By John Ostapwicz / The Jambar
Two undefeated football programs, Youngstown State University and Michigan State University, went head-to-head at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 13 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.
The game started out as a close contest against a Big Ten Conference opponent in the Football Bowl Subdivision, but the Spartans turned a four-point advantage into a three-score lead as the Penguins fell short 41-24.
Head Coach Doug Phillips said the team showed promise in its first away game, which helps the team prepare for Missouri Valley Football Conference play Oct. 4.
“This is getting us ready for what we want to achieve in league play — we got to go to tough venues, we got to go to three indoor arenas that are just as loud just because it’s indoors,” Phillips said. “For us, we learned a heck of a lot, and we have to take from the film and we got to be better next Saturday.”
Despite the loss for Youngstown State, sophomore Jaden Gilbert recorded 130 all-purpose yards and also set two career highs with 72 rushing yards and 58 receiving yards. Junior Beau Brungard led the offense with 242 yards and went 24-for-34 to go along with two touchdowns.
After the game, Gilbert said the team had momentum heading into the locker room, but errors in the second half helped Michigan State secure the win.
“I believe momentum and energy is serious. The little mistakes we made, it cost us a little bit in the end, but I feel like we played great in our first road game,” Gilbert said.
The defense also played a crucial role in the matchup as senior Preston Zandier led the Penguins with 11 tackles, while senior Dayne Hodge and junior Carston Marshall recorded nine and six tackles, respectively.
The Penguins started the game with an early 3-0 lead from a field goal by junior Andrew Lastovka. The team’s opening drive was 15-plays for 65 yards, while Brungard helped generate momentum with a 23-yard pass to senior Austin Bray.
The Spartans responded with a 10-play, 82-yard scoring drive. Redshirt senior Rodney Bullard Jr. capped the drive with an 8-yard touchdown. On the team’s second possession, the Spartans recorded 87-yards over 12 plays, which set up sophomore Makhi Frazier for a 1-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
With 5:59 left in the first half, Gilbert escaped Michigan State’s defense for a 66-yard gain before he was tackled at the 1-yard line. Two plays later, Gilbert scored and cut the lead to 14-10.
Before halftime, Brungard threw an interception to redshirt senior Armorion Smith to set up a 24-yard field goal by Spartan redshirt freshman Martin Connington to take a 17-10 lead.
Michigan State senior Omari Kelly opened the third quarter with an 83-yard punt return — 10th longest in Spartan history — and was downed at the Youngstown State 4-yard line. Sophomore Brandon Tullis scored to take a 24-10 lead.
Both redshirt junior Michael Masunas and redshirt senior Elijah Tau-Tolliver rounded out the scoring column for Michigan State, while Brungard connected to both sophomore RK Dandridge and junior Kylon Wilson to round out the Penguins’ offensive attack.
YSU falls to 2-1 overall and is still in search of its first road win since Nov. 18, 2023.
Youngstown State continues its road trip against Towson University at 6 p.m. Sept. 22 in Towson, Maryland.
The game will be broadcasted on FloSports and 570 WKBN.
