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Scouting Report: Week 8

The Youngstown State football team has endured some tough losses in the 2021 spring football season.

Last week’s defeat might have been the toughest yet.

The Penguins gave up two special teams touchdowns and still held a fourth-quarter lead against previously winless Western Illinois, but they faltered in the final 7 minutes to drop to 1-5 overall and in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

YSU will try to change its fortunes when it goes on the road for the final time this season against Missouri State (4-4, 4-1). The No. 15 Bears are the surprise of the league after being picked to finish last in the MVFC. First-year coach Bobby Petrino has them on a three-game winning streak — with all three coming against top-25 teams.

MSU has a couple stars on defense, and that could be trouble for the Penguins, whose offense has been a bit one-dimensional and inconsistent. Special teams and turnovers doomed YSU last week, and the Penguins will need to clean up both areas to have a chance against Missouri State.

QUARTERBACKS

YSU — Freshman quarterback Mark Waid had some nice moments and some ugly ones vs. Western Illinois as he continues to develop as a starter. He was 20-of-28 passing for 186 yards (all career highs) and completed passes to nine different receivers, but he also threw two late interceptions that sealed YSU’s fate. He was sacked four times as well. The ultimate competitor, expect a better performance from the dual-threat Girard High School graduate.

MSU — Senior quarterback Matt Struck stepped in two games ago and has played well since taking over for injured freshman Jaden Johnson (concussion). Johnson is healthy after the Bears had two weeks off (last week’s game with North Dakota was canceled due to COVID-19 issues). The two QBs are essentially in a weekly competition. That makes life tough on YSU because Johnson is more of a dual threat, while Struck is a prototypical pocket passer. Struck’s passing numbers (70-percent completion percentage with one interception) are significantly better than Johnson’s (six interceptions, one TD), and he has helped guide MSU to a late-season run, so he seems like the favorite to start.

EDGE — MSU

RUNNING BACKS

YSU — Jaleel McLaughlin’s breakout season just keeps getting more impressive. He broke off a 73-yard TD run in the first half last week, but the Bears focused all their attention on slowing the fleet-footed junior from then on, and YSU couldn’t make them pay through the air. He’s going to need more help from senior Christian Turner, who had an off game after starting to play better in recent weeks.

MSU — Jeremiah Wilson and Tobias Little power a running-back-by-committee approach for Missouri State. Both are big, powerful backs who can wear down a defense. Celdon Manning, a redshirt freshman, is a quicker, shiftier option, and he leads MSU in TDs with four.

EDGE — YSU

WIDE RECEIVERS

YSU — Last week was a step in the right direction for the passing game, with nine players contributing. The problem is the main targets have been running backs and tight ends. There also has only been a few instances this season where YSU was able to stretch the field. Tight end Jake Benio leads the Penguins with 12 catches. Natavious Payne is the leading wide receiver with 10 receptions for 126 yards.

MSU — Junior Damoriea Vick leads a huge receiving corps for Missouri State. Vick, at 6-foot-3, is actually the smallest receiver. Junior Jordan Murray is 6-4, and senior Lorenzo Thomas is 6-5. Vick has been the best, by far, however. He has a team-high 35 receptions for 485 yards, yet he has not scored a TD. Thomas has 16 catches, and Murray has 15, but neither of them have a TD either. So, while the size could create matchup problems in the red zone, it hasn’t helped much to this point.

EDGE — MSU

OFFENSIVE LINE

YSU — The line, like most of the team, was up and down. They deserve a lot of credit for McLaughlin’s rise to prominence. He was barely touched on his long TD run, but they also gave up four sacks. Part of that is because WIU switched its defensive scheme, forcing YSU to pass, and the Penguins struggled to exploit the changes.

MSU — The improvement of the offensive line is a huge reason for the Bears’ resurgence in the spring. MSU allowed 20 sacks during its three-game fall schedule, but it has been much better in the spring (16 sacks in five games). Petrino recruited a few junior-college transfers after the fall to shore up the line, and it’s made a big difference.

EDGE — Even

DEFENSIVE LINE

YSU — The line has been solid most of the year, but applying pressure has been an issue. YSU is tied for last in the league with six sacks. However, they’ve been solid stopping run. The Penguins have held their last two opponents to well under 100 yards rushing. They’ve progressed despite some turnover up front and a new defensive system being installed. Tackle Vinny Gentile, a Cardinal Mooney grad, leads the line with 22 tackles (fifth best on the team), and end James Jackson has 17 stops, three tackles for loss and two sacks.

MSU — Missouri State’s front four in its 4-2-5 defense is quite impressive. Led by junior end Kevin Ellis (6-4, 241), who has a team-high six sacks and eight TFLs, the Bears lead the league in sacks. Tackle Eric Johnson (6-5, 286) is a force on the inside with 5.5 TFLs. End Isaiah Sayles is a good speed rusher off the edge (7.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks). This unit will be a tall task for the YSU offensive line.

EDGE — MSU

LINEBACKERS

YSU — Linebacker Grant Dixon had one of his quieter games, with just four tackles. That was likely due to the Leathernecks throwing the ball 34 times. He and fellow linebacker Griffin Hoak are tied for the team high in tackles with 43. They’ve both played rather well this year for a defense that has been a pleasant surprise.

MSU — Junior Tylar Wiltz is one of the leading linebackers in the conference, with a team-high 63 tackles (18 more than the next MSU player). Ferrin Manuleleua is another recent JUCO transfer who is now a starter. He is fourth on MSU with 42 stops and also has 4.5 TFLs. They’re in the middle of a defense that doesn’t boast the best statistics but makes plays at critical moments.

EDGE — Even

SECONDARY

YSU — One of the stronger secondaries in the league had one of its worst games against the MVFC’s top passing offense, giving up 304 yards passing. The main issue was big plays — four passes of 25 yards or more, two of which resulted in TDs. Missouri State is more of a balanced team, but the Bears’ quarterback has been playing well as of late. It’ll be interesting to see if a young YSU secondary can bounce back from a sub-par performance. It helps to have a senior leader in Zaire Jones, who leads the defensive backs with 23 tackles.

MSU — The Bears have a couple of talented Division I transfers at the corner positions. Jeremy Webb, from Virginia Tech, is huge for a corner (6-4, 205), and Montrae Braswell (Central Michigan) has been one of the MVFC’s top playmakers, with three interceptions and a 100-yard kickoff return for a TD. They’re each tied for the league lead with three interceptions. Safeties Titus Wall and Tyriq McDonald are Nos. 2 and 3 on the team in tackles.

EDGE — Even

SPECIALISTS

YSU — Last week was one of the worst performances in years for the special teams unit. YSU gave up both a kickoff and a punt return for a TD. The kickoff was especially deflating considering the Penguins had just scored and gone up by 11. YSU’s kickers were solid, with Colt McFadden making a 33-yard field goal and punters Paddy Lynch and Nick DeSavlo averaging 40.5 yards per punt. Punt returner Jake Coates, a John F. Kennedy graduate, broke the school record for career punt return yards with a 19-yard return. The senior has 556 career yards, breaking a 25-year-old record by Trent Boykin.

MSU — Braswell is a major threat on kick returns. Place kicker Jose Pizano is one of the MVFC’s most consistent kickers, making 11-of-13 field goals with a long of 47 yards. Punter Grant Burkett’s average of 42.7 yards per boot is fourth in the league.

EDGE — MSU

PREDICTION

The Penguins face one of their biggest challenges after blowing a double-digit lead to an 0-5 team last week. Their mettle is being tested as they face an upstart MSU team riding high on a three-game win streak.

Getting back on track won’t be easy versus the Bears, whose overall numbers aren’t gaudy, but they’ve found ways to win close games. That hasn’t been a strong point for YSU, which has three losses of eight points or less.

It’s an evenly matched contest with teams seemingly headed in opposite directions late in the spring season.

MSU, 24-20

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