When Youngstown State entered Ohio Stadium for a clash with the Buckeyes as heavy underdogs, head coach Doug Phillips had instilled in his team the mindset to look beyond the scoreboard and focus on each snap.
Although Phillips and the Penguins fell 35-7 at the hands of Ohio State, the Youngstown State skipper was pleased with how his team approached Saturday’s contest despite facing an overwhelming task against the Buckeyes.
“For us, yeah, we came in as the underdog, but we prepared to win a football game. And we'll go back and adjust that plan, but I'm proud (of our guys).” – Youngstown State Head Coach Doug Phillips
Phillips’ blueprint for taking down the Buckeyes was rooted mainly in controlling possession and keeping the ball out of Ohio State’s hands. Despite typically running an up-tempo offensive attack, the Penguins opted to slow things down and ultimately finished the day holding possession for 34 minutes – eight more minutes than the Buckeyes.
“We huddled today for the first time. You haven’t seen us huddle in four years. (Former Ohio State quarterback and YSU Advisor to the Head Coach) Mike Tomczak loved it. But, for us, you try to find a way of how we can put our young men in the position to win a football game.”– Youngstown State Head Coach Doug Phillips
Youngstown State kept the game in reach early on and was lifted by an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on their opening possession. From there, the Buckeyes ripped off 28 unanswered points before halftime to take hold of the contest, and Phillips pointed to one play that proved to be a significant turning point for his squad. Down 14-7 with Ohio State facing a 3rd-and-25 deep in YSU territory, linebacker Greg Benton Jr. was called for a late hit on Buckeye quarterback Devin Brown, which set up an OSU touchdown one play later.
“We had other plays in this game, that one play didn’t win or lose the game. Those officials don’t determine our outcomes, but those are big momentum changers. All of the sudden, instead of fourth down and they're kicking a field goal, they score a touchdown and go up 21-7.” – Youngstown State Head Coach Doug Phillips
Ohio State improved to 2-0 with its win on Saturday, while Youngstown State fell to 1-1. The Penguins defeated Valparaiso 52-10 in Week 1 and will play an all-FCS schedule for the rest of the season, beginning with a home matchup with Robert Morris on Sept. 16.
- #5 Ohio State 35, Youngstown State 7
- • Buckeyes Pull Away From Penguins 35-7
- • McCord Strengthens Standing as QB1
- • Have a (Brief) Day, Henderson
- • Tressel Represents OSU and YSU at Game
- • Ohio State Postgame • Youngstown State Postgame • Photos
- • Notebook • Social Reax • Five Things
