Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes YSU punter Brendon Kilpatrick (40) boots a punt during the Penguins’ road contest last week at Illinois State. Kilpatrick has been one of the best, most consistent punters in the FCS this season.

YOUNGSTOWN — As the offense and defense had their share of ups-and-downs this season, special teams have remained a strong point for Youngstown State.

Through 10 games, the Penguins lead the FCS in net punting at 43.6 yards per game. Junior punter Brandon Kilpatrick has been a big part of that, having averaged 46.0 yards per punt, which ranks seventh in the country.

Alongside punting, kicking has also been steady, with sophomore placekicker Andrew Lastovka making 10-of-14 (71.4%) of his field goals and all of his PATs (31-for-31) this season. His long this season was from 46 yards and he also hit the game-tying field goal that sent it to overtime against North Dakota.

But it’s not just the punter and kicker, it requires a cohesive effort from the entire unit in punt coverage and field goal protection.

“It starts with a long snapper, it starts with protection, it starts with communicating the protection, gunners that are beating press coverage to get down there and force a fair catch,” head coach Doug Phillips said. “Our punt team, we worked on it every day in the spring and we work it every day (now). We put a lot of emphasis on it. Those guys have played a lot of reps. … I always say put your 11 best football players on punts and kickoffs that are tough, that you can trust and you rely on. So if you see them on those units, we got pretty good trust in those young men.”

With two games remaining in the regular season, YSU now turns its attention to its final road contest on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Southern Illinois.

“We continue to learn, continue to get better and we have an opportunity to go 1-0 this week and go into a tough place — a team that’s perennially a playoff team and a winning program,” Phillips said.

YSU has yet to win on the road this season. In fact, the Penguins are just 5-20 in road games since 2020.

“It comes down to finishing,” Phillips said. “When you’re on the road, you gotta finish. … That’s why our execution, our effort, our focus — that’s gotta be the No. 1 thing. We can’t control anything else. You gotta have tunnel vision. That’s how you win on the road, and we have not learned that this year. We’ve had tough road games, but we still have one opportunity. We’re going to get on a plane and we’re going to give as much effort as we possibly can. But I do want to see better execution.”

As YSU searches for its first road win of the season at SIU, the Penguins and Salukis find themselves in similar boats nearing the end of the regular season.

Both teams began the year ranked in the Stats Perform FCS Top-25 Poll. After some early losses, both tumbled out of the polls, and the struggles have largely continued for each team.

“I think we’re playing better football than we were in the beginning of the year, specifically on defense,” Phillips said. “Offense has been rolling, but we met a very good defense (last) Saturday. We were still able to get 300 yards, but you gotta score touchdowns. … I’d like to see a little more explosives from our offense — getting the ball deep. We haven’t done a very good job (of that).”

However, while YSU’s season has undergone a series of highs and lows — the Penguins have played six one-score games against tough opposition and managed to secure a signature win in overtime against a then-ranked North Dakota team, Southern Illinois’ has fallen off a bit of a cliff.

Since starting 2-1, which included a ranked win over Incarnate Word, SIU has lost six straight and has yet to win an Missouri Valley Football Conference game.

The Salukis have played one of the toughest schedules in the country and have been mired by injuries at the quarterback spot. SIU has lost three of the four quarterbacks on its roster to major season-ending injuries.

“The start of the season, they played great,” Phillips said. “But they lost two quarterbacks, which to a team can be devastating.”

The Salukis were so depleted at the position that they received an NCAA waiver to activate Michael Lindauer to the roster. Lindauer retired from football after spring practice to become a graduate assistant coach and is now one of SIU’s two quarterbacks alongside true freshman Jake Curry.

“They’ve been finding their way,” Phillips said. “But they (still) got big offensive lineman. They got great skill, but now they’re finding their way with a freshman quarterback and Lindauer that comes in at times. They’re going to go tempo, they’re going to go fast. … So defensively, they’re going to stress you.”