For Youngstown State, it’s not about building. It’s about executing the system that Head Coach Bo Pelini has set in place.
Last year, the Penguins fell short of their ultimate goal: winning a National Championship. The team had reached the FCS National Championship Game against James Madison but fell to the Dukes by a final score of 28-14. But that doesn’t erase how well the team performed to get to that stage, putting together a thrilling run that was highlighted by a Kevin Rader touchdown catch with time expiring against second-seeded Eastern Washington to send YSU to the FCS National Championship for the first time since 1997.
It was a fun ride, but now the Penguins must reset. The team lost a lot in terms of the defense, as defensive ends Derek Rivers and Avery Moss were drafted in the 2017 NFL Draft. They will have to fill those voids to the best of their ability, as the two seniors were awfully disruptive all season long for opposing quarterback. In reality, it’s extremely difficult to replace 24.5 sacks the following season.
Look for Junior defensive tackle Savon Smith as well as Senior cornerback D.J. Thomas to have big years, as both played some quality minutes during the run to Frisco last season. Another intriguing note is that Senior Trent Hosick has made the switch from quarterback to safety. It’ll be interesting to see how much time Hosick gets while transitioning to the other side of the ball.
Expect the defensive side of the ball to have a chip on their shoulder, as they held opposing offenses to 19.9 points and 191.1 passing yards per contest last season.
On the offensive end, the team loses the running back tandem of Jody Webb and Martin Ruiz, but they still look mighty strong. Junior Quarterback Hunter Wells won back the starting role midway through last year and the Penguins went on a tear with him at the helm, finishing the year off with a 7-2 run. Senior wide receiver Alvin Bailey and Senior tight end Kevin Rader will lead the charge as top targets for the Penguins while Junior running back Tevin McCaster handles the ground game for YSU. Another quarterback decided to switch positions as Wells has a stranglehold on the position and Sophomore Nathan Mays is next in line. Ricky Davis, who started the beginning part of the season for the Penguins last year, has transitioned to wide receiver for his senior year. Davis has game-changing speed, so expect him to be used creatively.
Youngstown State averaged nearly 250 rushing yards per game and McCaster played a part in that with 638 rushing yards last season. The passing game opens up tremendously for Wells when the running backs get going and this year, McCaster will be in charge of doing that.
For Head Coach Bo Pelini, winning a National Championship for his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio is his primary objective. This year, the Penguins have a pretty good shot of making that a reality. After defeating Pitt in 2012, the Penguins look to salvage the 45-37 loss from 2015 when they meet the Panthers at Heinz Field this Saturday, September 4th to open their season.
| Sat, Sep 2 | @ | Pittsburgh | 1:00 PM | |||
| Sat, Sep 9 | vs | Robert Morris | 2:00 PM | |||
| Sat, Sep 16 | vs | Central CT St | 2:00 PM | |||
| Sat, Sep 30 | vs | SD State | 7:00 PM | |||
| Sat, Oct 7 | @ | South Dakota | 3:00 PM | |||
| Sat, Oct 14 | vs | ND State | 7:00 PM | |||
| Sat, Oct 21 | @ | Northern Iowa | 2:00 PM | |||
| Sat, Oct 28 | vs | Illinois State | 2:00 PM | |||
| Sat, Nov 4 | @ | Indiana State | 1:00 PM | |||
| Sat, Nov 11 | @ | Southern IL | 2:00 PM | |||
| Sat, Nov 18 | vs | Missouri State | 12:00 PM | |||
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