The Youngstown State football team entertains Dayton for the first time since 2013 on Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. against the Flyers. The game is available live on ESPN+, WKBN 570 AM and iHeartRadio.
The Penguins (1-0) opened up the season with a 31-14 victory over Duquesne last Saturday. YSU used a strong fourth quarter to earn the win against the Dukes. Owning a 17-14 lead, the Guins had two rushing scores to salt the game away. Leading the offense was TB Jaleel McLaughlin who had 203 yards on 20 carries and scored three times.
After Duquesne took its initial possession of the game down for a score, the Penguins tied the contest on a three-yard run by McLaughlin later in the first quarter. In the second period, McLaughlin scored on a 13-yard scoot giving the Guins their first lead of the game at 14-7. On the final play of the first half, Colt McFadden made a 39-yard field goal as the Guins went ahead 17-7 at the half.
After Duquesne closed within 17-14 in the third quarter, the Guins opened things up in the fourth. Demeatric Crenshaw scored on a two-yard keeper with 9:58 left. With 4:48 remaining, McLaughlin added his third score of the game on a 54-yard run.
YSU's defense forced three turnovers in the contest with two interceptions by Devin Johnson and another by Griffin Hoak.
Dayton (1-0) picked up a road victory at Robert Morris last Saturday in its season debut. The Flyers trailed 14-6 at halftime before scoring 16 unanswered points in the third quarter. RMU closed within 22-20 with 5:14 left in the game, but Dayton was able to hold on for the win.
The win was Dayton coach Rick Chamberlin's 100th career victory, with all coming at UD. Dual threat quarterback Dante Casciola completed 10-of-19 passes for 81 yards while rushing for 96 yards on 13 carries. Dayton rushed for 230 yards while limiting the Colonials to just 30 yards.
The Penguins defeated the Flyers in the most recent meeting between the two schools. YSU opened the 2013 campaign with a 28-10 hard-fought win at Stambaugh Stadium. The Guins led 21-10 in the fourth quarter before a goal-line stand and late scoring run earned them the win.
Last Time vs. Dayton (2013)
Three different YSU tailbacks scored touchdowns, and the Penguins defense used a key goal-line stand in a 28-10 victory over Dayton at Stambaugh Stadium on August 29, 2013.
YSU jumped out a to 7-0 lead when Torrian Pace scored on a two-yard run with 8:21 left in the first. The Guins took their initial possession of the season 75 yards on 15 plays.
The Guins went ahead 14-0 at halftime when Pace scored from eight yards out with 2:33 left in the second quarter.
Adaris Bellamy scored on a 3-yard run to extend the YSU lead to 21-3 before the Flyers closed within 21-10 late in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter opened with the Penguins making a key goal-line stand and with 6:58 left, Martin Ruiz's first career touchdown put YSU on top 28-10.
Non-Conference Home Success
YSU has won 39 of its last 41 non-conference home games since September 2004. The two setbacks came against Liberty in 2008 (31-28) and Butler in 2018 (23-21). Both defeats came on final-play field goals.
Since falling to the Flames on Sept. 27, 2008, the Penguins had won 20 straight at home against non-conference foes until the loss to the Bulldogs in 2018. Since the loss to Butler, YSU has won six straight at home against non-conference foes.
Last time Out: YSU 31, Duquesne 14
The Penguins opened up the season with a 31-14 victory over Duquesne last Saturday. YSU used a strong fourth quarter to earn the win against the Dukes. Owning a 17-14 lead, the Guins had two rushing scores to salt the game away. Leading the offense was TB Jaleel McLaughlin who had 203 yards on 20 carries and scored three times.
After Duquesne took its initial possession of the game down for a score, the Penguins tied the contest on a three-yard run by McLaughlin later in the first quarter. In the second period, McLaughlin scored on a 13-yard scoot where he hurdled a defender en route to the end zone giving the Guins their first lead of the game at 14-7.
On the final play of the first half, Colt McFadden made a 39-yard field goal as the Guins went ahead 17-7 at the half.
After Duquesne closed within 17-14 in the third quarter, the Guins opened things up in the fourth. Demeatric Crenshaw scored on a two-yard keeper with 9:58 left. With 4:48 remaining, McLaughlin added his third score of the game on a 54-yard run.
YSU's defense forced three turnovers in the contest with two interceptions by Devin Johnson and another by Griffin Hoak.
Nearing the Top Ten
TB Jaleel McLaughlin has 6,781 yards on 1,052 careers in 46 career NCAA games and has scored 68 touchdowns.
He is the active career NCAA leader in attempts, touchdowns and yards. On the all-time list he is up to 11th place in NCAA history and is just 14 yards from passing South Dakota State's Josh Ranek (1997-01) for 10th place.
In 18 games at YSU, McLaughlin has rushed for 2,033 yards and scored 20 TDs (112.9 per game average). He has rushed for more than 100 yards in 12 of his last 16 contests at YSU. In 28 games at Notre Dame, he had 24 100-yard outings.
McLaughlin's Top YSU Games
242 - UIW (2021)
203 - Duquesne (2022)
185 - Southern Illinois (2021)
166 - South Dakota (2021 Spring)
McLaughlin Named MVFC POW
For the third time in his career TB Jaleel McLaughlin was named the MVFC's Offensive Player of the Week.
He was named the league's top offensive player following his three-touchdown, 203-yard effort against Duquesne.
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.
Fifth With Multiple 200s
TB Jaleel McLaughlin became just the fifth player 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.
200-Yard Rushing Games
1. P.J. Mays (2000-02) 4
2. Marcus Mason (2005-06) 3
2. Paris Wicks (1979-82) 3
4. Jamaine Cook (2009-12) 2
4. Jaleel McLaughlin (2021-22) 2
Linebackers with INTs
LB Devin Johnson had two interceptions and LB Griffin Hoak added another pick in the Penguins' 31-14 win over Duquesne last week.
Johnson intercepted passes in the second quarter and fourth quarter and both scores led to YSU touchdowns. Hoak intercepted his first career pass in the first quarter.
Defense Strong in Debut
The YSU defense had a strong all-around performance in the season opener vs. Duquesne.
The Guins allowed just 14 points in the contest. The fewest points allowed in 2021 was 18 in the season finale at Southern Illinois.
YSU broke up eight passes and intercepted three more against the Dukes. The Guins allowed just 51 yards on 25 carries in the game. That was the least amount of yards allowed in a contest since South Dakota had 12 on March 20, 2021.
Impressive Fourth for YSU
The Guins outscored Duquesne 14-0 in the fourth quarter to pull away for the 17-point victory.
The Penguins made finishing games a key for the season. In the fall of 2021, YSU was outscored by 30 points and in the spring of 2021, the Guins were outscored by 20 points.
First-Time Starters
The Penguins had six first-time starters in the contest against Duquesne.
Starting for the first time for the Guins were WR Max Tomczak, WR Latrell Fordham, LB Greg Benton Jr., DT Anthony Johnson, DB Marcus Hooker and DB Jordan Trowers.
Oliver A Top Target
WR Bryce Oliver opened the campaign with a solid performance against Duquesne. Oliver had a team-best six catches for 58 yards against the Dukes. In 2021, he finished the year with eight receiving touchdowns, the most by a Guin since 2011.
He excelled late in the campaign catching six of his eight touchdown passes in the final four games of the season.
Oliver had 24 catches for 266 yards on the year. Overall 22 of his 24 receptions came against MVFC foes.
Crenshaw Makes Impact
QB Demeatric Crenshaw, the 2021 MVFC Freshman of the Year, opened up his second year as the starter with a solid effort. He had 23 yards rushing on 11 carries while completing 14-of-29 passes for 154 yards.
Last season, Crenshaw rushed for 599 yards on 132 carries and scored seven touchdowns.
Jeff Ryan (1999) and Crenshaw are the only two QBs in school history to rush for more than 500 yards in a season. Ryan set the school mark in 15 games back in 1999.
Crenshaw completed 97-of-156 passes for 791 yards and six touchdowns in 2021.
Hoak Spearheads Defense
LB Griffin Hoak has started the last 20 games for the Penguins. Hoak has been in the starting
lineup for every game since November 2019.
In the 2022 season opener against Duquesne he had three tackles and an 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 105 tackles in his 19 career starts.
Experience On the Lines
The Guins return a wealth of contributors on both the offensive and defensive lines. Of the nine opening-game starters on the lines, eight had started multiple games for the Penguins.
The offensive line featured 10-game starters Mike McAllister and Jaison Williams and nine-game starters Aidan Parker, seven-game starter David Metzler and five-game starter Ryan Johnson from the 2021 campaign.
The defensive line returned 10-game starters James Jackson and Chris Fitzgerald and eight-game starter Dylan Wudke. Anthony Johnson earned his first career start against Duquesne.
Three Wins Over Playoff Teams
All three victories the Penguins picked up in 2021 came against teams that advanced to the FCS playoffs.
YSU beat UIW and Missouri State at home before defeating Southern Illinois in Carbondale in the season finale. UIW and SIU both won first round contests before bowing out. The Penguins also played three other playoff teams during the campaign, including National Champion North Dakota State and semifinal participant South Dakota State.
Touchdowns By Current Guins
The Penguins have just five players on their roster who have scored touchdowns while at YSU. TB Jaleel McLaughlin leads the team with 20 rushing touchdowns while Bryce Olive is the leader in receiving TDs with eight.
Numbers of Note
• Turnover Margin: Since 1996, YSU is 147-44 when they win or tie the turnover margin. When committing more turnovers, YSU is just 27-84.
Since 1990 YSU is:
• 172-22-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points in a game.
• 149-22 when rushing for 200-plus yards.
• 171-30 when scoring 28-or-more points.
• 90-13-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing in a game.
• 201-20 when leading entering the fourth.
• 92-3-2 holding opponents to 10 points-or-less.
Up Next:
YSU plays its first road game of the season when it visits Kentucky next Saturday. Kickoff for YSU's first-ever contest against the Wildcats is set for noon.
