The No. 25 ranked Youngstown State football team rolled up a school-record 718 yards on Saturday afternoon (September 7) at Stambaugh Stadium en route to a 67-13 win over Morehead State before a crowd of 13,226.
The Penguins tallied 359 passing yards, 359 rushing yards, 33 first downs and converted 7-of-10 third-down chances. YSU's total included 207 yards in each of the first two quarters.
The Penguins, who compete in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, improve to 2-0 on the campaign. The Eagles, who play in the Pioneer Football League, slip to 0-2 overall.
"Give Youngstown State a lot of credit," Eagle Head Coach Rob Tenyer said. "They thoroughly out-played us in all three phases of the game -- offense, defense and special teams. They certainly showed today why they are nationally ranked (in the Football Championship Subdivision Coaches Poll)."
Senior quarterback Kurt Hess paced Youngstown State by going 16-of-19 for 282 yards and three touchdowns, while freshman tailback Martin Ruiz added six carries for 117 yards and two scores. The Penguins registered 36 points before Morehead State cracked the scoreboard midway through the second quarter. The Youngstown State advantage grew to 60-6 late in the third period.
Freshman quarterback Austin Gahafer led Morehead State with a 16-of-23 performance, 148 passing yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 32 yards and one score in his collegiate debut. Junior wide receiver Kitaro Lewis finished with 85 yards on six catches. His third career receiving touchdown -- a 31-yard toss from Gahafer -- put the Eagles on the board with 2:53 before halftime.
Freshman Pat DiSalvio averaged 37.6 yards on eight punts. Freshman defensive back Dominic Iori led MSU with eight tackles, while senior defensive lineman Aaron Meadows chipped in with six.
"This one was painful, but we have to put it behind us and get ready for PFL play next week,"Tenyer said. "I still like the character of our team, which is encouraging. Our student-athletes are giving good effort, but we obviously have a lot to work on between now and the end of the season."
Morehead State opens league action on Saturday (September 14) at Jacksonville. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m.
