‘A statement win’: Former YSU coach, QB reflect on Penguins’ 2012 win over Pitt
Trending
As a Youngstown native, the opportunity to coach his hometown team was not something former Youngstown State head coach Eric Wolford could afford to turn down when he was hired at the end of 2009.
"I was grateful for the opportunity to be head coach at Youngstown State," said Wolford, who is now the offensive line coach at Kentucky and has had stops at South Carolina, Alabama and with the San Francisco 49ers since his stint at YSU. "A lot of my friends played at Youngstown State, so it obviously meant a tremendous amount to me to have the opportunity to coach what I think is one of the best programs in FCS football, as far as having a history of success."
Wolford had an up and down first couple of seasons in Youngstown, as YSU had a 3-8 campaign during his first year in 2010. But then the Penguins then put together a 6-5 record during his second season in 2011.
"My first year there, I was adamant about changing the culture and cleaning the program up, and that meant both on the field and off the field -- the way you conducted yourself on a daily basis and doing things with respect," Wolford said.
Heading into the 2012 season opener against Pittsburgh, Wolford had the program trending upward, but the Penguins needed to take that next step.
"I knew going into that third year that we had a good football team," Wolford said. "I also really believe that we had a chance to win that game and so did our players. ... We expected to win, that's the bottom line."
In that game, YSU kicked off 2012 with a bang, upsetting Pitt 31-17 for the program's first win over a Power Five, now called Power Four, school.
YSU had previously beaten other Group of Five teams at the Division I-A level such as Akron, Kent State, Western Michigan, Ohio and Central Michigan. But in the 12 years since, that fateful day on Sept. 1, 2012 remains the Penguins' only win over a Power Five team.
"I think that win was a statement win about the things that we were doing in the program," Wolford said. "When you have a win like that, there's a lot of national attention and it buys a lot of good positive media attention to the university, which is an exciting thing and it's something to be proud of. I think the biggest compliment I ever got was from Joe Malmisur, who used to be athletic director. He called me after the game and told me that this is the biggest win in YSU football history. That was a big deal to us in the program."
Pitt got the ball to start the game, but YSU linebacker Dubem Nwadiogbu forced a fumble, which was recovered by defensive back Jeremey Edwards on that opening drive after the Panthers had driven into Penguins territory.
YSU then took the turnover and drove 79 yards for the touchdown when quarterback Kurt Hess connected with Andre Stubbs on a 27-yard pass over the middle of the field.
The early turnover and subsequent score helped the Penguins set the tone early against Pitt.
"I think it just, from a defensive standpoint, it showed that we were not just a great offensive team. We were a team that had a lot of good elements," Hess said reflecting back on the game. "Jeremey was a transfer for us, and he was a great safety. Both sides of the ball, we were going to come fight you, we were going to come attack you. ... Being able to make those types of plays, momentum types of plays, against a Power Five team really helps to build your confidence and your belief on the sideline."
The Penguins scored touchdowns on their first two drives and took a 14-10 lead going into halftime.
On the opening drive of the second half, YSU drove into Pitt territory and looked to add to its lead. So the Penguins reached into their bag of tricks.
Facing fourth-and-1, YSU ran a toss to tailback Jamaine Cook, who surprised a Panthers defense that was bunched in the box, and lofted a pass 23 yards downfield to wide-open tight end Will Shaw at the goal line for a touchdown.
The play gave the Penguins a 21-10 lead and proved to be a turning point in the game.
"We had a great offensive line, so the run game was going to be our strength," Hess said. "We knew if we were able to run the ball, they would have to try to stop us in our run game, and then we would be able to take some shots and make big plays in the passing game, which we were able to do. We had some special plays. ... Just because, offensively, we had so much talent, we were able to attack Pitt's defense in a number of ways and (former offensive coordinator) coach (Shane) Montgomery did a good job of game planning for that."
A couple drives later, YSU's defense then picked up a key fourth-down stop, stuffing the Panthers on fourth-and-1 in the red zone, to again give the ball back to the offense.
Another touchdown, this time on a 13-yard run by receiver Andre Stubbs, all but assured the Penguins of their victory as their lead grew to 28-10 with 12 minutes left.
"Andre Stubbs was such a great talent and such a great player that we were able to bring him in motion a lot and work him into some of those outside zone and outside sweep concepts," Hess said.
Pitt scored its first and only touchdown of the second half on the next drive, but YSU added a field goal with about three minutes to go, and the rest was history.
Hess, who now works as an assistant principal for a middle school in Worthington just outside of Columbus, calls YSU's win over Pitt one of the best of his athletic career.
"If it's not No. 1, it's right near the top," Hess said. "I will always remember the Pitt win because there were just so many people that went into this win, from top to bottom, and where we were as a program and the recruiting that had taken place and the coaching change. ... By the time that we stepped onto the field, we knew we were going to win. We had that confidence already. We just had to go out there and execute. I'll always be grateful and thankful to everybody who was involved in that moment. It was just a whole group effort and something I'll forever be proud of."
Hess credits the investments into the program, both financial and otherwise, for providing the catalyst that helped lift YSU to be able to pull off its win over the Panthers.
For example, before that 2012 season, the university had just completed construction of the Watson and Tressel Training Site (WATTS), YSU's indoor practice facility, which cost $14 million.
"One thing I would point to is just (athletic director) Ron Strollo and coach Wolford, at the time, they were able to invest in the program in a way that we haven't really invested before ... in terms of just getting fundraising and getting the community involved and recruiting and the indoor facility," Hess said. "There were investments of people, time and energy and effort and money that really attributed to that win. ... There were just so many people involved in the program from top to bottom, and I really think that win was for them."
With YSU set to face Pitt once again this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Hess hopes the success his team had in 2012 can inspire the current iteration of Penguins to replicate the feat.
"I think what was important for us was, No. 1, just have confidence and believe in yourself," Hess said. "You know you're out there for a reason, and the reason is because you belong out there. Then secondly, once you step onto that field, in between that 100 yard by 53 1/3 yard (area), once you step in that rectangle, it's the same game it's always been. You don't have to be a different person, you don't have to be a different player. Just be yourself, play your game and play the way you're supposed to play."
This will be the third time the Penguins have faced the Panthers since that 2012 victory -- YSU lost 45-37 in 2015 after a furious comeback fell short and YSU dropped a 28-21 heartbreaker in overtime in 2017 after rallying from 21 points down to force OT.
"This is the kind of opportunity to show people you belong," Hess said. "Pittsburgh, I think we always play them tough because geographically, we're so close to them. There may be a lot of connections there that may be personal connections or recruiting connections. So I think we always have a little bit more of a chip on our shoulder to play a team like Pitt. But really, it always comes down to playing 60 minutes, playing the exact same game we always play and whoever gets to play that game better, usually comes out on top."
Have an interesting story? Contact Neel Madhavan by email at nmadhavan@tribtoday.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @NeelMadhavan.