Box Score
CARBONDALE, Ill. – In its season-finale, the Youngstown State football team earned its first road-win of the 2021 campaign with a 35-18 decision over Southern Illinois on Saturday evening at Saluki Stadium.
With the victory, the Penguins end the 2021 season with a 3-7 overall record and 2-6 in Missouri Valley Football Conference play, while the Salukis fall to 7-4 on the season and 5-3 in the league.
Surpassing the 1000-yard mark on the season (1,139 yards), TB Jaleel McLaughlin posted a game-high 186 yards rushing on 25 attempts (7.4 yards/carry), finding the end zone a trio of times. Showing off his catching ability, the senior tailback added two receptions for 18 yards. Adding to the YSU rushing attack, Christian Turner recorded 38 yards on 10 attempts.
Making his ninth start of the season, QB Demeatric Crenshaw totaled 91 yards on 11 completions, including two touchdown passes through the air. Crenshaw added 44 yards on the ground on 12 rushes.
In the contest, YSU had 369 yards (268 rushing) of total offense on 68 plays while SIU finished with 430 yards.
YSU found the end zone on each of its four first-half drives, scoring two passing and two rushing touchdowns. After the Penguins defense forced SIU into a punt on the opening drive of the contest, McLaughlin got the Penguins on the scoreboard with his tenth rushing touchdown of the season, scoring on a 6-yard run at the 6:52 mark of the first quarter. On fourth down during the drive, P Paddy Lynch, out of punt formation, rushed for 16 yards and a first down on a successful fake punt.
On the ensuing Salukis possession, LB Grant Dixon recovered a fumble forced by S Zaire Jones and the Penguin offense took over with great field possession. Following a 25-yard run by McLaughlin, QB Demeatric Crenshaw found WR Bryce Oliver in the back of the end zone for a five-yard touchdown pass to give the Penguins a 14-0 advantage with 5:36 remaining in the first quarter.
After a successful 30-yard FG attempt by SIU, the Penguins, on a long 16-play 75-yard drive, scored through the air on another five-yard touchdown pass from Crenshaw to Oliver to up the YSU lead, 21-3 – their fourth scoring connection in the last two games.
Following a SIU touchdown, the Penguins would score once more in the second quarter as McLaughlin scored his first-of-two 35-plus yard touchdown runs on his second score of the day, sprinting 38-yards down the sideline to hand YSU the 28-10 lead at the 2:55 mark of the half.
The Salukis put together a 10-play, 70-yard scoring drive that ended on a four yard touchdown pass with 33 ticks left in the half and would go into the locker room in a 28-18 deficit.
On its first possession of the second half, YSU went back to the ground game for another McLaughlin score. The senior tailback added his second touchdown run of over 35 yards and his third score of the afternoon, capping the a 7-play, 75-yard drive and putting the Penguins up 35-18.
At the 1:25 mark of the third and 11:38 mark of the fourth, SIU had the ball deep in YSU territory and twice went for it on fourth down, coming up unsuccessful on both tries.
CB Isaac James-Gray put the game on ice for the Penguins as he logged his first and only interception on the 2021 campaign with just 1:09 left in regulation.
Defensively, Dixon led the way with nine total tackles (six solo), including two assisted tackles for loss and one fumble recovery for the Penguins. Zaire Jones hauled the Penguins' first-of-two interceptions of the day, while also forcing a fumble. Jones was the third-leading YSU tackler with five stops (4 solo).
With the victory, head coach Doug Phillips earns his first road MVFC win at the helm of YSU football.
