Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes YSU tailback Tyshon King (10) carries the ball during last week’s home opener victory against Valparaiso. King leads a stable of running backs that the Penguins have at their disposal.

YOUNGSTOWN — No one on the team was surprised last week when Youngstown State exploded for 429 rushing yards against Valparaiso.

“We knew we could do it going into the week,” wide receiver Max Tomczak said Tuesday. “We know we have that big-play capability.”

It was the first time YSU rushed for more than 400 yards in a game since it ran for 454 vs. Howard in 2019.

Led by 194 yards from quarterback Beau Brungard, YSU picked up yards in bunches. The Penguins had five different players run for at least 30 yards and eight different players receive carries, while seven different players had at least one run of 10 or more yards. Against the Beacons, YSU averaged 9.8 yards per carry.

After two games, the Penguins average 7.12 yards per carry, the second-best mark in the FCS. Plus, four of YSU’s touchdowns against Valpo came on plays of at least 60 yards.

“It really just comes down to working on the plays we didn’t hit on,” Tomczak said of the Penguins’ big-play ability. “I think we should have had a lot more explosives than we had. So going forward, it’s just going to be working on fixing those little things.”

It was a much-needed confidence boost for an offense that struggled to find consistency in its Week 1 matchup with Villanova.

“Running the ball, we had more explosives than we normally have,” head coach Doug Phillips said. “We got some guys that are fast and strong, so you take what you can get. But there’s games where we’re going to need the pass, and there’s going to be games where it’s going to be a mix of run and pass. You go in with a plan, but you stick with what’s working.”

With its experienced, veteran offensive line, the Penguins will continue to be a run-first team, especially with this being the “deepest” running back room that Phillips has had during his time in Youngstown.

All-around power runner Tyshon King is the Penguins’ starter in the backfield, especially after he burst onto the scene last year with a 1,000-yard season, while Ethan Wright offers YSU a bit of a changeup option with his straight-line speed.

But YSU didn’t hesitate to rotate carries amongst its options at tailback, especially the younger players like sophomores Cephus Harris III and Da’Shaun Whatley and redshirt freshman Jaden Gilbert.

Phillips wanted to see those younger players start to develop and do the things they needed to do in the spring, and he finally saw them meet those expectations during fall camp in August.

“There’s only so many guys you can distribute that one football to,” Phillips said. “They get reps in practice, and we see what they can do in practice. We try to tell them success is preparing for an opportunity, and when that opportunity comes, you better be ready. … In the spring I was waiting and waiting for it, then I thought in camp we saw it emerge. So I was excited to see those young guys on Saturday get in there and make some plays.”

With the running game leading the way, YSU wants to continue to see its offense hit on big plays this week against Duquense on Saturday at 2 p.m. (ESPN+/ 570 WKBN).

In its first FCS playoff game since 2016, the Penguins throttled Duquesne 40-7 last November.

But YSU knows that the Dukes are a battle-tested group that have already faced two tough opponents in Toledo and Boston College.

“We beat them last year in the home playoff game, and for any team, that builds up animosity for them,” defensive end Michael Voitus said. “They want to come in and get that win back in our place. So we just have to do what we do best and defend the Ice Castle. What Duquesne brings is some more experience, and more guys who are willing to be able to do what it takes to win some of these non-conference games.”

Like the Penguins, Duquesne is both similar and different compared to the team that came to Stambaugh Stadium last season.

The Dukes return a couple of familiar faces on offense, including quarterback Darius Perrantes and running backs Taj Butts and JaMario Clements, each of whom played in last season’s matchup.

“It starts with their quarterback. He was record-setting last year and had a great season,” Phillips said. “He can throw — he looks to throw first, but he can run. They run their mid zone, they can run their counter, and we didn’t stop counter very well this past Saturday. That’s where we gotta get better. They got three offensive lineman that returned and they’ve got good running backs.”

Duquesne is also breaking in a new defensive coordinator this year, just like YSU. Mickey Jacobs was promoted from his previous position on head coach Jerry Schmitt’s staff as safeties coach and special teams coordinator last year.

“Just like we have a new coordinator, I’m sure we’re a little different than we were last year, so we’re adjusting to that,” Phillips said. “Really, you’re looking at two games, you can go back to last year. They return both their inside linebackers on defense and they got their safety (Antonio Epps) back, who I think is a great player. Their defensive end, (Jason) Patterson, I think is one of the best defensive ends we’ll see.”

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