YSU looking for answers in the trenches ahead of showdown at Pitt
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YOUNGSTOWN -- Last week's frustrating defeat at the hands of Duquesne left Youngstown State looking for answers, particularly up front on both sides of the ball.
Through three games, the Penguins are 92nd in the FCS in rush defense, allowing just a hair under 200 yards per game.
Even more alarming to the coaching staff are the number of big plays the Penguins have given up on the ground. YSU is currently giving up 7.49 yards per carry, which ranks 127th out of 129 total teams in the FCS.
As a result, run fits and shoring up the run defense has been a focus for the Penguins in practice this week.
"If we gotta do good on good a little more in practice just so we can fix our run fits -- we feel we have a good offensive line, so going against our defense with good running backs and making sure we're fitting, that's on any defense," head coach Doug Phillips said Tuesday. "You gotta build the confidence, you gotta teach and you gotta show it on film.
"I wish I had a magic wand to fix things right away. But guess what? It takes time. We're in the process, (and there's) a sense of urgency each day to get better. Do I believe in our kids? I do. It's fixable. The quicker we can do it, then we can reach our fullest potential as a football team."
While Phillips didn't necessarily name anything specific, he alluded to the possibility of the team making changes to continue to try to fix and address the run defense, whether that be schematically or personnel-wise.
"I can teach you, I can keep showing you and I can keep showing you. But if we don't get a fix, that's called insanity," Phillips said. "So whether that's personnel or whether that's us doing something maybe a little different, those are things that are always a work in progress."
YSU has already slightly tinkered with the lineup on the defensive line in recent games.
Defensive tackles Jaelen Crider and Joe Brown each started the first two games for the Penguins. But against Duquesne this past weekend, Nehemiah Dukes and Tyler Bukur each got the start at defensive tackle.
"It's designed to have guys in those gaps, so we're finding guys that can get in those gaps," Phillips said. "Our kids know, you gotta earn it in the game of football. At Youngstown State, you gotta earn it. You gotta earn it in practice, and you gotta earn it each and every Saturday. You gotta come out with the effort and attitude every day to get better and to show us that you're understanding that."
On the opposite side of the trenches, Phillips called some of the offensive line's breakdowns in pass protection this past Saturday "uncharacteristic," especially for a unit as experienced as the Penguins.
Quarterback Beau Brungard was sacked three times and often found himself having to scramble around to keep the play alive when the pocket would break down.
"Those are things we gotta correct," Phillips said. "So we're putting a heavy emphasis on that protection and doing what we need to do."
YSU's ability to keep a clean pocket and keep the quarterback upright will be key against an aggressive Pittsburgh defense this Saturday at Acrisure Stadium (ESPN+/ACC Network Extra/570 WKBN).
"This team brings pressure. They're a vertical defensive line," Phillips said. "You turn on the tape, those defensive linemen are getting vertical upfield. They got defensive ends that play wide that are coming after you, and they bring a variety of blitzes at you. So you gotta get rid of the football quick. You can't hold it. You can't just sit back there and play around. You gotta have a clock in your head to get rid of the football. We gotta do things in our protections, and we gotta do things to make sure that he has options to get rid of the ball, especially if they're coming with pressure."
The Panthers are 3-0 and have pulled out double-digit comebacks in each of their previous two wins against rivals Cincinnati and West Virginia. The wins are thanks to a talented young quarterback in Eli Holstein and a rebuilt offense overseen by new offensive coordinator Kade Bell, who arrived at Pitt this offseason from Western Carolina.
There's a lot of history and shared ground in this matchup.
Both programs heavily recruit both northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania. But also Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi is a Youngstown native, whose father, Bill, was YSU's head coach from 1975-85. The late Narduzzi also served as athletic director at YSU from 1980-83.
The Penguins also beat the Panthers 31-17 back in 2012, which was the program's first and only win all-time against a Power Five, now Power Four, opponent.
The Penguins have also played the Panthers tight in each of the other two matchups since 2012, with both being one-score games. YSU lost 45-37 in 2015 after a furious comeback fell short and the Penguins dropped a 28-21 heartbreaker in overtime in 2017 after rallying from 21 points down to force OT.
"We always do a history lesson each week, no matter who we're playing," Phillips said. "I want our kids to know coach Narduzzi -- his father was the third coach here and took the 1979 team to the Division II final. That's history, and I want them to understand this isn't just a game. I heard Pat say he was a ballboy in third grade on the sidelines of Youngstown State. So I said it means something to him, just like it means something to all of us to go down there and be able to play a great Pittsburgh team in the Steelers' stadium."
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