Youngstown State University
Mercyhurst
Penguins Host Mercyhurst This Thursday In Season Opener
8/24/2026 1:00:00 PM | Football
Youngstown State vs. Mercyhurst
Aug. 27, 2026 | Stambaugh Stadium
Youngstown, Ohio | 6 p.m.
Broadcast Information
TV – ESPN+ (Drae Smith, Kyle Sirl)
Radio Network – 570 AM WKBN (Bob Hannon, Steve Leslie, Tony Perorazio, Mike Orto)
Internet Radio – 570wbkn.iheart.com
App Audio - iHeartRadio App
Penguins
2025 Record: 8-5, 5-3 MVFC
Last Game: Yale 43, YSU 42
Head Coach: Doug Phillips (Seventh Season)
X: @ysufootball
Lakers
2025 Record: 5-7, 4-3 NEC
Last Game: Central Connecticut State 35, Mercyhurst 28
Head Coach: Tom Sydeski (First Season)
X: @MercyhurstFB
Series History
All-Time Series: YSU leads 1-0
Last Meeting: YSU 24-15 (2025)
In Youngstown: 1-0
| Opponent | Date | Location | Video | Audio | Live Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Thursday Aug. 27 | 6 PM |
Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, Ohio |
ESPN+ | 570 WKBN | Live Stats |
Ninth-ranked Youngstown State opens up the 2026 campaign with a game against Mercyhurst at Stambaugh Stadium Thursday evening. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. The game is available on ESPN+, WKBN 570 AM and iHeart Radio.
YSU posted a 8-5 overall record in the 2025 season with five of the victories coming at Stambaugh Stadium, while three came from on the road. A huge road win at UNI in the regular-season finale helped propel the Guins into last year's playoffs.
• YSU has appeared in the playoffs in two of the last three seasons and Coach Doug Phillips joins Jim Tressel as the only Penguins coaches with multiple-playoff appearances during a tenure.
• The Guins return Walter Payton Award Winner in QB Beau Brungard. Brungard is coming off a record-breaking season with over 4,000 total offensive yards. Brungard is bidding to become just the third two-time winner in the awards history.
• YSU Defensive Coordinator and LB coach Ryan Riemedio served as head coach of the Lakers from 2022-25. He spent 14 years in Erie before coming to Youngstown in the spring.
• Mercyhurst's new head coach Tom Sydeski enters his first season against Youngstown State at Stambaugh Stadium. Sydeski was the offensive coordinator and Quarterbacks coach at Mercyhurst in 2025.
• Top returning YSU starters from the 2025 campaign include Brungard, OL Desmeal Leigh, RB Jaden Gilbert, PK Andrew Lastovka, LB Carston Marshall and LB Michael Wells.
• Wells is YSU's first nominee for the Buck Buchanan Award since Derek Rivers in 2016. This award honors the national defensive player of the year in FCS college football. Brungard is also named to the Walter Payton Award preseason watch list, he is looking to defend his Walter Payton award and become one of only three recipients to go back-to-back.
• Mercyhurst is coming off a 5-7 overall record for their second year as an FCS program, winning three of their five games at home. Two wins came from away games defeating Saint Francis and Wagner.
• YSU opened the 2025 season with a hard-fought 24-15 win over the Lakers at Stambaugh Stadium. Brungard ran for 145 yards with a pair of touchdowns and threw for 114 yards on 14-of-21 passing. The Penguins forced four turnovers in the contest.
2025 Brungard Awards
QB Beau Brungard is coming off an extraordinary record-breaking 2025 season. Not only was he 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. 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).
Lastovka Leads Specialists
Senior PK Andrew Lastovka has spent the last three seasons at placekicker with the Guins. He has played in 38 games, making 44 field goals and 141 PATs. In 2025 he was 5-of-58 on PATs in 13 games. In MVFC games he was 10-of-13 on FG attempts and 35-of-36 on PATs. Lastovka's longest field goal came from the 2024 season finale against UNI when he made a 51 yard field goal. His percentage is 75.9 for field goals made. He's made final-play game-winning kicks against Illinois State (2023) and Towson (2025).
LBs Bring Experience
LBs Carston Marshall and Graydon Rollins both make their returns to the squad for the 2026 season. Coming off an explosive year playing in all 13 games making 11 starts at linebacker, Marshall was credited with 71 total tackles – 30 solo and 41 assists. He had seven TFLs, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles, also had 1.5 sacks and a QB hurry. Rollins had an impressive '25 season, playing in all 13 games, starting six contests. He was credited with 38 total tackles (12 solos and 25 assists), had four TFLs and 2.5 sacks. Both linebackers are looking to make a statement this year on the defensive side for YSU.
Curry, Jolly Return on D-Line
The defensive front will get a boost with the return of Thomas Jolly and Ebony Curry Jr., both of which had their 2025 season's end early because of injuries. Jolly spent four seasons at Grand Valley State before transferring to YSU at the start of the 2025 season. He played in the first four games and started the first three contests. He had his season cut short due to an injury, was credited with eight tackles and five assisted tackles at Towson. Curry Jr. is making his return to the Penguins this year. In the 2025 season he played in eight games, was credited with 16 total tackles and had 3.5 TFLs with 2.5 sacks. Both Curry and Jolly are looking to make a big push for the defense as their group grows stronger in the pre-season.
Talented Tight End Duo
TE Alex McDonald is returning for his fifth year with the Penguins. Coming off a strong season, he played in all 13 games, started 10 contests. McDonald caught 12 passes for 130 yards and three touchdowns. He had touchdowns at Towson, North Dakota State and UNI. Austin Bray is also looking to have a monstrous season this year. After suffering a broken hand early in the season against MSU, he returned later in the year to catch eight passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns while playing in five games and making two starts. Both tight ends are looking to serve as reliable targets for QB Beau Brungard and the YSU offense.
Wells Highly-Touted
Defensive end Michael Wells returns to YSU for his fifth year with the Guins. Wells is coming off an explosive 2025 season playing in all 13 games with 10 starts as a defensive end.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. Wells was also the recipient of Phil Steele Second-Team All-American, Stats Perform Third-Team All-American, SI.com Third-Team All-American, Associated Press Honorable-Mention All-American and First-Team All-MVFC in the '25 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 -- FCS players to appear on the list. He has started 38 straight games at left tackle for YSU during his career.
New Defensive Coordinator
Ryan Riemedio, who spent the past four seasons as Head Coach at Mercyhurst and oversaw their transition from Division II to the FCS ranks, is in his first season as Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers coach for Youngstown State. Overall, he spent 14 years with the Lakers' program. In 2025, Mercyhurst picked up five victories, including four in conference play. Youngstown State saw first-hand what Riemedio's defense could do as the Lakers were one of just three opponents to hold the Penguins to fewer than 24 points out of 13 games.
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.
Gilbert Key Dual Threat
After a standout 2025 campaign, TB Jaden Gilbert returns to YSU as one of the Guins' key offensive weapons. The Honorable-Mention All-MVFC selection was a force both on the ground and through the air, appearing in all 13 games while making 12. He finished last season with 665 rushing yards on 95 carries, finding the end zone three times. He was equally dangerous as a receiver, hauling in 42 passes for 406 yards and a touchdown. He also broke off four runs of 53-plus yards, including a 73-yard burst against Indiana State, his longest run of the season. Gilbert showed up in the MVFC, rushing for 405 yards on 60 carries while adding 25 receptions for 318 yards.
Brungard Shows Off Skills
Junior QB Beau Brungard is set to make his 25th straight start at QB on Saturday. In 12 games in 2024, Brungard rushed for 998 yards, passed for 2,141 yards and completed 209-of-314 passes for 12 touchdowns. He scored 16 rushing touchdowns on just 159 rushes. Brungard finished his '24 season with 3,191 total offensive yards. Huge jump in 2025, Brungard led 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.
O-Line Features Experience
YSU's offensive line returns four of five starters from last season's squad. Altogether, the unit features six players with multiple-game starting experience. Desmeal Leigh has the most starting experience on the team with 38 starts. Shane Keenan has started 22 contests at both tackle and guard the past two years. Van Keen has started 18 contests at center and has a total of 22 career starts. Guard Isaac Perkins started 10 contests last year in his first year with the program. Prior to coming to YSU 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.
O-Line Unit Also has Depth
The offensive line from last year's campaign has mostly returned for another year. Impressive a group of 15 Penguins were part of the program and have returned for the 2026 season. That group features: #70 Robert Hayes, #56 Naim Jackson, #64 Matthew Keeley, #67 Van Keen, #62 Shane Keenan, #55 Rex Lahr, #54 Clay Lawrence, #78 Desmeal Leigh, #72 Mason Ludwig, #71 Dallas McCracken, #76 Nick Nielsen, #66 Max Patterson, #63 Isaac Perkins, #74 Ethan Ray, #77 Najwan Smithwick.
New-Look Receiving Corps
The Penguins signed a handful of new wide receivers to help aid Beau Brungard and the YSU offense this season. YSU added transfers Lynn Wyche-El (Grand Valley State), Bryan Hunt (Findlay), Lorenzo Jenkins (Bethune-Cookman), Aidan Stephens (Yale), Connor Smith (Assumption), Zane Kinsey (Cincinnati) and Dorian Williams (Ohio State). The only current Penguins on the roster with receptions in a YSU uniform are Fresh Walters (eight) and Jeremiah Sanders (one). The Penguins lost 169 receptions from their top four wide outs last year - Max Tomczak (70), Flash Wilson (64), Mike Soloman (20) and Luke Hensley (15). Wyche-El had 38 catches for 581 yards and five TDs in 2025; Jenkins had 26 receptions for 408 yards; Smith had 859 yards on 49 catches and Stephens added 13 catches for 72 yards in 2025.
Revamped Secondary
The Penguins brought in six transfers and six true freshmen to create a new-look secondary for the 2026 campaign. That newcomers will join Weston Struzinger, Ross Davidson and Jussiah Williams-West who played key snaps a year ago. The Guins will also be bolstered by sophomores Maximillian Johnson and Brandon Chambers Jr., both of which did not play in 2025. The Guins added transfers Raleigh Collins III (New Hampshire), Stanley Clyne (Cincinnati), Dev Holman (Butler), Julius Jackson (Washburn), Cam Smith (Iowa State) and Darvens Tunis (Shippensburg). Collins played in 13 games for the Wildcats in 2025 registering 40 tackles. Holman was a first-team All-PFL selection at defensive back, started all 12 games and recorded 44 total tackles. Jackson started all 11 games and was credited with 50 tackles, 26 of which were solo stops. Smith played in 30 games at Iowa State in his career. Tunis played nine games and credited 27 total tackles in 2025.
