Right: Youngstown State head coach Jon Heacock and his brother, Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Heacock.
AP Photo

The Youngstown State Penguins, now a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference after the Gateway Football Conference changed it’s name back in June, ventures to Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday.

The Guins went 7-4 last year but failed to make the playoffs. They are ranked 12th in both the FCS Coaches’ and The Sports Network preseason polls for Division I-AA teams.

Youngstown State head coach Jon Heacock, the younger brother of Ohio State’s defensive coordinator Jim Heacock, enters his eighth season at the helm of the Penguins with an overall record of 50-31. He was the defesnive coordinator at YSU under then-head coach Jim Tressel during the 2000 season before taking over after Tressel was hired to lead the Buckeyes.

Ironically, Jim Heacock was already an assistant coach at Ohio State under former head coach John Cooper for five seasons before being one of the three coaches retained by Tressel from the prior staff.

Under the direction of Heacock and offensive coordinator Brian Wright, the Penguins will implement no-huddle, spread attack this season.

Eight starters return on the offensive side of the ball for Youngstown State, but have major holes to fill especially at quarterback.

Todd Rowan, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound junior from Braceville, Ohio, takes over for the departed Tom Zetts at quarterback. Rowan has attempted just two passes in his career, completing one for eight yards. YSU may also play 6-foot, 210-pound Brandon Summers, a transfer from Toledo, who made two starts for the Rockets in 2007, completing 14 passes.

Youngstown State’s top returning pass-catcher can also run the ball as well. Senior Ferlando Williams, a 6-foot, 195-pound wide receiver had 42 receptions for 499 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 464 yards on 74 attempts and nine more scores.

In the backfield, the Guins top returning rusher is 5-foot-10, 195-pound senior tailback Kevin Smith, who had 610 yards in 124 attempts with 10 TDs last season. But he has missed most of fall camp with a pulled hamstring, and is not listed on the Penguins two-deep roster for the game against Ohio State. Junior tailback Jabari Scott, who gained 524 yards on 93 carries with five TDs in 2007, is listed as the starter.

Defensively, the Penguins use a 4-3 base with five starters returning from last season. Junior Roshon Simons, a 6-foot-1, 235-pound linebacker from Eastmoor Academy in Columbus, is the top returning tackler with 55 stops last year, but went down with a knee injury two weeks ago. A projected starter, Simons is not on YSU’s two-deep roster against Ohio State.

The top returning stoppers after Simons are 5-foot-11, 195-pound senior CB Jarvis Richards with 53 tackles, and 6-foot-2, 305-pound senior DT Mychal Savage, who recorded 43 stops, 4.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries in 2007.

Tags: Buckeye Football, First Look //