Youngstown State University
South Dakota
Penguins Return Home To Take On South Dakota
9/22/2026 2:30:00 PM | Football
Youngstown State vs. South Dakota
Sept. 26, 2026 | Stambaugh Stadium
Youngstown, Ohio | 2 p.m.
Broadcast Information
TV – ESPN+ (Drae Smith, Chris Sammarone)
Radio Network – 570 AM WKBN
Internet Radio – 570wbkn.iheart.com
App Audio - iHeartRadio App (Steve Leslie, Bob Hannon, Tony Perorazio, Mike Orto)
Penguins
2026 Record: 2-2
Last Game: SDSU 27-20
Head Coach: Doug Phillips (Seventh Season)
X: @ysufootball
Coyotes
2026 Record: 3-1
Last Game: Boise State 38-24
Head Coach: Matt Vitzthum (First Season)
X: @SDCoyotesFB
Series History
All-Time Series: YSU leads 8-4
Last Meeting: South Dakota 27-17 (2024)
In Youngstown: 6-1
| Opponent | Date | Location | Video | Audio | Live Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Saturday Sept. 26 | 2 PM |
Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, Ohio |
ESPN+ | 570 WKBN | Live Stats |
No. 11 ranked Youngstown State continues conference play this Saturday against the No. 10 South Dakota Coyotes at Stambaugh Stadium in Youngstown, Ohio. Kickoff for the contest is set for 2 p.m. The game is available on ESPN+, WKBN 570 AM and iHeart Radio.
• QB Beau Brungard completed 27-of-35 passes for 292 yards against South Dakota State last Saturday night. He 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.
• 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 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 to make it a 7-3 contest.
• Brungard found Alex McDonald in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown pass to take the lead to 10-7 with 3:35 left in the first half.
• Brungard then found Wyche-El in the back of the end zone for a 11-yard touchdown pass that was initially called incomplete but after a YSU challenge, was ruled a touchdown.
• Defensively for YSU, DB Cam Smith had nine solo tackles and six assists for 15 total tackles while Roderick Owens Jr. and Graydon Rollins were there to help with nine total tackles each. Smith's performance marked just the fifth time since 2005 that a Penguin had 15-or-more tackles in a game.
• South Dakota went head-to-head against FBS Boise State last Saturday night. The contest was within a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but USD eventually fell short to the Broncos, 38-24 and are now 3-1 as they head into conference play this Saturday.
• The Guins last faced the Coyotes during the 2024 season. In a late October tilt at Stambaugh Stadium, YSU jumped out to a 14-0 lead before the Coyotes scored 27 of the final 30 points in the game en route to a 27-17 victory.
First Time Starters
Through four games, YSU has had 15 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. Of the 15 first-time starters, nine are on defense, four are on offense and two are on special teams.
McDonald Scores On the Road
TE Alex McDonald has scored four touchdowns for the Guins during his career and all have come on the road. During the 2025 season, McDonald had TD grabs at Towson, North Dakota State and UNI. Picking up where he left off, he caught an 11-yard TD pass from Beau Brungard late in the second quarter against South Dakota State last weekend to give the Guins a 10-7 lead in the second quarter.
Gilbert Key Dual Threat
TB Jaden Gilbert continues to be one of Guins' key offensive weapons in 2026. So far this year, Gilbert has 23 rushes for 149 yards and two touchdowns while catching 13 passes for 82 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 11 tackles, including three TFLs. Seeing more double teams, he has one QB hurry and a pass breakup through four games.
Secondary Stepping Up
Cam Smith led the defense in tackles last weekend against the Jackrabbits. He had nine solo tackles and six assists for 15 total tackles. He now holds the most tackles in a game since Nov. 3, 2018, when Armand Dellovade had 18 against North Dakota State. Roderick Owens Jr. and Graydon Rollins were also there to help with nine total tackles each.
Lastovka Leads Specialists
Senior PK Andrew Lastovka is in his fourth season with the Guins. He has played in 42 games, making 46 field goals and 158 PATs. He made his first two field goals of the season vs. South Dakota State. 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 four games, Wyche-El has caught a team-leading 25 passes for 343 yards and five touchdowns. He has a TD catch in every game this season, including two against Duquesne. WR Bryan Hunt has 14 catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns while Dorian Williams has eight receptions and Lorenzo Jenkins has four. Jeremiah Sanders has eight catches for 105 yards while Jaden Gilbert has 13 for 82 yards and a pair of scores.
PBUs on the Uptick
The Penguins' defense has broken up 17 passes after 16 quarters. In 2025, the Guins averaged 3.5 per contest. Impressively, a total of 11 different players have been credited with a PBU. Through four games, YSU is averaging 4.3 PBUs a contest. Dev Holman and Raleigh Collins III leads the defense with three each. Brandon Chambers Jr., and Dominic Julius each 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 has 19 total stops, highlighted by 14 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 20 total tackles in 2026, highlighted by 15 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. Lastovka has made the most (46) and attempted the most (60) field goals of any active FCS kicker during his 42-game career. He ranks second in the FCS in PAT attempts (160) and PATs made (158) behind Montana State's Myles Sansted.
Brungard Goes 50/50
QB Beau Brungard is set to make his 29th straight start at QB on Saturday. He continued his performance last Saturday against South Dakota State throwing two touchdown passes. For his career, he has rushed for 2,886 yards on 489 carries and now has 50 touchdowns. Through the air, he is 590-of-859 for 6,540 yards and 50 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
Multiple new members of the defense have stepped up to make contributions. True freshman Roderick Owens Jr., has a forced fumble, interception and 23 tackles. DB Cam Smith has a team-leading 27 tackles and Darvens Tunis has 10 stops and a pick. DT Jordan Pritchard-Sewell has seven 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 41 starts. Shane Keenan has started 26 contests at both tackle and guard the past three years. Van Keen has started 18 contests at center and has a total of 23 career starts. Guard Isaac Perkins started 10 contests last year in his first year with the program and now has 14 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 four games this year.
Busy September
The Penguins are playing two league games in September for the fifth time in program history and first time since 2011. In the four previous times playing two opponents in September, YSU had a 1-1 record. YSU won the first game on two occasions and the second game on two occasions. The years in which the Guins played a pair of MVFC contests were 2001, 2002, 2008 and 2011.
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).
Up Next:
The Penguins will play their next two MVFC games on the road. YSU travels to Southern Illinois on Oct. 3 before visiting Indiana State on Oct. 10.
