By Teziah Howard / The Jambar
Football season is back for Youngstown State University, as its season opened in Villanova, Pennsylvania, against Villanova University.
Although the ’Guins shut out the Wildcats in the fourth quarter, they were bested by seven in a 24-17 loss on the road.
Villanova’s rushing attack led the way as graduate-student quarterback Connor Watkins picked up 107 yards rushing through 10 carries. Watkins totaled 197 yards and two touchdowns in the matchup.
The Penguins balanced their passing and rushing game, with a total of 152 yards through the air and 169 on the ground. The ’Guins also lost the turnover battle with a fumble, alongside two interceptions.
Freshman defensive back Zahmir Dawud was the first to intercept a pass from sophomore quarterback Beau Brungard. Senior linebacker Richie Kimmel added to Villanova’s turnover stat, as he tallied the second interception of the game.
For YSU, the passing game was spread out amongst seven different targets for Brungard, which included redshirt-freshman wide receiver Cyrus Traugh, who caught his first career touchdown just before the half.
Head Coach Doug Phillips said he was proud of the way his team played, but he still wants to see a leap in improvement moving forward.
“We have to make a jump. We have to get better fundamentally. We have to be better tacklers and play with a lower pad level. We have to play with ball security,” Phillips said. “Those are the areas we need to focus on going into Week 2.”
The Penguins had extended time to prepare for Valparaiso University. The ’Guins opened the season at home with a 59-25 win.
The game’s first touchdown came in just over 15 seconds with a fumble recovered by the Penguin defense resulting in a scoop and score.
YSU jumped out to a 21-point lead in the first quarter with scores by junior wide receiver Max Tomczak and Brungard.
Brungard totaled 319 yards, including 125 through the air and 194 on the ground. He also finished the matchup with five total touchdowns.
The 34-point win for the Penguins was the first career win for Brungard at the helm of the offense. The performance earned the quarterback Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
Brungard expressed how his first win impacted him and his team.
“To get that first win, it feels good. We’ve worked so hard this summer and offseason and you only get 12 games,” Brungard said. “To win at home in front of our fans really means a lot.”
Defending the Ice Castle is a standard upheld by the YSU football team and Phillips makes sure the message is received from his players.
“It’s special playing in the Ice Castle,” Phillips said. “It’s about how you react, how do you react when great things happen or how you react when you’re up 21-0?”
The Penguins will continue their home stretch Saturday, Sept. 14 in a matchup against Duquesne University. The game will mark the second time this season the Penguins rematch a playoff opponent.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. as the Dukes will visit Stambaugh Stadium for the second-straight season. The Penguins will be looking to continue their undefeated record against Duquesne, sitting at six wins and zero losses.