YSU still looking for consistency on offense ahead of game against North Dakota | News, sports, jobs

Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes. YSU tight end Brandan Serrano is pushed into the end zone by a South Dakota defender after catching a touchdown pass from quarterback Beau Brungard against the Coyotes at Stambaugh Stadium last week.

YOUNGSTOWN – The first 20 minutes against South Dakota last week were a glimpse of how Youngstown State wants to play consistently.

The Penguins opened the game with two long touchdown drives centered around a defensive stand.

But while the defense made several stops and plays to limit the Coyotes as the game progressed, the offense was only able to score three more points, ultimately costing the Penguins.

“I’ve definitely seen a lot of growth – I think a lot of people have stepped up and are playing along.” said quarterback Beau Brungard. “You can see the growth last week. We played a great first half but we just have to finish. We have to be able to carry that first half into the second half and if we can do that I think we can put a lot more points at risk and the result will be in our favour.”

YSU has been able to find success on offense in stretches all season, but the Penguins have been unable to find consistency on offense.

“If you take two games out of our schedule, Pitt and South Dakota State, it comes down to the fourth quarter, possession in the fourth quarter matters and one team is going to win.” said head coach Doug Phillips. “The consistency, we can do that consistently — from Duquesne to Missouri State to last week — when it comes down to the fourth quarters to be able to execute and win those close games.”

Finding and building that consistency on offense starts with Brungard in the middle.

Since throwing two interceptions in his first career start in the season opener against Villanova, Brungard has been trying to reduce his turnovers and improve his decision-making.

He slowly managed to do this and continued to improve and show growth over the course of the season. He also leads the team in rushing, as his ability to scramble and run to gain yards gives him an added dimension that opposing defenses must prepare for.

“I think it’s just slowing down overall.” Brungard said. “I go into every game just reading defenses and recognizing coverages and stuff like that – understanding when to take a shot and when to control it. At the quarterback position, I worked hard to take care of the football. We had a lot of turnovers early in the season and that’s what I’m trying to work on, just keeping the ball in our hands on offense and when we do that, good things happen.”

With an inexperienced defense that has also been inconsistent, YSU needs to perform at a high level on offense.

One thing YSU's offense does well is controlling the ball and maintaining time of possession.

The Penguins were the best in the FCS in average time of possession per game last season (36:06) and continue to lead the country this year with around 36 minutes per game.

“I don’t think we’re trying.” Brungard said. “We run the ball well, and when you run the ball a lot of time is lost. So that just happens.”

Controlling the ball is a way to reduce pressure on the defense and reduce the time they have to spend on the field.

However, controlling the ball is one thing, ending drives with points and touchdowns is another. YSU scores on just 80% of its trips to the red zone, which ranks 66th in the FCS.

“I feel like we need improvement in all three phases – running the football, passing the football.” Phillips said last week. “If we have the ball for 40 minutes, we have to get more points. We need to score more points and score more when we’re in the red zone.”

YSU will need the offense to finish drives more consistently this week as it hosts No. 7 North Dakota at Stambaugh Stadium on Saturday at 6 p.m.

The Fighting Hawks' visit to Youngstown will be their first game away from North Dakota State since their season opener at Iowa State.

YSU's offense will have its hands full dealing with North Dakota's aggressive defense.

“Defensively, they're unlike anything we've seen all year because they come from all angles – safeties, corners, linebackers, and they're constantly moving forward with their defensive line.” Phillips said. “So it’s a big challenge for us because we don’t see that. We just played against two teams that sit hard on one and form a wall. Now you're up against a team that gets everything, and the kitchen sink is coming your way. So we need to make sure we’re prepared for that.”

Do you have an interesting story? Contact Neel Madhavan via email at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @NeelMadhavan.