YSU at Pitt - Link to stories, reports. etc

[ysuindy]

Lets use this as a thread to post links to stories or video reports previewing and recapping the game.  Perhaps keep our discussions about the game elsewhere?

This is a Pitt video preview

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQtCCbJXj7c&feature=youtu.be

[ysuindy]

http://buzztap.com/link.jsp?id=13646340&cid=379&source=feed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

We are now under the one week count down until the 2012 season opener and Paul Chryst’s debut as the PITT Panther Head Coach.  The Youngstown State Penguins come into Heinz Field Saturday at 6:00 pm for an out of conference and out of division game.  Please try to make it to the stadium, Paul needs you to be there.

Here is the .pdf of the 2012 media guide for YSU.  They are in the Missouri Valley Conference of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivison (FCS), as opposed to our being in the famed Big East of the BCS division.

YSU has an interesting coaching staff with some familiar names on it.  The Head Coach is Eric Wolford who has “has moved the Penguins back into postseason contention and is showing the nation that the program is on the cusp of returning to national prominance.” Those are YSU’s words, not mine. I would have spelled ‘prominence’ correctly.  He is married to Melinda Wolford and has two children.

Their Ass’t HC and DL coach is PITT alumni Tom Sims; their WR coach is Andre’ Coleman the former NFL receiver; their OLB coach is one of the famous Stoops boys, Ron Stoops, jr and their Cornerbacks coach is Glenn Davis who has been dead for seven years.

YSU was 6-5 last season playing a “multiple” offense which apparently a mixture of Ace, I, Flexbone, Shotgun and with the wishbone mixed in.  The last team that played that mixture of offenses was the Tower Of Babble Wildcats.  So, they return 10 starters from an offense that wasn’t too shabby all in all.   YSU had a pretty solid running game in 2011 with 231 yards per game and they scored at a 36.2 ppg clip.

YSU also plays a 4-3 defense, which I understand because Dave Wannstedt lived by it.  They return four starters from a defense that gave up 33.2 ppg and 436 ypg.  Looking good for us, we could use a defense that gives up yards on the ground.

But enough about them.

PITT is going into this week of closed game-week practices with some real questions about the team. Here is the two deep as well as I can figure it out – it will probably be different come gameday but this should be close to what we’ll see on Saturday.

OFFENSE:

Quarterback - Tino Sunseri, Chad Voytik/Trey Anderson

Running back - Ray Graham, Isaac Bennett, Rushel Shell

Fullback - Mark Giubilato, Adam Lazenga

Tight end - Hubie Graham,  JP Holtz/ Drew Carswell

Left tackle - Cory King, Adam Bisnowaty

Left guard - Chris Jacobson, Gabe Roberts

Center - Ryan Turnley, Artie Rowell

Right guard - Ryan Schlieper, Shane Johnson

Right tackle - Matt Rotheram, Zenel Demhasaj

Wide Receiver - Mike Shanahan / Cam Saddler

Wide Receiver - Devon Street / Ronald Jones

That isn’t a bad showing of talent there.  There are some caveats though,  Ray Graham is iffy at best to be able to play in this game.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he sits it out completely.  I don’t think Shell is going to redshirt this season so I expect the two deep for RBs will be Bennett, Shell and/or Crockett.  We most probably will see all three get carries depending on the scoring pace we set.

At QB the pre-season 2nd string guy has been Chad Voytik since Trey Anderson was injured in the second week of practice.  Voytik has played well enough to hold onto that spot since then but because Chryst and OC Joe Rudolph won’t tip their hands to the public we have to assume Voytik will be QB2 going into the season.  Its a safe assumption at this point.

DEFENSE

Defensive end - T. J. Clemmings, Bryan Murphy

Nose guard - Tyrone Ezell, Khaynin Mosley-Smith

Defensive tackle - Aaron Donald, Darryl Render

Defensive end - Jack Lippert, Shane Hale

Strong-side linebacker - Eric Williams, Jason Frimpong / Emanuel Rackard

Middle linebacker - Shane Gordon, Joe Trebitz

Weak-side linebacker Nicholas Grigsby, Manny Williams

Cornerback - Lafayette Pitts, Ryan Lewis

Strong safety - Jared Holley, Ray Vinopal

Free safety - Andrew Taglianetti, Jason Hendricks

Cornerback - K’Waun Williams, Cullen Christian

Look, it is a hell of a thing that LB Todd Thomas won’t be playing for at least a while and LB Ejuan Price is out for the season.  In addition, last season we had LaQuentin Smith at LB who showed some promise but now he 45 pounds heavier, a DL and injured.  Those LBs scare the crap out of me.

You can look at those defensive starters and feel good if you want to, or you can, as I do, have some trepidation as to how the inexperience is going to translate into production over the course of the season, and that may happen as the weeks go on.  However, we are talking about the first game here and I think we’ll see some real “learning experiences“,  which is another name for giving up big plays.

This will be a fun game to watch for a lot of different reasons.  Paul Chryst’s debut; how effective our RBs actually are; what does the new and simpler offensive system do for Tino Sunseri’s play; how aggressive is the defense really going to be, and on and on.

The bottom line is this is a game PITT has to win and win somewhat convincingly to get the players to feel good about the annual changes in the coaching staff and this new staff’s approach to football.  A squeaked out win doesn’t do it and a loss would be psychically worse than the Bowling Green game of some years ago.   No folks, we need to get out ahead and stay ahead with a comfortable lead for four quarters.  It doesn’t have to be a 40 point blowout, but we have to be in command from the opening play to the ending whistle.

[KentStGuin15]

Lots of sPitt fans assuming they are going to win in a blowout
they are in for a rude awakening

[Dmorton]

YSU has to prove immediately they are a team not to be messed with, or intimidated.  The offense must move the ball efficiiently all game long against Pitt and not let up.  We'll also have to remain consistent on defense ( no long gains) as was the case last year.  I look forward to a very entertaining game.  My hope is for a YSU win, but a massive blowout could be devastating and set the tone for the rest of the season.  I don't think Pitt has the horses to blow YSU out.

[ysuindy]

This writer with a little more reasonable look at the game than the others.  I became the first to vote for YSU in his poll (no sign up required).  I imagine a few of you will add to that total.   

http://www.cardiachill.com/2012/8/27/3267813/pitt-vs-youngstown-state-penguins-football-preview-score-box-pittsburgh-panthers-ray-graham-status?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Since last season, we've seen the timely exit of a snake oil salesman, a disappointing basketball season, and a training camp under the new man in town. Now, after all the speculating, another football season is finally upon us.

First up, the Penguins of Youngstown State.

I'm not going to sugar coat this or play Joe Paterno or Dave Wannstedt here. Pitt should win this game. It might not be a blowout, but I'd even go as far as to say Pitt should win fairly comfortably. Youngstown State has been routed in the two times they've played the Panthers - they were blanked 41-0 in 2005 to a pretty bad 5-6 Pitt team and 38-3 to Pitt's 10-win 2009 program. This Pitt team is probably in the middle of those two squads and while we can't really use those two contests as a barometer when determining what Pitt will do to the Penguins, there's nothing to make me believe Pitt shouldn't win fairly comfortably.

That said, Youngstown State is far from being without weapons. In the backfield, there's All-Conference running back Jamaine Cook, who racked up approximately 1,400 yards last season on more than five per carry. Rant Sports recently called him a small school prospect to watch for the 2013 NFL Draft. And under center, Kurt Hess was All-Conference even as only a sophomore in 2011. Both are co-captains and helped the Penguins to 77 (no, really ... 77) points against Valparaiso, 56 against Western Illinois, and 49 against St. Francis. With the two main cogs from that offense back, the Penguins will score points this season. A lot of them. They were picked to finish third in the conference's preseason poll.

Sure, those games were against weaker programs, but they did play someone last year in the FBS that might be a decent benchmark.



Last year, the Penguins took on Michigan State. While this year's Panthers probably won't be as good as that 11-win Spartan team, at least it's an opportunity to see how Youngstown State fared against a quality opponent. The answer? Not all that badly, losing 28-6 on the road. Sure, they had trouble putting points on the board in that game, but that's not all that shameful of a result against a ranked team on the road.
Now, with Cook and Hess a year older, I'm not all that convinced Pitt wins big as is probably expected. I do think they'll win by a couple of touchdowns, but 41-0 or 38-3? I'm not all that sure.

One encouraging thing was that the Penguins defense wasn't all that great last season (though they seem to be making strides this season so far). They gave up 35 points or more to Missouri State, Indiana State, and South Dakota State (a combined 13-20). Even with an offense with lots of question marks, it's hard to imagine they can't score some points against Youngstown State with some talented skill guys.

We'll have much more in the week on Youngstown State, so check back. But at first glance, this is a game Pitt should win. If not, it will be a long season.

[Pizza]

35-14 Pitt.

We keep it close for 3 quarters...(which is good).

[ysufan0505]

35-14 Pitt.

We keep it close for 3 quarters...(which is good).

14 points? Get real

[IAA Fan]

By Joe Scalzo

scalzo@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

In Eric Wolford’s first two years at Youngstown State, no one gave him a chance to beat a BCS team. Now, seemingly everyone in Youngstown thinks the Penguins have a chance.

Attitudes may have changed. Wolford hasn’t.

“I haven’t approached this game any different than I did last year for Michigan State or Penn State two years ago,” said Wolford of Saturday’s game against Pitt. “We feel confident in our game plans and I think the players have gotten more confidence the past few years.

“If we execute the game plan, we’re gonna have a chance for success.”

Two years ago, then-Penn State coach Joe Paterno was asked 28 questions during a 30-minute press conference and not one was about YSU. During Monday’s Big East coaches teleconference, Pitt coach Paul Chryst’s second question was about the Penguins.

“We feel like this week we’re going up against a very good opponent,” said Chryst, pointing out that YSU has 17 returning starters and beat the eventual national FCS champions. “I think they’re very well-coached. The players on both sides of the ball look like they know what they’re trying to acccomplish. I don’t see a lot of mistakes and I don’t see them doing a lot to beat themselves.”

The Penguins briefly put a scare into the Nittany Lions two years ago by taking a 7-3 lead late into the first half before eventually losing 44-14. It marked the first time YSU scored a touchdown since it started scheduling “money games” in 2005.

The Penguins were even better last season against the Spartans, trailing just 21-6 entering the fourth quarter before losing 28-6. YSU had 20 first downs in that game, held a three-minute edge in time of possession and had six drives finish inside the 45. Unfortunately, the Penguins only scored once in those drives — a 10-yard TD pass from Kurt Hess to Jelani Berassa.

A week later, the Spartans held Florida Atlantic to one first down in a 44-0 victory.

Chryst was Wisconsin’s offensive coordinator from 2005-2011 before being hired as Pitt’s head coach in December. Because of his familiarity with the Big Ten, he said watching YSU play against Michigan State last year has helped him gauge the Penguins’ talent level.

“I think they’ve got a lot of really good football players,” Chryst said of YSU. “The combination of their talent and that they’re well-coached makes for a very good opponent.”

YSU wasn’t competitive in its two earlier meetings with Pitt, losing 41-0 in 2005 and 38-3 in 2009. But with Pitt going through another coaching transition — Chryst is the team’s third head coach in three years — and YSU upgrading its talent, the Penguins should fare better in Round 3.

“You are playing a team that has more talent than you and you are playing a team with 22 more scholarships,” Wolford said of the Panthers. “But if you execute and take care of business, you’re gonna have a chance to win a game in the fourth quarter.”

This is Chryst’s first stint as a head coach but Wolford believes that by watching Wisconsin’s film, as well as studying film of Central Florida (where Pitt defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable served in that role from 2008-10) the Penguins will be prepared for the Panthers’ schemes.

“Coaches are creatures of habit,” Wolford said. “They always have a couple wrinkles but as you get older in coaching, you see certain plays and you know they have complementary plays off it.

“Even though you may not see it on film, you know those are come-to plays down the line.”

Although the early forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and dry weather on Saturday, Wolford chose to stay outdoors in the rain during Monday’s practice, just in case.

“It might rain on Saturday, you know?” said Wolford, who looked like he had showered in his clothes by the end of practice. “You’ve got to be able to play when it’s wet.”

[IAA Fan]

Be there and Be LOUD!!!!!

[DefendYoungstown]

Pitt Vs. Youngstown State: Q&A With YSU Beat Writer Joe Scalzo


http://www.cardiachill.com/2012/8/28/3270489/pitt-vs-youngstown-state-preview-vindicator-vindy-pittsburgh-panthers-joe-scalzo-footbal-linel

Our game week coverage continues with a Q&A with Youngstown State beat writer Joe Scalzo, who covers the team for the area newspaper, the Vindicator. We've linked to some of his articles at Vindy.com here and be sure to check out his writing for plenty of good stuff on Pitt's first opponent.

For us, he discussed two of the team's stars, Jamaine Cook and Kurt Hess, the coaching staff, what he looks for in Saturday's game, and more.

Onto the Q&A (my questions in bold, his answers in italics).

Jamaine Cook is the guy to watch in the backfield with approximately 1,400 yards last season. Just how much will the offense rely on him in 2012?

    They keep saying they're going to limit his carries this year so he'll be fresher, but we'll see. I don't think he'll need to play as big of a role as he did the past two years. Besides, nobody is worried about Youngstown State's offense being a problem (although losing starting WR Jelani Berassa to an ACL injury was a big hit). It's the other two units that have been a problem.

Junior quarterback Kurt Hess is already scattered all over the school's all-time record lists. He's got a long way to go, but do you think he can be considered an NFL prospect by the end of his career?

    I think Kurt has a NFL head, a NFL body and a NFL work ethic. I'm not convinced he has a NFL arm but he's got a lot of other strengths to make up for not having a cannon.

    I think he's a guy who could make a NFL roster as a No. 3 guy. He's really good at sizing up a defense pre-snap and making the right read and he's very accurate. And his character is off the charts.

The Penguins' defense struggled a bit in 2011. Is the unit expected to be improved this season?

    Definitely. They've gotten a lot more athletic and there has been a night-and-day difference in some of this summer's scrimmages. The secondary is still a concern and there's still a lot of inexperience but I think it's got a chance to be pretty good by the end of the season. I'm sure there will be some growing pains early on.

One thing that is impressive about Youngstown State was that they won several blowout games and their losses were fairly close last year. Will that translate to a better win-loss record this season in your opinion?

    I think so. You can definitely see a progression. In Eric Wolford's first year, 2010, he didn't have anywhere near as much talent as this team and Youngstown State was in every FCS game (and hung with Penn State for a half). They just wore out at the end of games.

    Last year, they closed the gap on some of the best teams in the conference -- YSU was the only team to beat the national champs -- and I wouldn't be surprised to see them win the conference title. At the very least, I'd be stunned if they didn't make the FCS playoffs.

The coaching staff, led by head coach Eric Wolford is fairly new, having been in place for only three seasons. What's your general opinion of the job he's done so far and what types of teams does he put on the field?

    Well, for one thing, he's a lot of fun to cover. Maybe not Steve Spurrier or Bobby Bowden fun, but the next level down.

    From the beginning, I've felt like they found the right guy. He's a very good recruiter, he's good at communicating his expectations and he's gotten rid of the complacency that set in after Jim Tressel left. And he hasn't been afraid to get rid of underachievers or guys that didn't buy in, whether they were players (only 11 guys remain from the previous coaching staff's roster) or his coaches (he replaced his receivers coach and strength coach after one year and his defensive coordinator in February).

    In general, his teams have played hard and have been really good offensively. He's just been young and thin on defense and special teams and it's cost him a lot of wins.

Looking over the school's history, they've played against several programs that have made the jump to the FBS, such as Marshall and Boise State. Do you think the day will come that Youngstown State makes that move?

    Youngstown State was really, really close to joining the Mid-American Conference in the late 1990s and a lot of fans would still like to see that happen because it makes a lot more sense geographically. (The Penguins have never really developed a true rival at the FCS level.) That said, there are no plans to jump to the FBS, nor should there be. They're at the right level.

    I think if you look at the teams that have successfully jumped to the FBS -- and Boise State is the most obvious example -- they come from areas where there's not as much competition for players, media attention, fans, etc. But let's say YSU were to join the MAC. Suddenly, they're competing against Akron and Kent State (both within 45 minutes) for players, not to mention all the other MAC schools in Ohio (Bowling Green, Toledo, Ohio, Miami) and all the nearby BCS schools (Ohio State, Pitt, Penn State, etc.).

    Bottom line: YSU doesn't have the facilities, budget, recruiting base, etc., to make that jump and the people in charge know it. Teams like Marshall and Western Kentucky have gone from competing for national championships to hoping they'll eventually play in some December 26 bowl. YSU doesn't want to end up like that.

Youngstown State hasn't been all that competitive in their two recent games against Pitt. But the Panthers are a bit of an unknown this year and coming off a pretty down season last year. I doubt the Penguins will be intimidated at Heinz Field having played at more intense atmospheres, but because of their offensive firepower, do you expect the game to be a bit closer than some might think?

    Tell me about it. I sat through the 2005 Pitt-YSU game and the only good thing I remember was the pregame fajitas they served the media. It was 42-0 and it felt like 420-0. So, yeah, it should be better than some of the previous games between the two.
    There's a quiet confidence here that Youngstown State is capable of pulling an upset. I think that's a stretch, but I bet the Penguins could win one out of 10, whereas in 2005, YSU wouldn't have won 1 out of 1,000 against Pitt. Wolford's teams have played pretty well against BCS schools so far -- last year against Michigan State, for instance, it was a 21-6 game until midway through the fourth quarter -- so I think it will be closer than people think, especially since Pitt is still dealing with the aftermath of all the coaching turnover.

Thanks again to Joe for his input. Be sure to check out his work on Vindy.com.

[penguinpower]

I missed Penguin Playbook this week.  Damnit!  I sent an email to 570 WKBN and they said that they would put the podcast up this afternoon.  Does anyone know the people over there at 570?  And if someone does, can you make sure that they put it up there this time?  I asked last year, but that Dan Rivers guy never came through.

[DefendYoungstown]

Here's Pitt's two-deep preview (with some analysis):

http://www.cardiachill.com/2012/8/28/3266288/pitt-vs-youngstown-state-breaking-down-the-two-deep

[ysuindy]

This gal doesn't think highly of YSU

http://collegespun.com/national/pitt-panthers-preview-youngstown-state-penguins

Pitt Panthers Preview: Youngstown State Penguins
Kristin Bowser


Twitter/Roc The Pitt Panther
This Saturday, unranked Pitt faces off against the Youngstown State Penguins. Do Panthers fans have anything to worry about?

History: These teams don’t have a long history playing each other, but what history they do have might help predict the outcome of this game. The last time Pitt played YSU in 2009, the Panthers beat up on the Penguins in a 38-3 victory. Before that, they played in 2005, when Pitt annihilated the Penguins 41-0.

Pittsburgh Offense vs. Youngstown Defense:

The majority of the worries for Pitt this year are on the offensive side of the ball. How will Tino Sunseri fair in the scheme devised by new head coach Paul Chryst? Luckily, Youngstown State ranked 49th in the FCS last year in total defense, giving up an average 5.66 yards per play. The Penguins only recorded seven interceptions all season. Tino should be fearless against a weak secondary.

Pittsburgh Defense vs. Youngstown Offense:

There are some minor issues for Pitt on defense. In his press conference yesterday, Paul Chryst said starting cornerback K’Waun Williams is still day-to-day recovering from his torn ACL. Even though Pitt’s secondary struggled last year, if Williams can start, they’ll be good to go. The good news is that defensive lineman Aaron Donald had arguably the best fall camp of any player, and Chryst made it known that he was impressed. Pitt had a surprisingly good defense last year, ranking 35th in total defense and allowing only 4.99 yards per play. The Panthers ranked 3rd overall in sacks, averaging well over three per game.

Even though Youngstown State QB Kurt Hess is coming off a banner year, and despite the fact that the last time the Penguins didn’t score a TD was in 2009, the improved Pitt defense should handle its FCS opponents. The Penguins lost one of their best wide receivers in Jelani Berassa to an ACL tear, so Hess has one less offensive weapon to use. Chryst doesn’t want to underestimate the Penguins offense though, as they do have 10 starters returning.

Verdict:

Pitt should win this game handily. Youngstown State has lost its last five season openers, and this one shouldn’t be any different. The Panthers are looking for redemption after a tumultuous 2011 season, and a loss or even an underwhelming win would not bode well. Expect Pitt to make a statement.

Prediction: Pittsburgh 42, Youngstown State 7

Kristin Bowser
A Pittsburgh native and a 2012 University of Georgia Broadcast Journalism grad. Lives and breathes Pittsburgh sports and enjoys college basketball and UGA sports. An expert in many fields including Mario Kart racing and making Easy Mac. Follow me on Twitter: @kbows.

[IAA Fan]

This gal doesn't think highly of YSU

From her salutations & Signature:

An expert in many fields including Mario Kart racing and making Easy Mac. Follow me on Twitter

Need I say more?

[Wick250]

This is exactly the kind of shallow, uninformed opinion that I had expected Pittsburgh's media and fan base to adopt.  The constant references to the 2005 and 2009 games are about as relevant as our game against Boise State in 1994.  Heck, we would have no problem against those boys today, now would we?

Pittsburgh has more quality players than we do, obviously.  But they do not have the talent of last season's Michigan State team....not even close.  Scalzo's comments about YSU having a ten percent chance of winning seem right to me.  Let's just hope that this uninformed opinion has penetrated deeply into the brains of Pittsburgh's players.  If we can get ahead, if Pittsburgh starts making a few mistakes, if their crowd grows restless or even turns on them, ....well.  That is a lot of "ifs" but that is how Scalzo's ten percent becomes reality.