Youngstown State @ Western Illinois

[FlyYtown]

This game is likely going to be a dandy. Looking at YSU's schedule from here on out, there is no more gimmees. They will need to play their best football for the next 5 weeks for a shot of playing in the playoffs.

This game is interesting. YSU is 5-1 [2-0 in the Gateway] while WIU is 3-3 [0-2 in the Gateway]......BUT: WIU has played very good football in these 2 losses in the Conference and had the ability to win each of these games, which were on the road. Now they return home to battle a Top-10 Youngstown State team that blew out Indiana State 55-17 at home.

Youngstown St. is likely the favorite in this game, but I think its going to come down to the 4th quarter.....again for WIU. The good news is YSU has given up just 17 points in the 4th quarter all year..... but the defense still looks to be struggling stopping the pass...

I am going to hold off on my prediction until I hear who is injured for each team, if anyone is...

Until then I want to hear your predictions! This game will be a dandy!!!

[Neckfansince71]

:eyebrow: Wow, Wisconsin, WKU, SIU, all at home! Three road games in a row, the last two coming down to the wire, and both could have gone either way. I really thought the defense played well against Wisconsin. Bodies flying all over, big hits etc. Unfortunately WIU has not won on the road nor the close ones which is a must if you expect to have a great season. I coached HS basketball for 23 years and those seasons where you just couldn't win the close ones eventually sunk into tough years. Its really tough on the emotional energy of the team.

So, this coming Saturday! Well I will beable to give you a personal account since we will make the drive from the burbs to Macomb. It is suppose to be a beautiful fall weekend and my daughter said Friday that the trees are beginning to look spectacular. Gotta think the Necks will be ready. Also gotta say that the early going will have alot to do with the outcome. Offense continues to click. Defense has just got to make some timely stops. This will be the last time the Penguins play at Hanson before the east bleachers come down. A win will provide a great boost and should send the Necks on to victory the following weekend against ISU. A loss will take the proverbially "air out of the bag!" xcoffeex

WIU 24 - YSU 21!

jcxsmileyclapx

I have seen alot of pictures of GSU's facility. Western's will look similar when it is all completed. AD said that Hanson is an eye sore in the middle of campus and plans are to make it a classy and useful facility not only for athletic events but also during the school week. Never thought I would be around to see this happen. Have been waiting patiently for years. Its about time!xsmileyclapx

[skinny_uncle]

Should be a good game. But the real game in the Gateway next week will be SIU @ Ill State. There's a possibility of 2 top 10 teams in that game.

[Neckfansince71]

What a conference!!! I think NDst. and SDst. will be included shortly with WKU leaving. Boy that will make things so much easier!!!! (lol)

[shakdaddy3]

A win will provide a great boost and should send the Necks on to victory the following weekend against ISU.
hey now... one game at a time pleeeeeeeze :rotateh:

this could be a heck of a game... can WIU shock YSU? i think it can happen... as a matter of fact, i think it will happen!

WIU 31
YSU 30

some way, some how, WIU finally finds a way to win a close game... however, it ain't gonna be easy no doubt!

[Hansel]

WIU 50

YSU 3

[birdsflyhigh]

Yeah, I think WIU could upset YSU too. Listened to part of the Leatherneck vs SIU tilt, and the announcers mentioned that after 3 tough weeks on the road, WIU is ready for some homecooking and will be out to defend their home turf. They (WIU) knows that winning out is the only way they make the playoffs now, and who is first up on that list of teams to beat? The Penguins.

I'm going to think this over for a couple days before predicting a winner or score. Both the ISU/SIU and YSU/WIU games are going to be flat-out terrific though! The Gateway rocks again this weekend!!! :hurray:

[FlyYtown]

This weekend looks great in the Gateway. Good news for me is I've been within 5 points of every prediction this year as far as YSU scoring is concerned..

I think we will win, but this will be very very close. WIU is a rival of our's; at least it once was. They like UNI seem to have our number year in and year out, although last year we beat them 23-21!

[ysubigred]

WIU 50

YSU 3

Hey Hansel! I'm the only one allowed to be a commedian with the predictions :)

If YSU plays like the did in the 1st and 3rd qtr against Indy ST you might be close.

YSU 24-17

[siugrad99]

I'd be amazed if WIU could go 80 percent on 3rd down conversions again. YSU by 2 TD's

[shakdaddy3]

I'd be amazed if WIU could go 80 percent on 3rd down conversions again. YSU by 2 TD's
u mean like they did against WKU? they do have the best 3rd down conversion rate in the conference:

3RD-DN CONVERSIONS G Conv Att Pct
-------------------------------------------
1. Western Illinois.... 6 45 74 60.8
2. Western Kentucky.... 5 36 66 54.5
3. Southern Illinois... 5 28 53 52.8
4. Illinois State...... 5 37 73 50.7
5. Northern Iowa....... 5 27 58 46.6
6. Youngstown State.... 6 35 76 46.1
7. Indiana State....... 6 30 84 35.7
8. Missouri State...... 6 22 74 29.7

[ysubigred]

u mean like they did against WKU? they do have the best 3rd down conversion rate in the conference:

3RD-DN CONVERSIONS G Conv Att Pct
-------------------------------------------
1. Western Illinois.... 6 45 74 60.8
2. Western Kentucky.... 5 36 66 54.5
3. Southern Illinois... 5 28 53 52.8
4. Illinois State...... 5 37 73 50.7
5. Northern Iowa....... 5 27 58 46.6
6. Youngstown State.... 6 35 76 46.1
7. Indiana State....... 6 30 84 35.7
8. Missouri State...... 6 22 74 29.7

Hmmmm. Scarry stat :eek: The Penn St game did help the Guins in this department but never the less WOW!!

[PantherRob82]

Watching the replay of the WIU-SIU game, I found that WIU TD that called back pretty interesting. Would've definitely changed the game. According to the announcers the refs blew the call. Not sure if they have rule right or not.

[GoGuins]

As a Guin fan, this game worries me. WIU's backs are against the wall and historically, YSU does not play well in Macomb. Several times YSU has been ranked high in the polls and come out of there on the losing end.

[PantherRob82]

and it's hard to find the gas station in Macomb. :D

[Paladin1aa]

I'm on record

YSU 24

WIU 14

Defensive struggle until late.

[Cap'n Cat]

Gonna go for the "upset":

WIU 19
YSU 16 2 OT's

[bodoyle]

My brother is alum of wiu and is going down for the game. With that said....

y state - 31
wiu - 17

Eventhough I might pull for them to get into the playoffs somehow...a CCU-wiu match-up would bring us to blows! :nod: :nod: :nod:

[FlyYtown]

Gonna go for the "upset":

WIU 19
YSU 16 2 OT's

LOL I will take that prediction. Every time this year you picked us to lose, or to be upset...We go onto win big.

I will say YSU wins this game 28-21..... We will be losing 21-14 at half though......;)

[Cap'n Cat]

LOL I will take that prediction. Every time this year you picked us to lose, or to be upset...We go onto win big.

I will say YSU wins this game 28-21..... We will be losing 21-14 at half though......;)


Fly,
I put virtually no thought into any predictions I make. Except this one. The rest were all for blood pressure raising in Penland.

[FlyYtown]

Fly,
I put virtually no thought into any predictions I make. Except this one. The rest were all for blood pressure raising in Penland.

Ha, I donno about that, I could see if you picked Maine or UC-Davis..... but the others were just funny.

You know you want YSU to lose this week. You are going to be behind those Leathernecks aren't you Cap'N Cat....
xlolx xlolx xlolx :nod: :nod: :nod: :nod:

[Cap'n Cat]

Ha, I donno about that, I could see if you picked Maine or UC-Davis..... but the others were just funny.

You know you want YSU to lose this week. You are going to be behind those Leathernecks aren't you Cap'N Cat....
xlolx xlolx xlolx :nod: :nod: :nod: :nod:

I want whatever will help UNI, just as you want what would help YSU, right? Plus, I am ALWAYS for the underdog, unless UNI is playing.


:nod: :nod: :nod: :nod:

[Cap'n Cat]

As a Guin fan, this game worries me. WIU's backs are against the wall and historically, YSU does not play well in Macomb. Several times YSU has been ranked high in the polls and come out of there on the losing end.

That's a strange stadium, too, GG, with tall grass and difficult opposing team mojo. It's flippin' haunted.

BTW, was Cap'n Cat's favorite place to play in the old Gateway. Even more so than the Dome.


:nod: :nod:

[FlyYtown]

These Penguins need to defend these:

http://www.ysu.edu/sports/traditions/mosure.jpg

[GoGuins]

These Penguins need to defend these:

http://www.ysu.edu/sports/traditions/mosure.jpg


Oh boy, there you go bringing up ancient history againxlolx

These Penguins were in diapers when YSU last won one

[PantherRob82]

Oh boy, there you go bringing up ancient history againxlolx

These Penguins were in diapers when YSU last won one

Yeah, usually you defend the following year.

[shakdaddy3]

Yeah, usually you defend the following year.
xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx

[Neckfansince71]

"That's a strange stadium, too, GG, with tall grass and difficult opposing team mojo. It's flippin' haunted.

BTW, was Cap'n Cat's favorite place to play in the old Gateway. Even more so than the Dome."

:thumbsup: Not to sure how to copy a quote. You guys I am sure will help this old 53 year old out with this tech stuff. I would be hurt about the strange stadium comment except it is the truth if you can call it a stadium. Basically in the early 1950's they took a piece of land just north of the campus, that was framed in on the east, west, and south side, and built concrete stands on the west side with a pressbox and cinder block lockerroom towards the north end. Of course they surrounded it with a cinder track and called it Hanson Stadium. It was pretty much unchanged when I arrived in 1971. The week before the first home game I watched cranes and workmen replace a small area of bleachers with what is now the east stands. Except for a pressbox expansion, a burm at the north end, and a stadium entrance in the same area, Hanson is unchanged since then. I have heard a number of Gateway fans etc. make cracks about it and I can't really argue with them. Some have said its not even a good high school stadium!!!!! Well one thing is for sure, I have seen 19,880 people packed into the place. Been to a number of playoff games (Jackson State, Florida AM, WKU (hammer game) and a whole lot of regular season games (at least one per year) and have witnessed some strange things such as the PAT run back for 2 points against UNI, the upset of YSU a couple of years back, and unfortunately the WKU pasting of WIU last year. This is the last year it will look like this. The new stands in the east will begin the transition. But one thing is for sure, the university will always surround this site. Big high rise dorms, fall colored trees, and the pit full of tailgaters. I have got to laugh at myself a couple of years back when some YSU fan was bragging about the number of louges at Stambaugh. I had no idea what he was talking about. But Hanson is Hanson. I witnessed a come from behind victory in 1971, a 21-20 win over Ball State and I have been hooked ever since.

Don't really know why I have been so unsettled since the WKU game. Thought we were going to win. Last Saturday I kept track of the game at school as we decorated for the homecoming dance. Just kept coming back to the computer hoping the score would change. I got home just in time to hear WIU's last gasp. :eek: Even though I have predicted an upset, not really too sure what to think! We have had a tough road! A win would have made it a little easier. :bawling:

Oh what the heck! :hurray: I'll be in Hanson Saturday no matter what!

jc

[FlyYtown]

The Penguins have won 12 straight
games when a tailback rushes for more
than 100 yards since the 2004 season. YSU
is 4-0 in 2006.
----
YSU is 17-2 all-time the
week after putting 50 on the scoreboard.

-----
We need Mason to rush for 100 and hopefully that 17-2 becomes 18-2 and we get our 400th win in school history!

[leatherneck177]

WIU 35
YSU 31

Close one, but Necks defense finally holds in the 4th quarter behind the homecoming crowd.

[PantherRob82]

WIU 35
YSU 31

Close one, but Necks defense finally holds in the 4th quarter behind the homecoming crowd.

would love for you to be right. :thumbsup:

[FlyYtown]

I see everyone wants to see YSU to lose, not for bad reasons.... Good reasons I assume, the sooner we lose, the better it helps other teams.

I think YSU wins this 28-21.. but will be close....

[Longnecker]

I unashamely and without hesitation copy and post this reply that was first posted on LEATHERNECKNATION.com board. The author of this, "Pit" makes several insightful and cogent points, enjoy: "The defensive performance against SIU was not as bad as some people are making it out to be. Actually not bad at all. We gave up less total yards than IU against them. I don't want to get into excuse mode but we are a little banged up which is a part of football but it's worse when you're as young as our defense. Whitlock is just that good. He's better than PJ Hill in some aspects. I don't want to take anything away from the performance at Wis but let's face it, Wis wasn't playing for the Big Ten championship. They wanted to keep it basic and try to establish some connection between Stocco and his new receivers. We did play good defense but we also caught them totally by surprise with our scheme. We were more physical than them and more physical than they wanted at that point in the season. You wouldn't want to play them now. PJ Hill may be harder to bring down, but Arkee is harder to find. He finds holes that don't appear to be there. Once he sees it, he goes from 0-60 in no time. He is a I-A back. We will see big time backs the next three games. I'm sure there were times when an assignment or two was missed or we got sucked in Sat. but overall Arkee made the plays. 30 plus carries may have worn us down a bit. When they did drop back, we either got picked up on a Blitz or Hill made a great play to get away. His long pass to Turner on the final drive was perectly thrown between two defenders. Braden Jones (#47) also made some great plays. He was tough to defend but a real key play to the game was the blocked punt which led to a short field and a score. Our secondary made some nice plays, I thought. This defensive performance was much better than against WKU and contrary to popular belief it was not totally the same defensive scheme. WKU's bye week was their savior. After this past week, just how good is WKU's offense or how bad is our defense? They put up 450 yards of offense against ILST. with a similar final score. They are very balanced with an experienced quarterback. This is why I can't bring myself to come down on the defense. This is the year for offense in the Gateway. Top nationally ranked QB's, RB's and WR's up the wazoo this year. There are a LOT of top 25 teams that we would have pounded the last two weeks. We just met the wrong ones. Let me give a little more insight by looking back at 2002 and to a team that was good enough to play against eventual Nat Champions, WKU in the Championship instead of intead of in the playoffs. We gave up almost 300 yards rushing to Michael "the burner" Turner against NIU but still pulled off a 3 point win. We had no answer for Abdulqadir who rushed for 260 yards and lost to SIU by 2 points. We gave up 360 rushing yards to Southern Utah. I guess it was because we didn't have enough guys on the line in those games. In that same year we also shut out WKU and #23 YSU. Let's all relax and look at how things have played out, not necessarily the 3-3. No one is in jeopardy of losing their job, that's nonsense. It's a chess match every week. While we sit and whine about a defensive scheme stopping the run, Heacock is planning his moves to turn Zetts and the WR's loose. Oh by the way, both RB's are I-A transfers along with TE who came from Ohio State. Nothing we haven't seen before. " Take it to the bank: WIU 34 - ysu 27

[shakdaddy3]

I see everyone wants to see YSU to lose, not for bad reasons.... Good reasons I assume, the sooner we lose, the better it helps other teams.

I think YSU wins this 28-21.. but will be close....
it's not a matter of want for me Fly; it's just what i think will happen. i believe WIU is going to bounce back big from the 2 close losses, they are a good team period, and they have their backs against the wall so they will be fighting harder than ever to stay alive...

but it ain't gonna be easy and YSU definetly can win the game, no doubt...

[FlyYtown]

The Western Illinois vs. Youngstown State game will be broadcasted LIVE Online via the WIU Video Feed Here:

Western Illinois Leathernecks Webcast Page (http://www.wiuathletics.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12000&DB_OEM_ID=12000&KEY=)

So now everyone can see this huge matchup for FREE Online!

Go Penguins.
Final Prediction: 31-21 YSU

[crunifan]

I actually want Youngstown to win. As I want SIU to win. It seems the Gateway is pretty much a lock for three teams in the playoffs, therefore it's time to seperate the crowd. So hopefully if SIU beats Illinois State, UNI takes care of them at the dome, and YSU also beats them...that leaves UNI in that precious group of three.

Yes, selfish...but what can I say? xlolx

I realize this is MUCH easier said than done.

[PMB4Life]

I got this feeling that the Pens win handily. Just a hunch, though, and I've been wrong before.

[GoGuins]

it's not a matter of want for me Fly; it's just what i think will happen. i believe WIU is going to bounce back big from the 2 close losses, they are a good team period, and they have their backs against the wall so they will be fighting harder than ever to stay alive...

but it ain't gonna be easy and YSU definetly can win the game, no doubt...

My thoughts exactly

[skinny_uncle]

I unashamely and without hesitation copy and post this reply that was first posted on LEATHERNECKNATION.com board. The author of this, "Pit" makes several insightful and cogent points, enjoy: "The defensive performance against SIU was not as bad as some people are making it out to be. Actually not bad at all. We gave up less total yards than IU against them. I don't want to get into excuse mode but we are a little banged up which is a part of football but it's worse when you're as young as our defense. Whitlock is just that good. He's better than PJ Hill in some aspects. I don't want to take anything away from the performance at Wis but let's face it, Wis wasn't playing for the Big Ten championship. They wanted to keep it basic and try to establish some connection between Stocco and his new receivers. We did play good defense but we also caught them totally by surprise with our scheme. We were more physical than them and more physical than they wanted at that point in the season. You wouldn't want to play them now. PJ Hill may be harder to bring down, but Arkee is harder to find. He finds holes that don't appear to be there. Once he sees it, he goes from 0-60 in no time. He is a I-A back. We will see big time backs the next three games. I'm sure there were times when an assignment or two was missed or we got sucked in Sat. but overall Arkee made the plays. 30 plus carries may have worn us down a bit. When they did drop back, we either got picked up on a Blitz or Hill made a great play to get away. His long pass to Turner on the final drive was perectly thrown between two defenders. Braden Jones (#47) also made some great plays. He was tough to defend but a real key play to the game was the blocked punt which led to a short field and a score. Our secondary made some nice plays, I thought. This defensive performance was much better than against WKU and contrary to popular belief it was not totally the same defensive scheme. WKU's bye week was their savior. After this past week, just how good is WKU's offense or how bad is our defense? They put up 450 yards of offense against ILST. with a similar final score. They are very balanced with an experienced quarterback. This is why I can't bring myself to come down on the defense. This is the year for offense in the Gateway. Top nationally ranked QB's, RB's and WR's up the wazoo this year. There are a LOT of top 25 teams that we would have pounded the last two weeks. We just met the wrong ones. Let me give a little more insight by looking back at 2002 and to a team that was good enough to play against eventual Nat Champions, WKU in the Championship instead of intead of in the playoffs. We gave up almost 300 yards rushing to Michael "the burner" Turner against NIU but still pulled off a 3 point win. We had no answer for Abdulqadir who rushed for 260 yards and lost to SIU by 2 points. We gave up 360 rushing yards to Southern Utah. I guess it was because we didn't have enough guys on the line in those games. In that same year we also shut out WKU and #23 YSU. Let's all relax and look at how things have played out, not necessarily the 3-3. No one is in jeopardy of losing their job, that's nonsense. It's a chess match every week. While we sit and whine about a defensive scheme stopping the run, Heacock is planning his moves to turn Zetts and the WR's loose. Oh by the way, both RB's are I-A transfers along with TE who came from Ohio State. Nothing we haven't seen before. " Take it to the bank: WIU 34 - ysu 27
A lot of truth in the post. WIU will be motivated this week as they cannot afford another loss if they retain any hopes of making the playoffs. Should be a very interesting game.

[PantherRob82]

Hoping for some big wins today. Go Panthers, Leathernecks, Salukis and Toppers.

[FlyYtown]

If you wanted my true hopes: [Only 2 of 4 will happen today]
Go Penguins
Go Sycamores
Go Bears
Go Salukis!