Indiana State University Athletics

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – No. 9/8 Youngstown State seized control of the game early on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium as the visiting Penguins played the spoiler to Indiana State's Homecoming Game with the 57-24 win.
 
The Sycamores (2-5, 0-3) fought early against the Penguins and narrowed the gap to 22-17 in the second quarter following a 25-yard touchdown pass from Brady Allen to Torey French. However, the Penguins (5-2, 3-1) racked up 696 yards of total offense sparked by quarterback Beau Brungard's 386-yard, 3-TD game through the air on their way to securing the MVFC win on Saturday afternoon.
 
Max McCool scored a pair of rushing touchdowns for Indiana State in the contest as the Sycamores kept the game even with Youngstown State over a majority of the first half. McCool scored from one yard out on Indiana State's opening drive sparked by Jayden Reed's 55-yard reception on the first play from scrimmage.
 
Following a Lopez 37-yard field goal and the Allen-to-French touchdown connection in the second quarter, Indiana State kept the gap down to 22-17 with 12:36 to play in the opening half.
 
The Penguins took over from there with YSU running back Jaden Gilbert scoring his third rushing touchdown of the half on a 12-yard carry with 8:07 remaining in the second quarter. On YSU's next possession, Brungard found wide receiver Lynn Wyche-El for a 36-yard touchdown pass to swing the advantage to 36-17 Youngstown State at the halftime break.
 
McCool added his second rushing touchdown of the game on a physical 37-yard carry early in the third quarter. However, the Penguins added a pair of Brungard passing touchdowns and the YSU signal caller carried a third touchdown over the goal-line on a one-yard plunge early in the fourth quarter to help secure the conference win.
 
McCool finished the game with 11 carries for 38 yards and two touchdowns, while adding a career-high four receptions for 39 yards through the air. Jayden Reed hauled in seven catches for 122 yards in his second collegiate 100-yard game, while KeShon Singleton added five receptions for 107 yards through the air. Allen finished 20-for-28 through the air for 299 yards with his 25-yard scoring toss finding French alone in the end zone in the second quarter.
 
Nick Yatsko recorded a team-high eight tackles in the game, while Nate Lindsey-Gill and Braxton Sampson had seven stops apiece. Kolten Gajewski and Zach Coleman both finished with one tackle-for-loss apiece.
 
Brungard paced the Youngstown State offense going 25-for-34 through the air for 386 yards and three touchdowns, while adding eight carries for 37 yards and two more scores on the ground. Gilbert added 163 yards on 15 carries and three scores, while Wyche-El paced the YSU receivers with 10 catches for 118 yards and a touchdown.
 
The Penguins' defense controlled the line of scrimmage with 13 tackles-for-loss and three sacks in the game led by Michael Wells' four tackle, 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sack game.
 
How They Scored

• Max McCool capped a four-play, 75-yard opening drive with a one-yard touchdown run to put Indiana State up 7-0 with 13:36 to play in the first quarter. Jayden Reed hauled in a 55-yard reception on the opening play of the game to move the ball into Youngstown State territory to set up the score.
• Youngstown State responded with Jaden Gilbert's 14-yard touchdown run with 9:36 remaining in the first quarter to tie the game up at 7-7.
• The Penguins added Gilbert's second touchdown of the opening quarter, this one from 65 yards out, and Beau Brungard converted the two-point try with a keeper to put YSU up 15-7 with 6:43 to play in the first quarter.
• Sebastian Lopez made it a 15-10 game with a 37-yard field goal with 3:19 to play in the opening quarter to cap a 10-play, 56-yard drive for the Sycamores.
• Brungard added to the YSU lead with a one-yard touchdown run with 13:53 remaining in the second quarter to end a nine-play, 75-yard drive to put the score at 22-10.
• The Sycamores made it a 22-17 game as Brady Allen found Torey French for a 25-yard touchdown pass to end a four-play, 75-yard drive with 12:36 remaining in the second quarter.
• Youngstown State went up 29-17 on Gilbert's third rushing touchdown of the first half as the YSU back scored from 12 yards out with 8:07 remaining in the first half.
• The score reached 36-17 with 3:14 remaining in the half as Brungard connected on a 36-yard touchdown pass to Lynn Wyche-El to cap a four-play, 80-yard drive.
• YSU went ahead 43-17 on the first play of the second half as Brungard connected on a 75-yard touchdown pass to Bryan Hunt to stretch the lead.
• Indiana State responded with McCool's second rushing touchdown of the game in the third quarter as the redshirt freshman broke several tackles on his way to the 37-yard score to cut the deficit to 43-24.
• Brungard connected on his third touchdown pass of the game with a 16-yard strike to Jeremiah Sanders with 9:19 remaining in the third quarter to put the score at 50-24.
• Brungard capped the scoring with a one-yard quarterback keeper with 12:07 remaining in the fourth quarter to secure the 57-24 win. 

News & Notes

• Jayden Reed recorded his second 100-yard receiving game as the freshman wide receiver hauled in a team-high seven catches for 122 yards.
• Reed's 100-plus yard receiving effort marked just the second time an Indiana State freshman wide receiver has posted multiple 100-yard receiving games, joining Dante Hendrix (2019) in achieving the feat.
• KeShon Singleton added his first collegiate 100-yard receiving effort as the sophomore wide receiver hauled in five catches for 107 yards.
• Reed and Singleton's 100-yard games marked just the third time in school history the Sycamores have had multiple 100-yard receivers in the same game and first since Bob Pugh (260) and Jacquet McClendon (115) achieved the feat against Liberty back on September16, 2017.
• Max McCool recorded the first multi-touchdown game of his collegiate career after scoring from 1-yard and 37-yards on Saturday afternoon.
• McCool became the second Indiana State running back with multiple rushing touchdowns this season and third Sycamore overall to achieve the feat joining Aaron Ball (Valparaiso) and Elijah Owens (Eastern Illinois).
• Torey French hauled in his second receiving touchdown in as many games after breaking loose for the 25-yard score on Saturday afternoon.
• The Sycamores extended their team passing touchdown streak to 12 consecutive games following the Brady Allen-to-Torey French connection in the second quarter.
• Punter Spencer Conrad had a day on Saturday afternoon as the sophomore averaged 55.0 yards over eight attempts, connecting on five 50-plus yard punts on the day, including a pair of 67-yarders.
• Conrad's five 50-yard punts traveled 67 yards, 61 yards, 67 yards (downed at the YSU 1), 59 yards, and 57 yards over the second and third quarters. 

Up Next
Indiana State heads into their bye week this week, before returning to the road on Saturday, October 24, at Hancock Stadium as the Sycamores travel to Normal, Ill. to take on Illinois State. Kickoff against the Redbirds is set for 3 p.m. ET and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
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