YSU touts its depth as fall camp begins
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YOUNGSTOWN -- The way Doug Phillips sees it, there's strength in numbers.
Entering its fourth season under Phillips, Youngstown State has plenty of those as it begins its 2023 journey.
The first number to consider is 25.
That, Phillips pointed out, is the number of practices before the Penguins kick their season off against Valparaiso on Aug. 31 at home.
With Christmas music playing over Stambaugh Stadium's speakers -- It's the most wonderful time of the year, after all -- YSU hit the field for the first of those Monday morning.
"The focus is on the process," Phillips said. "We have 25 practices before Game 1. The learning in the meeting coming out was, 'How much is an inch worth?,' meaning it's a game of inches. So the focus is on the tiniest details that we have to make sure we're focused on each and every day and not cheating the process, not taking the easy way out.
"When we do, we're calling each other out on it, and I feel we have strength in numbers. I'm excited. You run around with spiders and helmets, but the real stuff comes when the pads (go on)."
The next number Phillips emphasized is 12 -- the number of linemen on each side of the ball that need to be game-ready by the time the Penguins and Beacons kick things off.
The Penguins may have a little head start on building to that number. The offensive line returns seven players from last year's two-deep depth chart, while Phillips noted the defensive line returns nearly that exact number.
In fact, YSU's offensive line returns four regular starters -- Jaison Williams, Aidan Parker, David Metzler and Ryan Johnson -- as well as three reserves in EJ Johnson, Karter Kellgren and Shane Keenan. The Penguins do have to replace starting center Mike McAllister, who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams.
Defensively, All-Missouri Valley standout Dylan Wudke leads a group that does have to replace starting end James Jackson, but otherwise brings back 11 players who were on the two-deep depth chart at some point or another in 2022. Fellow starters Anthony Johnson and Chris Fitzgerald also headline as returning starters.
The other key number with those groups shows up on the roster listings. YSU's linemen -- and really, the entire team -- were busy this offseason getting bigger and stronger in the weight room, a key part of what Phillips says YSU wants to continue to build.
"Going into our fourth season, you learn about your competition, and it is about strength in numbers," Phillips said. "Our offensive line, if you look, we have a lot of big offensive linemen, and you need to get 12 ready to go into a season."
He added of the defense, "Defensive-line wise, it's the same thing where you have 12 guys battling to get on the field, and all 12 of those guys played in games last year. They're bigger, stronger, faster. That's where you win football games in this league is up front, and we're going to do it with strength in numbers."
Another critical number to consider is returning starters in general. Roughly eight to nine starters -- depending on how many starts are needed to qualify as a regular starter -- are back for the Penguins on each side.
It's helped to establish a level of maturity and depth which receiver Bryce Oliver -- one of the eldest statesman on the team -- says is noticeable from top to bottom.
"It's not just having older guys," he said. "We have a couple young guys that are good, too. Like Coach (Phillips) says, we'll have strength in numbers. If one guy goes down, we have somebody to back him up. It's always a good deal when you have guys that can come in and exceed or play to the level of expectation behind the starters."
The final -- and most important number -- is 24: the number of postseason bids available in the FCS playoffs. A season ago, Youngstown State finished 7-4 and ultimately missed the cut.
That's something that quarterback Mitch Davidson said fueled YSU in the offseason. The Penguins haven't returned to the postseason since finishing as runner-up in 2016.
"You have a sour taste in the mouth, for sure," he said. "You're sitting in that team meeting room, thinking you're going to get your name called, and it didn't happen. We went into this offseason, this winter with a different mindset. We came out a lot stronger, a lot faster. This summer was a grind. The strength staff got us right."
Phillips added, "You'll see a lot of 'Leave no doubt,' and you have to focus on the things you can control. Last year, what could we have controlled? When I say the game comes down to inches, you go back to that Missouri State game. We're on the road, and it's hard to win on the road, and you get a touchdown called back. That's going to cost you. (We're playing) North Dakota, we come back and we have a special teams error and we get a blocked punt for a touchdown. Those are the things that we focus on.
"If we're waiting for someone to put us into the playoffs, shame on us. We have to take control, we have to win football games, and not put it up to a committee to determine if we're one of the best 24 teams in the country."