Oct. 11, 2008

Football: Second-Half Outburst By Bears Too Much For YSU

    Springfield, Mo. – Despite an impressive rushing effort, the Youngstown State football team allowed Missouri State to score 28 second-half points and that was too much to overcome as the Penguins fell to the Bears 42-28 on Saturday afternoon at Plaster Field in Springfield, Mo.

    YSU (2-5 overall and 1-2 in the MVFC) had 268 yards on the ground as Kamryn Keys had 113 on a career-high 23 carries while Jabari Scott had 97 on just five rushes. However, the YSU defense surrendered 272 yards on the ground to the Bears (2-3 and 1-1) on 48 attempts.
    Freshman quarterback Dailyn Campbell stepped in late in the second quarter and helped key the Penguins in the contest. Campbell had not played for YSU this season. Redshirt freshman Paul Corsaro started and the Guins played withoug Brandon Summers who was injured last week at Southern Utah.
    Campbell had 35 yards rushing while completing 17-of-22 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. Scott finished with three touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving.

    Key third-down conversions helped Missouri State take control of the game after YSU rallied with two scores to tie the contest 14-14 at halftime.

    The Bears converted two third-down plays into touchdowns taking a 28-14 lead midway through the third quarter.

    MSU regained the lead on a 38-yard run by Johnson with 11:58 remaining in the third. On third-and-five at the 38, YSU pressured from the outside, but Johnson took an inside handoff up the middle before bouncing it outside and outracing the Guins to the end zone.

    Kirby's second touchdown rush of the game gave the Bears their second 14-point lead of the contest. On third-and-goal from the five, Kirby called his own number around the left end scoring with 8:16 left. MSU's Marco Finley set the drive up at the YSU 19 following a 40-yard punt return.

    The Guins used an impressive 16-play, 80-yard drive to get within a touchdown. YSU took 7:47 off the clock and Scott went in from a yard out on third-and-goal with 29 ticks left in the quarter making the score 28-21.
    However, MSU had another offensive answer when Kirby rolled to his right and connected with Jeff Sargent from 13 yards out with 12:52 remaining in the fourth to push the Bears' advantage back to 35-21. MSU's final score of the game came on an eight-yard run by Kingjack Washington with 4:05 left.
    YSU picked up a score with two minutes remaining when Campbell completed a swing pass for Scott from 11 yards out.

    Missouri State jumped out to the early 7-0 lead when on a fourth-and-goal play from the YSU one-yard line, the Bears' Stephen Johnson raced around the right side to find the end zone with 4:52 remaining in the first.

    The Bears increased their advantage to 14-0 in the second quarter when Kirby scored on a quarterback sneak from one-yard out with 11:02 remaining in second quarter.

    The Penguins caught a huge break later in the period. After being stopped on a fourth-down attempt in MSU territory, the Bears' Kingjack Washington fumbled and Mike Barlak recovered at the 37-yard line.

    Three plays later, the Penguins found the end zone on a one-yard run by tailback Jabari Scott. YSU got its second fortunate bounce in three snaps when on the second play of the drive Scott was stripped of the ball from behind by MSU's Derek Miller and guard Eric Rodemoyer hustled downfield to fall on the football inside the one. On the next play YSU scored to pull within a touchdown at the 7:28 mark.

    After the defense forced its first punt of the game, YSU took over at its own two-yard line following a 55-yard boot into the wind by Jordan Chiles.

    Scott moved the Guins out of the deep hole on a 59-yard run with Guins facing a 2nd-and-17 situation from the own eight that took the ball to the MSU 33. After a personal foul face mask penalty moved the ball to the MSU 11, Campbell scored his first career touchdown on a bulldozing 11-yard run with just 47 seconds remaining before halftime.

    In the first half, YSU rushed for 235 yards on 30 attempts while passing for just nine on one completion.

    The Penguins return home to play host to Southern Illinois next Saturday. Kickoff at Stambaugh Stadium is set for 4 p.m.