8 things to know about UND's next opponent Youngstown State – Grand Forks Herald

GRAND FORKS – The UND football team returns to Shambaugh Stadium in Youngstown, Ohio, for the first time since a late blocked punt and return to defeat the Penguins in 2022.

Here are eight things to know about this year's version of Youngstown State.

Youngstown State has a breakout running back, although last season's 1,000-yard rusher Tyshon King was in the program.

Ethan Wright transferred to YSU from Cincinnati this fall.

Wright has started the last four games. Against Indiana State, he ran for 81 yards on 15 carries and touchdowns. At Missouri State, he ran for 76 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown, a season high.

In five of eight games this year, Wright has rushed for 61 yards or more.

In 32 career games with Cincinnati, he had 215 yards on 44 attempts. After eight games at YSU, he has 94 carries for 484 yards and 17 catches for 109 yards.

YSU wide receiver Max Tomczak has been a key player for the Penguins for years.

In eight games, he has 43 catches for 560 yards and two touchdowns. He had at least four catches in every game.

Tomczak caught his season-high nine passes last Saturday against South Dakota.

In 2023, he had 56 catches for 669 yards. In 2022, he had 26 catches for 430 yards and two touchdowns.

Over his career, Tomczak has 125 receptions for 1,659 yards and five touchdowns.

Sophomore quarterback Beau Brungard rushed for 601 yards on 75 carries. He averages 75 yards per game and 6.6 yards per carry.

Brungard entered Saturday 37 yards shy of Jeff Ryan's school record for most rushing yards by a QB in a single season.

Brungard ran for 194 yards against Valparaiso and 110 against Missouri State.

The Penguins have had 13 different players make their first career starts on defense.

Thirteen of YSU's top 14 tacklers from a year ago have either graduated or transferred, and only one starter remains on the roster from last year's FCS playoff team.

The Penguins rank last in the MVFC in run defense, giving up more than 220 yards per game. That total ranks 113th nationally among the 123 defenses ranked by the NCAA.

Youngstown State coach Doug Phillips' initial comments about UND during his weekly press conference focused on the effort with which he plays UND.

“If there’s a definition of North Dakota, it’s effort,” Phillips said. “They fly around with enormous effort for 60 minutes.

“Man, her effort, when you turn on the movie, it jumps out at you. For us, not only the execution but also your effort has to match what you can bring.”

Youngstown State is strong on special teams.

Kicker Andrew Lastovka went 17 of 20 last season and is 8 of 11 this year, including a 46-yard kick at Pittsburgh.

Punter Brendon Kilpatrick is averaging 47.1 yards per punt on 28 kicks this season. He has 11 punts of 50 yards or more, including two 65-yard punts. He also placed a dozen punts inside the 20.

YSU leads the entire FCS in net punting.

The Penguins have games under their belts against South Dakota and South Dakota State. With UND, YSU sees a different style of defense.

“The defense is unlike anything we see all year because it comes from all directions,” Phillips said. “They are constantly moving forward. This is a big challenge for us. We played against two teams that came after you hard and formed a wall. This team brings everything down to the kitchen sink.”

UND currently ranks fifth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference in scoring defense and fourth in total defense.

UND is tied for eighth in the league with 13 sacks.

Youngstown State leads the MVFC in time of possession, while UND is third.

Phillips mentioned UND's 23-play, 14-minute drive against Iowa State this week.

“This is against a team that is undefeated in the Big 12,” Phillips said. “For us, it could be that we have a press conference on Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. (Eastern). They do a great job when it comes to third and short rounds and third and middle rounds.”