YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio ? Indiana State played one of its best halves of the season on Saturday afternoon against Youngstown State, taking a 21-7 at one time before going into the half tied at 21-21. However, the Sycamores (0-10, 0-6 MVFC) could not sustain the momentum and the Penguins (3-8, 2-5 MVFC) scored 14 un-answered points in the second half to earn a 35-21 win on Senior Day at Stambaugh Stadium.
The Penguins wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, as they used the opening drive of the game to go on a 12-play, 74-yard scoring drive to make the score 7-0 early. Running back Kamryn Keys shouldered most of the load, as he carried the ball six times for 45 yards. However, it was fullback Ben Lane who capped off the drive with a two-yard TD plunge to give YSU the early lead with 8:38 remaining in the first quarter.
Indiana State was not deterred, though, and marched right down the field on its first possession of the game in 3:02 to tie the score. The Sycamores drove 69 yards in eight plays, all on the legs of running back Darrius Gates and quarterback Ryan Roberts. Gates picked up 41 yards on five carries during the drive, while Roberts added 13 yards on three carries. His final carry of the drive was a one-yard quarterback sneak that tied the score at 7-7 after the Braulio Martinez extra point conversion with 5:30 remaining in the first quarter.
The score remained that way until early in the second quarter. ISU forced a YSU punt deep in its own end and got the ball back with great field position at the 43-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Gates took the ball off-tackle and ran 53 yards down the ISU sideline to give the Sycamores the ball at the YSU four yard line. Roberts then kept the ball and scored his second rushing touchdown of the game to give ISU a 14-7 lead with 11:23 remaining in the half.
On the ensuing YSU drive, the Sycamores capitalized on a costly fumble to take a 21-7 lead. As Keys attempted to gain a first down for the Penguins, linebacker Darrell Ricker force a fumble and safety Donye McCleskey scooped the ball up and returned it 47 yards for the touchdown with 10:04 remaining in the half. The fumble return for a touchdown was ISU's first since 2007, when Mike Woods returned one against Eastern Illinois.
The Penguins then cut the Sycamores lead to seven on a four-play, 36-yard scoring drive. YSU started with great field position at the ISU 36-yard line and Keys rushed the ball for 22 and four yards to put the ball at the 10 yard line. Following an incomplete pass, quarterback Brandon Summers found receiver Donald Jones in the back of the endzone for a 10-yard TD to cut the lead to 21-14 with 4:32 remaining.
After an Indiana State punt by Gabe Mullane, the Penguins got the ball back with 2:54 left on the clock and proceeded to drive the ball 58 yards down the field in nine plays to knot the score at 21-21 with 31 seconds left. The Penguins chewed up most of the drive on the ground, with Keys collecting 23 yards on three carries, and it was capped off on a five-yard TD run by Dana Brown.
The score would stay tied at 21-21 heading into the locker room at halftime. The 21 points scored by the Sycamores tied their season high and ISU amassed 162 yards of total offense in the first half, with 147 coming on the ground. Gates finished the half with 116 yards on 11 carries, while Roberts added 28 yards on 10 carries and scored two touchdowns.
Indiana State received the kickoff to start the first half and picked up a first down before having to punt the ball away to the Penguins. From there, YSU wasted little time and went 48 yards in 1:31 to take its first lead of the game at 28-21. Summers and Jones connected for their second TD connection of the game, this time a 23 yard completion, to put YSU up by seven with 10:33 left in the third quarter.
The score would remain that way until early in the fourth quarter, when the Penguins extended the lead to 14 points at 35-21. YSU started the drive with 1:23 remaining in the third quarter and put together a six-play, 68-yard scoring drive that was capped off on a touchdown pass from Summers to receiver Dominique Barnes with 13:18 remaining in the game.
Later in the fourth, the Sycamores forced their second fumble of the day but could not take advantage of the YSU turnover. YSU's Josh Lee had the ball popped out by ISU linebacker Jayden Everett and Jerry Calvert recovered for the Sycamores at the YSU 48 yard line. However, the Sycamores could not make the Penguins pay and turned the ball over on downs on a failed fourth-down pass conversion.
ISU could not get anything going for the rest of the game and YSU held the ball late to secure the 35-21 win. Gates finished the game with 110 yards on 17 carries, while Roberts ended with 66 yards on 18 carries with the team's two offensive touchdowns. Quinton Scott led the way on defense with 18 tackles, 10 of which were solo stops, while Everett added 11 tackles for the Sycamores with the force fumble.
The Sycamores return home for their final two games of the season, beginning with a match-up against nationally-ranked Northern Iowa next Saturday. Kick-off is set for noon at Memorial Stadium.
