Correspondent file photo / Robert Hayes. Youngstown State quarterback Mitch Davidson gets set to throw a pass against South Dakota earlier this season.

YOUNGSTOWN — It was an opportunity Mitch Davidson says he dreamed of as a child.

With Youngstown State at a crossroads at its quarterback position four games into the season, the Penguins made a change, opting to insert Davidson into the starting lineup in place of Demeatric Crenshaw.

“I just wanted a chance. (I’m) just a kid from Youngstown, and this is everything I ever wanted,” Davidson said. “(The coaches) gave me that opportunity, and I always said once I get it, I don’t want to give it back.”

Davidson seems poised to hold true to that goal.

The Salem native dropped his first career start to North Dakota, 35-30, before winning five of his last six to finish the season with a 5-2 record as a starter. In addition, he finished the year 119-for-201 for 12 touchdowns and just one interception.

“Mitch does a great job commanding the offense,” said YSU coach Doug Phillips. “He has the respect (of his teammates) and then he has the arm.”

The transformation of the YSU offense was clear. The Penguins struggled to stretch the field in their first four games, but Davidson was able to transform the unit into a multi-dimensional threat that supplemented the already potent ground game based around Jaleel McLaughlin.

In his first start against UND, Davidson went 21-for-32 for 280 yards and two touchdowns. He continued that through his next three starts, throwing for 223 yards against Indiana State, 221 against Western Illinois and 242 against South Dakota.

He did hit a two-week lull against Illinois State and Missouri State in which he threw for 143 and 117 yards, respectively, but he finished the season on a strong note with a 24-for-38 performance which included 268 yards and two touchdowns.

It was filled with plenty of thrills and stress, too. In two of Davidson’s wins — the 28-27 victory at Western Illinois and 19-17 victory at Illinois State — the Penguins trailed late before a final drive would lift YSU to a win.

Davidson pointed to the chemistry he was able to develop with his teammates.

“My teammates, when things aren’t going well, they come around me, they pick me up and that’s huge,” he said. “And just the friendships I’ve built. My center, Mike McAllister, I told him (Saturday before playing against Southern Illinois) that this isn’t going to be the last game I take snaps with you. So just the trust, I go back to that a lot, and my teammates — guys like Bryce Oliver and Jaleel McLaughlin — trust me that plays are going to be made. It’s been big since the first start.”

Davidson and company did it again Saturday, rallying from being down 21-7 for a 28-21 victory over SIU in the season finale.

“I was frustrated on a couple drives, but my coaches keep me in it and keep my head right by talking through everything and just keeping our offense mellow,” Davidson said. “Mike McAllister actually came up to me before the first drive that we needed a touchdown to stay in it, and he said, ‘I’ve got you.’ It took some weight off my shoulders, and it let me know that the front five was going to do everything for me.”

With YSU out of the postseason mix, Davidson and the Penguins now enter a critical offseason in which they’ll look to build on this year’s 7-4 mark, which included a 5-3 record in the Missouri Valley.

Phillips said the coaching staff will meet with each player individually to develop an individualized plan for the offseason, including Davidson.

For his part, Davidson says he will hit the weight room to get bigger and stronger, but also will look to continue to develop his chemistry with the offense as it searches for an identity with the graduation of McLaughlin.

“I have to get bigger; I have to get stronger,” Davidson said. “As an offense, I think we just have to figure out what works best for us — getting a run game going that’s going to complement our pass game, and a pass game that’s going to complement our run game.”

jwhetzel@tribtoday.com