Correspondent photo / David Dermer Youngstown State defensive tackle Collin Vaughn (98) helps to bring down North Dakota State running back Barika Kpeenu (8) as he fights to get the ball across the goal line Saturday afternoon at the FargoDome in Fargo, North Dakota.

YOUNGSTOWN — Walking off the field at the FargoDome on Saturday, Youngstown State knew it let a golden opportunity get away.

The Penguins gave top-ranked North Dakota State its toughest test of the season, but three turnovers and special teams miscues cost YSU a chance at a monumental upset.

“It’s frustrating. When everything’s in our control, I don’t think there’s a team in the country that’s better than us when we play ball,” safety Dathan Hickey said on Tuesday. “But when we make mistakes and we don’t get off the field on third down on defense, it kind of makes it hard to win those types of games against good teams.”

Even NDSU coach Tim Polasek commended YSU for the fight it gave the Bison during his press conference on Tuesday.

“I thought they were really physical. That would have been the first time in the last two years that I can honestly say — don’t think they exceeded our physicality, but I think they matched up,” Polasek said. “I just felt like, after watching the tape, they played really well. A couple mistakes really cost them. That’s a good football team.”

Despite the loss, the Penguins are still ranked in the FCS Stats Perform Top-25, coming in at No. 21 this week with a 5-4 overall record and 2-3 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

But with three games remaining, YSU no longer has any margin for error when it comes to earning a bid for the FCS playoffs.

“We try to have that reality talk. We kind of put ourselves in that situation,” YSU head coach Doug Phillips said. “Getting three losses in the league, you can’t have any more. We talk about pressure is a privilege. That means there’s certain expectations for you. We did the same thing when we had to get on a plane to go to Normal, Ill. We had to get a win there. So our kids are used to that pressure. But for us, we put ourselves in that situation, now we gotta dig ourselves out.”

With a limited number of bids available to MVFC teams, the Penguins are also vying with other middle-of-the-pack teams like South Dakota (6-4, 4-2), Illinois State (6-3, 3-2) and this week’s foe, Southern Illinois (6-3, 3-2).

So from here on out, YSU has adopted a “playoff mentality” for the final three weeks of the regular season.

“You have to. Every week you gotta go 1-0 and you cannot look ahead,” Phillips said. “You gotta play the opponent. It’s a faceless opponent. You gotta make sure that your guys are ready, that we prepare, that we practice so that practice execution becomes game reality. What we do this week determines how well we play on Saturday.”

The Penguins will have their hands full on Saturday when the Salukis come to town for a showdown at 2 p.m. (ESPN+/570 WKBN) at Stambaugh Stadium that could make or break YSU’s playoff hopes.

The YSU players still have memories of last year’s ugly road meltdown on their minds, when the Penguins jumped out to a 28-0 lead and lost 37-33.

“We’re excited to be back at home, defending the ‘Ice Castle,’ especially against Southern Illinois,” tailback Ethan Wright said. “After last year’s game we had a bad taste in our mouth. So we’re looking at inviting them back into the ‘Ice Castle’ and showing them who the Penguins really are.”

However, both teams are very different from what they were last season, most notably at the quarterback position.

YSU quarterback Beau Brungard has made considerable strides in all facets from last year and has been one of the most dynamic players in the FCS this season. Meanwhile, SIU quarterback DJ Williams has put up similar numbers as a dual threat.

Like Brungard, Williams leads his team in rushing yards with 569 yards and 13 touchdowns, while also passing for 2,023 yards and 15 touchdowns. He spearheads an explosive Saluki rushing attack that has four players with at least 200 total rushing yards this season.

“They’re explosive. They always are. Crazy games we’ve had with them the last three years,” Phillips said. “They have, I think, one of the best running back rooms you’re going to see. Those guys can run the football. They got a quarterback that does what Beau does — he can run, can pass, can create. They have an offensive line that can block, and defensively, they went to a new defense this year, more of a four-down (linemen).

“They have a lot of guys that can hurt you. … Coach (Nick) Hill is building a winning program there. They do a lot, so we gotta focus on cleaning up what we can do and put a plan together so that our young men can be successful executing come Saturday.”