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The YSU football team concluded spring training with the annual Red-White spring contest on a cool and cloudy Saturday morning at Stambaugh Stadium. All levels of the depth chart had high energy throughout the contest. Wideout Kylon Wilson stole the show offensively, exploding for 148 yards and a touchdown on just three catches. His quarterback, Beau Brungard, also had a solid day, going 10-17 for 229 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
Defensively, Makai Shahid set the tone with an incredible interception on the offense's first possession, giving the white team an early 3-0 advantage. Freshman Jussiah Williams-West made a major impact on defense, intercepting a pass from Malachi Lewis and forcing multiple deflections.
The game ended with an entertaining twist. Each team selected offensive and defensive linemen to catch a high flying ball that was shot out of the JUGS machine, similar to a punt returner fielding a punt.
The white team ultimately came out on top due to a clutch catch by defensive lineman Kyren Stuart and a drop by offensive lineman Easton Korody. A respectable crowd of about 1,000+ people were in attendance for the game.
YSU's offense was impressive today despite there learning curve with Yurchich's system. Beau Brungard's passing looked much better, stretching the secondary and putting more zip on his passes. He threw some long passes that he wouldn't have been able to complete last season.
Malachi Lewis also stood out with three touchdown passes and 123 yards. He has immense potential if he sticks with the program. Outside of Wilson, Luke Hensley had a quality outing, totaling 63 yards and a touchdown. The Medina High School product has developed solid chemistry with Beau.
At running back, Tahir Mills showcased his powerful rushing skills, pounding the ball into the end zone once and accumulating 28 yards. Antuan Gardner and Jaden Gilbert both provided sparks to the offense when things started to stall out.
Easton Korody logged the start at left guard and Nicholas Nielsen manned the right tackle spot. Colgate transfer Isaac Perkins and returning offensive lineman Shane Keenan were both in street clothes on the sideline.
Notable Inactives - WR Max Tomczak, WR Joey Farthing, RB Ethan Wright, LG Isaac Perkins, RT Shane Keenan.
The defense stood its ground for a majority of the contest and made it interesting with some highlight plays.
The secondary struggled, but interceptions made up for the woes. Makai Shahid, Jeremiah Robinson, and Jussiah Williams-West all had interceptions.
Shahid logged the first interception, catching the ball on a near perfect throw from Beau. Jussiah is going to be an issue for opposing offenses. His length and athleticism allows him to swat away passes and reach high for interceptions.
The linebacking core was strong, especially Mike Wells and Carston Marshall. They allowed few explosive runs and the running backs had a hard time finding space. On the defensive line, Deshawn Carter erupted with numerous sacks and tackles for loss. The defensive tackle rotation also performed well even though Joe Brown and Collin Vaughn didn't play.
Notable Inactives - DE Michael Voitus, DT Joe Brown, DT Collin Vaughn, LB Preston Zandier, LB Solomon Farrell.
Kylon Wilson - Explosive vertical threat, WR2 potential
Jussiah Williams-West - Instant impact freshman
Deshawn Carter - Dominant force on the edge
On offense, the play design focused on rolling Beau out and finding open receivers in rhythm. While the scheme lacked much complexity, there was clearly more of an emphasis on expanding the defense and making them blanket the entire field.
The offense frequently utilized post routes and Beau was able to connect on a couple of moonshots with lethal wide receiver Kylon Wilson. Sets of two running backs were also another wrinkle that Yurcich introduced.
On defense, there was a significant amount of effective blitz packages. The players looked comfortable executing Coach Haneline's system and plugged gaps nicely.
The defensive coaching staff has focused on stuffing the ground game. Almost every player crashed the box anytime a running back got remotely close to touching a ball. However, late in the contest, a running back on the third team gashed the third string defense making the defensive coaches absolutely livid.
If this spring game was any indication, YSU has plenty of reason for optimism this season.
The new-look offense looked smooth and operated cleanly through the game. When Yurcich's full offense is installed, opponents will have much to prepare for.
The defense was opportunistic and relied on aggression upfront to force turnovers. They looked much better than last season. Hopefully YSU is able to translate this positive momentum into success during the fall.
