- September 25th, 2008, 3:18 pm
#197745
No. 25 Liberty (3-0) at Youngstown State (2-2), 6 p.m.
It would have been easy for Jon Heacock's Youngstown State team to pack things in the way the 2008 season began. But instead, the Penguins scored a 32-24 victory over No. 3 ranked North Dakota State that has rejuvenated their season.
Liberty comes to the Ice Castle in search of its first win in Stambaugh Stadium since defeating the Penguins 10-8 in 1991. The Flames will be looking for a second win this year against an automatic-bid conference teams, something that could go a long way towards a playoff berth at the season's end.
In the 32-24 upset win over the Bison last week, the Penguins were able to jump out to a 23-3 third-quarter lead and weren't threatened by the Bison until late in the game, when cornerback De'Angelo Wilson picked off a Nick Mertens pass to preserve the win. Offensively, the Penguins are starting to jell.
In quarterback Brandon Summers' two starts since the departure of Todd Rowan, he has been solid, connecting on 13-of-20 passes for 202 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Leading rusher Jabari Scott (299 rushing yards, three TDs, 6.5 yards per carry) continued his strong play out of the Penguins backfield rushing for 120 yards, while fellow backfield mate Kamryn Keys led the ground game with 146 yards on 21 attempts.
Defensively, the Penguins are also improving as evidenced by their performance last week, the high-powered Bison attack to 24 points and limited the Bison to less than 200 yards (178 yards) rushing in the win. The defense continues to be led by free safety Andre Elliott, who has posted a team-high 30 tackles this season.
Liberty has just one win over Division I competition (Western Carolina), but the Flames have shown explosiveness on offense, led by quarterback Brock Smith (521 yards passing, five TDs), while Rashad Jennings (216 yards rushing, two TDs, 5.3 yards per carry) and Zach Terrell (231 rushing yards, two touchdowns, 5.8 yards per carry) have ignited the Flames' rushing attack this season.
As a defensive unit, the Flames are yielding just 275 yards per game this season, however, those are also relative to the weak offenses they have encountered in the first three games. Sophomore linebacker Chad Brown leads the unit, leading the team in tackles (17).
Youngstown State 24 Liberty 17
It would have been easy for Jon Heacock's Youngstown State team to pack things in the way the 2008 season began. But instead, the Penguins scored a 32-24 victory over No. 3 ranked North Dakota State that has rejuvenated their season.
Liberty comes to the Ice Castle in search of its first win in Stambaugh Stadium since defeating the Penguins 10-8 in 1991. The Flames will be looking for a second win this year against an automatic-bid conference teams, something that could go a long way towards a playoff berth at the season's end.
In the 32-24 upset win over the Bison last week, the Penguins were able to jump out to a 23-3 third-quarter lead and weren't threatened by the Bison until late in the game, when cornerback De'Angelo Wilson picked off a Nick Mertens pass to preserve the win. Offensively, the Penguins are starting to jell.
In quarterback Brandon Summers' two starts since the departure of Todd Rowan, he has been solid, connecting on 13-of-20 passes for 202 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Leading rusher Jabari Scott (299 rushing yards, three TDs, 6.5 yards per carry) continued his strong play out of the Penguins backfield rushing for 120 yards, while fellow backfield mate Kamryn Keys led the ground game with 146 yards on 21 attempts.
Defensively, the Penguins are also improving as evidenced by their performance last week, the high-powered Bison attack to 24 points and limited the Bison to less than 200 yards (178 yards) rushing in the win. The defense continues to be led by free safety Andre Elliott, who has posted a team-high 30 tackles this season.
Liberty has just one win over Division I competition (Western Carolina), but the Flames have shown explosiveness on offense, led by quarterback Brock Smith (521 yards passing, five TDs), while Rashad Jennings (216 yards rushing, two TDs, 5.3 yards per carry) and Zach Terrell (231 rushing yards, two touchdowns, 5.8 yards per carry) have ignited the Flames' rushing attack this season.
As a defensive unit, the Flames are yielding just 275 yards per game this season, however, those are also relative to the weak offenses they have encountered in the first three games. Sophomore linebacker Chad Brown leads the unit, leading the team in tackles (17).
Youngstown State 24 Liberty 17
- By Sly Fox