Youngstown State University
South Dakota
Penguins Set to Visit No. 10 South Dakota
10/10/2023 1:45:00 PM | Football
Youngstown State at South Dakota
Oct. 14, 2023 | DakotaDome
Vermillion, S.D. | 2 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Central
Broadcast Information
TV – ESPN+ (Lane Grindle, Danan Hughes, Don Patterson)
Radio Network – 570 AM WKBN (Bob Hannon, Steve Leslie)
Internet Radio – 570wbkn.iheart.com
App Audio - iHeartRadio App
Penguins
Record: 3-2, 1-1 MVFC
Last Game: vs. Southern Illinois (W, 31-3)
Head Coach: Doug Phillips (Fourth Season)
X (Formerly Twitter): @ysufootball
Coyotes
Record: 4-1, 2-0 MVFC
Last Game: vs. Murray State (W, 38-7)
Head Coach: Bob Nielson (Eighth Season)
X (Formerly Twitter): @SDCoyotesFB
Series History
All-Time Series: YSU Leads 8-2
In Vermilion: Tied 2-2
Win Streak: YSU, 2 games
Last Meeting: YSU 45-24 (2022)
The 20th-ranked Youngstown State football team visits No. 10 South Dakota on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff for the contest at the DakotaDome is set for 2 p.m. Eastern Time/1 p.m. Central. The game is available on ESPN+, WKBN 570 AM and iHeartRadio.
The Penguins (3-2 overall, 1-1 in MVFC) are coming off an impressive 31-3 victory over then No. 5-ranked Southern Illinois last Saturday. YSU built a 14-0 lead and rode one of the most impressive defense performances in years to earn a four-touchdown victory.
On its first drive of the contest the Guins opened up a 7-0 lead when Tyshon King raced home from 40 yards just 3:17 into the contest. The Guins put together an impressive 13-play, 96-yard drive that Dra Rushton finished off with a one-yard score early in the second quarter to increase the lead to 14-0.
Leading 14-3 in the third quarter, Andrew Lastovka kicked a 22-yard field goal that was set up by a Troy Jakubec interception. In the fourth, YSU took advantage of short fields to tack on a pair of TD runs. King scored on a two-yard run while Rushton capped off the scoring with 3:29 left.
YSU's defense recorded seven sacks and held SIU to just 100 yards of total offense, including six yards rushing.
South Dakota (4-1, 2-0) has won four straight games following an impressive 38-7 win over Valley newcomer Murray State at the DakotaDome last Saturday. Against the Racers, the Coyotes scored the final 24 points breaking open a contest that was 14-7 midway through the second quarter.
Travis Theis and Charles Pierre Jr. scored two touchdowns each in the win over MSU. Theis rushed for a career-high 190 yards on 26 carries while Pierre Jr. added 80 on 13 attempts. Aidan Bouman completed 17-of-23 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown.
USD's defense has been a strength this season. Since a season-opening loss at Missouri, the Yotes have allowed just 32 points in the last four games, including just 13 in the past three home contests.
This is YSU's first visit to the DakotaDome since Nov. 9, 2019. The previous two meetings have been played in Youngstown with the Guins winning both. Youngstown State's last win at USD was on Oct. 3, 2015 (31-3).
King Penguin Impresses
Transfer running back Tyshon King has been a strong addition to the program since coming in from Northern Michigan.
In five games, King rushed for 444 yards on 65 carries and scored a league-high eight touchdowns.
In three of his five games he has rushed for more than 111 yards, all of which have come at Stambaugh Stadium. He has also scored touchdowns in four of five contests.
Last Saturday against Southern Illinois he had a season-high 23 carries for 117 yards and scored two touchdowns. Against Robert Morris, he had 117 yards on 12 carries and scored three touchdowns. Against Valparaiso he rushed for 111 yards on just 11 carries and added two scores in his YSU debut.
Three times he has been named the MVFC Newcomer of the Week for his efforts.
Scoring on the Ground
Through the first five games of the season, YSU has scored 19 rushing touchdowns. Last year in 11 games, the Guins had 20 and that was with first-team All-America running back Jaleel McLaughin in the backfield.
QB Mitch Davidson scored a rushing touchdown in the first four games of the year. TB Tyshon King leads the squad with eight rushing scores. TB Dra Rushton has
In total, five Guins have scored a rushing touchdown. In 2022, only four Penguins scored on the ground.
Offense Putting Up the Points
In their four games against FCS opponents this season the Penguins have scored at least 31 points. In three contests, the Guins have registered 40 or more.
YSU opened the season by scoring 52 points against Valparaiso before adding 48 against Robert Morris, 41 at UNI and 31 vs. Southern Illinois.
Last year YSU scored 40-or-more points on three occasions and eclipsed the 30-point mark in five games. The last time the Guins scored 40-plus points at least four times in a season was 2019.
Block Party
In three of five games, YSU has blocked a punt. The Guins are just one of four FCS teams to block at least three punts so far this season.
In the opener, Michael Voitus blocked a Valparaiso punt and Jaylen Castleberry returned it for a touchdown. Against RMU, Daryan Bowling was able to get his hands on a punt as well.
At UNI, Bryce Oliver blocked a punt that was recovered by Deamontae Diggs and set the Guins up at the UNI nine-yard line.
Tough On the Run
The Penguins rank second in the FCS allowing just 78.5 yards rushing per game after holding Southern Illinois to just six yards last Saturday.
That six-yard total was bolstered by seven sacks which resulted in 47 yards in losses by SIU.
Princeton leads the FCS allowing 66.2 yards per game while Dartmouth is third at 76.5 yards a game.
On 126 carries, the Guins have surrendered just 379 yards this season. However, 160 of those yards have come on four carries (60, 40, 30, 30). On the other 122 attempts, YSU has allowed 219 yards (1.80 per rush).
Memorable Defensive Effort
The Penguins had one of their best overall all-around defensive performances in school history against Southern Illinois.
YSU held SIU to 100 yards of total offense, six yards rushing, recorded seven sacks, held the Salukis to 2-of-13 on third down and limited time of possession to 22:21.
The 100 yards were the fewest since September 2015 while the sacks were the most since October 2016.
Bringing the Heat
The Penguins entered the game against Southern Illinois with 12 sacks in four games. They ended the contest with 19 after five.
Against SIU, Dylan Wudke had two, Anthony Johnson had 1.5, Chris Fitzgerald and Devin Lee each had one while Alex Howard, Dawan Martin and Hunter Allen each had half sacks.
It was the most sacks in a game Oct. 29, 2016, against Indiana State.
Charleston Back on Field
One of the great stories this season has been the return to the lineup of CJ Charleston.
Charleston missed last year after suffering an Achilles tendon injury in fall camp.
In five games, Charleston has 289 yards on 19 receptions and a touchdown. He had a career-high six catches for 119 yards against RMU. At UNI he had five grabs for 88 yards.
Against Valparaiso he caught the first touchdown catch of his career.
Against Valpo, he appeared in his first game since Nov. 20, 2021, which was at Southern Illinois. Since his debut in 2019, has caught 46 passes for 653 yards in 23 games played. In 2021, he caught 16 passes for 147 yards and started six games.
Oliver A Top Target
WR Bryce Oliver has been a big producer for the Guins upon his arrival.
He has played in 24 games and has a touchdown reception in 13 contests (one in 2023, seven in 2022 and five in 2021).
In the last eight games against MVFC foes, he has caught touchdown passes in seven contests. In the finale vs. Southern Illinois he set the school record with 12 catches.
In his YSU career, Oliver has 107 receptions for 1,408 yards and 19 touchdowns. He is one of just three players in school history with 19 touchdown receptions in a career.
In 2022 he had 59 catches for 821 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Howard Having Big Year
LB Alex Howard leads the Penguins with 32 tackles following the first five games. That total is two shy of his entire season total last year.
Howard opened the season with nine tackles and two sacks against Valparaiso. At Ohio State, had five solo tackles, including a sack for a five-yard loss. He also was credited with a pass breakup. Against Robert Morris he had seven stops and six at UNI.
Last year, Howard had 34 total tackles and just 3.5 TFLs playing in 10 games while making three starts.
Davidson Finding a Rhythm
QB Mitch Davidson has completed 88-of-120 passes for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns. He has four rushing scores in the first five games of the campaign. He passed for 332 yards at UNI after throwing for 303 vs. Robert Morris marking back-to-back 300-yard games.
Davidson started the final seven games of last season, all of which came vs. MVFC foes. Davidson had an impressive performance during the 2022 campaign completing 119-of-201 passes for 12 touchdowns and just one interception.
In seven of his 12 career starts, he's thrown for more than 200 yards while leading late-game comebacks against Western Illinois, Illinois State and Southern Illinois last year. He has thrown three interceptions in his last 226 attempts.
Big Ranked Wins
The 28-point margin of victory in the 31-3 victory over Southern Illinois represented the fifth-largest against a ranked team in school history.
The largest regular-season ranked win was a 41-7 triumph over Western Illinois on Sept. 22, 2001 at Stambaugh Stadium.
O-Line Features Strength
YSU's offensive line returns four of five starters from a season ago. That group brings a large amount of starting experience into the RMU contest with Jaison Williams (32 starts), Aidan Parker (32 starts), David Metzler (23 starts) and Ryan Johnson (20 starts) leading the way. Redshirt freshman Desmeal Leigh has started the past five games at left tackle.
Preseason MVFC Accolades
WR Bryce Oliver, OL Jaison Williams and DE Dylan Wudke were all named preseason first-team All-MVFC selections. DT Chris Fitzgerald and LS Sam Merryman were named to the preseason second team while TB/TE Jake Benio, LB Greg Benton and DB Quincy Lenton were tabbed preseason honorable-mention.
Experience On the D-Line
The Guins have a wealth of experience on both the defensive line as well.
The defensive line features veterans Dylan Wudke (29 starts), Chris Fitzgerald (26), Anthony Johnson (11), Devin Lee (five) and Andres Lehrmann (five). Fitzgerald has started 26 straight games while Wudke has started 24.
Numbers of Note
• Turnover Margin: Since 1996, YSU is 153-48 when they win or tie the turnover margin. When committing more turnovers, YSU is just 30-86.
Since 1990 YSU is:
• 176-22-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points in a game.
• 155-23 when rushing for 200-plus yards.
• 178-31 when scoring 28-or-more points.
• 94-14-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing in a game.
• 207-23 when leading entering the fourth.
• 94-3-2 holding opponents to 10 points-or-less.
