With experience and expectations, YSU itching to open season
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YOUNGSTOWN -- The last time the Youngstown State football team walked off a field after a game, the Penguins had just blown a 28-point lead in a second-half collapse against Yale in the first round of the FCS playoffs.
For nine months, the Penguins have had that memory burning in the back of their minds. Today, they're ready to finally have the opportunity to take the field again to earn their redemption, as they open the 2026 season against Mercyhurst at 6 p.m. (ESPN+/570 WKBN) at Stambaugh Stadium.
"We've had reminders since January of the last time we walked off that field. It wasn't a great feeling," head coach Doug Phillips said. "For us just to get back out there to play football and play together, I think is huge.
"The focus has to be on us, on our team and what we need to do to be able to achieve great things this year. And that journey starts this Thursday, and we're excited. Like I said, you get tired of hitting the same guys each and every day. The goal of a head football coach is now I gotta take these guys that have been going against each other, offense, defense and special teams, and we gotta come out as one team, and be able to handle adversity, be able to handle any of the successes and think about the next play and being able to finish."
Heading into this fall, YSU's preseason expectations are as high as they've been since the Penguins were coming off an FCS title game appearance in 2017.
With North Dakota State now in the FBS, YSU is projected to contend for the Missouri Valley Football Conference championship after the team was picked third in the preseason poll.
The Penguins also find themselves in the top-10 rankings of most national preseason polls, with both the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll slotting them at No. 9.
YSU is embracing the lofty expectations from both the fanbase and national media.
"I am the truest believer in pressure as a privilege," fifth-year offensive lineman Shane Keenan said. "You wouldn't have pressure if you weren't expected to be good. ... We're not really thinking about the expectations on us as much as we're thinking about doing our jobs every single play, every meeting, even every meal, treatment, whatever it is. Just doing the best that we can, and that's all we're really focusing on right now."
Those expectations can be attributed to the Penguins returning an experienced, veteran roster consisting of 23 fifth-years and 18 seniors.
A significant number of those players have come up through the program together over the years and have built "connectivity" and developed a tight bond. Phillips called this year's group one of the closest-knit teams he's had during his tenure.
"For us, the connectivity and the love for each other is everything," senior defensive back Cam Smith said. "As you probably understand, once you have a genuine relationship with somebody or a genuine love for somebody, that makes you want to go harder and fight harder for each other. So I feel like us going out there every play and understanding that we have each other's backs on everything, no matter what it is, it allows us to go out there and execute our jobs better, knowing that we have those guys behind us."
In last year's opener, Mercyhurst -- then led by former head coach and now-current YSU defensive coordinator Ryan Riemedio -- gave the Penguins a stiff test in a 24-15 YSU victory.
This time around, Riemedio finds himself on the Penguins' sideline and the Lakers have a new head coach in former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tom Sydeski.
With the new faces on Sydeski's coaching staff, a handful of new players and a new season, there's a degree of uncertainty as to what the Penguins can expect Mercyhurst to throw at them.
"They got a new defensive coordinator, so they probably have a new defense," Phillips said. "The offensive coordinator knows Coach Riemedio, and Coach Riemedio knows the offensive coordinator. We hope over the last 20-some practices our offense has given every look that our defense would need, and I know our defense has given every look that our offense would need."
As a result, making in-game adjustments throughout the contest will be pivotal. But Phillips still stressed that fundamentals like ball security, leverage and tackling will be key, regardless of the adjustments.
"You take this big gameplan and you narrow it down, and you're going to have to make adjustments," Phillips said. "They have three quarterbacks listed. Which one? Each one brings something different to the game. So you kinda narrow down what you do, but you always have to be ready to make some [adjustments]."