Youngstown State defense has 19 sacks in first five games of season
The Penguins entered the game against Southern Illinois with 12 sacks in four games. They ended the contest with 19 after five.
Against SIU, Dylan Wudke had two, Anthony Johnson had 1.5, Chris Fitzgerald and Devin Lee each had one while Alex Howard, Dawan Martin and Hunter Allen each had half sacks.
It was the most sacks in a game Oct. 29, 2016, against Indiana State.
C.J. Charleston back on field
One of the great stories this season has been the return to the lineup of CJ Charleston.
Charleston missed last year after suffering an Achilles tendon injury in fall camp.
In five games, Charleston has 289 yards on 19 receptions and a touchdown. He had a career-high six catches for 119 yards against RMU. At UNI he had five grabs for 88 yards. Against Valparaiso he caught the first touchdown catch of his career. Against Valpo, he appeared in his first game since Nov. 20, 2021, which was at Southern Illinois. Since his debut in 2019, has caught 46 passes for 653 yards in 23 games played. In 2021, he caught 16 passes for 147 yards and started six games.
Bryce Oliver has been top target for Youngstown State
WR Bryce Oliver has been a big producer for the Guins upon his arrival. He has played in 24 games and has a touchdown reception in 13 contests (one in 2023, seven in 2022 and five in 2021). In the last eight games against MVFC foes, he has caught touchdown passes in seven contests. In the finale vs. Southern Illinois he set the school record with 12 catches. In his YSU career, Oliver has 107 receptions for 1,408 yards and 19 touchdowns. He is one of just three players in school history with 19 touchdown receptions in a career. In 2022 he had 59 catches for 821 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Alex Howard is leading tackler for Penguins
LB Alex Howard leads the Penguins with 32 tackles following the first five games. That total is two shy of his entire season total last year. Howard opened the season with nine tackles and two sacks against Valparaiso. At Ohio State, had five solo tackles, including a sack for a five-yard loss. He also was credited with a pass breakup. Against Robert Morris he had seven stops and six at UNI. Last year, Howard had 34 total tackles and just 3.5 TFLs playing in 10 games while making three starts.
Mitch Davidson finding a rhythm
QB Mitch Davidson has completed 88-of-120 passes for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns. He has four rushing scores in the first five games of the campaign. He passed for 332 yards at UNI after throwing for 303 vs. Robert Morris marking back-to-back 300-yard games. Davidson started the final seven games of last season, all of which came vs. MVFC foes. Davidson had an impressive performance during the 2022 campaign completing 119-of-201 passes for 12 touchdowns and just one interception. In seven of his 12 career starts, he’s thrown for more than 200 yards while leading late-game comebacks against Western Illinois, Illinois State and Southern Illinois last year. He has thrown three interceptions in his last 226 attempts.
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