By Marissa Masano / The Jambar
In the first round of the 2025 NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, the Youngstown State University football team hosted Yale University on Nov. 28. In its first playoff appearance in school history, the Ivy League opponent overcame a 28-point halftime deficit to defeat the Penguins, 43-42.
Junior Beau Brungard, Walter Payton Award finalist, recorded three passing and three rushing touchdowns and compiled 317 yards through the air and 90 yards on the ground. Brungard also broke YSU’s single-season records for passing yards, completions and attempts, previously set by former Penguin Mitch Davidson in 2023.
Senior Max Tomczak and junior Kylon Wilson each finished with more than 100 receiving yards, which marked the first time two Penguins surpassed 100 yards in the same game since Sept. 16, 2023. Tomczak capped off his YSU career with three touchdowns, while Wilson led the team with nine receptions.
The Penguins opened the scoring on their first possession with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Brungard to Tomczak. On Yale’s first drive, junior Mike Wells sacked sophomore Dante Reno. With the momentum, Wells hurried Reno again, which led to an interception from senior Dayne Hodge that set up Brungard’s first rushing touchdown of the game.
The Bulldogs’ next possession, Wells continued to apply pressure and forced an incompletion. He later broke up a pass attempt that led to another 3-and-out for Yale.
In the second quarter, junior Justin Wimpye intercepted Reno and set up another scoring drive, capped by Brungard’s second touchdown pass to Tomczak.
Senior Josh Pitsenberger, Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, scored Yale’s first touchdown to cut the lead to 21-7. The Penguins responded as Brungard connected with sophomore Jaden Gilbert for a 31-yard gain to the Yale one-yard line, setting up Brungard’s one-yard rushing touchdown to extend the lead to 28-7.
Yale appeared ready to score again at YSU’s 12-yard line, but a strip-sack by Carsten Marshall was recovered by Hodge. This gave the Penguins possession at Yale’s 35-yard line.
Youngstown State entered halftime with a 35-7 lead. The turning point came in the third quarter when Pitsenberger scored his second touchdown of the day, and the Bulldogs converted a two-point attempt to make it 42-22. On Youngstown’s next drive, senior Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye forced a fumble, which was recovered by Yale junior Abu Kamara, Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year.
With just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty on the Penguins gave Yale a new set of downs and allowed the Bulldogs to kneel out the clock.
Yale scored 29 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and took the lead on a 56-yard touchdown run by Pitsenberger. With the victory, Yale became the first FCS team to overcome a halftime deficit of 28 or more points since 2000.
With the loss, Youngstown State’s 2025 season came to a conclusion. Yale has advanced to face No. 2 seed Montana State University on Dec. 6.
