Oct. 4, 2008

Football: Penguins Come Up Short on Defensive Touchdown at SUU

    Cedar City, Utah – One too many turnovers proved costly and overshadowed a gritty effort for a short-handed Youngstown State football team in a 14-7 loss at Southern Utah on a wet and cold afternoon at the Eccles Coliseum on Saturday.
    With the contest tied at seven in the third, Southern Utah's Aaron Fernandez returned a Paul Corsaro fumble 54 yards for what turned out to be the difference in the game. On a second-and-10 play at the SUU 43, Corsaro, a redshirt freshman, was hit and fumbled at the 46 as Fernandez scooped up the ball and followed a convoy of blockers to the end zone for a touchdown.
    Corsaro entered the game in the second quarter when YSU starting quarterback Brandon Summers left with a sprained left knee and did not return. Summers was injured early in the second quarter when he was sacked for a six-yard loss.

    In the fourth, YSU had two late drives reach SUU territory to stay in the game, including on that almost tied the contest in the final minute.

    The first came when YSU reached the Southern Utah 35 with 4:32 left. The drive ended when Ferlando Williams' fourth-down pass to Da'Michael Horne was broken up.

    The second came when Corsaro moved the Guins to the Southern Utah 18-yard line after YSU took over on its 15 with 3:26 remaining.
    On fourth-and-two, Corsaro lofted a pass toward the end zone where Donald Jones had momentary possession of the ball but was sandwiched between two T-Bird defenders and he was unable to hold on as he hit the turf with 28 seconds left.
    During the drive, Corsaro was 6-of-14 and helped convert two fourth-down plays. Also, Corsaro hooked up with Williams on a 38-yard toss on a third-and-20.
    The game began well for YSU before two turnovers snuffed out scoring chances.

    The Penguins took their initial possession of the game for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead just under three minutes into the game.
    Redshirt freshman Kamryn Keys used some elusive moves to score on a 45-yard run at the 12:22 mark to put the Guins on the board. For Keys, it was the longest run of his young career.
    Youngstown State (2-4) had two more opportunities to put points on the scoreboard in the first half, but turnovers inside the SUU 10-yard line ended drives abruptly.
    The first time, the Penguins had a first-and-goal at the Southern Utah nine, but Dana Brown was popped and his fumble was recovered by Austin Curtis.
    The second time, De'Angelo Wilson returned an interception 42 yards to the SUU 15-yard line. On first down, Williams was stopped for a six-yard loss and then Summers' pass was intercepted at the eight on a diving scoop by Tico Pringle.

    The Thunderbirds (3-3) tied the game with 6:14 left in the second quarter on a one-yard run by Deckar Alexander. SUU drove 74 yards in 10 plays to tie the contest.
    For the game, Corsaro was 10-of-21 for 97 yards.

    Summers was 4-of-7 for 56 yards and the interception. He ran for 20 yards before leaving the game.
    YSU finished with 323 yards of total offense, 170 on the ground. SUU had 278 yards. 

    The Penguins return to Missouri Valley Football Conference action next Saturday when they visit Missouri State. Kickoff at Plaster Field is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time/1:30 p.m. in Springfield, Mo.