Youngstown State University
UNI
19th-Ranked Penguins Open MVFC Play at UNI
9/26/2023 2:30:00 PM | Football
Youngstown State at UNI
Sept. 30, 2023 | UNI-Dome
Cedar Falls, Iowa | 2 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Central
Broadcast Information
TV – ESPN+/MyYTV/Panther Sports Network (Brad Wells, Justin Surrency)
Radio Network – 570 AM WKBN (Bob Hannon, Steve Leslie)
Internet Radio – 570wbkn.iheart.com
App Audio - iHeartRadio App
Penguins
Record: 2-1, 0-0 MVFC
Last Game: vs. Robert Morris (W, 48-28)
Head Coach: Doug Phillips (Fourth Season)
X (Formerly Twitter): @ysufootball
Panthers
Record: 1-2, 0-0 MVFC
Last Game: at Idaho State (W, 41-17)
Head Coach: Mark Farley (23rd Season)
X (Formerly Twitter): @OhioStateFB
Series History
All-Time Series: UNI leads 25-9
In Cedar Falls: UNI leads 15-3
Win Streak: UNI, 2 games
Last Meeting: UNI 34, YSU 7 (2021)
The No. 19 ranked Youngstown State football team opens Missouri Valley Football Conference play on Saturday afternoon at UNI. Kickoff for the contest is set for 2 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Central at the UNI-Dome. The game is available live on MyYTV, ESPN+, WKBN 570 AM and iHeartRadio.
The Penguins (2-1) completed non-conference play with a 48-28 victory over Robert Morris on Sept. 16 at Stambaugh Stadium. Leading 14-13 in the second quarter, the Guins scored 28 straight points to seize control of the contest against the Colonials.
YSU scored six rushing touchdowns against RMU with Tyshon King scoring three times, Dra Rushton punching in two scores and QB Mitch Davidson adding another. Davidson connected with Brandan Serrano for the Guins' other touchdown in the contest.
The Guins took a 6-0 lead on a six-yard run by Rushton before RMU took a 7-6 lead. YSU went back in front 13-7 on a 32-yard scoring run by King. But the Colonials retook the lead at 14-13 early in the second quarter.
From that point forward it was all Penguins until the final 10 minutes of the contest. To close out the first half, Rushton scored on a 10-yard carry while King had an 18-yard scoring TD. In the third quarter, Davidson found Serrano for a nine-yard score before King added his third TD of the game on a 14-yard run. Davidson added a seven-yard score in the fourth for the final margin.
UNI (1-2) picked up a strong 41-17 victory at Idaho State on Sept. 16 in its last outing. The Panthers built a 34-3 lead by the mid-point of the third quarter before cruising to the victory. UNI had dropped contests to Iowa State and Weber State before beating the Bengals by 24 points.
In the win at ISU, the Panthers had 527 yards of total offense with QB Theo Day throwing for 388 yards. Day completed 29-of-39 passes in the game and threw two touchdowns.
The Guins and UNI last faced off on Oct. 2, 2021, at the UNI-Dome. The Panthers picked up a 34-7 win in that game. UNI scored the first 34 points of the game before YSU added a fourth-quarter score.
The Penguins' last win over UNI was in November 2018 (31-10) while their last win in Iowa was on Oct. 23, 1999 (29-20).
King Penguin Impresses
Transfer running back Tyshon King made a strong impression during the non-conference portion of the season.
In three games, King rushed for 294 yards on 35 carries and scored five touchdowns. He had a season-high 117 yards on 12 carries and scored three touchdowns against Robert Morris.
Against Valparaiso he rushed for 111 yards on just 11 carries and added two scores in his YSU debut. He scored on a 62-yard run in the first quarter for YSU's first TD of the season.
At Ohio State, he rushed for 66 yards on 12 carries in a strong performance.
Twice he has been named the MVFC Newcomer of the Week for his efforts.
Scoring Multiple TDs
YSU running backs Tyshon King and Dra Rushton combined for five touchdowns in the win over Robert Morris. King rushed for three scores while Rushton added two.
It marked the first time since November 2016 that two Penguins running backs had at least a pair of rushing scores in the same game.
King had two rushing touchdowns in the season opener vs. Valparaiso. Rushton had two previous touchdown runs in his career before the RMU performance.
Ground and Pound
Through the first three games of the season, YSU has scored 12 rushing touchdowns. Last year in 11 games, the Guins had 20 and that was with first-team All-America running back Jaleel McLaughin.
QB Mitch Davidson has a rushing touchdown in each of the first three games of the year. TB Tyshon King leads the squad with five rushing scores. In total, five Guins have scored a rushing touchdown. In 2022, only four Penguins scored on the ground.
Two Guins Over 100 Yards
Against Robert Morris, YSU had two wide receivers with more than 100 yards receiving.
CJ Charleston had 119 yards while Bryce Oliver had 108 yards. It was the first time since November 2017 that two YSU players had more than 100 yards receiving in a contest.
This season, Oliver has 17 receptions for 210 yards while Charleston has hauled in 11 passes for 173 yards.
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 three games, Charleston has 173 yards on 11 receptions and a touchdown. He had a career-high six catches for 119 yards against RMU last time out.
Against Valparaiso he caught four passes for 47 yards while adding 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 38 passes for 537 yards in 21 games played. In 2021, he caught 16 passes for 147 yards and started six games.
Hooker Makes Return
DB Marcus Hooker had a successful return to Ohio State where he was a member of the program from 2018-21 before transferring to YSU.
Against OSU, Howard had six tackles and five solo stops against the Buckeyes. Following the game, numerous former teammates of his came up for photos and congratulate Hooker on a strong performance.
Howard Sets Tone For Big Year
LB Alex Howard leads the Penguins with 21 tackles following the first three games of the season.
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.
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 44-of-62 passes for 567 yards and two touchdowns. He has rushing scores in each of the first three games of the campaign.
Davidson started the final seven games of last season, all of which came vs. MVFC foes. Davidson had an impressive performance during the year completing 119-of-201 passes for 12 touchdowns and just one interception.
In five of his seven starts in 2022, he threw for more than 200 yards while leading late-game comebacks against Western Illinois, Illinois State and Southern Illinois. He has thrown one interception in his last 168 attempts.
Wudke Wreaks Havoc
DE Dylan Wudke is in his third year as a starter for the Guins. A preseason first-team All-MVFC selection, Wudke has 86 career tackles with 16.5 TFLs and eight sacks.
He has started 27 games for the Guins including 22 straight. Last year he had 43 total tackles with 12 TFLs and five sacks.
After three games this year, Wudke has seven tackles.
Oliver A Top Target
WR Bryce Oliver has been a big producer for the Guins upon his arrival.
He has played in 23 games and has a touchdown reception in 12 contests (seven in 2022 and five in 2021). Last year he had a touchdown catch in six of the last seven games which propelled him to earning first-team All-MVFC honors. In the finale vs. Southern Illinois he set the school record with 12 catches.
In his YSU career, Oliver has 100 receptions for 1,297 yards and 18 touchdowns. He is one of just four players in school history with 18 touchdown receptions in a career.
In 2022 he had 59 catches for 821 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Tailbacks Show Depth
Through three games YSU is averaging 219 yards rushing thanks to an impressive group of tailbacks.
YSU's deep backfield features Dra Rushton, Tyshon King, Dante Walker, Cephus Harris III Da'Shaun Whatley and Caleb Mitchell.
This year, King leads the team with 294 yards on 35 carries and has five touchdowns. Rushton has 23 carries for 77 yards and two scores. Whatley also has 77 yards but on 12 attempts.
Last year, Rushton had a breakout rushing for 319 yards on 71 carries and scoring two touchdowns.
Against the Beacons, five running backs stepped to combine for 260 yards on 30 carries and three touchdowns. In the contest vs. Robert Morris, the Guins rushed for 256 yards with 214 of those coming from the tailbacks.
King was a first-team All-GLIAC selection at Northern Michigan in 2022 rushing for 984 yards on 182 carries and scored eight touchdowns. He also caught 35 passes for 444 yards and five scores.
First-Time Scorers
Plenty of Penguins contributed to the impressive 52-point outburst against Valparaiso by scoring for the first time in YSU uniform.
On the ground QB Beau Brungard, TB Tyshon King and TB Da'Shaun Whatley each found the end zone. Long-time wide receiver CJ Charleston scored the first touchdown of his career while Jaylen Castleberry returned a blocked punt for a score in his Guins debut.
In the kicking game, a pair of talented young specialists stepped in for long-time kicker Colt McFadden. Andrew Lastokva kicked a 30-yard field goal while adding four PATs. Clay Medvec added a pair of extra points.
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 (30 starts), Aidan Parker (30 starts), David Metzler (21 starts) and Ryan Johnson (18 starts) leading the way. Redshirt freshman Desmeal Leigh has started the past three 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.
17 Graduates on Roster
The Penguins have 17 graduate student-athletes on their roster for the 2023 campaign.
Those Guins who have their undergraduate degrees are: Greg Benton, Quincy Lenton, Marcus Hooker, Tyshon King, Jake Benio, Ryan Johnson, Dra Rushton, Bryce Oliver, D'Marco Augustin, Adrian Compton, Alijah Curtis, Alex Howard, Caleb Mitchell, Mike Morris, Mitch Davidson, Andres Lehrmann and Dylan Wudke.
Experience On The Lines
The Guins have a wealth of experience on both the offensive and defensive lines.
The offensive line features veteran starters Jaison Williams (30 games), Aidan Parker (30), David Metzler (21) and Ryan Johnson (18). Williams and Parker started for the first time in the spring of 2021. Metzler made his first-ever start at left tackle at Michigan State in 2021 and Johnson transferred from Duquesne to start four of the final five games in 2021.
The defensive line features veterans Dylan Wudke (27 starts), Chris Fitzgerald (24), Anthony Johnson (nine), Devin Lee (five) and Andres Lehrmann (three). Fitzgerald has started 24 straight games while Wudke has started 22.
Numbers of Note
• Turnover Margin: Since 1996, YSU is 153-47 when they win or tie the turnover margin. When committing more turnovers, YSU is just 29-86.
Since 1990 YSU is:
• 175-22-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points in a game.
• 155-23 when rushing for 200-plus yards.
• 177-30 when scoring 28-or-more points.
• 93-14-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing in a game.
• 206-22 when leading entering the fourth.
• 93-3-2 holding opponents to 10 points-or-less.
• YSU is 21-6 when a back rushes for more than 200 yards in a game.
