Youngstown State vs. Duquesne
Nov. 25, 2023 | Stambaugh Stadium
Youngstown, Ohio | 5 p.m.
Broadcast Information
TV – ESPN+ (Anthony Lima, Marcus Ray)
Radio Network – 570 AM WKBN (Bob Hannon, Steve Leslie, Ron Potesta, Mike Orto)
Internet Radio – 570wbkn.iheart.com
App Audio - iHeartRadio App
Penguins
Record: 7-4, 5-3 MVFC
Last Game: at Murray State (W, 34-17)
Head Coach: Doug Phillips (Fourth Season)
X (Formerly Twitter): @ysufootball
Dukes
Record: 7-4, 6-1 (NEC)
Last Game: at Merrimack (W, 26-14)
Head Coach: Jerry Schmitt (19th Season)
X (Formerly Twitter): @DuqFB
Series History
All-Time Series: YSU leads 5-0
In Youngstown: YSU leads 5-0
Win Streak: YSU, 5 games
Last Meeting: YSU 31-14 (2022)
The No. 21 Youngstown State football team returns to the FCS Playoffs for the first time since 2016 when the Penguins play host to Duquesne on Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium. Kickoff for the contest is set for 5 p.m. The game is available on ESPN+, WKBN 570 AM and iHeartRadio.
The Penguins (7-4) won four of their last five contests to remain in playoff consideration and ultimately make it into the field for the first time in seven years. Last time the Guins were part of the playoff party in 2016, they won four games and advanced to the FCS title game in Frisco, Texas.
Last Saturday, QB Mitch Davidson tied a career high with four touchdown passes while WR Bryce Oliver tied the school record for career touchdown receptions as the Guins defeated Murray State, 34-17.
The Guins trailed 10-7 before building a 27-10 advantage in the third quarter. TEs Colt Sechrest and Brandan Serrano caught TDs while Dra Rushton scored on a short run to stretch the lead to 17. Leading 27-17 in the fourth, Davidson connected with Oliver for the 25th touchdown of his career.
Duquesne (7-4) defeated Merrimack, 26-14, last Saturday in North Andover, Mass., claiming the Northeast Conference championship and its third-ever bid to the FCS playoffs. The Dukes posted a 6-1 record in NEC play, their second-most NEC wins in a season and most since going 7-1 in 2011. Duquesne also made the FCS Playoffs in 2015 and 2018. In 2018, DU beat Towson by a 31-10 margin in the opening round.
QB Darius Perrantes threw for three touchdowns and the Dukes defense shutout Merrimack in the second half, holding the Warriors to 61 yards of total offense, to lead the way. Duquesne did not allow a first down in six of the seven second-half drives.
YSU and Duquesne are familiar foes having played five times since the 2013 campaign. Last year, the Penguins defeated the Dukes in a hard-fought contest, 31-14, on Sept. 3 at Stambaugh Stadium. The teams are scheduled to play next September in Youngstown as well.
Youngstown State is appearing in the FCS playoffs for the 13th time in program history and first since 2016. In 2016, YSU beat Samford, Jacksonville State, Wofford and Eastern Washington to reach the title game. Prior to 2016, the Guins had last appeared in the postseason in 2006.
Excellent Playoff History
The Penguins are appearing in the FCS playoffs for the 13th time in school history.
One of the most successful FCS postseason programs, YSU is 29-8 all-time for a .783 winning percentage. The Guins won I-AA/FCS titles in 1997, 1994, 1993 and 1991. YSU also advanced to the title game in 2016, 1999 and 1992.
Additionally, the Penguins have won 16 straight playoff games at Stambaugh Stadium, including a pair of wins in their last playoff appearance in 2016. YSU's only home playoff defeat was to UCF in 1990.
Offense Putting Up the Points
In their 10 games against FCS opponents this season the Penguins have scored at least 31 points in eight of them. In five of those contests, the Guins have registered 40 or more.
YSU set a school record with six consecutive 30-plus point contests and tied the school mark for 40-point games in a season with five (2016, 2001 and 1978 are the others).
The Penguins opened the season by scoring 52 points against Valparaiso before adding 48 against Robert Morris to conclude the non-league season. In five league games, YSU has scored 44 against Missouri State, 41 vs. UNI and Illinois State, 34 against Murray State and 31 each against Southern Illinois and South Dakota.
In the 10 FCS games, YSU is averaging 34.1 points per game. In their eight MVFC contests, the Guins scored 30.5 points per game.
Passing Numbers Skyrocket
The Penguins have unleashed their aerial attack the past six contests with 124 completions for 1,455 yards and 15 scores. Through the first five games of the season, YSU had just four passing touchdowns.
Against Missouri State, YSU threw for 415 yards, the third most in a game in school history. Only a 446-yard effort vs. Eastern Kentucky in 1985 and 418 at Western Illinois in 2018 rank higher. Three times this season YSU has thrown for more than 300 yards in a game.
QB Mitch Davidson has thrown for 2,485 yards this year which is the second most in a season in school history behind only Jeff Ryan's 2,573 set in 1999.
Tough On the Run
The Penguins are allowing just under 100 yards rushing per game which ranks ninth in the FCS at the end of the regular season.
For the regular season, YSU allowed just 96.7 yards per game. Eight times this year, the Guins have allowed fewer than 111 yards in a game, highlighted by a season-low six against Southern Illinois on Oct. 7.
On 278 carries against, the Guins have surrendered just 1,064 yards this season. However, 492 of those yards have come on 13 carries. On the other 265 attempts, YSU has allowed 572 yards (2.15 per rush).
Oliver Ties School Record
WR Bryce Oliver has tied a long-standing school record with 25 career touchdown receptions. Oliver joined Jim "Flea" Ferranti (1976-79) with 25 career touchdown receptions after hauling in two more scores at Murray State last Saturday.
Oliver has played in 31 games and has a touchdown reception in 17 contests (five in 2023, seven in 2022 and five in 2021). He owns the school record with eight multi-touchdown reception games. In the his last 15 games against MVFC foes dating back to October 2022, he caught touchdown passes in 11 contests.
In his YSU career, Oliver has 136 receptions for 1,846 yards and 25 touchdowns. This season he has 53 catches for 759 yards and seven scores.
Scoring on the Ground
In the regular season, YSU scored 25 rushing touchdowns, its most in a season since 29 in 2019. Last year, the Guins had 20 and that was with first-team All-America running back Jaleel Mclaughlin in the backfield.
First-year TB Tyshon King leads the squad with nine rushing scores. TB Dra Rushton has eight scores while QB Mitch Davidson has added five rushing TDs.
King Penguin Impresses
Transfer running back Tyshon King has been a strong addition to the program since coming in from Northern Michigan.
In his first season at YSU, King rushed for 894 yards on 160 carries and scored a team-high nine touchdowns.
Five times he has rushed for more than 111 yards, including a career-high 152 yards at Murray State.
On three occasions he was named the MVFC Newcomer of the Week for his efforts.
Rushton With Career Year
TB Dra Rushton has had the best season on his six-year YSU career this fall.
Rushton has accumulated 785 all-purpose yards with 542 on the ground, 140 receiving and 103 on kickoff returns.
On the ground he has carried the ball a career-high 134 times and scored eight rouchdowns.
At South Dakota, Rushton rushed for a career-high 116 yards on 16 carries. Against Illinois State he had a key touchdown reception in the fourth quarter vs. the Redbirds.
Entering this season he had 387 yards on 87 rushing attempts and just two touchdowns.
Last Year vs. Duquesne
The Penguins opened up the 2022 season with a 31-14 victory over Duquesne at Stambaugh Stadium. YSU used a strong fourth quarter to earn the win against the Dukes. Leading 17-14, 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 Guins tied the contest on a three-yard run by McLaughlin. 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 and with 4:48 remaining, McLaughlin added his third score of the game on a 54-yard run.
Strong on Special Teams
The Penguins special teams have performed well throughout the campaign.
YSU ranks sixth in the nation in net punting at 41.17 yards and is tied for fourth in the nation with four blocked punts.
First-year punter Brendon Kilpatrick is averaging 43.5 yards per punt which ranks second in a season in school history. As a team, YSU is averaging 43.5 yards a kick, which is tops in school history over 43.3 set in 2013.
PK Andrew Lastovka has made 11-of-14 field -goal attempts in his first season as well. Also, YSU is allowing fewer than 20 return yards on 44 kickoff returns.
Howard Having Big Year
LB Alex Howard leads the Penguins with 67 total tackles (36-31) on the year. That total crushes his 2022 season total of 34.
He's had at least five tackles in all but two games with a high of nine against Valparaiso and Illinois State.
Last year, Howard had 34 total tackles and just 3.5 TFLs playing in 10 games while making three starts.
Charleston, Tomczak Step Up
Wide receivers CJ Charleston and Max Tomczak have had huge seasons as well for the Penguins.
Tomczak has caught 46 passes for 531 yards and a touchdown while Charleston has 31 receptions for 492 yards and three scores. Tomczak led the Penguins during MVFC play with 41 receptions.
Charleston missed last year after suffering an Achilles tendon injury in fall camp. Entering the season he had 27 catches for 361 yards in his career. In 28 career games he has 58 catches for 853 yards and three scores.
Tomczak was named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team last year. He had 26 catches for 430 yards and two touchdowns in 2022.
Time of Possession Rises
The Guins rank third in the FCS in time of possession averaging 34:27 per game. Only Idaho (34:46) and Cornell (34:45) are averaging more than the Guins.
In nine of 11 games this year, YSU has held the ball for more than 33:23. On two occasions - at Indiana State and Murray State - the Guins held the ball for more than 39 minutes.
Davidson First Over 2K in 10
QB Mitch Davidson is the first YSU quarterback to pass for more than 2,000 yards since Kurt Hess in 2013. This year, Davidson has completed 211-of-297 passes (71 percent) for 2,485 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also has five rushing scores this year.
He's tied the school record with three 300-yard passing games in one season joining Denny Klembara on the short list.
He has four touchdown passes in three of the last four games. In 10 of his 16 career starts, he's thrown for more than 200 yards.
He has thrown just four interceptions in his last 393 attempts.
Career 300-Yard Passing Games
1. Trenton Lykes (1984-87) - 4
1. Denny Klembara (1968-71) - 4
3. Mitch Davidson (2018-Present) - 3
3. Brandon Summers (2008-09) - 3
3. Ron Jaworski (1969-72) - 3
O-Line Features Strength
YSU's offensive line should be battle tested entering the postseason.
That group features a large amount of starting experience with Jaison Williams (38 starts), Aidan Parker (36 starts), David Metzler (29 starts) and Ryan Johnson (26 starts) leading the way. Redshirt freshman Desmeal Leigh started all 11 games at left tackle this year while Van Keen filled in at center on two occasions.
Experience On the D-Line
The Guins have a wealth of experience on the defensive line as well.
The defensive line features veterans Dylan Wudke (35 starts), Chris Fitzgerald (32), Anthony Johnson (17), Andres Lehrmann (11) and Devin Lee (five).
Fitzgerald has started 32 straight games while Wudke has started 30. In 2023, YSU has had the same four players start up front.
Numbers of Note
• Turnover Margin: Since 1996, YSU is 157-48 when they win or tie the turnover margin. When committing more turnovers, YSU is just 30-88.
Since 1990 YSU is:
• 178-22-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points in a game.
• 157-23 when rushing for 200-plus yards.
• 181-32 when scoring 28-or-more points.
• 97-14-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing in a game.
• 210-23 when leading entering the fourth.
• 95-3-2 holding opponents to 10 points-or-less.
• YSU is 21-6 when a back rushes for more than 200 yards in a game.
