By Marissa Masano / The Jambar
In search of its first Missouri Valley Football Conference win, the Youngstown State University football team traveled to No. 12 University of North Dakota on Oct. 11. The Penguins fell to the Fighting Hawks, 35-17.
Inside the Alerus Center, senior Max Tomczak became the program’s all-time leader in career receptions with 188. He caught four passes for 79 yards.
The Penguins were shut out in the first quarter as North Dakota scored touchdowns on its first two possessions. Sophomore Jerry Kaminski connected with junior B.J. Fleming for a 9-yard touchdown pass, then found junior Haydn Stay for a 21-yard score on the next drive.
Early in the second quarter, junior Beau Brungard threw a 20-yard pass down the middle to senior Mike Solomon for Youngstown State’s first touchdown of the day — and Solomon’s first as a Penguin.
With the game still within reach, North Dakota responded quickly. Junior Gaven Ziebarth broke free for a 51-yard touchdown run to give the Fighting Hawks a 21-7 lead. Later in the quarter, Kaminski connected with Fleming again on a 14-yard touchdown to take a 28-7 lead into halftime.
Coming out of the break, UND received the ball, but a strong defensive stand by the Penguins forced a punt. On third-and-7, senior Michael Voitus pressured Kaminski into a quick throw, and sophomore Makai Shahid tackled the receiver four yards short of the first down.
The next possessions for both teams ended in punts.
Head Coach Doug Phillips said the team’s red zone efficiency played a crucial role in the loss.
“You can’t be 2-of-5 in the red zone,” Phillips said. “Becuase when you add that up, that’s either at a minimum of 12 points or at a maximum 21 points — and that’s the difference in a ball game. And then you look at third down, which we’ve been good on. We weren’t Saturday.”
With nine minutes left in the third quarter, Brungard completed a 57-yard pass to junior Kylon Wilson, putting the Penguins in Fighting Hawks territory. Junior Andrew Lastovka converted a 34-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 28-10.
The following drive, Brungard hit Tomczak for gains of 17 and 12 yards to move the chains. A short run by senior Ethan Wright and a North Dakota penalty helped push the Penguins deeper into UND territory.
With 4:22 left in the third quarter, Brungard found Wilson again, this time for a 37-yard touchdown.
North Dakota responded in the fourth quarter with a seven-minute, 57-second drive that included two fourth-down conversions. Ziebarth capped the series with a 1-yard rushing touchdown, extending the lead to 35-17.
Brungard finished the game 18-of-33 passing for 269 yards and two touchdowns. He also led the team in rushing with 71 yards. Wilson recorded a career-high 102 receiving yards, while Shahid led the defense with 11 tackles.
With the loss, Youngstown State drops to 3-3 overall and 0-2 in the MVFC.
Phillips said despite the winless record in conference play, the team looks to bounce back from a tough start.
“You fall behind 0-2 — guess what? We own it. We put ourselves there. Now, we got to fight. We got to bite, scratch, whatever it takes to get back out,” Phillips said.
The Penguins continue conference play at 3 p.m. Oct. 18 in Normal, Illinois, as they travel to face No. 10 Illinois State University at Hancock Stadium.
The matchup will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and 570 WKBN.
