Southern Illinois University
4-6 , 2-3
Youngstown St.
5-4 , 3-3
Football Loses to Youngstown State, 21-9
11/02/2002 | 12:00:00 | Football
Nov 2, 2002
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Youngstown State rushed for 376 yards en route to a 21-9 victory over Southern Illinois on a frigid Saturday night in northeast Ohio.
With gusty winds driving the wind chills into the low 20s, the team that ran the ball most effectively was going to be the winner.
That turned out to be the Penguins (5-4, 3-3), as Payton Watch finalist P.J. Mays turned in a stellar 210-yard rushing performance. He was complemented in the backfield by Mike Burns, who carried 12 times for 123 yards.
The Salukis (4-6, 2-3) never led in the game, but had plenty of scoring opportunities.
On their first possession, SIU drove 56 yards before the drive stalled at the YSU 24. The Salukis went for it on 4th-and-2 instead of trying a field goal into the wind, and Joel Sambursky's pass to Walter Bucki fell incomplete.
The Penguins grabbed a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter when Burns broke free for a 44-yard touchdown run.
On its next possession, though, Southern quickly moved the ball into Penguin territory. However, the drive stalled out again when Sambursky was flagged for intentional grounding on fourth down at the YSU 36.
The Salukis would eventually get on the scoreboard in the first half, drawing to within 7-3 on a 32-yard field goal by Scott Everhart.
Still trailing 7-3 late in the third quarter, Southern had a golden opportunity to take the lead. The Salukis had it 1st-and-goal after Brandon Robinson rushed 14 yards to the YSU 7. But on the next play, Courtney Abbott fumbled a reverse, and the Penguins recovered and took over at their own five.
Youngstown then marched 95 yards on 11 plays and scored a touchdown on a 28-yard TD pass from Aaron Marshall to Jerald Burley. The drive featured eight straight carries for 62 yards by Mays.
Down 14-3, the Salukis closed the gap to 14-9 on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Robinson to Abbott with 6:05 remaining in the game. The two-point conversion pass from Sambursky to Ryan McAllister was dropped.
However, Mays quickly stole the momentum back for YSU, needing just four carries to find the endzone on the Penguins' next drive. His first carry went for 59 yards, and he capped off the drive with a 14-yard touchdown run to seal the YSU win, 21-9.
Southern had one more scoring opportunity, but turned the ball over on downs at the YSU 8 with 1:24 remaining.
Robinson led the Salukis with 98 yards rushing on 23 carries. He also caught six passes for 68 yards.
Postgame Quotes
DT Brandon Walker:
"The way we've been practicing, the way our focus has been, I didn't expect us (to lose)."
RB Brandon Robinson:
"The O-line, as you can see with (Tom) Koutsos and Mo (Abdulqaadir), has been opening the holes. All you have to do is run through."
"We played hard and didn't give up and still had a chance to win at the end. Even though half their fans left, we felt like we could still win."
QB Joel Sambursky:
"Coach Kill says it every game, there's 8 to 10 plays that determine the game, and they either go for you or against you. We just failed to make those 8 to 10 plays, and it's extremely discouraging."
"It's obvious that we're building a program here. I'm tired of talking about it. I'm tired of saying `hey, we fought hard.' We can win, and we will. That's something I'm very positive about. We will win. Like Coach Kill said after the game, there are growing pains with every rebuilding project."
Head Coach Jerry Kill:
"I'm proud of our kids, I thought we played very hard. We fought the whole way, and the breaks didn't go our way. We had a costly turnover inside the red zone, and you can't make those plays against Youngstown State, they're too good a football team."
"We didn't execute. They're very, very good on defense. Offensively, we moved the ball and did some good things, but they kinda bended, but didn't break."
"I'm upbeat, because I thought we did some good things offensively. I was concerned after losing Muhammad, but Brandon Robinson played lights out. Curtis Jones got hurt early in the game, and we're sitting there with one tailback. We'll take the positives out of the game, get back home and go from there."
Team Stats
SIU 0, YSU 7
YSU - Burns, Mike 44 yd run (Stewart, Jake kick), 2 plays, 69 yards, TOP 0:39
SIU 3, YSU 7
SIU - Scott Everhart 32 yd field goal 12 plays, 62 yards, TOP 5:23
SIU 3, YSU 14
YSU - Burley, Jerald 28 yd pass from Marshall, Aaron (Stewart, Jake kick) 11 plays, 95 yards, TOP 5:16
SIU 9, YSU 14
SIU - Courtney Abbott 20 yd pass from B. Robinson (Joel Sambursky passfailed) 3 plays, 26 yards, TOP 1:20
SIU 9, YSU 21
YSU - Mays, P.J. 14 yd run (Stewart, Jake kick), 4 plays, 77 yards, TOP 2:10