Youngstown State University
2-2 , 0-1
South Dakota State
3-1 , 1-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youngstown St. | 0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| South Dakota St. | 7 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 27 |
Guins Battle In 27-20 Loss at No. 2 South Dakota State
9/19/2026 10:34:00 PM | Football
Brookings, S.D. – The No. 9 Youngstown State football team dropped a hard-fought 27-20 decision to second-ranked South Dakota State on Saturday night at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
With the loss, YSU falls to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in MVFC play while Jackrabbits improve to 3-1 and 1-0.
QB Beau Brungard completed 27-of-35 passes for 292 yards and had 32 yards rushing on 13 attempts. SDSU running back Josiah Johnson carried the ball 30 times and rushed for 238 yards and two scores.
After the Penguins were forced to punt to open the second half, the Jackrabbits increased their lead to 24-10 on a 16-yard run by Johnson at the 7:55 mark of the third quarter.
YSU crept within a touchdown when Brungard found Lynn Wyche-El on a 11-yard scoring toss. The play was initially called incomplete, but the Penguins' challenged and the play was overturned. It marked the fourth straight game that Wyche-El has caught a touchdown pass.
On the final play of the third quarter, Tristan Alvano made a 43-yard field goal to make the contest 27-17 entering the fourth quarter.
YSU faced a third-and-short at the SDSU 42-yard line, but Brungard was stopped for no gain and on fourth down, he was pressured into making a short throw to Austin Bray that was incomplete.
SDSU jumped out in front following the first drive of the game. After being pinned at their 16-yard line following the kickoff, the Jackrabbits marched 84 yards in 11 plays to open the scoring. Johnson scored on a four-yard run at the 8:50 mark as South Dakota State took a 7-0 lead.
The Penguins forced a huge turnover on the Jacks' next offensive possession. At the one-yard line, Maximillian Johnson knocked the ball free from Corey Blair and Jussiah Williams-West recovered in the end zone for a touchback.
YSU was able to capitalize on the turnover as Andrew Lastovka connected on 39-yard field goal at the 10:23 mark to make it a 7-3 contest.
After a punt pinned the Guins at their six, YSU used nine plays to march 94 yards and take the lead. Brungard faked a run and tossed a pass to wide open tight end Alex McDonald in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown catch at 3:35.
The Jackrabbits ended the opening half with 10 points in the final 53 seconds to take a touchdown lead into the locker room. SDSU QB Chase Mason called his own number on an 18-yard scoring run.
YSU's first play following a touchback resulted in an SDSU interception when Brungard's pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and caught by Joe Ollman for the turnover.
The defense held and forced a 27-yard field goal by Alvano with 10 seconds left for a 17-10 first-half result. On the final offensive snap of the half, Mason appeared to suffer a lower-body injury and did not return in the second half.
Brungard completed 11 passes for 135 yards in the first half.
The Penguins return home next Saturday to take on South Dakota. Kickoff at Stambaugh Stadium is set for 2 p.m.
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
YSU 0, SDS 7
SDS - Johnson,Josiah 4 yd run (Alvano,Tristan kick), 11 plays, 84 yards, TOP 06:05
YSU 3, SDS 7
YSU - Lastovka,Andrew 39 yd field goal 12 plays, 59 yards, TOP 05:44
YSU 10, SDS 7
YSU - McDonald,Alex 11 yd pass from Brungard,Beau (Lastovka,Andrew kick) 9 plays, 94 yards, TOP 04:36
YSU 10, SDS 14
SDS - Mason,Chase 18 yd run (Alvano,Tristan kick), 7 plays, 71 yards, TOP 02:41
YSU 10, SDS 17
SDS - Alvano,Tristan 27 yd field goal 5 plays, 17 yards, TOP 00:35
YSU 10, SDS 24
SDS - Johnson,Josiah 16 yd run (Alvano,Tristan kick), 8 plays, 80 yards, TOP 04:14
YSU 17, SDS 24
YSU - Wyche-El,Lynn 11 yd pass from Brungard,Beau (Lastovka,Andrew kick) 6 plays, 57 yards, TOP 03:17
YSU 17, SDS 27
SDS - Alvano,Tristan 43 yd field goal 10 plays, 50 yards, TOP 04:32
YSU 20, SDS 27
YSU - Lastovka,Andrew 34 yd field goal 5 plays, 53 yards, TOP 02:02
