YSU looking to respond after suffering 1st loss
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YOUNGSTOWN -- Fresh off its first loss of the season, Youngstown State is already looking forward.
In the defeat at Kentucky, the Penguins struggled to slow down the Wildcats' offense, and while YSU moved the ball offensively, finishing drives proved to be a challenge.
But now, the Penguins are hoping to bounce back from the loss, as they return home to Stambaugh Stadium on Saturday at 2 p.m. (ESPN+/570 WKBN) to host nearby Duquesne.
"Sometimes I look for adversity early in the year to kind of bring us together, and I hope that's what those games do," head coach Doug Phillips said. "Our job is to make sure we hit our highest level when we get to league play because you don't want to have a regret. So Saturday, taking a loss, taking a punch to the chin and getting knocked down, guess what? Now I want to see how you respond. I want to see if you learn from the game, so we can apply it and so that it doesn't happen later in the season."
Some of the defense's issues from last season seemed to pop up again against Kentucky.
YSU surrendered more than 500 total yards of offense, while giving up 8.3 yards per play. Wildcats quarterback Kenny Minchey torched the secondary through the air, throwing for 301 yards and four touchdowns. Kentucky also ran for 210 yards on the ground.
Junior linebacker Graydon Rollins attributed many of the issues to a lack of communication.
"I think there were slight improvements from Week 1 to Week 2, but I also think there were certain spots where we took steps back in spots that we really excelled in from Week 1," Rollins said. "So, I think coming into this week, we just need to get back to basics, get back to our fundamentals, leverage, tackling, all that stuff, but especially communication because you're not going to be a good defense without communication."
Despite the defense's issues, the Penguins are ready, if not eager to move on, as a new challenge presents itself on Saturday.
"At least for me, a big thing is don't dwell on the past," Rollins said. "Like [defensive coordinator] Coach [Ryan] Riemedio talks about, 24 hours, get it out of your head and move on to the next week. In college football, you have no time to sit and worry about the past and what's happened. We watched film Monday, went over what we needed to correct and we're on to Duquesne this week."
Saturday will be the Penguins' first matchup against Duquesne since the Dukes knocked off YSU for the first time ever during the 2024 season.
For some of the older players on the team, that matchup might rekindle some unpleasant memories. In that game, the Penguins jumped out to a 17-7 lead before Duquesne scored three straight touchdowns. YSU made it a one-possession game with 20 seconds left, but the Dukes held on for the 28-25 stunner.
"That was Beau [Brungard's] third start. A lot of our fifth-year seniors understand that was a tough, difficult loss in a tough season," Phillips said. "We had to dig ourselves out of a hole and never quite got out of it, so those guys remember."
This time around, the Penguins will go into the contest not fully certain of what to expect out of their opponent for the third straight week.
In games against Mercyhurst and Kentucky, both teams were breaking in new coaching staffs and new players in their first games of the season.
In Duquesne's season-opening loss at Air Force last week, the Dukes had to defend the Falcons' unusual Wing-T option offense. What Duquesne did, especially defensively, against Air Force, expects to be considerably different against YSU.
"Those games are sometimes difficult going into another game where you know they have a new defense," Phillips said. "You see them against Air Force, well, Air Force runs a Wing-T, so the defense you see against Air Force probably isnt't the defense we're going to see this week. So for the third week in a row, you're preparing a gameplan not knowing exactly what they're going to do."
Long-time head coach Jerry Schmitt still leads the Dukes, which started a familiar name at quarterback last week in sixth-year Southeast Louisiana transfer Carson Camp. Some YSU fans might remember Camp from his three years at South Dakota from 2020-22.
"I think it's great. Regionally, keeping it close, not a lot of travel," Phillips said of the matchup with Duquesne. "I always said I wish we could get some FBS [teams] that are closer that would play us. So for me, I think it's great for FCS playing these crossover games with different leagues. They're vying for the FCS playoffs just like we are. We only have 11 games, so we only have nine left. [There's] a sense of urgency each and every week."