Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes. YSU defensive tackle Cameron Cunningham (8) is tackled by Michigan State’s Brandon Tullis (7) and Aidan Chiles (2) after intercepting Chiles’ pass, which was tipped by linebacker Carston Marshall (5) on Saturday in East Lansing, Mich.

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State understands both the difficulty and importance of winning on the road.

The Penguins haven’t won a road game since the regular season finale at Murray State in 2023. But at the same time, in order for YSU to achieve its goal of making the FCS playoffs, the Penguins have to win games on the road.

“Thanks for reminding me,” head coach Doug Phillips said jokingly about YSU’s road woes during his weekly press conference on Tuesday morning. “It’s not a great (stat). If you want to achieve what you want to achieve as a program, you gotta go out and win road games. I don’t care how you win them, you gotta win them. You just have to find ways to win those road games. They’re all going to be close, they’re all going to be tough ones. Obviously, last year, we weren’t a playoff-caliber team because we couldn’t go on the road and win a football game.”

Last week’s game against FBS foe Michigan State aside, YSU will get its chance to test its mettle as road warriors at fellow FCS opponent Towson on Saturday at 6 p.m. (Flo Sports/570 WKBN) in Maryland.

“I’ve been in college football for five years now. Winning on the road, especially in their environment, at their own place, it’s hard,” senior defensive back Dayne Hodge said. “But with this team, we’ve got an older group, a mature group. So it’s a challenge that we’re up for, for sure. We’re looking to see what we’re about when adversity hits, and we’re looking forward to it.”

YSU has already seen considerable improvement in a multitude of areas this year compared to last season.

Through three games, the Penguins are 10th in the FCS in rush defense, giving up just 92.7 yards per game, a significant jump from being near the bottom of the FCS last year. Plus, YSU has already forced six takeaways, which is already just one shy of the seven it had through all 12 games last season.

“Everybody plays a role in that, all the way from coaches to scout team players,” Hodge said. “Our front-seven is doing a great job this year. They’re playing physical and they’re clearing up things. Our coaches are doing a great job implementing the game plan, allowing us to play fast and put us in an advantageous position.”

Also, the offense has shown its versatility. In the first two games, the running game dominated. Then last week against Michigan State, the passing game took over.

But more than anything, even when it has faced adversity, YSU has played like a collective unit. It has played with a level of chemistry and cohesiveness that it lacked at times last year.

“The one thing I see on the sidelines, our guys were supporting (each other) — ‘Hey, we got you. We got you here,'” Phillips said after the loss to the Spartans. “From last year, that’s probably the biggest growth that I’ve seen this team make.”

That growth is why the Penguins feel like they’re better suited to have success on the road this season.

“I feel like this year we brought in a lot of new transfers, a lot of new guys to rebuild the team chemistry,” receiver Mike Solomon said. “I feel like this year is a whole lot different from last year. This year, there’s a lot more guys dialed in, a lot more guys locked in. So I feel like (winning on the road) won’t be a problem.”

The Penguins built a good deal of confidence coming off their performance at Michigan State last week.

They’re hoping that carries over to Towson on Saturday, especially heading into the bye week next week before they head into Missouri Valley Football Conference play.

“We competed with those guys for three, four quarters,” Hodge said. “We kind of beat ourselves a little bit here and there, but our goal was to win the game. There’s no moral victories, but we put some good stuff on tape at times, so that was good. Our biggest challenge is just to grow this week and go get after Towson.”

YSU has history with the TIgers, but it’s been 34 years since the two teams have met. In their last meeting on Nov. 23, 1991, the Penguins came out on top 27-17.

“I remember that game. It was a hard-fought win, and I remember we had white jerseys on, but they weren’t white when you walked off the field,” Phillips said.

The Tigers are coming off a seven-win season, in which they went 5-3 in the CAA, ending the season on a three-game winning streak.

This year, Towson is 2-1 with road wins over Morgan State and Norfolk State, before a loss at Maryland last week. That means Saturday’s contest with the Penguins will be the Tigers’ home opener.

“You have a good idea of the type of football they play,” Phillips said. “Their head coach has built programs wherever he is. He has 173 wins as a head football coach. That’s pretty impressive.

“But we know the task at hand. … It comes down to how well you prepare on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the mental focus going into the game and then going and making the travel and being ready to play when it’s kickoff.”