Youngstown State falls to Ohio State, 35-7
The Youngstown State football team dropped a 35-7 decision to fourth-ranked (FBS) Ohio State on Saturday afternoon at Ohio Stadium in front of a crowd of 102,897.
The Penguins fall to 1-1 on the young season while the Buckeyes improve to 2-0 after winning their home opener.
YSU held its own against the Buckeyes in the program’s first trip to Columbus since 2008. On defense the Guins allowed just 123 yards rushing on 27 carries. Former Buckeye Marcus Hooker led the Penguins with six total tackles, including five solo stops. Alex Howard and Tyjon Jones each finished with five stops.
Ohio State jumped out to a 7-0 lead four snaps into the contest. OSU QB Kyle McCord found All-American WR Marvin Harrison Jr. for a 71-yard touchdown scoring toss.
How Youngstown State scored
Down 7-0, the Guins responded with an impressive 11-play, 75-yard drive to tie the game. On third-and-goal from the one, QB Mitch Davidson scored on a keeper at the 7:42 mark. In the previous two contests at OSU, the Guins had failed to find the end zone.
Later in the first quarter, McCord and Harrison Jr. connected again for a touchdown to push the OSU lead to 14-7. McCord found Harrison Jr. in the back left corner of the end zone with 1:20 left in the period.
In the second quarter, OSU added a pair of touchdowns as TreVeyon Henderson scored on a 13-yard run and Emeka Egubka caught a 28-yard pass from McCord.
To open the third quarter, the Guins moved into Ohio State territory, but QB Beau Brungard’s pass on 3rd-and-8 at the OSU 32 was intercepted in the end zone.
Henderson picked up his second rushing score of the game finding paydirt on a 30-yard scamper with just 1:40 left in the quarter.
Davidson finished the game completing 12-of-18 passes for 98 yards while Brungard was 5-of-8 for 37 yards. Bryce Oliver caught six passes for 37 yards to lead YSU. Tyshon King finished with 66 yards on 12 carries.
The Guins did a good job playing keep away from the Buckeyes holding the ball for 34 minutes and ran one fewer play than OSU in the contest.
The Penguins close out the non-conference portion of their schedule when they play host to Robert Morris next Saturday. Kickoff for the contest is set for 2 p.m.
This story was originally published September 9, 2023 at 3:57 PM.