Youngstown State University
South Dakota State
Penguins Head to Brookings For Top-10 Clash Against South Dakota State
9/15/2026 1:30:00 PM | Football
Youngstown State vs. South Dakota State
Sept. 19, 2026 | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
Brookings, S.D. | 7 p.m.
Broadcast Information
TV – ESPN+ (Tyler Merriam, Kurtiss Riggs)
Radio Network – 570 AM WKBN
Internet Radio – 570wbkn.iheart.com
App Audio - iHeartRadio App (Steve Leslie, Bob Hannon)
Penguins
2026 Record: 2-1
Last Game: YSU 70, Duquesne 14
Head Coach: Doug Phillips (Seventh Season)
X: @ysufootball
Jackrabbits
2026 Record: 2-1
Last Game: SDSU 57, New Haven 14
Head Coach: Dan Jackson (Second Season)
X: @GoJacksFB
Series History
All-Time Series: SDSU leads 19-7
Last Meeting: SDSU 35-30 (2025)
In Brookings: 3-8
| Opponent | Date | Location | Video | Audio | Live Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Saturday Sept. 19 | 7 PM |
Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings, S.D. |
ESPN+ | 570 WKBN | Live Stats |
Ninth-ranked Youngstown State enters confernce play this Saturday against No. 2 ranked South Dakota State at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, SD. Kickoff for the contest is set for 7 p.m. Eastern time. The game is available on ESPN+, WKBN 570 AM and iHeart Radio.
• QB Beau Brungard set the school marks for most touchdown passes with six and most touchdowns accounted for with eight last week against Duquesne. He completed 20-of-23 passes for 290 yards and threw six scores to five different receivers. For his efforts he was named the Stats Perform National Offensive Player of the Week and MVFC Offensive Player of the Week.
• Despite a 25-minute weather delay, Youngstown State made big plays in all three phases of the game, which propelled the Penguins to scoring drives on their first eight possessions.
• It marked the 12th time Brungard rushed and passed for more than 100 yards in the same game, his 13th 100-yard rushing game, and his 18th game with more than 200 yards passing. As a team, the Penguins set the record for most team touchdown passes with seven and accumulated 603 yards in total offense, including 407 through the air.
• Lynn Wyche-El and Bryan Hunt each caught five passes. Wyche-El led the Penguins with 77 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Hunt totaled 64 receiving yards and a score while Jeremiah Sanders caught four passes for 65 yards and a touchdown. Dorian Williams had three catches for 58 yards and a touchdown.
• Jaden Gilbert and Wyche-El have both scored touchdowns in each of the first three games this season. Gilbert has two rushing and two receiving scores while Wyche-El has hauled in TD passes in each of the first three games.
• Defensively, Roderick Owens Jr. led the squad with seven tackles while Carston Marshall and Brandon Chambers Jr. each had five.
• The Jackrabbits are 2-1 as they head into conference play. SDUSU put up 57 points on New Haven last weekend, in a 57-14 victory.
• SDSU scored 47 points in just 16 minutes between the second and third quarters to take a home win against the Chargers.
• YSU closes out a busy September hosting South Dakota on Sept. 26.
First Time Starters
Through three games, YSU has had 14 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. Of the 14 first-time starters, seven are on defense, three are on offense and two are on special teams.
Impressive Scoring Onslaught
The Penguins scored early and often during an exciting offensive display against Duquesne last Saturday. The Penguins had eight new top-five team marks occur in the 70-13 win over the Dukes.
Passing TDs (7) - School Record
Points scored (70) – second
Touchdowns scored (10) – second
PAT Attempts/Made (10) - second
Margin of victory (57) – third
First downs (32) – third
Passing yards (407) – fourth
Gilbert Key Dual Threat
TB Jaden Gilbert continues to be one of Guins' key offensive weapons in 2026. In three games so far this year, Gilbert has 17 rushes for 129 yards and two touchdowns while catching eight passes for 58 yards and two scores. He has touchdowns in each of the first three games so far this year. 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 11 tackles, including three TFLs. Seeing more double teams, he has one QB hurry and a pass breakup through three games.
Brungard's Offensive Display
QB Beau Brungard was named the FCS National Offensive Player of the Week for his record-setting afternoon against Duquesne. Brungard accounted for eight total touchdowns, including six passing scores. Both numbers set new school records. He played eight drives in the contest and the Penguins scored a touchdown every time. For the game he completed 20-of-23 passes for 290 yards while rushing 14 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Besides being named the MVFC Offensive Player of the Week, he was a Helmet-Sticker selection by ESPN College Football Final on Sunday. In all three games this year, he thrown for more than 232 yards each time and has two 100-yard rushing games.
Lastovka Leads Specialists
Senior PK Andrew Lastovka is in his fourth season as a starter with the Guins. He has played in 41 games, making 44 field goals and 156 PATs. 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. Four of the top seven pass catchers were not with the program in 2025. Leading the way has been playmaker Lynn Wyche-El. Through three games, Wyche-El has caught a team-leading 18 passes for 229 yards and four touchdowns. He has a TD catch in every game this season, including two against Duquesne. WR Bryan Hunt has 10 catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns while Dorian Williams has six receptions and Lorenzo Jenkins has three. Jeremiah Sanders has seven catches for 102 yards while Jaden Gilbert has eight for 58 yards and a pair of scores.
PBUs On The Uptick
The Penguins' defense has broken up 16 passes after 12 quarters. In 2025, the Guins averaged 3.5 per contest. Impressively, a total of 11 different players have been credited with a PBU. Through three games, YSU is averaging 5.3 PBUs a contest. Dev Holman leads the defense with three, Raleigh Collins III and Brandon Chambers Jr., have two apiece.
LBs Bring Experience
LBs Carston Marshall and Graydon Rollins headline a deep and expanding linebacking group. Joining the experience duo have been Stephen Henderson, Danny Inglis, Danny Nittolli, Lemondte Chambers and Solomon Farrell. All six have played key reserve roles this season. Marshall leads the team with 17 total stops, highlighted by 13 assisted tackles. In 13 games last year, 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 has 11 total tackles in 2026, highlighted by eight assists. In 2025, he was credited with 38 total tackles (12 solos and 25 assists), had four TFLs and 2.5 sacks.
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.
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, OC Mike Yurcich has made a significant impact on the Guins' offense. Under Yurcich, YSU has recorded 12 games with 30 or more points, including eight games with 40-plus points. The top five scoring performances came against Duquesne (70), Robert Morris (56), Murray State (51), Southern Illinois (48) and Indiana State (48).
Lastovka Among Active Leaders
YSU PK Andrew Lastovka ranks highly among FCS career leaders entering the contest against South Dakota State. Lastovka has made the most (44) and attempted the most (58) field goals of any active FCS kicker during his 41-game career. He ranks second in the FCS in PAT attempts (160) and PATs made (156) behind Montana State's Myles Sansted.
Brungard Shows Off Skills
QB Beau Brungard is set to make his 28th straight start at QB on Saturday. He added another memorable performance last Saturday against Duquesne throwing for a school-record six TDs while accounting for a eight scores. He led YSU to a touchdown on each of his eight possessions. For his career, he has rushed for 2,854 yards on 476 carries and now has 50 touchdowns. Through the air, he is 563-of-824 for 6,248 yards and 48 touchdowns. 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. 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.
New Faces on Defense
The new members of the defense have stepped up. True freshman Roderick Owens Jr., has a forced fumble, interception and 14 tackles. DB Cam Smith has 12 tackles and Darvens Tunis has nine stops and a pick. DT Jordan Pritchard-Sewell has five tackles.
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 40 starts. Shane Keenan has started 25 contests at both tackle and guard the past three 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 and now has 13 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 three 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.
