YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Indiana State nearly completed the second-half comeback at Youngstown State as the Sycamores rallied back from a 21-0 first-half deficit at Stambaugh Stadium on Saturday afternoon, before falling 21-14 in their Missouri Valley Football Conference opener.
 
The Sycamores (1-4, 0-1) took control of the ballgame in the third quarter as Elijah Owens and the offense jump-started the offense on Indiana State's first offensive drive in the half. Owens took the ball for a 21-yard carry moving the chains near midfield for a first down, before finding Plez Lawrence in the right flat for a 34-yard touchdown pass to put Indiana State on the scoreboard.
 
After the Sycamore defense forced two more three-and-outs before the Sycamore offense took off once again thanks to Owens' legs. The redshirt freshman quarterback took the ball down the left sideline for a career-long 54-yard carry moving the ball from the ISU 28 down to the YSU 18. Four plays later, Owens found the end zone with a four-yard quarterback keeper to cut the Penguins' lead down to 21-14.
 
Indiana State's defense kept the Penguins off the scoreboard in the second half and held with a defensive stand early in the fourth quarter. The Penguins drove the ball down to the ISU 21 yard line, but a key open-field tackle by Micah Hauser resulted in a YSU 39-yard field goal attempt that deflected off the right upright and kept it a 21-14 ballgame.
 
The Sycamores made one final drive in the contest moving the ball from their own eight-yard line down to the Youngstown State 12 with 2:00 to play. The Indiana State drive was aided by another big completion from Owens to Lawrence, this one for 47 yards down the right sideline, as the Sycamore offense threatened to tie the game late.
 
However, the Youngstown State defensive pressure stopped Indiana State at the line of scrimmage and a sack on third-down forced a late heave into the end zone. Owens' pass to Zavion Taylor at the right front pilon was deflected away allowing the Penguins' defense to hold strong and secure the 21-14 win.
 
Youngstown State's offense started out the game strong as the Penguins scored touchdowns on three of their first four drives with Ethan Wright scoring a pair of two-yard touchdown runs, while Latrell Fordham hauled in an eight-yard pass from Beau Brungard to stake YSU to a 21-0 lead. The Penguins' defense limited Indiana State to just 33 offensive yards in the first half.
 
Owens went 15-of-27 through the air for 149 passing yards and a touchdown to lead the Sycamore offense. He added 114 rushing yards on 26 carries with a score in the loss. Rashad Rochelle was the primary target of the passing game with five catches for 29 yards, while Lawrence added four catches for 84 yards and a touchdown.
 
Micah Hauser posted his first collegiate double-digit tackling effort with a game-high 10 tackles. He added 1.0 tackles for loss. Geoffrey Brown added nine stops, while Jorge Valdes posted seven tackles and his second interception of the second.
 
Beau Brungard was 11-of-18 through the air for 130 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the win. The YSU quarterback added 43 rushing yards overall. Wright paced the Penguins' offense with 15 carries for 81 yards and two touchdowns, while Tyshon King added 13 carries for 62 yards. Max Tomczak added a team-high four catches for 87 yards through the air.
 
Preston Zandier was Youngstown State's top defensive player with eight tackles and 1.0 TFLs in the win. Hunter Allen added a pair of sacks, while the YSU defense combined for 11.0 tackles for loss in the game.
 
How They Scored

• Youngstown State took the early 7-0 lead with 8:47 remaining in the first quarter as Ethan Wright capped a nine-play, 47-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run to give the Penguins the lead.
• YSU added to the lead on their first drive of the second quarter as Latrell Fordham hauled in an eight-yard touchdown pass from Beau Brungard to end an 11-play, 74-yard drive and put the score at 14-0.
• Wright's second touchdown run of the first half gave the Penguins a 21-0 lead with 0:39 remaining in the second quarter ending a five-play, 56-yard drive as the YSU running back took it in from two yards out.
• Elijah Owens found Plez Lawrence in the right flat and the Sycamore running back took it 34 yards into the end zone with 9:12 remaining in the third quarter to cut the deficit down to 21-7 and end an eight-play, 77-yard drive. Owens ran 21 yards on 2nd-and-7 during the drive to flip the field and spark the Sycamore offense.
• Owens called his own number on the next Indiana State drive as the redshirt freshman quarterback took the ball into the end zone from four yards out with 4:29 remaining in the third quarter to make it a 21-14 ballgame. Owens' 54-yard carry down the left sideline set up the Indiana State score on the drive.

News & Notables

• Elijah Owens' 114 rushing yards marked his first career 100-yard rushing game at Indiana State.
• Owen's 114-yard rushing game marked the first by an Indiana State quarterback since Ryan Boyle went for 187 yards back on November 3, 2018, in the triple-overtime game against South Dakota.
• The Sycamores posted their first game of the 2024 season with multiple 40-plus yard plays as Owens (54-yard run), Lawrence (47-yard catch), and Rashad Rochelle (50-yard kickoff return) all achieved the feat on Saturday afternoon.
• Micah Hauser became the sixth Indiana State defensive player to post double-digit tackles in a game this season. The redshirt junior safety joined Maddix Blackwell, Garret Ollendieck, Geoffrey Brown, Kaleal Davis, and Lucas McAllister in achieving the feat. 

Up Next
Indiana State continues Missouri Valley Football play next weekend as the Sycamores return home to Terre Haute to take on Murray State on Saturday, October 12. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium is set for 1 p.m. ET with the game set to be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
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