By Joe Scalzo
scalzo@vindy.com
YOUNGSTOWN
Two years ago, Youngstown State coach Eric Wolford left training camp with a two-deep chart he wasn’t sure was one-deep at most positions.
He lost his voice by the end of practices and lost his patience by the end of film study and, all too often, lost his leads by the end of games.
Two years later? He can’t hide his confidence.
“We feel like we finally have the depth and the talent that there’s no excuses for not winning here,” Wolford said after Tuesday’s practice, the last of fall camp. “We’re practicing better. I don’t have to poke and prod as much. I don’t have to yell and scream like I used to.
“They’re getting it.”
Wolford went 3-8 in his first season, with five losses by a touchdown or less. He went 6-5 last season, with four losses by a touchdown or less. Now he enters his third season with a “playoffs or bust” mentality, believing his team finally has enough talent to win a conference title — and enough leadership.
“Our coaches are doing a better job of leading their positions, our player representatives and our captains are doing a better job and I can see it,” Wolford said. “That we feel really good about.”
The Penguins wrapped camp relatively healthy — starting wideout Jelani Berassa tore his ACL in the only major injury of the summer — and there’s a quiet confidence that they have a team capable of pulling off an upset against an FBS foe.
There’s also a confidence that beating any of their FCS foes won’t be considered an upset. YSU does have a tough schedule — its first three conference games are at home against UNI, then at North Dakota State and Illinois State, the league’s three best teams last season — but if the Penguins can win two of those games, they will be in terrific shape entering the second half of the conference slate.
“We’ve talked about championship effort,” Wolford said. “You can go out and give good effort and probably win six or seven games. But championship effort is another level. That’s what I want to see.”
