Youngstown State vs. South Dakota State
Oct. 4, 2025 | Stambaugh Stadium
Youngstown, Ohio | 6 p.m.

Broadcast Information
TV – ESPN+ (Drae Smith, Frank Stams)
Radio Network – 570 AM WKBN (Bob Hannon, Chris  Sammarone/Steve Leslie, Anthony Romo, Mike Orto)
Internet Radio – 570wbkn.iheart.com
App Audio - iHeartRadio App

Penguins
2025 Record: 3-1
Last Game: YSU  31, Towson 28
Head Coach: Doug Phillips (Sixth Season)
X (Formerly Twitter): @ysufootball

Jackrabbits
2025 Record: 4-0
Last Game: South Dakota State 51, Mercyhurst 7 
Head Coach: Dan Jackson (First Season)
X (Formerly Twitter): @GoJacksFB

Series History
All-Time Series: SDSU leads 18-7
Last Meeting: SDSU 63-13 (2024)
In Youngstown: SDSU leads 10-4

Opponent	Date	Location	Video	Audio	Live Stats
	Saturday Oct. 4 | 6 PM	Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, Ohio	ESPN+	570 WKBN	Live Stats

    The No. 18 (AFCA FCS Coaches Poll) Youngstown State football team opens Missouri Valley Football Conference play against second-ranked South Dakota State on Saturday. Kickoff for the contest is set for 6 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium. The game is available on the ESPN+, WKBN 570 AM and iHeartRadio.
    • YSU is coming off a bye week after a thrilling 31-28 win over Towson which closed out non-conference play on Sept. 20. The Penguins trailed 28-17 in the fourth quarter before scoring on three possessions in the final 6:21 of the contest, including a 42-yard field goal by Andrew Lastovka as time expired.
    • Lastovka was named the Stats Perform National Special Teams Player of the Week and MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his 11-point performance in the contest. He made a 27-yard field late in the third quarter and added a 48-yarder with 1:37 left and a 42-yarder at the final horn.
    • QB Beau Brungard had another outstanding performance passing for 277 yards while rushing for 100 yards. Brungard was 24-of-41 for a career-high 277 yards while rushing for two scores and 100 yards on 18 attempts.
    • This season, Brungard has  rushed for 526 yards on 70 carries while scoring eight touchdowns. He has completed 74-of-112 passes for 755 yards and four scores.
    • WR Max Tomczak caught seven passes for 116 yards in the contest. He now has a reception in a school-record 37 straight games. His 176 career receptions rank second in school history while his 2,309 yards move him into third place all-time. He is just 10 receptions shy of tying the school mark and is 62 yards from moving into second all-time.
    • YSU has seven takeaways in the four games compared to just one turnover. The Guins are tied for sixth in the FCS at plus-1.50 per contest.
    • South Dakota State (4-0, 0-0 MVFC) remained unbeaten with an impressive 51-7 victory over Mercyhurst last Saturday. SDSU owns wins over Sacramento State (20-3), Montana State (30-24), Drake (37-21) and the Lakers.
    • The Penguins last beat the Jackrabbits in 2017 at Stambaugh Stadium (19-7). SDSU defeated the Guins 63-13 last year in Brookings following a 34-0 win at Stambaugh Stadium in 2023.

Defense With Seven Takeaways

    The Penguins forced seven turnovers in four non conference games, which tied their total from 12 games in the 2024 campaign.
    YSU forced four turnovers in the season opener vs. Mercyhurst with two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. That marked the most turnovers forced in a game by YSU since Nov. 19, 2022 (Southern Illinois).
    Against RMU, the Guins turned a late second-quarter fumble into a TD. At Michigan State and Towson the Guins had interceptions.
    Last year, the Guins had three interceptions and four recovered fumbles. 

Among the Best in the FCS

    QB Beau Brungard is among the nation's top performers in numerous categories entering the month of October.
    He ranks third in rushing yards per game (131.5), third in rushing touchdowns and fourth in total touchdowns (eight) as well as seventh in total rushing yards (526) and yards per carry (7.51).
    Among players who have played in just four games, Brungard sits in second in total rushing yards.

Stopping the Run

    YSU's defense ranks 10th in the FCS in rushing defense surrendering just 92.8 yards a game after four contests.
    Against RMU the Guins limited the Colonials to 41 yards on 27 carries. Robert Morris had 20 of those on one carry as YSU allowed just 21 yards on the 26 other attempts.
    In the opener, YSU limited Mercyhurst to 63 yards on 24 carries. The Lakers had 31 yards on two carries and were held to 32 on the other 22 attempts.
    Towson rushed for 93 yards on 25 attempts with 19 coming on a fake punt.

First-Time Starters

    The Penguins has had 20 first-time starters so far this year after four  games.
    On offense, WR Flash Wilson, guards Joe Sferra and Isaac Perkins, TB Jaden Gilbert and TE Austin Bray started for the first time. On defense, DBs Dathan Hickey, Justin Wimpye and Dayne Hodge, LB Carston Marshall and defensive lineman Ebony Curry Jr., Thomas Jolly and Collin Vaughn started for the initial time. 
    Against Robert Morris, LB Graydon Rollins, WR Mike Solomon and TE Alex McDonald were first-time starters. 
    At Michigan State, WR RK Dandridge and TB Tahir Mills started. 
    At Towson, DT Cameron Cunningham, DB Jussiah Williams-West and TE Michael Manna all started for the first time.

National Honors Trifecta

    The Penguins have had the Stats Perform National FCS Players of the Week on offense, defense and special teams already this season.
    PK Andrew Lastovka was named the National Special Teams Player of the Week after kicking the game-winning field goal at Towson. QB Beau Brungard was named the National Offensive Player of the Week following his record-setting performance against Robert Morris. DB Dathan Hickey took top national Defensive honors following the opening game vs. Mercyhurst.

Tomczak Moving Up Charts

    WR Max Tomczak enters the game ranked second in school history with 169 receptions and third with 2,193 yards. 
    His 169 career receptions rank him only behind Jim Ferranti (180). Ferranti also owns the school record with 3,103 yards set back in 1979.
    In 2024, Tomczak had 73 grabs for 904 yards and four touchdowns. He had 56 catches for 669 yards in 2023 and 26 for 430 yards in 2022. In three games this season, he has 190 yards on 14 receptions.
    He has caught a pass in a school record 37 consecutive contests. Tomczak also has at least four receptions in 19 of his last 22 games.

The Wright Stuff

    TB Ethan Wright should return to the field this Saturday after suffering and Achilles injury at Southern Illinois last November.
    In 2024, Wright started at tailback on seven occasions for the Penguins en route to being named to the MVFC All-Newcomer squad. In 11 games at YSU, he has 136 carries for 677 yards and 18 receptions for 114 yards.
    In 32 career games played at UC from 2020-23, he had 215 yards on 44 attempts and caught five passes for 44 yards.

Hodge, Hickey Lead Back End

    DBs Dathan Hickey and Dayne Hodge have made  instant impacts and bring a good wealth of experience to the secondary. 
    In four games at YSU, Hodge owns the team lead with 27 tackles while Hickey is third with 26 stops.
    Hickey missed the campaign last season with an injury, but had appeared in 28 games throughout his career at Yale. From the 2022 season to this year, he played in only five games after appearing in 23 from 2018-21.
    Hodge played in 28 games and started 19 contests at safety for Tulsa since 2021. 
    In 2024, he played and started 11 games. Hodge finished second on the team with 60 tackles (30 solos and 30 assists) with three pass breakups. In 2023, he played in all 12 games and started eight contests and registered 57 stops.

Brungard Shows Off Skills

    Junior QB Beau Brungard is set to make his 17th straight start at QB on Saturday vs. SDSU.
    For his career, he has rushed for 1,653 yards on 257 carries (7.5 yards per rush) with 27 touchdowns. He has thrown for 3,004 yards completing 297-of-446 passes (66.6 percent).
    In the past two seasons he has rushed for 1,524 yards on 229 attempts with 24 scores. In 2024, he rushed for 998 yards on 159 carries and scored 16 touchdowns averaging 83.2 yards per game.
    Brungard set the school  and conference record for rushing yards by a QB against Robert Morris on Sept. 7. On 10 carries, he had 264 yards and four touchdowns. The 264 yards tied for the third-most in a game in school history and broke the MVFC record of 245 (2001).
    Seven times in 16 career starts he has rushed for more than 100 yards. And four times in his career has he been the MVFC Player of the Week.
    He guided a fourth-quarter rally at Towson, which was the third of his YSU career.

Specialists Own Experience

    The Penguins' specialists group features an impressive array of experience.
    YSU has third-year starters in punter Brendon Kilpatrick and placekicker Andrew Lastovka. New to the lineup is long snapper Byron Floyd, who started for two seasons at Pitt and one at Buffalo, before transferring into the program.
    Kilpatrick was selected as the FCS Punter of the Year by the Augusta Sports Council in 2024. 
    Lastovka has made 34 field goals in 29 career contests, including two as time expired. Floyd has started 42 games (25 at Pitt, 13 at Buffalo and four at YSU).
    Lastovka has made 64 straight PATs dating back to Nov. 18, 2023. Kilpatrick is averaging 47.8 yards a punt on 10 kicks this year. Five of his 10 kicks are longer than 50 yards.

Tomczak on Senior Bowl List

    WR Max Tomczak is a member of the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl Top 300 list.
    Tomczak is one of just five FCS players on the list that includes 276 players from Power Four programs. He is joined by UIW WR Jalen Walthall, North Dakota State WR Bryce Lance, Stephen F Austin DB Charles Demmings and Harvard QB Jaden Craig.

O-Line Features Depth

    YSU's offensive line features four starters with double-digit collegiate starting experience.
    Desmeal Leigh has the most starting experience on the team with 29 starts. Shane Keenan has started the last 16 contests and moved to right tackle this year after playing guard in 2024.
    Van Keen has started 12 straight contests at center and has a total of 16 career starts.
    Guard Isaac Perkins started 15 games at Colgate before joining the Penguins this year. He has started each of the first four contests. Fourth-year Penguin Joe Sferra has started the first four contests in 2025.    
    Against Towson, Leigh and Keenan were replaced by Nick Nielsen and Mason Ludwig while redshirt freshman Rex Lahr was also called into duty.

2025 Team Captains

    YSU has elected five team captains for the 2025 season. 
    The five players voted captains for the year are QB Beau Brungard (12), TB Ethan Wright (2), Punter Brendon Kilpatrick (40), DE Michael Voitus (42) and DB Dathan Hickey (11).
    Voitus has been named a team captain for the second straight year.

Returning All-MVFC Performers

    The Guins bring back four All-MVFC players from a year ago.
    Highlighting the group is first-team WR Max Tomczak and QB Beau Brungard, who earned first-team accolades as an all-purpose player.
    Punter Brendon Kilpatrick was a second-team honoree while OT Desmeal Leigh was an honorable-mention pick.    

Preseason Accolades

Max Tomczak | WR
    • Senior Bowl Top 300
    • East-West Shrine Bowl Watch List
    • 2nd-Team Phil Steele Preseason All-America
    • 3rd-Team SI.com Preseason All-America
    • 3rd-Team Stats Perform Preseason All-America
Desmeal Leigh | OL
    • Third-Team SI.com Preseason All-America
Brendon Kilpatrick | Punter
    • FCS Punter of the Year Watch List 
    (2024 winner)
    • Third-Team SI.com Preseason All-America
    • 3rd-Team Stats Perform Preseason All-America
Dathan Hickey | DB
    • East-West Shrine Bowl Watch List

Numbers of Note

• Turnover Margin: Since 1996, YSU is 161-50 when they win or tie the turnover margin. When committing more turnovers, YSU is just 32-95.
Since 1990 YSU is:
• 181-22-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points in a game.
• 160-24 when rushing for 200-plus yards.
• 186-35 when scoring 28-or-more points.
• 99-14-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing in a game.
• 215-24 when leading entering the fourth.
• 95-3-2 holding opponents to 10 points-or-less.
• YSU is 22-6 when having a ball carrier with more than 200 yards in a game.