Sophomore quarterback Aaron Marshall threw a career-high three touchdown passes to lead a 497-yard Penguin offensive attack as the Youngstown State football team (2-0) topped the Slippery Rock Rockets (0-1) 45-12 on Saturday night at Stambaugh Stadium.

Marshall finished 6-of-11 for 87 yards while junior Matt Rycraft threw for 77 yards and a score and rushed for 72 yards and another touchdown. Sophomore Josh Cayson finished with 115 yards on 14 carries while senior Mike Burns added 79 yards on 14 carries. Sophomore Shawn Carlson led the receiving corps with two touchdowns.

YSU jumped out to a 35-12 first half lead by amassing 349 total yards and scoring on five of their first six drives.

The Penguins got on the board first by marching 69 yards on the opening drive of the game to grab a 7-0 lead. Following a personal foul and an unsportsmanlike conduct by Slippery Rock, Marshall found senior fullback Chris DiMauro from six-yards out for the score.

The Rockets answered right back, also scoring on their first drive of the evening. After a 50-yard kickoff return by Kevin Johnston and a personal foul by YSU, Slippery Rock went 22-yards on nine plays to set up a 27-yard field goal by John Katsaouni that made the score 7-3.

Slippery Rock took its only lead of the game thanks to a forced fumble by junior linebacker Mike Copper at the YSU 15-yard line at the 9:24 mark in the in the first quarter. Five plays later, quarterback Luke McCaffrey found the endzone from five yards out to put the Rockets ahead 9-7. The point after attempt failed due to a poor snap.

YSU recaptured the lead on the ensuing drive, marching 60 yards on five plays to take a 14-9 advantage at the 5:31 mark in the first quarter. On a third-and-one, Rycraft bounced a quarterback sneak to the right side and rumbled 33-yards for his first collegiate touchdown.

Marshall got his second touchdown pass of the night at the 14:46 mark in the second quarter when he found Carlson from five yards out to put the Penguins up 21-9. After Cayson rushed for 38 yards on four carries to get the Penguins to the Slippery Rock 31, Marshall completed his next three passes to Mike Roberts, Phil Larmon and Carlson.

The Penguins increased their lead to 28-9 with 10:02 remaining in the second quarter when Marshall connected with sophomore wideout Kyle Smith for a 46-yard touchdown strike.
Katsaouni added a 39-yard field goal with 5:54 remaining in the second quarter to cap a 10-play, 44-yard drive to make the score 28-12, but the Penguin defense would not allow another score.

Carlson grabbed his second touchdown grab of the game with 1:59 remaining in the opening half when Rycraft hit him for a 31-yard score to put the Penguins up 35-12.

Nick Terracina kicked a 40-yard field goal with 4:01 remaining in the third quarter for the first points of the second half to cap a six-play drive that featured 33 yards on the ground by Cayson.

DiMauro got his second touchdown on the night in the fourth quarter on a one-yard plunge with 9:27 remaining to cap a 13-play, 80-yard to put the Penguins up 45-12.

YSU outrushed Slippery Rock 333 to 144. Yancey Marcum led the defense with 11 tackles.

The Penguins will continue their season on Saturday when they travel to Kent to take on the Kent State Golden Flashes at 6 p.m.