Let's Go Guins!
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02 September 2010
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31 August 2010
The Eric Wolford era at Youngstown State will begin at noon this Saturday at Beaver Stadium in State College, PA. Coach Wolford's debut as head coach could not get any tougher as Penn State is the 19th ranked team in the country. Fortunately for YSU, the Penguins will not have to go up against Valley native and Youngstown Ursuline graduate Darryl Clark who had a stellar career with the Nittany Lions. Penn State lost three starters on offense and six starters on a defense that gave up just 12.2 points per game last season.The Penguins come into this game as 38 point underdogs and rightfully so; in the past five contests against BCS opponents, YSU has yet to score a touchdown and have been outscored by a putrid 197-12 margin. However with fans excited once again for Penguin football due to the hiring of Eric Wolford as head coach, there is hope the Penguins will perform better this Saturday than we have become accustomed to in recent contests against BCS teams.
For the Penguins to have a successful day, they need to get it into the endzone at least once or twice. Although Penn State is bigger, stronger, and faster than the Penguins on paper, there is no reason YSU cannot score at least a touchdown against one of these BCS programs. Look for the Penguins to run the ball to the tune of 70-75% with Jamaine Cook and Adaris Bellamy carrying the brunt of the load, while Torrian Pace, Allen Jones, and Jordan Thompson will come in at various times during the contest. Expect quarterback Kurt Hess to throw short passes that have a high percentage chance of gaining 5-10 yards. We do not expect him to throw too many deep balls up unless it is to senior wide receiver Dominique Barnes who should have a big day receiving. Look for Marc Kanetsky and Purdue transfer Najee Tyler to get some snaps throughout the contest, especially if Hess struggles early.
Prediction:
Penn State: 38
Youngstown State: 13
Due to the lack of depth at many positions, YSU will likely keep it relatively close at half before Penn State widens the lead in the second half. Look for the Penguins to have a long touchdown drive and tack on two more field goals throughout the contest. Penn State will show very little of their playbook as they have 3-4 quarterbacks guide the offense throughout the game.
Breakdown:
When: Saturday | 9/4/2010 | Noon
Where: Beaver Stadium | State College, PA
Radio: 570 WKBN | Coverage Begins at 11:30am
TV: Big Ten Network
Vegas Line: Penn State -38
YSU Offense:
One of the reasons there was a coaching change late last year was because attendance at Youngstown State football games had steadily been declining over the past decade. It was common to see crowds of 18,000-20,000 fans when Jim Tressel was head coach in the 1990s, but as the numbers show, that was not the case under Jon Heacock. Due to dwindling crowds at Stambaugh Stadium, Athletic Director Ron Strollo was forced to make a change in order to stop the bleeding and to brings fans back down to the campus during Saturdays in the Fall.
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