LIBERTY REPORT: Scouting Youngstown State

By Chris Lang
Sports writer
Published: September 25, 2008

I covered Youngstown State’s remarkable rebound from an 0-2 start in this story.

So instead of rehashing what already ran in the paper, I thought I’d add some notes on YSU players to watch Saturday.

Penguins coach Jon Heacock wasn’t at all surprised at what redshirt freshman Kamryn Keys accomplished during YSU’s 32-24 upset of North Dakota State last Saturday. Keys finished with a career-high 146 yards and was one of two Penguins to break the 100-yard mark in the win. During his redshirt season, Heacock experimented with Keys, playing him at wideout, defensive back and tailback. Keys had to get some academic issues in order, Heacock said Tuesday, but he’s done his work in the classroom and is deserving of his opportunity.

Keys and Jabari Scott are similar in stature. Keys is 5-foot-10, 185 pounds; Scott is 5-10, 190. So neither is really a bruiser. But both are quick and capable of rolling up big plays behind YSU’s sizeable offensive line.

Quarterback Brandon Summers is another key part to that run game. The Penguins are still running a spread offense, but they’re giving Summers opportunities to run on zone read plays and stretch plays out of the shotgun.

“When they made the decision to go to the spread offense at the beginning of the year, my assumption was that they were eventually thinking that Summers would earn the job,“ Liberty coach Danny Rocco said. “They had (Todd) Rowan playing. He kind of maintained the position through the first two games. I don’t know what happened there (NOTE: Rowan left the team after Week 2). But they eventually went to Summers.“

Another player to watch is receiver Ferlando Williams, who has 11 rush attempts and seven receptions this season.

“They play him a lot like we’ve played Zach Terrell around here,“ Rocco said. “He’ll line up at quarterback on occasion, but not very often. He’ll line up in the backfield next to the quarterback numerous times during the course of the game. They’re motioning him from the wide receiver position into the backfield and handing him the ball on the jet sweep, and plays like that.

“Scott and Keys are the two mainstays at running back. They’ve been very impressive, especially here of late. The Keys kid is just kind of coming on to the scene. I think they’re just now getting a feel for what he can do for them, just like we’re just now kind of getting a feel for what a guy like B.J. Hayes can do for us.

“I’m sure we’ll get a steady dose of Scott, Keys, Summers and Williams during the game.“

Youngstown State’s top four tacklers are all defensive backs—free safeties Andre Elliott and Brandian Ross and cornerbacks Lenny Wicks and Jarvis Richards. Heacock announced Tuesday that Richards, who sustained a knee injury against North Dakota State, is out for the season. That’s bad news for a YSU defense that’s already without All-American defensive tackle Mychal Savage and defensive end Luke Matelan.

My assumption—and mind you the only YSU football I’ve watched this year was highlights of the Ohio State game on ESPN—is that when the leading tacklers on a team are in the secondary, that lots of offensive plays are making it past the first line of defense. That’s a good sign for Liberty, because there aren’t a lot of safeties and corners who can take down someone like Rashad Jennings, who will be running with a full head of steam by the time he makes it into the secondary.

Junior defensive end Jamie Frasure leads YSU with four tackles for loss. No Penguin has more than one sack.

Just for fun, here are some famous YSU alumni, courtesy of Wikipedia:

* Former Eagles QB Ron Jaworski, now an ESPN commentator

* Former Notre Dame coach Bob Davie, also now an ESPN commentator

* San Francisco Giants pitcher Brad Hennessey (Snoop Dog likes him, for reasons unknown)

* Former Giants pitcher Dave Dravecky

* Kansas coach Mark Mangino

* Ed O’Neill—you may know him better as Al Bundy

* Basketball shoe guru Sonny Vaccaro

ABOUT YOUNGSTOWN STATE
LOCATION: Youngstown, Ohio
ENROLLMENT: 13,497
FOUNDED: 1908
COLORS: Red and white
CONFERENCE: Missouri Valley (football); Horizon (all other sports)
STADIUM: Stambaugh Stadium (20,630)
SURFACE: Sprinturf
HEAD COACH: Jon Heacock (52-33, 8th year)
OFFENSE: Spread
DEFENSE: 4-3
STARTERS RETURNING/LOST: 16/9
SERIES WITH LIBERTY: Youngstown State leads 6-2. YSU won the last meeting, 42-0 in Lynchburg in 2005.