Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes YSU quarterback Beau Brungard eludes a defender and looks downfield during Penguins scrimmage during fall camp at Stambaugh Stadium.

YOUNGSTOWN — One of the positive takeaways from Youngstown State’s 4-8 season last year was the growth and progression of quarterback Beau Brungard.

Now a junior, Brungard is back for his second season as the Penguins’ starter under center and he’s itching to return to the field to try to help YSU bounce back this year.

“I’m super excited that I get another opportunity to play for this city, this team and (head) Coach (Doug) Phillips,” Brungard said. “A lot of good lessons I took from last year. I gathered a lot of valuable experience, and I’m going to use that to carry it over to this year, not only within the game, but leadership-wise in the locker room.”

Last summer, Brungard, a New Middletown native and Springfield alum, beat out three others for the starting job.

It was a full-circle moment for the area native, whose father, Mark, played quarterback for YSU from 1992-1995 and led the program to two Division I-AA national championships in 1993 and 1994.

“It’s a true love I have for Youngstown, being from here with the history of this program and my father playing here,” Brungard said. “I have true love for this team and for this city. Just to know that every day I get to come out and play for my hometown in front of my family and my friends and everybody from this town is just a great feeling. I get to play and put on for my city.”

Brungard’s athleticism and dynamic playmaking ability with his legs gave the Penguins’ offense an added dimension that most teams struggled to stop last year. He rushed for 998 yards and 16 touchdowns, which made him the fourth leading rusher in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

But he also displayed his growth as a passer throughout the year. He began the season by throwing two interceptions on the road at Villanova, but then ended the year with his best-career passing performance, throwing for 256 yards and two touchdowns with an 86% completion rate in the season-ending overtime win over Northern Iowa.

For the season, Brungard completed 67% of his passes for 2,141 yards and 12 touchdowns. But after throwing 11 interceptions, one of the things Brungard focused on this offseason was improving his decisionmaking and cutting down on turnovers.

“Football IQ, down and distance, field position, knowing your protections, all that comes into play,” Brungard said. “Knowing that and having the experience from last year, being able to fix that with more time in the film room. It’s all mental when it boils down to it, knowing where your guys are going to be, knowing where your protection is — it all boils down to that. I think just taking a big leap in the film room this year, I think that’s going to help me.”

That extra work that Brungard puts in outside of practice has been widely praised by his coaches all offseason.

His teammates notice it too, which is one of the reasons why he was voted as one of YSU’s five captains last week after the conclusion of fall camp.

“He’s one of those guys that puts in the work,” offensive coordinator and QBs coach Mike Yurcich said. “He’s beat me there to the office and he was there when I left (at night). So he puts in the work, and it’s easy to see. That kind of drive and motivation is rare. It’s very rare, and he’s got it. That’s what makes really great players great — that extra effort.”

The extra preparation time outside of practice has been necessary for Brungard with Yurcich’s arrival along with his new offensive playbook.

The Penguins learned and installed Yurcich’s scheme in the spring and spent fall camp working to fine tune execution.

“When Coach Yurcich got here, he laid a good foundation,” Brungard. “He really used the spring to see where we were at as an offense, what we were good at, what our weaknesses were. Once we got that down and got a good understanding of the offense, he used this fall to really focus on what our strengths are and get really good at those.”

It’s been a long and arduous process, but Brungard likes where he and the rest of the Penguins are as they head into the start of the season.

“I think all our guys have really bought into that and we all really trust Coach Yurcich and his plan and what he has for us,” Brungard said. “He’s a hard coach. He really pushes us. There’s not a day that goes by where he’s going to take a day off and he’s not going to demand perfection out of us.”

Yurcich adapted what he wants to do offensively to fit the Penguins’ personnel and that includes utilizing Brungard’s legs and his running ability.

After working closely with him all offseason, Yurcich said in the spring that he thinks Brungard is primed for a big season.

“Accuracy is the most important thing a quarterback can have,” Yurcich said. “The ability to make plays on their feet is very important in this day and age. He’s a kid that’s shown me both and continues to get better each day and comes to work and is just an extremely hard worker. I’m proud and happy to coach him, that’s for sure.”

Brungard and the rest of the Penguins open the season Thursday at 6 p.m. against Mercyhurst at Stambaugh Stadium.