Youngstown State University
Indiana State
Penguins Take On Indiana State In Homecoming Tilt
10/11/2022 12:06:00 PM | Football
The Youngstown State football team looks to pick up its first conference win of the season when it plays host to Indiana State on Saturday afternoon.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium. The game is available live on ESPN+, WKBN 570 AM and iHeartRadio.
The Penguins (2-3 overall, 0-2 MVFC) suffered a 35-30 loss at Stambaugh Stadium last Saturday night. The Guins trailed 14-3 before battling back to tie the contest 21-all at halftime. YSU took its first lead at 24-21 in the third quarter before UND forged ahead 35-24 in the fourth quarter. The Penguins closed within 35-30 with just under six minutes remaining before their last drive reached inside the Fighting Hawks 30.
In his first career start at quarterback, Mitch Davidson completed 21-of-32 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns. TB Jaleel McLaughlin rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
Two Colt McFadden field goals (47 and 38 yards) made the contest 14-6 in the second quarter. YSU tied the game a 14 when Davidson found Max Tomczak on a 21-yard score and Bryce Oliver for the two-point conversion. UND went ahead 21-14 but before halftime, YSU tied the contest with six seconds left when Davidson found Oliver from 11 yards out.
YSU pulled ahead 24-21 following a 32-yard third-quarter field goal by McFadden. UND took a 28-24 lead in the fourth on a 14-yard run by Tyler Hoosman and then went up 35-24 when Cole Davis blocked a punt and returned it three yards for a score.
With 5:49 left, McLaughlin scored on a four-yard run and the defense forced a quick UND punt giving the ball the Guins at their 44 with 3:54 left. YSU moved to the Fighting Hawks' 32-yard line, but failed to convert a long-fourth down with just over a minute left to suffer the defeat.
Indiana State (1-4, 0-2) also dropped a hard-fought five-point contest at home last Saturday falling to No. 1 North Dakota State, 31-26, at Memorial Stadium in Terre Haute, Ind.
The Sycamores took a 13-3 lead and were on top 13-10 at halftime. Indiana State went ahead 20-17 but back-to-back touchdowns by the Bison made the contest 31-20. ISU crept to 31-26 with two minutes left, but NDSU ran out the clock to preserve the victory.
Last time Out: UND 35, YSU 30
The Penguins suffered a tough 35-30 loss to North Dakota at Stambaugh Stadium last Saturday night.
Two Colt McFadden field goals (47 and 38 yards) made the contest 14-6 in the second quarter. YSU tied the game a 14 when Davidson found Max Tomczak on a 21-yard score and Bryce Oliver for the two-point conversion. UND went ahead 21-14 but before halftime, YSU tied the contest with six seconds left when Davidson found Oliver from 11 yards out.
YSU pulled ahead 24-21 following a 32-yard third-quarter field goal by McFadden. UND took a 28-24 lead in the fourth on a 14-yard run by Tyler Hoosman and then went up 35-24 when Cole Davis blocked a punt and returned it three yards for a score.
With 5:49 left, McLaughlin scored on a four-yard run and the defense forced a quick UND punt giving the ball the Guins at their 44 with 3:54 left. YSU moved to the Fighting Hawks' 32-yard line, but failed to convert a long-fourth down with just over a minute left to suffer the defeat.
Nearing the Top Five
TB Jaleel McLaughlin has rushed for 7,234 yards on 1,106 carries in 50 career NCAA games and has scored 70 touchdowns. He eclipsed the 7,000-yard mark with a solid 150-yard outing at NDSU on Oct. 1.
He is the active career NCAA leader in attempts, touchdowns and yards. On the all-time list he is in sixth place in NCAA history, just 119 from cracking the top five.
In 22 games at YSU, he has rushed for 2,486 yards and scored 22 TDs (113 per game average). He has rushed for more than 100 yards in 15 of his last 20 contests at YSU. In 28 games at Notre Dame, he had 24 100-yard outings. In 50 games, he has eclipsed the 100-yard mark on 39 occasions.
NCAA Career Rushing Yards Leaders
1. Nate Kmic (Mount Union | 2005-08) 8,074
2. Danny Woodhead (Chadron State | 2004-07) 7,962
3. Levell Coppage (Wis.-Whitewater | 2008-11) 7,795
4. Franklyn Quiteh (Bloomsburg | 2010-13) 7,523
5. R.J. Bowers (Grove City | 1997-00) 7,353
6. Jaleel McLaughlin (YSU/ND Ohio | 2018-22) 7,234
Davidson Dazzles In Start
Junior QB Mitch Davidson was impressive in his first career start last Saturday against North Dakota.
He completed 21-of-32 passes for 280 yards and two first-half touchdowns against the Fighting Hawks.
His 280 yards passing were the most in a game by YSU QB since Montgomery VanGorder threw for a school-record 418 yards at Western Illinois on Sept. 29, 2018.
Wudke Impresses
DE Dylan Wudke has been a difference maker for the Penguins on the defensive line.
Through five games, he has 21 total tackles, including a team-high eight TFLs.
In the past three games he has 15 tackles, 5.5 TFLs and two sacks. At Kentucky on Sept. 17 he had a career-high seven stops and 3.5 TFLs vs. the Wildcats.
In 10 games last season he had 24 tackles and four TFLs, all of which were sacks.
Interceptions on the Uptick
The Penguins have intercepted seven passes in the first five games of the season. In 10 games last fall, YSU had nine interceptions, two of which came in the season finale at SIU.
In the opener, LB Devin Johnson had two interceptions while LB Griffin Hoak added one. Against Dayton, DB Quincy Lenton intercepted a first quarter pass while CB Troy Jakubec picked off a ball in the fourth quarter.
At Kentucky, Lenton and Jakubec intercepted passes for the second time in as many games.
Trowers, Lenton Step Up
The top two tacklers for the Penguins are DBs Jordan Trowers and Quincy Lenton.
Trowers, a first-year starter, leads the team with 33 tackles, including 22 solo stops. Entering the 2022 campaign, Trowers had played in two career games and did not register a tackle.
Lenton is second on the squad with 26 stops, including 17 solos. Last season he had 15 tackles in the final four games of the campaign. He has started 13 games combined in his YSU career - the spring and fall of 2021 and this year.
Oliver A Top Target
WR Bryce Oliver has been a big touchdown producer for the Guins during his Youngstown State career.
In 14 games played at YSU, Oliver has 47 receptions for 539 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Last time out against North Dakota he caught a career-high eight passes for a career-best 88 yards. He hauled in a touchdown pass and a two-point conversion toss from first-time starting QB Mitch Davidson. Oliver leads the team with three touchdown receptions in five contests.
In 2021, he finished the year with eight receiving touchdowns, the most by a Guin since 2011. Playing nine games last season, Oliver had 24 catches for 266 yards and eight touchdowns.
Tough Against The Run
Through five games, the YSU defense ranks tied for 16th in the FCS in fewest rushing yards allowed defense.
The Penguins are allowing just 105.8 yards per game this year. Only one time in five games have the Guins allowed more than 105 yards on the ground this season.
On 168 attempts, the Guins have allowed 529 yards (3.1 yards a carry) this year. YSU held North Dakota to just 93 yards on 26 attempts.
YSU has registered 13 sacks in the last four games - five against Dayton, four at Kentucky and two each against NDSU and North Dakota.
First-Time Starters
The Penguins have had nine first-time starters this season.
Starting for the first time in their YSU careers are QB Mitch Davidson, WR Max Tomczak, WR Latrell Fordham, LB Greg Benton Jr., DT Anthony Johnson, DB Marcus Hooker, DB Jordan Trowers, OL Errol Walker and TE Trenton Gillison.
Davidson made his first career start last Saturday against North Dakota.
Impressive Fourths for YSU
The Penguins made finishing games a key during the offseason. YSU has allowed just 29 points so far - three touchdown and three field goals - in the fourth quarter this season.
YSU has outscored its opponents by a 42-29 margin in the fourth this year.
In the fall of 2021, YSU was outscored by 30 points and in the spring of 2021, the Guins were outscored by 20 points. So far, the Penguins are a plus-13 in fourth quarter point differential.
Experience On the Lines
The Guins have a wealth of contributors and experience on both the offensive and defensive lines.
The offensive line features Mike McAllister (22 starts), Jaison Williams (22), Aidan Parker (21), David Metzler (12) and Ryan Johnson (nine). McAllister, Williams and Parker all started for the first time in the spring of 2021. Metzler made his first-ever start at left tackle at Michigan State in 2021 as a redshirt freshman.
The defensive line features veterans James Jackson (23 starts), Dylan Wudke (18) and Chris Fitzgerald (15). Anthony Johnson has started the first five games on the line for YSU this fall.
Fifth With Multiple 200s
TB Jaleel McLaughlin is one of just five players in school history to rush for at least 200 yards in a game more than once. He joins YSU greats P.J. Mays, Marcus Mason, Paris Wicks and Jamaine Cook in eclipsing the 200-yard mark as players to accomplish the feat.
Hoak Spearheads Defense
LB Griffin Hoak has started the last 24 games for the Penguins. Hoak has been in the starting lineup for every game since November 2019.
In five games this season he has 17 tackles, including 11 solos, and one interception.
In the spring and fall 2021 seasons, Hoak combined to make 93 tackles (62 solos) in 17 games. He had 12 tackles in the final two games of the 2019 campaign giving him 122 tackles in his 24 career starts.
McLaughlin Named MVFC POW
TB Jaleel McLaughlin was named the MVFC's Offensive Player of the Week following the season-opening win over Duquesne. Against the Dukes, he rushed for three touchdowns and 203 yards.
In 2021, he was named the first MVFC Offensive Player of the Week following a win over UIW and the last MVFC Offensive Player of the Week after a win at Southern Illinois.
McLaughlin's Top YSU Games
242 - UIW (2021)
203 - Duquesne (2022)
185 - Southern Illinois (2021)
166 - South Dakota (2021 Spring)
Touchdowns By Current Guins
The Penguins have eight players on their roster who have scored touchdowns while at YSU. TB Jaleel McLaughlin leads the team with 24 total touchdowns while Bryce Olive is the leader in receiving TDs with 11.
Numbers of Note
• Turnover Margin: Since 1996, YSU is 148-46 when they win or tie the turnover margin. When committing more turnovers, YSU is just 27-85.
Since 1990 YSU is:
• 173-22-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points in a game.
• 150-22 when rushing for 200-plus yards.
• 172-30 when scoring 28-or-more points.
• 91-14-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing in a game.
• 202-21 when leading entering the fourth.
• 92-3-2 holding opponents to 10 points-or-less.
Up Next:
YSU is back on the road when it makes the trip to Western Illinois on Oct. 22.
