Penguins look for win on Homecoming
Keith Langford Jr. SPORTS EDITOR
Issue date: 10/29/09 Section: Sports
Youngstown State University goes back to the drawing board to battle the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits on Saturday's Homecoming.
The Penguins lick their collective wounds stemming from a tough loss to a strong Southern Illinois University Salukis team on the road, 27-8.
"We competed early on. We made a few mistakes, which cost us," Heacock said at his weekly press conference.
The lone touchdown came in the second half. Senior quarterback Brandon Summers connected with senior wide receiver Aaron Pitts for a 56-yard touchdown reception. The Penguins went for the two-point conversion and were successful.
Dwelling on the loss to the Salukis will do the Penguins no good as they host the Jackrabbits, their second straight game against a ranked opponent. The other game was against the Pittsburgh Panthers who are ranked 15th in the Football Bowl Subdivision Bowl Championship Series polls.
A positive the Penguins can bring into this week against the Jackrabbits is their ability to stop one of the best running backs in the FCS. Senior Deji Karim gained just 67 yards on 20 carries. Unfortunately, backup freshman quarterback Paul McIntosh picked up the load with a 12 carry, 81-yard output.
The Jackrabbits come into the Ice Castle with a ton of momentum. They defeated the previously No. 6 University of Northern Iowa team 24-14. The same UNI team who almost upset the No. 4 team in the BCS, the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Penguins need a strong game from all three sides of the ball, offense, defense and special teams, to pull off the victory.
Senior defensive tackle Mychal Savage said his team has not fulfilled their full potential overall.
"I think we've been showing it in increments but have yet to do it for the whole 60 minutes," Savage said.
South Dakota State does not give up many points on defense. The Jackrabbits have held their opponents on the year to just 12.6 points while scoring 30.4 points per game. The Jackrabbits like to control the ball on offense by running it right at their opponent. The team averages 155.3 rushing yards per game. Junior Kyle Minnet anchors the run game for his team with 114.1 yards per game.
On defense, the unit holding opponents to less than two touchdowns a game has a couple key players to watch out for.
Senior defensive lineman Danny Batten leads the team in sacks with four on the season - 45 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss aid the Jackrabbits front four.
Junior linebacker Derek Domino might hold the distinction as the best defender for South Dakota State. Domino leads the team in tackles with 60, five for loss. Domino also has one sack and three interceptions to go along with his team-leading 60 tackles.
The Penguins need more consistency out of senior quarterback Brandon Summers. Summers for the season has a one-to-one touchdown to interception ratio with 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this season. This stat has to get better for the Penguins to keep improving in the second half of the season.
The Penguins lick their collective wounds stemming from a tough loss to a strong Southern Illinois University Salukis team on the road, 27-8.
"We competed early on. We made a few mistakes, which cost us," Heacock said at his weekly press conference.
The lone touchdown came in the second half. Senior quarterback Brandon Summers connected with senior wide receiver Aaron Pitts for a 56-yard touchdown reception. The Penguins went for the two-point conversion and were successful.
Dwelling on the loss to the Salukis will do the Penguins no good as they host the Jackrabbits, their second straight game against a ranked opponent. The other game was against the Pittsburgh Panthers who are ranked 15th in the Football Bowl Subdivision Bowl Championship Series polls.
A positive the Penguins can bring into this week against the Jackrabbits is their ability to stop one of the best running backs in the FCS. Senior Deji Karim gained just 67 yards on 20 carries. Unfortunately, backup freshman quarterback Paul McIntosh picked up the load with a 12 carry, 81-yard output.
The Jackrabbits come into the Ice Castle with a ton of momentum. They defeated the previously No. 6 University of Northern Iowa team 24-14. The same UNI team who almost upset the No. 4 team in the BCS, the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Penguins need a strong game from all three sides of the ball, offense, defense and special teams, to pull off the victory.
Senior defensive tackle Mychal Savage said his team has not fulfilled their full potential overall.
"I think we've been showing it in increments but have yet to do it for the whole 60 minutes," Savage said.
South Dakota State does not give up many points on defense. The Jackrabbits have held their opponents on the year to just 12.6 points while scoring 30.4 points per game. The Jackrabbits like to control the ball on offense by running it right at their opponent. The team averages 155.3 rushing yards per game. Junior Kyle Minnet anchors the run game for his team with 114.1 yards per game.
On defense, the unit holding opponents to less than two touchdowns a game has a couple key players to watch out for.
Senior defensive lineman Danny Batten leads the team in sacks with four on the season - 45 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss aid the Jackrabbits front four.
Junior linebacker Derek Domino might hold the distinction as the best defender for South Dakota State. Domino leads the team in tackles with 60, five for loss. Domino also has one sack and three interceptions to go along with his team-leading 60 tackles.
The Penguins need more consistency out of senior quarterback Brandon Summers. Summers for the season has a one-to-one touchdown to interception ratio with 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this season. This stat has to get better for the Penguins to keep improving in the second half of the season.
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