Youngstown State Notes

The Yale Bulldogs defeated the Youngstown State Penguins in a 43-42 thriller at the Ice Castle in Youngstown, Ohio. Yale moves to 9-2 on the season and advances to the second round of the FCS Playoffs with a tough matchup at Montana State ahead.

The first half proved to be disastrous for Yale’s offense as two interceptions and a fumble derailed drives while the Penguins effortlessly sliced though Yale’s defense to secure a commanding lead. A poorly thrown ball to Pitsenberger was tipped and intercepted and another outside pass into tight coverage was intercepted. The fumble was particularly painful as the Bulldogs were inside the 10-yard line and driving to make it a 14-28 halftime score, but the Penguins scooped up the fumble and nearly returned it for a touchdown. A few plays later, the Penguins cruised in for another touchdown run to make it 7-35 at the half. With McGown and Lewis out of the lineup at tackle and guard respectively, freshman Tru Kendrick and senior Joseph Nash filled in along the offensive line. Charron was also injured at guard with junior Dylan Garrity stepping up to fill his vacated spot. The offensive line struggled in pass protection in the first half with Reno absorbing some of the hardest hits that he has experienced all season in the pocket. Coach Reno and staff did not throw in the towel at half and made key adjustments to keep the Bulldogs’ hopes of winning their first playoff game alive. The offensive line began wearing down the Penguins’ front as they opened wide holes for Pitsenberger. Santiago and Anderson were phenomenal with Brown out of the contest with an injury. Santiago hauled in 9 catches for 104 yards while Anderson looked like the second coming of Mason Tipton with 8 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown. Smith and Mermans both hauled in key touchdown receptions from their tight end positions and Smith also caught the 2-point conversion pass from Reno that proved to be the difference in the contest. The catalyst for the explosive second half was the success of the rushing attack as Pitsenberger ripped off 209 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns on the afternoon. Things became heated when Hickey injured Santiago on a reception over the middle which later led to a personal foul on Nash as he knocked Hickey to the turf after a play. The Bulldogs would have the last laugh on their former teammate as Pitsenberger torched Hickey for a 56-yard touchdown that gave Yale its first lead in the contest. Pitsenberger also selflessly kneeled at the 1-yard line on a potential touchdown run to burn the clock and eliminate any chance that the Penguins’ offense would see the field again in the waning minutes.

Yale had not faced a player as special as Beau Brungard in 2025 and Brungard made the Elis pay dearly in the first half. The Penguins’ offensive line manhandled the Bulldogs initially as they gave Brungard ample time in the pocket and opened gaping rushing lanes. Tackling and pursuit angles were simply atrocious in the first half as Youngstown State piled on five first half touchdowns. The defensive line could not generate a pass rush without Larry, linebackers couldn’t get off blocks or flow fast enough to ball carriers, and the secondary was picked apart. With the Bulldogs down 14-42 late in the third quarter and the season on the line, the defense bounced back to shut down Brungard for over a full quarter. Grant tied for the team lead with 8 tackles and applied pressure on Brungard to force a key incompletion. Ayo-Durojaiye also had 8 tackles and forced a fumble that proved to be a momentum-changing play. Kamara led with 3 pass breakups and recovered the fumble caused by Ayo-Durojaiye. Shaber notched a sack on a critical possession for the Penguins while Yang made key plays with 6 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. The secondary clamped down on YSU’s talented receiving corps in the fourth quarter with tight coverage and pass breakups. As we witnessed for much of the season, when the defense needed to get a stop, they delivered.

Conforti was perfect on all 5 of his PATs and did not attempt a field goal. Keeney only punted twice on the afternoon and averaged a whopping 53.0 yards per punt including a long punt of 63 yards. Tarver dominated on returns with one punt returned for 19 yards and 5 kickoff returns for 131 yards to give the Bulldogs excellent field position. Congratulations to all of the players and staff members for one of the most exciting comeback wins in Yale’s storied history. We’re on to Montana State!