Penguins set to take on No. 3 Salukis
Keith Langford Jr. SPORTS EDITOR
Issue date: 10/22/09 Section: Sports
Coming off a bye week, Youngstown State University returns to the gridiron to face another tough Missouri Valley opponent on the road, as they travel to play the Southern Illinois Salukis.
Head coach Jon Heacock said at his weekly press conference that things were normal on the bye week, aside from not playing or traveling on Friday and Saturday and supplementing those two days with rest.
The season has gone better than the 2008 season to date.
After six games in 2008, the Penguins were 2-4. This season, the Penguins reversed the wins and losses columns and are currently at 4-2. Aside from the first game on the road against the Pittsburgh Panthers where the Penguins were huge underdogs, the only slip up on the schedule was the 17-7 home loss against Missouri State.
The Penguins are running the ball with efficiency and regularity, averaging 153.8 yards on the ground. Their identity lies within their running game as seniors Kevin Smith and Dana Brown spearhead the run attack.
Smith has more yards and attempts, while Brown has the all-important yards per carry statistic, averaging 4.8 on 119 carries.
The Penguins need a strong rushing attack along side with their passing game to keep up with the high-scoring Salukis offense.
The Salukis are rolling through the Missouri Valley Conference as they boast an unprecedented 4-0-conference record.
In the past six games against the Penguins, the Salukis hold the edge, winning five of the last six, along with 10 straight wins in conference play. SIU's 15-game home conference winning streak is also on the line for the Salukis.
In the Football Championship Subdivision polls, the Salukis are ranked third. Last week, the Salukis ended an 11-game losing streak at Northern Iowa, defeating them 27-20. The Penguins will have their hands full against the Salukis.
"They don't beat themselves. They have not to this point beat themselves. They don't turn the football over. They just play good solid football, and I think we are going to have to do the same," Heacock said.
Youngstown State needs a plan to stop senior running back Deji Karim. Karim is a Walter Payton Award finalist with mind-numbing statistics to back up the hype. Karim has 119 rushes for 959 yards. He averages 8.1 yards every time he rushes the ball. His 159.8 yards per game and nine touchdowns along with his other stats explain why he's in the running for FCS player of the year.
The Penguins need to slow down Karim and counter with their own rushing game, anchored by Kevin Smith and Dana Brown. The game could come down to who runs the ball better and who stops the run.
Head coach Jon Heacock said at his weekly press conference that things were normal on the bye week, aside from not playing or traveling on Friday and Saturday and supplementing those two days with rest.
The season has gone better than the 2008 season to date.
After six games in 2008, the Penguins were 2-4. This season, the Penguins reversed the wins and losses columns and are currently at 4-2. Aside from the first game on the road against the Pittsburgh Panthers where the Penguins were huge underdogs, the only slip up on the schedule was the 17-7 home loss against Missouri State.
The Penguins are running the ball with efficiency and regularity, averaging 153.8 yards on the ground. Their identity lies within their running game as seniors Kevin Smith and Dana Brown spearhead the run attack.
Smith has more yards and attempts, while Brown has the all-important yards per carry statistic, averaging 4.8 on 119 carries.
The Penguins need a strong rushing attack along side with their passing game to keep up with the high-scoring Salukis offense.
The Salukis are rolling through the Missouri Valley Conference as they boast an unprecedented 4-0-conference record.
In the past six games against the Penguins, the Salukis hold the edge, winning five of the last six, along with 10 straight wins in conference play. SIU's 15-game home conference winning streak is also on the line for the Salukis.
In the Football Championship Subdivision polls, the Salukis are ranked third. Last week, the Salukis ended an 11-game losing streak at Northern Iowa, defeating them 27-20. The Penguins will have their hands full against the Salukis.
"They don't beat themselves. They have not to this point beat themselves. They don't turn the football over. They just play good solid football, and I think we are going to have to do the same," Heacock said.
Youngstown State needs a plan to stop senior running back Deji Karim. Karim is a Walter Payton Award finalist with mind-numbing statistics to back up the hype. Karim has 119 rushes for 959 yards. He averages 8.1 yards every time he rushes the ball. His 159.8 yards per game and nine touchdowns along with his other stats explain why he's in the running for FCS player of the year.
The Penguins need to slow down Karim and counter with their own rushing game, anchored by Kevin Smith and Dana Brown. The game could come down to who runs the ball better and who stops the run.
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