The Youngstown State football team had numerous chances on Saturday evening, but four turnovers, a block field goal and other missed opportunities red zone resulted in a 17-7 loss to

Missouri State at Stambaugh Stadium. The Penguins were stopped three different times in the red zone, resulting in zero points as the Bears defense held on a fourth-and-one in the first quarter, blocked a field goal in the third quarter and forced a Brandon Summers to throw a pick late in the fourth quarter.

Senior wide receiver Donald Jones was a bright spot in the game as he tied the school record for receptions in a game by catching 11 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. Junior wideout Dominique Barnes also finished with 100-plus yards receiving with 113 on nine catches.

Senior running backs Kevin Smith and Dana Brown led a balanced rushing attack as Smith ran for 80 yards on 16 carries, while Brown carried the ball 15 times for 72 yards. Summers connected on 23 of his 39 passes for 251 yards, including one touchdown and three interceptions. In the first half he was 11-of-12 through the air.

On the defensive side of the ball for the Penguins, linebacker John Sasson led the team with eight tackles, including one for a loss, and cornerback Lenny Wicks tallied seven tackles and an interception.

Missouri State stormed out of the gates, as it only needed four plays to score a touchdown on its first possession. The 64-yard scoring drive was capped off by a 52-yard pass from quarterback Cody Kirby, who scrambled out of the pocket to find tight end Harbor Clay. It was the first points that YSU allowed on an opening drive all season.

The Bears extended their lead to 10 on their next possession on a 20-yard field goal by Matt Hottelman. The Bears marched all the way down to the Penguins' one-yard line, but Mychal Savage stopped running back Jonathan Davis on second down, while Taylor Hill tackled Kirby on third down to deny the touchdown.

The Penguins finally got on the board with 3:34 left before half on a 32-yard pass and catch from Summers to Jones in the back right corner of the end zone. Summers was a perfect 5-for-5 on the drive, and Stephen Blose's PAT cut  the deficit to three, 10-7.

Missouri State threatened to score right before the half on their next possession, but Wicks made a spectacular one-handed interception on the two-yard line to end the threat.

Two-plays into the second half, the Bears capitalized on a Penguin miscue as linebacker Antoine Wilkonsin forced a fumble from running back Kevin Smith, and the ball was recovered linebacker Michael Keck.

Seven plays and 36 yards later, the Bears went back up by 10 on a four-yard touchdown rush by running back Jonathan Davis. The Hottelman kick made the score 17-7 Bears.

All three of the Bears' scores were set up by big plays. Kirby hit Clay on a 52-yard touchdown for the first score, a 57-yard pass from Kirby to Davis led to Hottelman's field goal, and Smith's fumble set up the third.

Following three-and-outs by both teams on their next possessions, the Penguins moved the ball to the MSU 20-yard line and set up a 37-yard field goal attempt. A high snap and a low kick from Blose was blocked by  Waylon Richardet to keep the Penguins from making it a one-possession game.

The Penguins made one last threat in the game with a drive that started on their own six-yard line. The 17-play drive saw Smith rush the ball six times for 36 yards, but Summers forced a pass on third down and was intercepted by Richardet at the three-yard line with 7:32 remaining.

Missouri State ran nine times on its ensuing possession and was able to take the clock down to 2:24.

Missouri State (3-2 overall and 1-1 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference) won for the first time in Youngstown after losing the previous six meetings. YSU has now lost seven straight games in the month of October.

YSU (3-2 and 1-1) plays its second consecutive home game when Western Illinois visits Stambaugh Stadium next Saturday. Kickoff at Stambaugh Stadium is set for 6 p.m.