YSUsports.com - Football: YSU Concludes Stretch Against Ranked Teams at UNI

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Nov. 4, 2009

YSU Concludes Stretch Against Ranked Teams at UNI

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The Penguins (4-4 and 2-3) head to Northern Iowa hoping to play postseason spoiler against the 12th-ranked Panthers...kickoff for the contest at the UNI Dome is set for 5:05 p.m. Eastern Time/4:05 p.m. Central...both teams enter the game following losses to South Dakota State...the Penguins fell 17-3 last Saturday while the Panthers lost 24-14 on Oct. 24...both schools enter the contest having dropped two straight decisions...ironically, Southern Illinois was the other school to defeat both teams during that stretch...the past two meetings have been decided by one point each...last year UNI won 21-20 while in 2007, the Panthers rallied for a 14-13 victory...UNI owns a 17-6 all-time advantage in the series having won eight consecutive games...the last Penguins victory in the Dome was in 1999...the Panthers have not lost three league games in the same year since 2002...YSU’s last win in the series was in 2000...on the road this year, the Guins are 2-2...YSU returns to action on Nov. 14 against Illinois State...it is the final home game for 12 Penguin seniors.

The Series vs. UNI
    This is the 24th meeting in a series that Northern Iowa has had the upper hand in since 1980, winning 15 of the last 18 meetings.
    In Cedar Falls, Iowa, the Penguins have won just three times (1999, 1992 and 1978) in 11 visits. Two years ago, YSU led 13-0 entering the fourth quarter, but top-ranked UNI rallied for 14 points claiming the one-point victory.
    Last season, YSU trailed 14-0 before tying the contest. UNI led 21-14 in the fourth, before the Guins pulled within one. However, the possible game-tying extra-point try was blocked.
    In the series, seven meetings have been decided by four points or fewer.

Quick Notes From South Dakota State
• The Penguins have been held to single digits in points four times this season after scoring just a field goal against South Dakota State.
• Senior QB Brandon Summers has thrown an interception in each of the last six games and in seven of eight contests this year. On the flip side, he had thrown a touchdown pass in each of the past five games prior to SDSU.
• Freshman LB Taylor Hill set a new career high in total tackles with 12 against the Jackrabbits. It was the first double-digit tackle performance of Hill’s career.
• Junior PK Stephen Blose tied his career long when he drilled a 48-yard field goal in the first quarter. Blose previously kicked a 48-yarder at Pittsburgh in the season opener.
• Backup quarterback Dailyn Campbell made his first appearance since the contest against Indiana State. Campbell had a team-high 32 yards rushing on seven carries.
• The defense did not allow a play of more than 20 yards by the SDSU offense.
• In the third quarter, YSU had a 17-play drive that took 8:32 off the clock. It was the second time this year the Penguins had a 17-play drive (vs. Missouri State) and 8:32 (at Pitt).
• Freshman TB Jamaine Cook had the first reception of his career in the game.
• WR Donald Jones has 36 receptions in the past four games after hauling in six grabs against SDSU. He ranks 10th in the FCS in receptions per game (6.88).
• WR Dominique Barnes has caught a pass in 20 straight games while Jones has a reception in 18 consecutive contests.

Last Meeting: UNI 21, YSU 20
    Youngstown State overcame a 14-point deficit and pulled within one point on a 51-yard Brandon Summers to Donald Jones touchdown strike with 3:55 remaining, but UNI blocked the potential game-tying extra point and was able to hang on for the 21-20 win at Stambaugh Stadium.
    UNI, which was ranked fourth entering the game, led 14-0 after a one-yard pass from Zach Davis to Schuylar Oordt and a one-yard run by Derrick Law.
    But the Guins hung tough and trailed 14-7 at halftime when Summers connected with Da’Micahel Horne from 18 yards out with 1:35 left in the second.
    Late in the third, Kamryn Keys ripped off a 61-yard run tying the contest at 14.
    UNI regained the lead when Law scored his second one-yard touchdown of the game with 12:04 left.
    YSU pulled within one at the 3:55 mark on Jones’ score, but that was as close as it would get in the game.
    Keys rushed for 101 yards on nine carries and Summers completed 15-of-32 passes.

Last Game: South Dakota State 17, YSU 3
    A solid defensive performance kept the Penguins in the contest, but once again it wasn’t enough as Youngstown State lost 17-3 to ninth-ranked South Dakota State on Homecoming at Stambaugh Stadium.
    YSU and SDSU battled to a 3-3 halftime stalemate. On the first play of the second half, SDSU linebacker Derek Domino made an acrobatic interception of a Brandon Summers pass setting up the Jackrabbits at the YSU 32-yard line.
    Seven plays later, tailback Kyle Minett found the end zone from five yards out giving the Jackrabbits their first lead of the game at 10-3.
    The Penguins answered with a 17-play drive that stalled at the SDSU 23. However, the drive ended without points when Stephen Blose missed a 41-yard field goal into the wind. Blose had made a 48-yarder with the wind in the first quarter to start the scoring for the afternoon.
    SDSU put the game away when Minett scored on third-and-goal from the one with 4:51 remaining in the game.
    The Jackrabbits missed a field goal on their opening drive before the Penguins took a 3-0 lead when Blose made his 48-yard boot late in the first quarter.
    SDSU scored the final 17 points of the game beginning with a Peter Reifenrath 25-yard field goal with 4:33 left in the second quarter.

Holding on to the Ball
    The Penguins are one of just four FCS teams who have lost two fumbles or fewer this season. YSU did not lose a fumble for the first 18 quarters of the year before Kevin Smith lost a fumble at the start of the third quarter against MSU. Brandon Summers lost a fumble against Western Illinois on Oct. 10.
    Only Cornell has lost just one fumble to lead the FCS ranks. YSU, Lafayette and Samford have just two fumbles lost.

Passing Penguins
    The Penguins have become more of a passing program than a rushing one in just over the past two seasons.
    This year, YSU has thrown for 1,579 yards while rushing for 1,046. The Guins have tried to rush the football, having 301 attempts compared to 236 attempted passes, but the yardage is in favor of the passing game.
    Last season was the first time since 1995 that the program passed for more yardage (2,045) than it rushed for (1,988).
    In the past 21 games, dating back to the final game of the 2007 season, YSU has passed for 3,938 yards compared to 3,124 on the ground (a 188 to 149 per game average).
    The last time YSU had more yards passing than rushing in consecutive seasons was 1986 and 1987.

Ranked Foes Continue
    The Penguins play their third straight ranked team when they travel to No. 12 UNI on Saturday. YSU has dropped both its contest to ranked teams the past two weeks.
    YSU suffered a 27-8 loss to No. 3 Southern Illinois dropping its first contest against a ranked team this season. The Penguins lost 17-3 to South Dakota State last Saturday. The Guins are 9-10 against ranked teams since 2006.

Much Improved on RUSH D
    So far this year, YSU has held two teams under 70 yards rushing while only two backs have gone over the century mark (last year nine did). The last time the Guins held at least two teams under 70 yards rushing in the same year was 2005 - four times. WIU’s Dre Gibbs had a season-high 155 against YSU on Oct. 10 while Pitt freshman sensation Dion Lewis had 129.
    The Penguins have not allowed more than 187 yards rushing so far this year. Seven times last year the Guins allowed 187-or-more rushing yards.

More on the Defense
    Through eight games this year, the Penguins defense has allowed 2,334 yards in total offense. Talk about a turnaround. After eight games last year, YSU had surrendered 3,110 yards.
    In per game averages, opponents averaged 388.8 yards a contest in the first eight games last year. That is down to 291.8 this season.
    Also in eight games this year, the most total offensive yards the Guins have allowed is 390 to Pitt. Last season, YSU surrendered more than 399 yards on seven occasions, including five games up to this point in the season.
    YSU is allowing 20.2 points per game this season compared to 29.2 a season ago.

Summers’ Impressive Starts
    Senior QB Brandon Summers has been extremely sharp in the first halves of the last four games. Summers has completed 44-of-52 passes (84.6 percent) for 407 yards and three touchdowns. Last Saturday, he was 10-of-11 for 75 yards against South Dakota State.
    However, in the second half of the past four games, he is 40-of-78 (51.2 percent) for 455 yards with five interceptions and one touchdown. YSU has had to try and rally in three of those four games.

Over the Hill
    Redshirt freshman LB Taylor Hill has quietly been putting together a solid first year. Hill had a career-best 12 stops last Saturday against South Dakota State. He now ranks second on the team with 43 total tackles.
He has had five-or-more tackles on five occasions this season.

Pitts Picks It Up
    Senior wide receiver Aaron Pitts is having the best year of his YSU career. Pitts has 23 receptions for 254 yards and two touchdowns. Entering his senior campaign, he had 12 receptions for 137 yards and one score, which came in 2007. He had the best game of his career with seven receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown at Southern Illinois on Oct. 24.

Dependable Duo at Wideout
    Wide receivers Donald Jones and Dominique Barnes have combined for 99 receptions, 1,067 yards and eight touchdowns in eight contests. Last year in a 12-game regular season, the two combined for 69 catches, 878 yards and 10 scores.
    In their two years together (20 games), they have 168 receptions for 1,945 yards and scored 18 times. Jones had 31 catches last year and already has 55 grabs in 2009. Barnes had 38 catches a year ago and has 44 this year.
    Jones’ 55 receptions are the most in a season since Elliott Giles had 62 in 15 games in 1999. YSU has never had two receivers in the same year with at least 50 catches.

Defense shows Stability
    Seven players have started every game on the defensive side of the ball for YSU. A stark contrast to last year when just one (Crispin Fernandez) started all 12 games. Players who have started all eight games so far are LB Taylor Hill, FS Andre Elliott, LB Na’eem Outler, CB Brandian Ross, DE Mychal Savage, NT Luke Matelan and RE Stephen Meadows. Of that group, only Savage is a senior.
    On offense, four players have started all eight games -- Donald Jones, Dominique Barnes, Brandon Summers and Brian Mellott.

Mr. Jones and Me
    Senior wide receiver Donald Jones has twice tied the school record for receptions in a game this season. Jones has had 11 against Southern Illinois and Missouri State this year.
    He has caught a pass in 18 straight games and has had multiple grabs in the past 16.
    Jones has 55 receptions on the year, the most by any YSU player in a decade. The last player with 60-plus was Elliott Giles (62) in 1999. The school record for receptions in a season is 75 by Jim Ferranti in 1979.

November Time to Shine
    YSU has won eight of nine November tilts dating back to 2005. Last year, YSU picked up wins over Indiana State and Western Illinois after losing at Illinois State. The Guins have won at least two games in each of the past three seasons in November. Since 2001, the Penguins are 14-7 in the month of November.

Wins vs. Losses
    The difference between winning and losing has been dictated by turnovers and red-zone performance so far this year for the Guins, and the stats back that up.
    In the four victories, YSU has caused 14 turnovers while giving the ball up just five times. In the red zone of those victories, YSU is 14-of-18 (78 percent) while its opponents are 5-for-9 (56 percent). In the four defeats, YSU has committed 10 turnovers while causing just two. In the red zone, the Guins are 0-of-6 while opponents are a 14-of-15, including 10 touchdowns.
    Also, in the wins, YSU has scored 18 touchdowns compared to just two in its losses.

Barnes Becomes Playmaker
    Junior WR Dominique Barnes has caught a touchdown pass in four of the last six games.
    Against Western Illinois he caught a seven-yard strike from Brandon Summers. At Indiana State he hauled in a 36-yard toss, at Northeastern he had a 32-yard scoring reception, and, against Austin Peay, he had 16-yarder.
    Barnes has caught a pass in 20 straight games and has 19 career multi-catch games, including his last 17 contests.

Jones Holds School Mark Twice
    Senior WR Donald Jones is the only player in school history to catch 11 passes in two different games. He is also the only player to have two double-figure reception games.
    Jones holds the school record with T.J. Peterson, who had 11 against James Madison in 2006, and Dave DelSignore, who had 11 against Southern Illinois in 1968.
    Amazingly, the Guins had one player record 11 catches in a game once in the first 680 games in school history. Recently, it has occurred three times in the past 34 contests.

The O-Line Shuffle
    In eight games, the offensive line has had eight different starting lineups. Only one player has started every game, right guard Brian Mellott, the lone senior of the group. Five different players have started at right tackle, three have started at center, three have starts at left guard and three have started as a left tackle.
    The starting unit against South Dakota State was Andrew Radakovich (left tackle), Eric Rodemoyer (left guard), Andy Kowicki (center), Mellott and Bobby Coates (right tackle). It was Kowicki’s first career start at center.

Three Players Over 1,000
    Senior TBs Kevin Smith and Jabari Scott have each rushed for more than 1,000 yards in their YSU careers. Smith is the active team leader with 1,165 yards on 251 carries. Scott has rushed for 1,116 yards on 202 attempts in his career.
    WR Donald Jones has 1,056 career receiving yards on 86 receptions. WR Dominique Barnes is 90 yards shy of 1,000 as well.

Nowicki Over Sixty
    Senior punter Ben Nowicki has had punts of more than 60 yards twice this season. Nowicki had a 62-yard boot against Missouri State, one week after connecting on a career-long 67-yarder at Indiana State.
His 67-yard punt against the Sycamores was the longest by a YSU punter since Joe Bishop’s 67-yarder at Pitt in 2005.
    Nowicki ranks third in school history, averaging 39.5 yards per kick.

Brown Out
    Senior TB Dana Brown has become a strong addition to the offensive arsenal. In the past four games he has 38 carries for 162 yards and a touchdown. Against Missouri State on Oct. 3, he rushed for a career-high 72 yards on a career-best 15 carries. Against Western Illinois he picked up his second career touchdown.
This season, Brown has rushed for 290 yards on 65 attempts. Last year, he had 259 yards on 73 rushes.

Youngsters Dominate
    With just 12 seniors, YSU’s roster has a strong number of juniors, sophomores, freshmen/redshirt freshmen.
    The Penguins have 29 freshmen/redshirt freshmen, 25 sophomores and 23 juniors.

Numbers of Note
• Turnover Margin: Since 1996, the Penguins are 92-18 when they win or tie in the turnover margin. When committing more turnovers, YSU is just 13-40.
Since 1990 YSU is:
• 127-18-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points in a game.
• 98-7 when rushing for 200-plus yards.
• 117-13 when scoring 28-or-more points.
• 62-5-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing in a game.
• 144-8 when leading entering the fourth.
• 67-3-2 when holding opponents to 10 points-or-less in a game.

Single Digits in Fumbles
YSU has lost just two fumbles this season and is on track to have single digits in fumbles lost for six consecutive years.
In 2008, YSU lost just nine fumbles in 12 games. YSU had nine fumbles lost in 2007, five in 2006, eight in 2005 and eight in 2004. Prior to the current five-year streak, the Guins had committed single digits in fumbles lost in consecutive years just twice in school history (1986-87 and 1958-59).

Up Next: Illinois State
The Penguins play their final home game against Illinois State on Nov. 14. The Redbirds have won two straight and play host to Western Illinois this Saturday.
Kickoff for the contest is set for 1 p.m. Prior to the game, the Penguins’ 12 seniors will be saluted.