Youngstown State rallied from 11 points down with two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including the game winner by newly-appointed Payton Award candidate Marcus Mason, and stopped Southern Illinois on the two-yard line as time expired in a thrilling 31-24 victory Saturday afternoon at Stambaugh Stadium.

Quarterback Tom Zetts connected with Louis Irizarry with five minutes left for the tying score and Mason scored the game-winner from 22 yards out with 1:33 remaining.

Mason finished with 249 yards on 29 carries and two touchdowns. He set a school record by eclipsing the 100-yard mark in the sixth consecutive game and has 249 yards mark the fifth most in a game in school history.

The win improved YSU to 8-2 overall and keeps them tied for first place in the Gateway Football Conference with Northern Iowa and Western Kentucky at 5-1. Those two teams play this evening at 5:05 p.m.

Saluki tailback Arkee Whitlock rushed for 218 yards and scored all three of SIU's touchdowns on 35 carries. Quarterback Nick Hill threw for 208 yards but threw a costly interception late in the fourth that led to YSU's final score.

After the Irizarry touchdown, Hill's first pass on the ensuing drive went off the hand of his receiver and into the hands of YSU corner Codera Jackson at the SIU 30. After missing one play because of an injury, a six-yard Mason run converted a key third-and-five, and the tailback found the end zone from 22 yards out two plays later.

The Salukis had one final shot to tie it with 1:24 remaining at their own 31. Hill worked the sidelines and Whitlock converted two fourth downs, the second coming on fourth-and-two at the YSU 11 with 22 seconds remaining. After SIU's final timeout and a pass interference call in the endzone, Marty Hutchinson tackled Hill at the two on a desperation scramble as time expired.

SIU scored on its opening drive thanks to a 52-yard flea flicker on the game's first play from scrimmage from Nick Hill to Phil Goforth. After Hill connected with Braden Jones on a 22-yard strike down to the YSU 3, Whitlock scored two plays later to put the Salukis up 7-0.

YSU capitalized on good field position and tied the score late in the first on Mason's first touchdown rush. Mason ran the ball three times on the drive for 28 yards, and he scored from five-yards out after carrying two men into the endzone.

The Penguins drove down to the SIU 11 in their opening drive but were turned away empty after placekicker Brian Palmer missed a 29-yard field goal wide right. Mason finished with 40 yards on the drive, and Zetts hit Peterson twice for 23 yards.

A 30-yard Palmer field goal capped a 17-play drive that took 8:40 off the clock put the Penguins up 10-7 in the second quarter. The Penguins had first-and-goal on the 9, but Chauncey Mixon sacked Zetts for a loss of 12 on second down.

The Salukis went up 14-10 just before halftime on an eight-play, 70-yard drive that resulted in a two-yard Whitlock touchdown.

Whitlock scored on a 23-yard run on the Salukis first second-half possession to make the score 21-10. YSU went three-and-out on its next possession and had to rely on a big defensive stop inside its own 30 to keep the game close.

Taking over at the YSU 16, Mason started the next drive with his longest rush of the day for 35 yards. Mason came through again as a receiver later in the drive on a 23-yard gain out of the backfield on fourth-and-two. Zetts scored three plays later on an option keeper to make the score 21-17.