Youngstown State University
North Dakota
10/27/2026 2:00:00 PM | Football
Youngstown State vs. North Dakota
Oct. 31, 2026 | Stambaugh Stadium
Youngstown, Ohio | Noon
Broadcast Information
TV – ESPN+ (Anthony Romo, Braylon Heard)
Radio Network – 570 AM WKBN
Internet Radio – 570wbkn.iheart.com
App Audio - iHeartRadio App (Steve Leslie, Bob Hannon, Tony Perorazio)
Penguins
2026 Record: 6-2, 4-1 MVFC
Last Game: YSU 35, UNI 22
Head Coach: Doug Phillips (Seventh Season)
X: @ysufootball
Hawks
2026 Record: 6-3, 3-2 MVFC
Last Game: USD 26, UND 23 (OT)
Head Coach: Eric Schmidt (Second Season)
X: @UNDfootball
Series History
All-Time Series: UND leads 5-1
Last Meeting: UND 35-17 (2025)
In Youngstown: UND leads 2-1
| Opponent | Date | Location | Video | Audio | Live Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Saturday Oct. 31 | Noon |
Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, Ohio |
ESPN+ | 570 WKBN | Live Stats |
No. 4 ranked Youngstown State continues conference play this Saturday against No. 9 North Dakota at Stambaugh Stadium. Kickoff for the contest is set for noon. The game is available on ESPN+, WKBN 570 AM and iHeart Radio.
• Before heading into their first bye week, YSU scored the game's first 28 points and held on for a 35-22 victory over No. 19 Northern Iowa on Oct. 17 at Stambaugh Stadium, earning its third win over a ranked opponent.
• YSU totaled 420 yards of offense, Brungard was 23-of-27 passes for 240 yards through the air. While he rushed for 80 yards and a solo TD.
• The Penguins (6-2, 4-1 MVFC) struck just 12 seconds into the game when Donald Barksdale returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, giving YSU an early 7-0 lead over UNI.
• YSU's offense was led by wide receiver Lynn Wyche-El, who recorded eight receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown, his seventh receiving TD of the season. Antuan Gardner added his first rushing touchdown of the year. To start the fourth quarter, Bryan Hunt hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Brungard in the back of the end zone.
• Defensively, the Guins held UNI to 371 total yards, including just 53 rushing yards. Leading the way were Carston Marshall and Roderick Owens Jr., who combined for 21 tackles. The unit also combined for three sacks.
• North Dakota (6-3, 3-2 MVFC) fell to South Dakota in overtime last weekend, 26-23. Trailing 20-3 at halftime, UND rallied with 17 unanswered points in the second half to even the score at the DakotaDome. Kenten Laughman connected on a 45-yard field goal to tie the game at 20 before the contest headed into overtime. The Hawks opened overtime with a field goal to take a 23-20 lead, but South Dakota responded with a score of its own to secure the 26-23 victory.
• The two contests between the Fighting Hawks and Penguins at Stambaugh Stadium have been tightly-contested affairs. YSU stopped a two-point conversion try by the Fighting Hawks for a 41-40 win back in 2024. In 2022, the Guins dropped a 35-30 decision.
• The Penguins have played on Halloween on 10 occasions, most recently at Western Illinois in 2015. The last home game on Halloween was during the 2009 season vs. South Dakota State. All-time on Oct. 31, YSU is 5-5.
Brungard Making History
QB Beau Brungard is set to make his 34th straight start at QB on Saturday. For his career, he has rushed for 3,242 yards on 558 carries and now has a school record 57 touchdowns. His 56th rushing score broke the school record of 55 held by Adrian Brown. Through the air, he is 671-of-966 for 7,544 yards and 57 touchdowns. Brungard now holds both the most offensive plays (1,524) and the most offensive yards (10,786) for a career in school history, along with numerous other marks. In 2025, he lead the FCS with 4,702 total offensive yards while rushing for 1,468 yards and 27 touchdowns. He completed 277-of-403 passes for 3,234 yards with 26 TDs. He added another score on a 50-yard touchdown reception against Murray State. In 12 games in 2024, Brungard rushed for 998 yards on 159 carries and scored 16 times, passed for 2,141 yards and completed 209-of-314 passes for 12 touchdowns.
First Time Starters
Through eight games, YSU has had 19 different players make their first career start. Against Mercyhurst starting for the initial time were: Jeremiah Sanders, Bryan Hunt, Cam Smith, Jordan Pritchard-Sewell, Raleigh Collins III, Dev Holman, Maximillian Johnson and Evan Anderson. At Kentucky, those Penguins making their first career starts included Darvens Tunis, Roderick Owens Jr., Lynn Wyche-El and Lachlan Amore. Against Duquesne, Mason Ludwig and Brandon Chambers Jr., made their first starts at YSU. At SDSU, Dominic Julius started at corner. Against USD, Michael Wright Jr. and Lemondte Chambers made their first start for the Guins. Lorenzo Jenkins made his first career start at SIU. Against UNI, Bilal Tucker started at defensive tackle. Of the 19 first-time starters, 12 are on defense, five are on offense and two are on special teams.
McDonald Scores Fifth TD
TE Alex McDonald has scored five touchdowns during his career. Against South Dakota, a four-yard pass in the end zone from Beau Brungard to give the Guins a 33-21 lead early in the fourth quarter. He hauled in a touchdown grab previously at South Dakota State. At Indiana State, he had a career-long 38-yard reception where he was tackled at the one. During the 2025 season, McDonald had TD grabs at Towson, North Dakota State and UNI.
Most Receiving TDs by a TE Since 2010:
10 – Nate Adams (2011-14)
8 – Will Shaw (2011-12)
7 – Miles Joiner (2018-19)
5 – Alex McDonald (2022-Present)
Gilbert Key Dual Threat
TB Jaden Gilbert continues to be one of Guins' key offensive weapons in 2026. So far this year, Gilbert has 67 rushes for 448 yards and six touchdowns while catching 27 passes for 220 yards and two scores. At Indiana State, he had one of the best outings of his career. He rushed a career-high 16 times for 163 yards and three scores. It was the second time in his career that he eclipsed the 100-yard mark (SIU - 2025). The Honorable-Mention All-MVFC selection finished last season with 665 rushing yards on 95 carries, finding the end zone three times.
Wells Highly-Touted
Defensive end Michael Wells is in his fifth year with the Guins. Wells is coming off an explosive 2025 season. He was credited with 50 total tackles – 25 solos - 25 assists. He had 15 TFLs, highlighted by an impressive 10.5 sacks with 11 QB hurries, four pass breakups, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. He is on the watch list for the 2026 Buck Buchanan award; he is the first defensive player to be on the list for Youngstown State since Derek Rivers in 2016. This season, Wells has 26 tackles, including nine TFLs. Seeing more double teams, he has four QB hurries, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery through six games.
Guins Hot In The red-zone
The Guins offense is now tied for first in total red-zone scores in the FCS, matching Alcorn with 36 red-zone appearances. The offense also ranks second in red-zone rushing touchdowns with 19, trailing South Carolina State's 20. The unit is also now tied for fourth with Morehead State and Towson in total red-zone passing scores (13). The Guins trail North Dakota (16), Alcorn (15) and South Dakota (14) in the rankings. YSU has 39 red-zone possessions and the only three non scores were kneel downs at the end of the Mercyhurst, SIU and UNI contests.
Lastovka Leads Specialists
Senior PK Andrew Lastovka is in his fourth season with the Guins. He has played in 46 games, making 48 field goals and 179 PATs. He made all four of his field-goal tries this year (two at SDSU, two vs. USD). Against Indiana State, he eclipsed the school marks for career PATs made and attempted which had been held by Jeff Wilkins since 1993. This season he is 39-of-41 on PAT tries. One miss came with backup holder Beau Brungard in that role. Lastovka's longest career field goal came from the 2024 season finale against UNI when he made a 51-yard field goal. He's made final-play game-winning kicks against Illinois State (2023) and Towson (2025) during his career.
Receivers Showing Their Stuff
The Penguins are relying on new faces in the pass game. Three of the top six pass catchers were not with the program in 2025. Leading the way has been playmaker Lynn Wyche-El. Through eight games, Wyche-El has caught a team-leading 50 passes for 644 yards and seven touchdowns. He has scored a touchdown in every game this season, including two against Duquesne and South Dakota. He has been a key asset in the run game with 121 yards on 15 carries and three scores. WR Bryan Hunt has 18 catches for 280 yards and four touchdowns while Dorian Williams has nine receptions and Lorenzo Jenkins has nine. Tailback Jaden Gilbert has 27 for 220 yards and a pair of scores while Jeremiah Sanders has 16 catches for 192 yards.
Leigh On Senior Bowl List
OT Desmeal Leigh has been named to the Panini Senior Bowl Top 300 list. It marks the second straight year that the Penguins have a player named to the preseason list. Last year, WR Max Tomczak was a candidate to participate in the all-star game. Leigh is one of just two FCS players to appear on the list. He had started 40 straight games at left tackle for YSU during his career before missing the Duquesne game with an injury. He now has made 45 career starts in his four years with the program.
Top GPA In The MVFC
For the first time in program history the Penguins led the Missouri Valley Football Conference in GPA for an academic year. In 2025-26, the Guins' student-athletes accumulated a GPA of 3.36 to take the top spot. YSU beat out North Dakota State (3.31), South Dakota State (3.30) and North Dakota (3.28) in the league's annual rankings.
Yurcich And Offense Success
Since joining the Penguins coaching staff in 2025, Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich has made a significant impact on the Guins' offense. Under Yurcich, YSU has recorded 15 games with 30 or more points, including 10 games with 40-plus points. The top five scoring performances came against Duquesne (70), Indiana State (57), Robert Morris (56), Murray State (51) and South Dakota (48). The offense now has seven games with 500-plus total offensive yards. This season so far YSU has gone over 500 against Indiana State (696), Duquesne (603) and South Dakota (502). During the 2025 season the offense eclipsed the 500-yard mark on four occasions - Robert Morris (593), Illinois State (561), Murray State (543) and Southern Illinois (648). YSU has also been efficient in the red zone. In the past two years, the Guins have converted 95-of-104 red zone appearances into scores, a impressive 91% success rate. Four of those failures were end-of-game kneel downs.
Lastovka Among Active leaders
YSU PK Andrew Lastovka ranks highly among FCS career leaders entering the contest against North Dakota. Lastovka has made the most (48) and is now second with (62) field goals attempted of any active FCS kicker during his 45-game career. He ranks second in the FCS in PAT attempts (184) and PATs made (179) behind Montana State's Myles Sansted.
New Faces On Defense
Multiple new members of the defense have stepped up to make contributions. DB Cam Smith has a team-leading 51 tackles and a interception while true freshman Roderick Owens Jr., has a forced fumble, interception and has 45 tackles. DT Jordan Pritchard-Sewell has 19 tackles and three forced fumbles. Darvens Tunis has 15 stops and two picks. Stanley Clyne also has stepped up with seven tackles and an interception.
O-Line Features Experience
YSU's offensive line features six players with multiple-game starting experience. Desmeal Leigh has the most starting experience on the team with 45 starts. Shane Keenan has started 28 contests at both tackle and guard the past three years. Van Keen has a total of 25 career starts between center and guard. Guard Isaac Perkins started 10 contests last year in his first year with the program and now has 17 starts at YSU. Prior to coming to Youngstown State, he started 15 games at Colgate. In 2025, Matthew Keeley made five starts at center while Nick Nielsen has started at tackle on six occasions. Both started the first eight games this year.
2025 Brungard Awards Haul
QB Beau Brungard continues to build off an extraordinary record-breaking 2025 season. Besides being the Walter Payton Award recipient, Brungard was the Walter Camp Foundation Player of the Year, FCS ADA Offensive Player of the Year, Unanimous first-team All-American: Walter Camp, FCS ADA, AFCA, Stats Perform, SI.com, Associated Press, Phil Steele. He was also the MVFC Offensive Player of the year. Only twice has their been a repeat winner of the award.
