Youngstown State University
Indiana State
Penguins Stay On The Road To Take On Indiana State
10/6/2026 2:00:00 PM | Football
Youngstown State vs. Indiana State
Oct. 10, 2026 | Memorial Stadium
Terre Haute, Ind. | 1 p.m.
Broadcast Information
TV – ESPN+ (Brian Jennings, Austin Osborn)
Radio Network – 570 AM WKBN
Internet Radio – 570wbkn.iheart.com
App Audio - iHeartRadio App (Steve Leslie, Bob Hannon)
Penguins
2026 Record: 4-2, 2-1 MVFC
Last Game: YSU 28, SIU 16
Head Coach: Doug Phillips (Seventh Season)
X: @ysufootball
Sycamores
2026 Record: 2-4, 0-2 MVFC
Last Game: USD 44, ISU 14
Head Coach: Curt Mallory (10th Season)
X: @IndStFB
Series History
All-Time Series: YSU leads 26-8
Last Meeting: Youngstown 48-29 (2025)
In Terre Haute: YSU leads 13-4
| Opponent | Date | Location | Video | Audio | Live Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Saturday Oct. 10 | 1 PM |
Memorial Stadium Terre Haute, Indiana |
ESPN+ | 570 WKBN | Live Stats |
No. 8 ranked Youngstown State continues conference play this Saturday against Indiana State in Terre Haute, Ind., at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff for the contest is set for 1 p.m. The game is available on ESPN+, WKBN 570 AM and iHeart Radio.
• Youngstown State's defense came up big in Saturday's 28-16 win over Southern Illinois. The Penguins recording five sacks, an interception in the end zone, and a key sack-fumble that set up a key score. Ebony Curry Jr. , recorded a career-best seven tackles, highlighted by the strip sack, while Stanley Clyne had first interception as a Penguin.
• The Penguins (4-2, 2-1 MVFC) trailed 10-7 at halftime before taking control in the second half. After the defense stopped SIU on downs at the YSU 39 early in the third quarter, the offense drove 61 yards in 11 plays. Beau Brungard capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to give YSU a 14-10 lead with 4:04 left in the quarter.
• The defense came up with another big play on the next possession. Curry Jr. sacked SIU quarterback DJ Williams and forced a fumble, which Michael Wells recovered and returned to the Salukis' 20-yard line. On the next play, Brungard hit Austin Bray on a crossing route for a touchdown, putting the Guins ahead 21-10 with 2:42 left in the third.
• In the fourth quarter, Clyne intercepted a tipped pass in the end zone, stopping another SIU scoring opportunity.
• YSU responded with an 80-yard, 12-play drive that took 8:24 off the clock. Jaden Gilbert finished the drive with a six-yard touchdown run, extending the lead to 28-10 with 3:37 remaining.
• Indiana State (2-4, 0-2) fell to South Dakota, 44-14, last weekend at the DakotaDome. The Coyotes capitalized on five Sycamore turnovers, turning the takeaways into 34 points in the MVFC matchup.
• The Penguins will look to move to 3-1 in conference play for the first time since 2016 when they travel to Terre Haute to face Indiana State. YSU earned a 48-29 win over the Sycamores at home last season.
• Following the contest against Indiana State, the Guins will play three of their final four games at Stambaugh Stadium with the lone road game at Murray State. It's the first time in three weeks that YSU plays an unranked foe in the Sycamores.
Brungard Making History
QB Beau Brungard is set to make his 32nd straight start at QB on Saturday. For his career, he has rushed for 3,125 yards on 533 carries and now has 54 touchdowns. Through the air, he is 623-of-905 for 6,918 yards and 52 touchdowns. His 54 rushing scores are one shy of the school record of 55 held by Adrian Brown. Brungard now holds both the most offensive plays (1,438) and the most offensive yards (10,158) for a career in school history, along with numerous other marks. He also recently surpassed his father, Mark Brungard, in career passing attempts (905). 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 six games, YSU has had 18 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. Of the 17 first-time starters, 11 are on defense, four are on offense and two are on special teams.
McDonald Scores Fifth TD
TE Alex McDonald has scored five touchdowns for the Guins during his career. After catching a four-yard pass in the end zone from Beau Brungard to give the Guins a 33-21 lead early in the fourth quarter against USD, he now has two TDs in back-to-back games. 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 41 rushes for 249 yards and three touchdowns while catching 19 passes for 137 yards and two scores. He scored a touchdown in the first three games of the 2026 season. 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 19 tackles, including five TFLs. Seeing more double teams, he has two QB hurries, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery through six games.
Guins Hot In The Red-Zone
The Guins offense now leads the FCS in total red-zone scores with 28 (24 touchdowns) and is tied for second with Alcorn with 11 red-zone passing touchdowns. YSU has 30 red-zone possessions this season and the only two non scores were kneel downs at the end of the Mercyhurst and SIU contests. The unit is also tied for fifth in the FCS with 13 rushing red-zone scores.
Lastovka Leads Specialists
Senior PK Andrew Lastovka is in his fourth season with the Guins. He has played in 44 games, making 48 field goals and 168 PATs. He made all four of his field-goal tries this year (two at SDSU, two vs. USD). In 2025, he was 57-of-58 on PATs in 13 games and in MVFC games he was 10-of-13 on FG attempts. 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 six games, Wyche-El has caught a team-leading 32 passes for 420 yards and five touchdowns. He has scored a touchdown in every game this season, including two against Duquesne and South Dakota. WR Bryan Hunt has 15 catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns while Dorian Williams has eight receptions and Lorenzo Jenkins has seven. Jeremiah Sanders has 12 catches for 140 yards while Jaden Gilbert has 19 for 137 yards and a pair of scores.
LBs Bring Experience
LB Graydon Rollins has been headlining a deep and expanding linebacker group. Rollins has 46 total tackles in 2026, highlighted by 30 assists. In 2025, he was credited with 38 total tackles (12 solos and 25 assists), had four TFLs and 2.5 sacks. He was named the MVFC Defensive Player of the Week following a 17-tackle effort vs. South Dakota. Carston Marshall made his return against SIU and now has 24 stops in his 2026 season. Joining Rollins has been Stephen Henderson, Danny Inglis, Danny Nittolli, Lemondte Chambers and Solomon Farrell. All six have played key reserve roles this season.
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 43 career starts.
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 13 games with 30 or more points, including nine games with 40-plus points. The top five scoring performances came against Duquesne (70), Robert Morris (56), Murray State (51), South Dakota (48) and Southern Illinois (48). The offense now has six games with 500-plus total offensive yards. This season so far, Duquesne (603) and South Dakota (502). In the 2025 season, Robert Morris (593), Illinois State (561), Murray State (543) and Southern Illinois (648) the offense eclipsed the 500-yard mark.
Lastovka Among Active leaders
YSU PK Andrew Lastovka ranks highly among FCS career leaders entering the contest against South Dakota. Lastovka has made the most (48) and attempted the most (62) field goals of any active FCS kicker during his 44-game career. He ranks second in the FCS in PAT attempts (172) and PATs made (167) behind Montana State's Myles Sansted.
New Faces On Defense
Multiple new members of the defense have stepped up to make contributions. True freshman Roderick Owens Jr., has a forced fumble, interception and 30 tackles. DB Cam Smith has a team-leading 36 tackles and a interception while Darvens Tunis has 15 stops and two picks. Stanley Clyne also has stepped up with six tackles and an interception. DT Jordan Pritchard-Sewell has 16 tackles and a forced fumble.
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 43 starts. Shane Keenan has started 26 contests at both tackle and guard the past three years. Van Keen has a total of 24 career starts between center and guard. Guard Isaac Perkins started 10 contests last year in his first year with the program and now has 16 starts at YSU. Prior to coming to Youngstown State, he started 15 games at Colgate. In 2025, Matthew Keeley made four starts at center while Nick Nielsen has started at tackle on six occasions. Both started the first six 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. He led the FCS in total offensive yards (4,702), total points responsible for (326) and tied for first in total touchdowns (28) and total points (168).
