Lynchburg, Va. – Youngstown State sophomore quarterback Tom Zetts tossed three touchdown passes to three different receivers in the first half and the Penguins improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2001 with an impressive 42-0 win over Liberty at Williams Stadium on Saturday night. For the game, Zetts finished with a school-record-tying four touchdown tosses in just under three quarters of action.

Zetts, who has thrown a touchdown pass in eight straight games, threw first half scores to junior T.J. Peterson, senior Damian Wright and senior Jameson Evans. He added another in the third period to junior Regis Edgerson.

The defense chipped in as well in the first half as junior Codera Jackson returned an interception 72 yards for the score.

In the first quarter, the Penguins had the ball on offense a total of two minutes and 43 seconds, but held a 7-0 advantage. After a 10-play drive by the Flames to open the game, the YSU offense went to work quickly. After four Monquantae Gibson rushes and an incomplete pass, Zetts went deep for 66 yards to Peterson for the junior's first career touchdown.

Liberty (1-2) held the ball for the final 5:30 of the first frame before the YSU defense stepped into the scoring act.

On the third play of the second quarter, Jackson intercepted a Zach Terrell double-screen pass attempt and raced 66 yards for his first career score.

With the Liberty defense stacked against the run in the first half, Zetts went over the top for his next two scores.

With 3:38 remaining in the period, Zetts threw a 43-yard strike to Damian Wright to push the lead up to 21-0. On the next Penguin possession, Zetts hit Evans for a 27-yard score capping a six-play 59-yard drive with 53 seconds remaining in the period.

Following the first two quarters, Zetts was 9-of-11 for 195 yards and three touchdowns.
In the third quarter, Zetts became the first quarterback since fellow Boardman product Jeff Ryan (Hofstra, 2000) to throw for four scores in a game.

Zetts' 10-yard scoring pass to Edgerson with 5:12 remaining capped a penalty-filled nine-play 60-yard drive.

With his touchdown completion, he became just the seventh quarterback in YSU history to throw for four scores in a game. It also marked just the ninth time in school history that signal caller threw for four touchdowns in a single game.

That was his lone second-half completion giving him 10 completions on 12 attempts for 205 yards on the evening.

In the fourth quarter, freshman tailback Jabari Scott scored on an 11-yard run with 11:25 remaining to cap the scoring.

The Penguins are on the road against next Saturday when they play Division I-A member Pitt for the first time. Kickoff between the Penguins and Panthers is set for 2 p.m.

Notes
- Senior wide receiver Kyle Smith extended his reception in consecutive games streak to 25. In the first half, Smith caught two passes for 25 yards and did not play in the second half.
- Dating back to the 2004 season, the Penguins have put up at least 28 points in sixth consecutive games. That streak is the second longest in school history.
- Codera Jackson intercepted a pass for the second consecutive game. Jackson's return for a score was the first time a Guin defender returned an interception for a score since Steve Reynolds against Indiana State last season. It also marked the second straight time at Liberty that a defensive player took a pick to the end zone (Waymann Peters in 2003).
- Senior linebacker Mike Andrews intercepted the second pass of his career in the third quarter against the Flames. His previous interception was against Illinois State back in 2003.
- The shut out was the first for the Penguins since Sept. 8, 2001 in a 44-0 win over Clarion. It was the first shut out on the road for YSU since Oct. 4, 1997, a 31-0 win at Indiana State.