank Youngstown State University and the Sports Information Department for their assistance.
