Oct. 26, 2005
Football: Penguins Begin Key Gateway Stretch at UNI
   The 11th-ranked Youngstown State football team is back on the road when it travels to Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Saturday to take on 21st/22nd-ranked UNI. Kickoff at the UNI Dome is set for 4:07 p.m. (Eastern Time) in what is the Gateway Television Game of the Week and will be televised on WBCB.
    The Penguins (7-1 overall and 4-0 in the Gateway) have tied their best start to a Gateway season in school history following a 31-7 win over Missouri State last Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium. Youngstown State blew open a 10-7 contest with 21 fourth-quarter points. Tailback Marcus Mason had 203 yards on 32 carries and reserve quarterback Vince Gliatta ran for two scores.
    The Panthers (4-3 and 2-2) enter the game coming off a 38-3 loss at Illinois State last Saturday. The Redbirds scored the first 21 points of the game before a 32-yard Brian Wingert field goal got the Panthers on the board. Illinois State scored the final 17 points of the final outcome.
    Last year’s contest between the Penguins and UNI came down to the final play. After YSU had apparently blocked a Wingert field-goal attempt, a roughing-the-kicker penalty was called and Wingert converted a 31-yarder with no time on the clock in a 22-20 Panther victory. UNI has won the last four meetings between the schools.

Streaks, Storylines, Sidebars...
   • A win gives the Penguins their first 5-0 start to the Gateway in school history.
   • The four-game winning streak is the longest since the start of the 2000 season.
   • Marcus Mason has rushed for 100 yards in four consecutive games. The last time a YSU tailback had four straight 100-yard games was Tamron Smith in 1991. The last time a Penguin had five straight 100-yard games was Paris Wicks in 1982.
   • The Penguin defense has posted two shutouts. That marks the first time since 1997 in which YSU has two shutouts in the same season. The last time the Penguins had three shutouts in a season was 1975.
   • Coach Jon Heacock is 0-4 against the Panthers while UNI Coach Mark Farley is 4-0 against the Penguins.
   • Senior wide receiver Kyle Smith did not play against Missouri State so his 27-game reception streak, one shy of the school mark, is still intact.
   • Codera Jackson has intercepted passes in four straight games, while the YSU defense has intercepted a pass in all eight games this season. His four-game streak is the longest since Dave Roberts in 1992 (five).
   • YSU is trying to snap a 12-game losing streak against ranked opponents. The Penguins’ last win on the road against a ranked team was at Montana in the 1999 playoffs - a span of seven games.

UNI Scouting Report
    Northern Iowa is averaging 31.1 points per game while allowing 24.6 per contest. In the Panthers’ four wins this season, they are averaging 43.3 points while in their three losses, they have scored a combined total of 45 points.
Quarterback Eric Sanders suffered a high-ankle sprain and has not played the past two weeks. In his absence, Dexter Hill has filled in completing 41-of-62 passes for 567 yards.
    Tailback Terrence Freeney, who rushed for over 1,000 yards the past two years, has 384 yards through seven games, but has scored seven touchdowns.
The Panthers are 3-0 at home this season with wins coming against Drake, Minnesota-Duluth and Indiana State.

Series Information
    Youngstown State has won just two of the last nine meetings against UNI since the 1996 season. The Panthers lead the all-time series 13-6. At the UNI Dome, the Penguins have won just three of nine all-time contests with their last win coming in 1999. YSU’s last win in the series was a 28-24 triumph at Stambaugh Stadium in 2000.

Last Time at the UNI Dome
    The last trip to the UNI Dome was one to forget for the Penguins. YSU suffered a 47-9 defeat on Nov. 1, 2003. Trailing 7-3, the Penguins watched the Panthers score 26 unanswered points in the contest.
    UNI had 618 yards of total offense, 377 of which came on the ground. Quarterback Tom Petrie threw for three scores to lead the Panthers. Kyle Smitch caught seven passes for 142 yards to lead the Penguins.

Last Year: UNI 22, Youngstown State 20
    YSU rallied from a 19-7 fourth-quarter deficit to take a 21-20 lead with 3:53 remaining. However, UNI came back and won the game on a 31-yard Brian Wingert field goal after time expired.
    Wingert’s 44-yard attempt with five seconds remaining was blocked, but the Penguins were called for a questionable roughing-the-kicker penalty as time expired. Wingert took advantage converting his next attempt with no time remaining.
    Trailing 19-7 in the fourth, YSU pulled within 19-13 on a one-yard run by Demetrius Ison with 5:29 left. With 3:53 remaining, Tom Zetts tossed a nine-yard pass to Mike Roberts and Nick Terracina’s extra point put the Guins ahead 21-20. On the final drive, UNI converted a key 4th-and-nine play at the YSU 46 by picking up 14 yards on an Eric Sanders to Justin Surrency pass.

Last Time Out: YSU 31, Missouri State 7
    The Penguins scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns to blow open a 10-7 contest and defeated Missouri State 31-7 on Saturday night during YSU’s annual Homecoming contest. The game started two hours late because of Missouri State travel difficulties.
    YSU went ahead 3-0 taking the initial possession of the game 72 yards on 18 plays and took 8:31 off the clock. MSU took a 7-3 lead on an 18-yard touchdown run by Michael Cooper in the second quarter, but YSU struck right back to go ahead 10-7 on a 26-yard score by Marcus Mason.
    In the fourth, reserve quarterback Vince Gliatta had rushing scores of seven and 14 yards while Justin Reams capped the scoring on a seven-yard run with 15 seconds left.

Rush For 100, Means A ‘W’
    Junior tailback Marcus Mason rushed for more than 100 yards for the fourth straight game and improved the Penguins’ record to 6-0 when a back gains more than 100 yards in a game this season. Mason had a career-high 203 yards on 32 carries against Missouri State on Saturday. Mason rushed for 125 yards against Western Illinois, 152 against Indiana State and 126 versus Illinois State -- all wins. Justin Reams rushed for 122 yards against Slippery Rock while Monquantae Gibson had a career-high 198 against Northeastern -- both victories.

Mason Has One For the Books
    Marcus Mason’s 203-yard performance against Missouri State on Saturday ranks as the 14th best single-game rushing performance in school history. Mason’s 32 carries also tie for the 11th most in school history. His 203 yards are a high for a Gateway running backs this season just ahead of Monquantae Gibson’s 198 against Northeastern.

Who’ll Stop the Run? And Pass
    The YSU rushing defense has made a tremendous turnaround this season. Five times this season, the Penguins have not allowed an opponent to reach 100 yards rushing. In 2004, that happened just once (60 by Western Illinois) in 11 games. Only twice in the last 10 seasons have the Penguins held five opponents under 100 yards in the same year. In 11 games in 2002, YSU was able to hold five teams under 100 yards while in 1997, the Guins held six teams under in 15 games. The Penguins stopped the pass this past Saturday allowing only 49 yards to Missouri State.

Mason’s Starts Are Impressive
    Junior tailback Marcus Mason has started all four of the Penguins’ Gateway games and has made his impact known to the league. In the four games, he has rushed for 606 yards on 98 carries and scored six touchdowns. He is averaging 151.5 yards per Gateway game and has posted a 6.2 yards-per-carry average.
He leads the Gateway averaging 114.7 yards per game and ranks 11th in the country in that category.

YSU Looks to Stay in Title Hunt
    The Penguins are one of only two undefeated Gateway teams remaining after the first four weeks of conference play. YSU and Western Kentucky have perfect 4-0 league marks heading into action this week. WKU plays host to Southern Illinois on Thursday.
    The only other time YSU was 4-0 in Gateway play was in 1999, when it finished the campaign 5-1 and second in the league. Of the 21 teams to start Gateway play 4-0, 18 have qualified for the playoffs, including the 1999 Penguins.

Jackson Up to Six Picks
    Junior cornerback Codera Jackson leads the Gateway Conference and ranks third in the nation with 0.75 interceptions per game. Jackson has six interceptions this season through eight games. He trails Bethune-Cookman’s Bobbie Williams (0.86) and Princeton’s Jay McCareins (0.83) in the I-AA standings.
    Jackson also has an interception in four consecutive contests. The last YSU player to have interceptions in four straight contests was Dave Roberts, who had picks in five straight games in 1992.

Defense Keeping Points Off Board
    The Penguins lead the Gateway Conference by allowing just 14.5 points per game. That number ranks sixth in the nation on the Division I-AA level. UMass leads the country allowing just 7.14 points per game.
    YSU also leads the Gateway in pass-efficiency defense and red-zone defense allowing just 14 scores in 22 trips. The Guins are 18th nationally in rushing defense.

Terry a Wrecking Crew
    Sophomore linebacker James Terry has regained the total tackles lead for the Penguins following a six-stop performance against Missouri State. Terry has recorded 53 total tackles, including a team-high 33 solos this season. In the four Gateway games this season he has a team-high 34 stops, including 22 solos. He also leads the team with 4.5 sacks and seven tackles for losses.

Andrews Eclipses Career High
    After eight games, senior linebacker Mike Andrews has already eclipsed his previous season high of 41 he set in 12 games back in 2003. Andrews is second on the team with 52 total tackles after a four-tackle performance against Missouri State.

Scholes Adding Pressure
    Senior defensive end Justin Scholes recorded a career-high two sacks against Missouri State on Saturday. Scholes had three tackles for losses in the victory while recording six total tackles, including five solo stops. For the year he has 30 tackles, including 15 solos.

In ‘Vince’ Able
    Sophomore quarterback Vince Gliatta scored two touchdowns and led the Penguins on four touchdown drives in the win over Missouri State. Gliatta engineered an 80-yard scoring drive that gave YSU a 10-7 lead in the second quarter. In the fourth, he was the signal caller on drives of 84, 30 and 52 yards. He capped two of those drives himself with nifty 14 and seven-yard scoring runs.

Takeaways Exceed 2004 Number
    Eight games into the 2005 season, YSU has forced a total of 19 turnovers, exceeding the number caused in the entire 2004 campaign. Last year, the Penguins had seven interceptions and recovered nine fumbles for a total of 16. This year, YSU has 14 interceptions and five fumble recoveries. The 14 picks are tied for the third most in Division I-AA behind Davidson (17) and Wagner (16). Entering the contest against Northern Iowa, YSU owns a plus-nine turnover margin. That number leads the conference and also ranks sixth overall in Division I-AA.

Moving Up in the Rankings
    The Penguins moved up to 11th in The Sports Network poll this week following Saturday’s 24-point win over Missouri State. YSU entered both the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and The Sports Network Top 25 on Oct. 3 at the No. 22 spot. It marked the first time since Oct. 21, 2002, that the Penguins had cracked the top 25. The No. 11 ranking is the highest since Sept. 16, 2002 (11th).

7-1 Start Best Since 2000 Season
    YSU is off to a 7-1 start, its best beginning to a campaign since the 2000 season when it was also 7-1. In 2000, the Penguins started the year 6-0 before losing at WIU. After falling to 6-1, YSU won its next two before finishing the regular season with a 9-2 mark. Since 1991, the Penguins have won seven of eight games to start a season on five occasions (1993, 1994, 1997, 1999 and 2000).

Smith Reception Streak on the Line
    Senior wide receiver Kyle Smith did not play for the third time in five games because of an arm injury. Smith, who remains the team leader in receptions (23) and yards (258), has caught a pass in the last 27 games in which he has played. He caught a pass in every game in 2004 and had a reception in the first 11 contests of the 2003 campaign before missing the season finale. The school mark is held by Jeff Patterson who had at least one reception for 28 straight games.

Touchdown Tommy Zetts
    Sophomore Tom Zetts has thrown a touchdown pass in 10 of his last 13 games. On Sept. 17 against Liberty, he became the seventh quarterback in YSU history to throw four touchdown passes in a single game when he completed the feat at Liberty. It also was just the ninth time in the program’s history a quarterback threw for four scores in a game.

Team Captains Well Known
    Seniors Kyle Smith, Aaron Marshall, Justin Scholes and Brandon Brown are captains for the season. Smith and Brown are true four-year seniors while Marshall and Scholes are fifth-year seniors having redshirted their freshman seasons.

Numbers of Note
   • Turnover Margin: Since 1996, the Penguins are 69-11 when they win or tie in the turnover margin. When committing more turnovers, YSU is just 11-26.
Since 1990 YSU is:
   • 112-14-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points in a game.
   • 85-6 when rushing for 200-plus yards.
   • 95-10 when scoring 28-or-more points.
   • 55-5-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing in a game.
   • 120-7 when leading in the fourth quarter.

Point-Scoring Streaks
   • YSU has won its last 32 games when scoring more than 30 points. The last loss came at Central Florida (44-32 in 1998).
   • YSU has won its last 29 games when scoring more than 40 points. The last loss came to James Madison (52-49 in 1992).
   • When scoring 21-plus points under Coach Jon Heacock YSU is 30-4. The Penguins are 1-18 when they fail to score 21 points.

Next Week...at Southern Illinois
    The Penguins remain on the road when they play at Southern Illinois next Saturday. The Salukis will have a couple of extra days to prepare for YSU after playing at Western Kentucky on Oct. 27. SIU has won the past two games in the series, including a 24-17 win in Carbondale in 2003.