Oct. 28, 2006

Ground Game, Big "D" Pace Penguins to 27-13 Victory

    Normal, Ill. -- Marcus Mason and Tom Zetts each rushed for more than 100 yards and the Youngstown State defense held Illinois State to one offensive touchdown in a 27-13 victory at Hancock Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
    Mason ran for 176 yards on a career-high 34 carries against the No. 3 Redbirds, who entered the contest surrendering just 108.9 yards a game on the ground. The defense held ISU to just 161 yards of total offense and did not allow a touchdown until midway through the fourth quarter.
    With the win, the 10th-ranked Penguins improved to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the Gateway while the Redbirds dropped to 6-2 and 3-1.
    In a game that featured the second and third ranked running backs in the country, both Mason and Zetts outgained ISU's Pierre Rembert. Rembert, who came in averaging 148.9 yards per contest, was held to 14 yards on 11 carries as the Redbirds mustered only 18 yards on the ground. YSU, on the other hand, tallied 345 yards rushing on 55 carries.
    The Penguins trailed only once at 7-6 in the second quarter, but they regained the lead on their next possession and were able to control the clock with their rushing attack.
    Mason found the end zone from seven yards out for his second touchdown of the day late in the third quarter, and a two-point conversion from Zetts to Irizarry put the Penguins up 20-7.
    The Redbirds, who did not have a first down in the third quarter, put a drive together early in the fourth and got within seven when Rembert scored from two yards out. But Zetts punched it in from inside the 1 on third-and-goal with 4:43 left to cap a drive of almost seven minutes.
    The Penguins were dominant statistically in the first half, but only claimed a 12-7 lead heading into the locker room. YSU outgained the Redbirds 244 to 46 in total offense and 167 to 22 on the ground, the Penguins defense held Drone to just two completions on nine attempts.
    The Penguins posted the game's initial score on a 61-yard drive capped by a one-yard touchdown for Mason that ate up 7:27 of the clock. Zetts was 5-for-5 through the air on the drive and came up with a key 13-yard scramble down to the ISU 1 on second-and-goal to set up Mason's score. Brian Palmer's point after attempt was wide right to keep the score 6-0.
    Illinois State's offense struggled in the first quarter, and the Redbirds had to turn to their defense for their first score. On a second-and-17 YSU 42, Zetts' pass was tipped on a blitz and defensive tackle Jarek Thomas took an interception into the end zone. It was Thomas' second interception of the season, and Kevin Mazur's extra point put ISU up 7-6.
    The Penguins answered on their ensuing possession on a four-play, 69-yard drive on the ground to make the score 12-7 with 8:09 left in the half. Monquantae Gibson rushed three times for 32 yards, including a 17-yard score, and Zetts ran for 37 of his 112 yards on a play action bootleg. The point after attempt failed again on a bad hold.
    The Penguins will play host to Southern Illinois on senior day at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Salukis entered the day ranked 19th and defeated Missouri State 27-17.