11/10/2026 1:00:00 PM | Football
Youngstown State vs. Illinois State
Nov. 14, 2026 | Stambaugh Stadium
Youngstown, Ohio | Noon
Broadcast Information
TV – ESPN+ (Ben Willson, TBA)
Radio Network – 570 AM WKBN
Internet Radio – 570wbkn.iheart.com
App Audio - iHeartRadio App (Steve Leslie, Bob Hannon, Tony Perarazio)
Penguins
2026 Record: 8-2, 6-1 MVFC
Last Game: YSU 62, MSU 35
Head Coach: Doug Phillips (Seventh Season)
X: @ysufootball
Redbirds
2026 Record: 7-3, 3-3 MVFC
Last Game: UND 49, ISU 21
Head Coach: Brock Spack (18th Season)
X: @RedbirdFB
Series History
All-Time Series: YSU Leads 17-16
Last Meeting: YSU 40-35 (2025)
In Youngstown: 13-4
| Opponent | Date | Location | Video | Audio | Live Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Saturday Nov. 14 | Noon |
Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, Ohio |
ESPN+ | 570 WKBN | Live Stats |
No. 3 ranked Youngstown State plays its final regular-season home game this Saturday against No. 15 Illinois State in Youngstown, Ohio, at Stambaugh Stadium. Kickoff for the contest is set for Noon. The game is available on ESPN+, WKBN 570 AM and iHeart Radio.
• Youngstown State (8-2, 6-1 MVFC) defeated Murray State this past weekend scoring on every offensive possession after being tied 7-7 in the first quarter. The 27-point victory helped YSU set a new school record with six straight MVFC wins in the same season. The previous mark of five had stood since 2013.
• QB Beau Brungard earned national co-Offensive Player-of-the-Week honors after throwing for 423 yards while completing 22 consecutive passes - both school records. He finished the contest with a 91.2% completion rating, his highest percentage this season. Brungard has now eclipsed 3,500 yards of total offense this season after a record breaking passing game against Murray State.
• YSU totaled 589 yards on offense as Brungard was 31-of-34 passes for 423 yards through the air with four touchdowns. Lynn Wyche-El spearheaded the aerial attack with 10 receptions for 145 yards and a score. It was his 11th receiving touchdown, and his 10th consecutive game with at least one score.
• Brungard found three different receivers in the second quarter to tack on three more touchdown passes before the half. He found Bryan Hunt for 19 yards, Fresh Walters for 28 yards and then Wyche-El for 28 yards. Walters had his first touchdown grab of the season when Brungard found him wide open in the back right corner of the end zone. Following Walters touchdown, Brungard found Wyche-El in the end zone on a 28-yard pass with just 24 seconds left in the half.
• The Guins opened up the second half with a two-yard rush from Antuan Gardner to go up 42-7. Jaden Gilbert added two rushing touchdowns. Rounding out the Guins scoring for the afternoon, Malachi "Bubba" Lewis found Walters in the back right end zone to seal the game on the Racers.
• Illinois State (7-3 and 3-3) fell to North Dakota, 49-21, last Saturday after a being tied 14-14 in the first quarter. The Redbirds had won three straight contests before dropping the contest to the Fighting Hawks in Grand Forks.
Brungard Making History
QB Beau Brungard is set to make his 36th straight start at QB on Saturday. For his career, he has rushed for 3,337 yards on 579 carries and a school record 57 touchdowns. His 56th rushing score broke the school record of 55 held by Adrian Brown. Through the air, he is 690-of-995 for 7,812 yards and 60 touchdowns. This season, he has thrown for 2,752 yards while completing 221-of-292 passes (75.7 percent) for 26 scores. He has rushed for 742 yards on 150 carries and 11 scores. He now holds the school record for most passing yards in a game, 423 and most consecutive completions, 22. This came against Murray State last weekend. 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.
Guins Hot in the Red Zone
The Guins offense now leads the FCS in total red-zone scores, with 47. The offense is now second in red-zone rushing touchdowns with 24, trailing SCSU's 25. The unit is also now tied for second with Alcorn in total red-zone passing scores (18). The Guins trail North Dakota (23) in the rankings. YSU has 51 red-zone possessions this year. Of the four times the Penguins have failed to score, three were kneel downs at the end of the Mercyhurst, SIU and UNI contests.
Gilbert Key Dual Threat
TB Jaden Gilbert continues to be one of Guins' key offensive weapons in 2026. So far this year, Gilbert has 87 rushes for 558 yards and nine touchdowns while catching 35 passes for 301 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. The Honorable-Mention All-MVFC selection finished last season with 665 rushing yards on 95 carries, finding the end zone three times. In his career, he has 80 receptions for 726 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, has 201 carries for 1,340 yards and 13 touchdowns. He had four rushing touchdowns entering this season.
Wyche-El Making Plays
Wide receiver Lynn Wyche-El has been an elite addition to the YSU receiving corps this season, quickly establishing himself as one of the FCS's most dynamic offensive weapons. Through 10 games, Wyche-El, a transfer from Grand Valley State who joined the Penguins in the spring, leads the team with 66 receptions for 937 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has found the end zone in every game this season, highlighted by three-touchdown performances against North Dakota and two-touchdown outings against both Duquesne and South Dakota. Wyche-El has also made an impact in the ground game, recording 130 rushing yards on 17 carries with three additional touchdowns, showcasing his versatility as a playmaker.
Season Touchdown Receptions
1. Jim Ferranti (1979) - 13
2. John Goode (1983) - 11
2. Lynn Wyche-El (2026) - 11
Season 100-Yard Receiving Games
1. Elliott Giles (1999) - 6
1. Herb Williams (1992) - 6
1. Lynn Wyche-El (2026) - 6
Wells Highly-Touted
Defensive end Michael Wells is in his fifth year with the Guins. Wells is coming off an explosive 2025 season. He is on the watch list for the 2026 Buck Buchanan Award. Wells had an impressive all-around performance in the win over North Dakota. Wells intercepted his first career pass and returned it 21 yards. In the fourth quarter, he ran a fake punt 26 yards on 4th-and-4 for a key first down on YSU's go-ahead scoring drive. This season, Wells has 29 tackles, including 10 TFLs. Seeing more double teams, he has six QB hurries, four pass breakups, a fumble recovery and an interception through nine games. Last year, 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.
Receivers Showing Their Stuff
Leading the way has been playmaker Lynn Wyche-El. Through 10 games, Wyche-El has caught a team-leading 66 passes for 937 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has scored a touchdown in every game this season, including three against North Dakota and two against Duquesne and South Dakota. He has been a key asset in the run game with 130 yards on 17 carries and three scores. WR Bryan Hunt has 22 catches for 326 yards and five touchdowns while Lorenzo Jenkins has 11 receptions. Both are first-year Penguins. Fresh Walters and Jeremiah Sanders, returnees from 2025, have stepped up lately. Walters has been a more recent target for Brungard, with 16 catches for 215 yards and two scores while Sanders has 19 catches for 226 yards and two scores. Walters had two TD receptions last Saturday at Murray State.
Lastovka Leads Specialists
Senior PK Andrew Lastovka is in his fourth season with the Guins. He has played in 48 games, making 49 field goals and 192 PATs. He made all five of his field-goal tries this year (two at SDSU, two vs. USD, one vs. UND). 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 51-of-53 on PAT tries. One miss came with backup holder Beau Brungard in that role. He's made final-play game-winning kicks against Illinois State (2023) and Towson (2025) during his career.
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 47 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 16 games with 30 or more points, including 11 games with 40-plus points. The top five scoring performances came against Duquesne (70), Murray State (62), Indiana State (57), Robert Morris (56) and Murray State (51). The offense now has eight games with 500-plus total offensive yards. This season so far YSU has gone over 500 against Indiana State (696), Duquesne (603), Murray State (589) 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 106-of-116 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 (49) and is second with (63) field goals attempted of any active FCS kicker during his 47-game career. He ranks second in the FCS in PAT attempts (196) and PATs made (192) 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 64 tackles and a interception while true freshman Roderick Owens Jr., has a forced fumble, interception and has 62 tackles. DT Jordan Pritchard-Sewell has 25 tackles and three forced fumbles. Defensive backs Dev Holman and Raleigh Collins III have also made an impact for the secondary. Holman has 31 tackles with seven pass break-ups while Collins has 29 tackles with five pass break-ups.
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 47 starts. Shane Keenan has started 30 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 19 starts at YSU. Prior to coming to Youngstown State, he started 15 games at Colgate. In 2025, Matthew Keeley made six starts at center while Nick Nielsen has started at tackle on seven occasions. Both started the first 10 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).
