YSU finally finishes, knocks off No. 7 North Dakota 41-40 in overtime thriller
YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State has learned how to finish.
Through eight weeks, the Penguins had played in four one-score games this season, coming out on the winning side in just one of them.
On Saturday, YSU played its fifth close game, but this time the Penguins finished things out in a thrilling 41-40 overtime victory over No. 7 North Dakota at Stambaugh Stadium.
“We knew that we were going to have to come out and run the ball, and whichever team was going to stop the run, that’s who was going to win the game — just tough football,” quarterback Beau Brungard said. “So I think it was a mindset change. We had our guys and we were hungry. We knew we had to finish the game on a good note, unlike what we’ve done before. So I was incredibly proud of my guys that we were able to do that.”
Despite a lack of success in the critical moments down the stretch at times this season, the Penguins had to figure something out against the Fighting Hawks.
Down by three with 3:43 left in regulation, YSU got the ball back at its own 18-yard line. But by the time of the two-minute timeout, it had moved the ball just 13 yards. The Penguins still had plenty of work to do.
On 2nd-and-8, facing pressure from all angles by the Fighting Hawks’ aggressive defense, Brungard weaved his way out of the pocket and took off scrambling across the field for a 46-yard gain that put YSU on the cusp of the red zone.
It wasn’t the first time Brungard made something out of nothing.
All game long, he had eluded North Dakota’s pass rush to take off for big gains downfield, which head coach Doug Phillips had previously said he’s seen repeatedly in practice, but hadn’t yet seen translate to Saturdays on a consistent basis. Brungard eight runs of at least 10 yards and averaged 9.8 yards per carry.
“He was hard to defend,” Phillips said. “We had some designed cue runs that I thought we executed, especially in the first half. But the scrambling ability — they might have someone spying him, but he’s fast. The answer they had was going (cover) zero. They brought more than we could protect, and that was something we knew they would do.”
Brungard finished the game with 176 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries. It was his third game this season with more than 100 yards on the ground, and he broke YSU’s single-season rushing record for a quarterback, as well.
Brungard spearheaded a YSU rushing attack that combined to run for 334 yards, as Ethan Wright ran for 93 yards on 16 carries and Tyshon King ran for 65 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.
“When I drop back and I see a lane, I have the green light to just go sometimes,” Brungard said. “We have great receivers and they were open, but sometimes the lanes are just there to run. We just do with what they give us, so they were giving us big rushing lanes, and I was able to step up and make some plays. The receivers blocked very well downfield, and the O-line played great.”
With the clock ticking down at the end of the fourth quarter, YSU’s do-or-die drive stalled out and Andrew Lastovka kicked a game-tying 35-yard field goal to force overtime.
“With Andrew, we saw it last year,” Phillips said. “The trust that we have in him. … We have full trust that Andrew will put it right between the goal posts.”
In overtime, North Dakota won the toss and elected to go on defense first, so YSU’s offense went right back out onto the field.
Brungard picked up where he left off, quickly scampering to the outside for 15 yards on the first play of overtime.
That set up 1st-and-goal at the 10, and three plays later the Penguins were faced with a decision on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line.
YSU elected to go for it and were rewarded with a 1-yard touchdown run by King. But then it was North Dakota’s turn.
The Fighting Hawks’ offense was having the same success that YSU’s was, except it came through the air on the arm of quarterback Simon Romfo, who finished 19-for-24 for 212 yards and three touchdowns.
It took North Dakota’s offense five plays to score, but instead of kicking the PAT and going to a second overtime, Fighting Hawks head coach Bubba Schweigert opted to go for two and the win.
“They’re on the road, they probably felt like they had an opportunity from three yards away to end it, get on a plane and go back home,” Phillips said. “I’m sure they had a play that they’ve executed in practice and felt good about, so it didn’t surprise me.”
After a YSU timeout, North Dakota lined up with tight end Quincy Vaughn lined up in the shotgun, which is part of a package the Fighting Hawks use in goal line or short yardage situations.
Vaughn took the snap, faked the handoff and was immediately swarmed by YSU defenders. Attempting to avoid a sack, he floated up a prayer into the end zone, but it was tipped by an offensive lineman and fell to the red Beede Field turf in the end zone.
As the Penguins stormed the field in jubilation from the sideline, an ineligible man downfield penalty was declined, and the game was over.
“The defense really stepped up on that last play,” Phillips said. “When No. 4 (Vaughn) is in there, they’re very successful in fourth down plays or when they need two yards or three yards. For our defense to step up and make a play and win it that way — how do you win games? Defense, defense, defense. To see them be able to do that, it goes a long way.”
YSU finished. The offense finished the game with the game-tying and go-ahead score, while the defense ended with the game-winning stop.
“That’s what you envision,” Phillips said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the effort. We thought we needed 60 minutes to win. Right before overtime, we brought (the players) in together and told them, ‘Guess what, it’s 60-plus minutes to win, and I think our kids were excited.”