Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes Youngstown State defensive backs Dayne Hodge (left) and DJ Harris (center-right) combine for a tackle during the Penguins’ Homecoming victory over Murray State on Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.

YOUNGSTOWN — How quickly things can change.

Just a couple weeks ago, Youngstown State was working through trying to find more consistency on offense. After the last two games, averaging 45.5 points in wins over Illinois State and Murray State, the Penguins appear to be hitting their stride on that side of the ball.

“I think it’s reps — the more reps you get, the more you sit in film study, you’re trying to put together a great scout team look — it starts there,” head coach Doug Phillips said Tuesday. “How good of looks are they giving us in practice, it’s as much game reality as possible, and I think our scouts have done a great job in those areas — special teams, defense and offense.”

“It was three weeks ago I said the greatest skill we could give someone is the skill of figuring it out, and I think our young men are figuring it out.”

YSU’s preparation led to how the Penguins have looked on the field in recent weeks.

Fresh Walters’ 53-yard touchdown reception against the Redbirds was a result of something the coaching staff felt they could take advantage of schematically with Illinois State’s secondary. Quarterback Beau Brungard’s 48-yard touchdown run in the game also came off a defensive look that YSU observed in film study.

Like Phillips said, that schematic preparation has worked on special teams, as well. Kylon Wilson said his 100-yard kickoff return against the Racers was made possible because the Penguins exploited how Murray State kicks off and blocks on returns.

“We’ve really improved our preparation, relying on that and just working hard every day in practice, trying to win on Tuesdays and Wednesdays,” left tackle Desmeal Leigh said.

However, it’d be remiss to discuss YSU’s growth offensively without mentioning Brungard’s play.

The junior signalcaller has been among the top performers in the FCS this season. So much so that he’s getting looks for the Walter Payton Award, which is awarded annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the FCS.

Brungard leads the country in total offense (358.2 yards per game), plus he’s second in rushing touchdowns (14), fourth in rushing yards (991) and 16th in passing yards (1,875). In the last two games, he’s accounted for 10 total touchdowns and has seemingly managed to accomplish something new each week.

“He’s special,” Leigh said. “We saw this all spring ball, fall camp. So this isn’t really a surprise to any of us. He’s really that good.”

The Penguins still feel like they have yet to reach their full potential. With momentum building from two straight wins, there’s no better opportunity to put it all together for four complete quarters than this week at No. 1 North Dakota State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+/570 WKBN) in the FargoDome.

“I think everyone’s trying to be playing their best football as you go into November,” Phillips said. “I think the ceiling is higher in where we can do as a football team. Each week, you want to see improvement, you want to see that growth. We need to see a big jump from this past Saturday to next Saturday.”

The Bison very well may be the best team YSU faces this season, even better than Michigan State. They’ve won their eight games by an average margin of 33.3 points per game. NDSU is sixth in the FCS in scoring offense (42.9 ppg) and No. 1 in scoring defense (9.6 ppg).

“They’re a complete program,” Phillips said. “There’s a reason why they’ve won so many national championships.”

It’s YSU’s first meeting with the Bison since 2022, and the Penguins haven’t won in the series since 2011 in Fargo.

“We haven’t played North Dakota State it feels like in forever,” Phillips said. “We haven’t played them, but we’ve watched them. You watch them on tape. When they want to flex their muscles, you know what you’re going to get. They don’t make mistakes. They wait for you to make mistakes, and then they pounce on you.

“It’s a great challenge for our young men. But we’re focusing on what we need to do. We can’t control the environment. What we can focus on is trying to execute and be running on all cylinders.”

The 10-time national champions are led by quarterback Cole Payton, who has some similarity to Brungard with his dual-threat ability.

Payton has thrown for 1,808 yards, while also rushing for 612 yards. However, he’s very different from Brungard with his physical characteristics at 6-foot-3, 233 pounds.

“We get a lot of one-on-one reps in practice,” defensive back DJ Harris said. “Since the spring, we’ve been going against Beau, so I feel like compared from last season to this season, we’ve been playing a lot better against dual-threat quarterbacks — just working the contain, keeping them in the pocket, and then when the ball is thrown in the air, making plays to try and limit him as much as we can.”