By Teziah Howard / The Jambar
Football is a game of inches, and the Youngstown State University football team won the battle after stopping No. 7 University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks on a two-point conversion.
The game ended with both teams combining for over 80 points. YSU held off the Fighting Hawks to secure the victory 41-40.
The Penguins were led by their rushing attack. The three-headed monster of sophomore Beau Brungard, seniors Tyshon King and Ethan Wright conquered the run game with over 300 yards.
Brungard was able to find the endzone three separate times on the ground, while King found the endzone once. Wright tallied under 100 yards on 16 carries.
Head Coach Doug Phillips had high praise for his team’s run game. Phillips said the ground-and-pound method in the second half played a huge part in the Penguins’ success.
“The team that comes out in the second half and is able to run the football is the team that is going to get what their work deserves,” Phillips said.
North Dakota junior Simon Romfo completed 19 passes on 24 attempts and threw three touchdowns. Fifth-year senior Bo Belquist hauled in two touchdowns for the Fighting Hawks and recorded over 100 yards receiving.
For the Penguins, redshirt freshman Cyrus Traugh led the way with three receptions for 27 yards. The Penguins moved the ball down the field on the game’s opening drive to secure a 7-0 lead.
Defensive plays for the Penguins were showcased throughout the duration of the game. Juniors Michael Voitus and Preston Zandier tallied sacks to force the Fighting Hawks to punt on their first drive of the second half.
Senior Devin Johnson led the Penguins’ with eight tackles. The game featured nine lead changes, with the Penguins possessing the grit to hold the North Dakota offense to a failed two-point conversion after scoring.
After a 14-13 lead, the Penguins pinned the Fighting Hawks inside their own 10-yard line. It took 11 plays for the North Dakota offense to reach the end zone after a 90-yard drive.
Youngstown State responded promptly to regain the lead, when Brungard led the offense down the field to make the score 21-20 before halftime.
With the matchup being decided by one point, all three phases — offense, defense and special teams — were imperative. Brungard expressed the importance of team work during the overtime win.
“[Phillips] talks about putting together every phase of the game for 60 minutes all the time,” Brungard said. “This is what this team can do when we put all three phases of football together for the whole game and I couldn’t be more proud of everyone on this team.”
The Penguins will travel to Illinois for back-to-back weeks, with the first matchup at 3 p.m. Nov. 2 against Illinois State University.
