Traugh shines, defense falters as YSU gets thumped by Pitt 73-17
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PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Even moral victories are hard to come by when you lose by 56 points.
Pitt's offense was a model of efficiency, as the Panthers scored touchdowns on nine of 11 possessions to crush Youngstown State 73-17 on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.
Six of Pitt's touchdowns came on plays of at least 10 yards, as the Panthers racked up 644 total yards, while averaging 10.6 yards per play.
"The explosives, and all the things we've seen from the first four games, those gotta get corrected," YSU head coach Doug Phillips said. "Because I do feel like it's insanity right now that we keep giving (those) up. If that's scheme, fundamentals, coaching, players, those are things we gotta (change), and I told our young men today, you're disappointed, but we gotta come ready to work tomorrow and find answers and be problem solvers. Pitt's a good team -- they're going to run the up-tempo. They would have put 100 on us if they could have today."
Perhaps the lone bright spot for YSU was how the offense moved the ball against a blitz-happy, aggressive Power Four defense.
After a slow start -- one that included a penalty on the first play of the game and a snap over quarterback Beau Brungard's head for an 18-yard loss on the next play, the Penguins' offense finally started to settle in towards the end of the first quarter.
YSU kicked a 46-yard Andrew Lastovka field goal for its opening score. Then, the Penguins ate up 6:16 with a 75-yard, 11-play drive at the end of the first half that culminated with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Beau Brungard to Cyrus Traugh.
To start the second half, YSU sandwiched its two best defensive possessions around its second touchdown.
The Penguins got the ball to start the second half and moved 60 yards on that drive, but fumbled at Pitt's 15-yard line. However, after Jaelen Crider sacked Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein for a loss of 17 yards, YSU's defense got its first and only three-and-out. The Penguins converted with a short field, as Brungard hit Traugh again for a 44-yard touchdown.
"I thought our kids responded," Phillips said. "I liked coming out at halftime and putting drives together. It was unfortunate to get that strip fumble when we were down there (in the red zone). We got down there a couple times and didn't take advantage of it."
With Pitt intent on taking away the run, Brungard had his best passing performance of the season, completing 18-of-28 of his passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns.
"I thought he was seeing everything really well," Phillips said. "They blitz, they're proud of their two-under, three-deep pressure. They're proud of their quarters, and they've had consistency with their defense. (Pitt defensive coordinator) Randy Bates has been there seven years. (Pitt head coach) Pat's (Narduzzi) a defensive guy, so I was excited to see our offense being able to pick up some of those and Beau finding open receivers."
On the other side of the ball, as YSU's defensive struggles remain ongoing, the Penguins are intent to continue to try new things.
"I thought our kids were more aggressive on defense, more physical, especially early," Phillips said. "We probably blitzed a lot more than what we normally do. Guys were coming down and making tackles. It's just those explosives at inopportune times."
Despite the loss, the Penguins are already looking forward, as they begin Missouri Valley Football Conference play next week at Missouri State.
"For us, we gotta get back, we gotta watch tape, and guess what, we gotta have answers," Phillips said. "Our non-league schedule is over. We gotta get ready for our league. ... I believe in our kids. I still believe the pieces of the puzzle are there. It's our job as coaches to put the pieces of the puzzle together. But there's going to be some improvement
TRAUGH'S EMERGENCE
Traugh's emergence as a receiving threat for YSU is a testament to how far the redshirt freshman has come since last season. Phillips said Traugh "is a different person from a year ago."
The Parkersburg, W.Va., native played in only two games last season, which allowed him to redshirt the year.
This season, Traugh has developed into a starter for the Penguins' receiving corp and showcased that big-play ability on Saturday against Pitt.
"His growth has been tremendous -- on the field, off the field," Phillips said. "You get them as freshmen and sometimes you wonder, how are they going to be? We knew he always had the talent, I'm more proud of him for what he's overcome, academics and all that stuff. ... You get an 18-year-old, you gotta be on them. You gotta make sure they're doing everything a college student has to do. Our kids have a lot of respect for him."
Traugh led YSU with 87 receiving yards and two touchdowns on four receptions against the Panthers. The scores were his second and third of the season after he hauled in an 18-yard touchdown in the season opener against Villanova.
"This whole offseason, he's been very hungry," Brungard said. "One of the hardest working guys you'll find in the weight room. On the field, he's eager to learn. He's learned the playbook -- that's one of the hardest things. To be able to play full speed, you gotta know your plays, and I think that's something he's done. He's incredibly athletic and can go get the ball, so I'm confident in him and what he can do, and it's always good when I can get the ball in his hands."
His first score came on a timely-called screen pass on third down at the end of the second quarter. With Pitt bringing a blitz on third-and-7, Brungard hit Traugh out in the left flat, where he weaved around a trio of Panthers defenders for a 25-yard catch-and-run touchdown.
The second was the result of busted coverage, as Brungard connected with a wide-open Traugh down the right sideline for a 44-yard score early in the third quarter.
"I think you're going to continue to see him make plays downfield like he did today," Phillips said.
That ability to be a vertical threat for YSU's passing game will pay dividends for making things easier for Brungard in the pocket.
"We have lots of threats on offense, and he's one of them," Brungard said. "When we need a play to happen, when I can find him, I know he'll go up and make a play. So it's always good to have those kinds of guys around me to go make plays when we need them."
NARDUZZI MAKES IT PERSONAL
Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi grew up on the sidelines at YSU, as he watched his father, Bill, coach the Penguins from 1975-85.
The elder Narduzzi compiled a 68-51-1 record with the Penguins, but YSU didn't renew Bill's contract after the 1985 season, in which YSU went 5-6.
The way that Bill was let go, especially while he had cancer -- Bill would receive chemotherapy treatments and run football practice on the same day in 1985 according to an ESPN story from 2013 -- left a bitter taste in the Narduzzi family's mouths and likely had something to do with Pitt putting the "foot to the pedal," especially late, against YSU. Bill passed away three years later in 1988 at the age of 51.
"I asked them on Tuesday to go get one for my Dad out there," Narduzzi said during his postgame press conference. "Just try to make it personal. They took the challenge and went out there and tattooed them pretty good. My Dad would be fired up if he was watching up there."
Narduzzi added that in the offseason, his team would have "mentor meetings," where they would break into small groups to discuss the people in their lives, who they look up to and hardships they've faced and dealt with. He shared what his father meant to him and his life.
"I talked with every group," Narduzzi said. "I think I met with four at a time, four players and a staff member the whole time and talked about who my hero was and the hardships I went through growing up and losing your dad at age 51, six kids and all that. I just thought Dad would want this thing done the right way."
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