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YSU loses after early lead

Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes YSU junior running back Jaleel McLaughlin, center, rushes in for a touchdown against Southern Illinois on Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.

YOUNGSTOWN — There were quite a few goals on the mind of Youngstown State coach Doug Phillips going into the third game of the season.

Two of the biggest were finding a way to win and realizing an offensive identity.

The Penguins couldn’t finish off 11th-ranked Southern Illinois, but the offense seemed to find an identity — and maybe a quarterback — in a 30-22 loss on Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.

YSU (0-3, 0-3) held a lead for the majority of the game, but the Salukis (3-1, 2-1), fresh off a shocking upset of North Dakota State last week, outscored the Penguins, 17-3, in the second half to escape with a victory.

“There are a lot of emotions,” Phillips said. “We’re trying to get a win. I want these young men to taste that victory. We’re going to continue to work, continue to fight and continue to get better, but I just really want them to taste that victory.”

Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes Freshman defensive back Keyon Martin makes an interception for Youngstown State in the first quarter Saturday against Southern Illinois.

There were plenty of positives, nonetheless.

Youngstown State more than tripled its offensive output from the first two weeks. Quarterback Mark Waid showed signs of becoming the starter as he played every snap and had YSU in position to tie the game in the final minute. Running back Jaleel McLaughlin ran for 124 yards and two TDs as he and a much-improved offensive line seemed in sync.

That all resulted in a 12-0 first-quarter lead for the Penguins, their first in any game this season. SIU scored on a 6-yard run to make it 12-7, but McLaughlin finished off a 19-play, 75-yard drive that took 10 minutes off the clock with a 1-yard TD to push YSU’s lead to 19-7. Then came a big momentum swing.

The Salukis drove 75 yards in just 1 minute, 27 seconds, scoring on a 17-yard scramble by quarterback Nic Baker just before halftime. They got the ball to start the second half and put together another 75-yard scoring drive to take a 20-19 lead.

“That was huge,” Phillips said. “… They were able to flip that momentum. They’re able to get points going into halftime, knowing they get the ball in the second half. They score in the second half, but the one thing I’m proud of our young men for is, OK, that’s adversity in a game. They just scored two touchdowns on us, but we were able to hang in there, fight back and stay in this football game with a chance to win.”

Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes Youngstown State linebacker Grant Dixon, right, tackles Avante Cox of Southern Illinois on Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.

YSU did, indeed, respond.

After Southern Illinois added a field goal for a 23-19 lead, Waid, who had been splitting time with fellow quarterback Joe Craycraft before Saturday, engineered an 18-play, 55-yard drive that ended with a 36-yard field goal by Colt McFadden to cut the lead to 23-22 with 10:47 left in the game.

Waid finished 10-of-22 passing for 94 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He ran for 73 yards and one TD on 23 attempts. While Waid’s passing numbers weren’t great — YSU was plagued by drops — he continuously made big plays at key moments.

Phillips, who revealed that Craycraft is battling a leg injury, spoke highly of Waid but was non-committal on naming him the starter next week and beyond.

“They had great games,” said Phillips of Waid and McLaughlin, who also was not listed as the starter on the depth chart but had a team-high 26 carries. “They did exactly what we needed to start fast. It’s still unfair to say (who’s the starter).

“When you start a game that fast and you gain momentum, it’s hard to make a shift at that point.”

While the start is improving, the finish needs some work.

The Salukis responded quickly to the YSU field goal. A few first downs and a facemask on YSU put them in good field position at the Penguins’ 37. Landon Lenoir then put a double move on a YSU corner and was wide open for a 37-yard TD pass from Baker at the 10:21 mark of the fourth quarter.

The Penguins looked to be finished when SIU took over near midfield with 2:51 remaining in the game, but the defense made a tackle-for-loss and forced a punt. YSU took over at its own 20 with 2:29 on the clock, and Waid hit Christian Turner for 16 yards on third-and-10 and then found Andrew Ogletree for 33 down to the SIU 31. A couple incompletions and a 6-yard pass to London Pearson set up fourth-and-4 from the 25.

Waid avoided pressure and rolled to his left to buy time, but his pass was just out of the reach of wide receiver Natavious Payne. SIU was able to run out the clock to preserve the victory.

Waid spoke passionately about the pros and cons of coming so close.

“It’s a good feeling, but at this same time, we’re not satisfied,” he said. “You can’t be happy after a loss. There are a lot of good things we did. That’s just a testament to the coaching staff and a testament to the guys in that locker room. That’s the mindset we have.

“This is Youngstown, Ohio. It gets tough. You don’t quit. You have people in our community who have to work two jobs just to make ends meet. They’re not quitting. They’re not taking time off. They’re not shutting down. Things get hard. This is Youngstown. You persevere. You push through, and that’s the mantra of this football team.”

YSU travels to South Dakota State next week for a 3 p.m. showdown with the Jackrabbits.

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