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Indiana State University Athletics

YSU Post
19
Winner Youngstown St. YSU 6-3 , 4-2
7
Indiana St. INS 0-9 , 0-6
Winner
Youngstown St. YSU
6-3 , 4-2
19
Final
7
Indiana St. INS
0-9 , 0-6
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
YSU Youngstown St. 7 0 6 6 19
INS Indiana St. 7 0 0 0 7

Game Recap: Football | | Seth Montgomery | GoSycamores.com

Penguins control possession as Sycamores fall to visiting No. 22 Youngstown State, 19-7

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – No. 22/RV Youngstown State scored 19 unanswered points on Saturday afternoon and Indiana State was unable to rally back against the visiting Penguins at Memorial Stadium in the 19-7 loss.
 
The Sycamores (0-9, 0-6) scored early on running back Justin Dinka's 56-yard bubble screen touchdown reception with 3:28 remaining in the first quarter to take the lead against YSU (6-3, 4-2). The Penguins evened the score just before the quarter break with quarterback Mitch Davidson's 18-yard touchdown run to keep the game knotted up after the first 15 minutes.
 
From there, Youngstown State's offense kept possession in a grinding effort against the Sycamore defense. YSU converted 7-of-17 third-down opportunities and held the 39:29-20:31 edge in time of possession including the 21:24-8:36 edge in the second half to secure the win.
 
ISU had a late chance in the contest as the Sycamores moved the ball from the ISU 14 down to the Youngstown State 15 with the Penguins holding the 19-7 edge. The Sycamores' drive was aided by five YSU penalties, including back-to-back offside calls at midfield that helped ISU convert a 4th-and-10. However, the Penguins forced a fumble on the Sycamore possession to halt ISU's final scoring threat in securing the MVFC win.
 
Chambers finished 9-of-24 through the air for 125 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in the loss. Plez Lawrence was the team rushing leader with seven carries for 41 yards, while Dinka posted 71 total offensive yards (15 rushing, 56 receiving). Kevin Barnett added a team-high three receptions for 37 yards.
 
Defensively, Maddix Blackwell and Garret Ollendieck paced the way as the Sycamore duo finished with 15 tackles apiece. Geoffrey Brown added 14 stops, including a team-high 1.5 tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks, while cornerback Payton Edwards finished with a career-high five pass breakups.
 
Davidson led the Youngstown State offense going 25-of-37 through the air for 254 yards. Utilizing a strong short passing game, the Penguins' quarterback connected with Max Tomczak for 10 receptions for 81 yards, while Davidson and Beau Brungard (three carries, 59 yards) both posted rushing touchdowns.
 
Chris Fitzgerald and Dylan Wudke both finished with six tackles apiece to pace YSU in the contest. Troy Jakubec added an interception, while Jaylen Castleberry had three pass breakups in the win.
 
How They Scored
  • Indiana State took the 7-0 lead in the first quarter as Chambers found Justin Dinka with a screen pass to the left sideline and the Sycamore running back outran the defense for a 56-yard touchdown connection at the 3:28 mark. Jake Andjelic converted the extra-point to cap the three-play, 66-yard drive.
  • Youngstown State evened the game on their ensuing possession as Davidson outran the Sycamore defense to the left pylon for an 18-yard touchdown run with four seconds remaining in the first quarter to cap a seven-play, 75-yard drive.
  • Andrew Lastovka gave YSU the 10-7 lead with 7:43 remaining in the third quarter as the Penguin placekicker converted a 35-yard field goal to end a 14-play, 79-yard drive.
  • Lastovka connected on his second field goal at the 1:57 mark in the third quarter hitting from 45 yards out to make it a 13-7 game.
  • Brungard put the final points on the board with 7:04 remaining in the fourth quarter with a 37-yard touchdown run to cap a 12-play, 82-yard drive. The Penguins' two-point conversion failed, providing the final scoring margin. 
News & Notes
  • Maddix Blackwell posted his sixth double-digit tackling effort of 2023 and fourth consecutive game with 10+ tackles giving him a team-high 88 stops on the year. The safety is on pace to reach 100 tackles on the season with two games to play. He would become the first ISU player to achieve the feat since Jonas Griffth back in the 2019 season (106).
  • Garret Ollendieck added a career-high 15 stops in the game for his third double-digit tackling game of the season. The junior linebacker has 76 tackles for the season.
  • Geoffrey Brown added a season-high 14 stops, as well as his first sack of the 2023 season in the loss.
  • Payton Edwards' five pass breakups marked a career-high for the cornerback as the redshirt junior patrolled the deep part of the field on Saturday afternoon.
  • The Sycamores' 20:31 in time of possession marked a season-low for ISU.
  • The Chambers-to-Dinka 56-yard touchdown pass marked the longest play from scrimmage for the Sycamores in the 2023 season.
  • It marked Dinka's second 50-plus yard touchdown in as many seasons against the Penguins after recording a 75-yard rushing touchdown at YSU in 2022.
  • Indiana State's first quarter touchdown marked the Sycamores' first offensive touchdown in the opening 15 minutes of the 2023 season.
Postgame Press Conference presented by Team Green Law

 


Up Next
Indiana State closes out the home portion of the 2023 season next weekend as the Sycamores host Western Illinois at Memorial Stadium for Senior Day. The Sycamores will recognize the 2023 senior class in a pregame ceremony prior to the 1 p.m. ET kickoff against the Leathernecks. The game will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore Football, visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
 
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