2024 Northern Iowa @Youngstown St.

[Paladin1aa]

Two poor football teams face off in Youngstown on Saturday. UNI holds a 26-9 winning record over YSU, including a winning 10-6 record in Youngstown. UNI holds a curse over YSU often beating better YSU teams and make it look easy. YSU is coming off an epic at Southern Illinois where they held a 28-0 lead and got beat. UNI is 2-8 while YSU is 3-8.

Southern Illinois switched to loading up the box and putting a Spy on YSU QB holding them to 5 second half points. Easy to do when you realize YSUs QB is simply a Wildcat QB with a strong run game but fails in passing beyond short throws. UNI also shows similar problems with erratic O and a leaky D.

It’s Senior Day at YSU. As bad as they have played I’ll give them one more shot at winning another game. Nothing is assured as YSU has a weak coaching staff as well. This will be Farleys last road game with UNI as he sets to retire but being a D coach , he may have YSUs number one more time, even as bad as they are. UNI won last year 44-41 as well as winning the last 4 YSU games.

Ill wrap up the season after the game and project YSUs fortunes for next year.

[Paladin1aa]

Small crowd. Cold but dry. YSU RB Wright is out with Achilles problem.

[Paladin1aa]

YSU 17 yd QB run for TD

YSU 7-0

[Paladin1aa]

Another QB TD run

YSU 14-0

[Paladin1aa]

YSU blocks a UNI punt. Near the Red Zone.

[Paladin1aa]

YSU misses a 45 yd FG

[Paladin1aa]

UNI TD pass

YSU 14-7

[Paladin1aa]

Halftime

YSU 14-7

[Paladin1aa]

UNI TD

14 all

[Paladin1aa]

UNI TD pass

UNI 21-14

[Paladin1aa]

YSU 22 yd TD pass

21 all

[Paladin1aa]

YSU 51 yd FG

YSU 24-21

[Paladin1aa]

UNI 96 yd kickoff return

UNI 28-24

4:50 remaining

[Paladin1aa]

YSU TD pass

YSU 31-28

1:18 to go

[Paladin1aa]

UNI FG

31 all

2 seconds to go

[Paladin1aa]

Overtime

UNI TD run

38-31 UNI

YSUs turn

[Paladin1aa]

Overtime

YSU 9 yd TD run

going for 2

[Paladin1aa]

YSU wins in OT 39-38 on 2 pt pass.

[POD Knows]

Screw you Farley, I am getting a tingly feeling watching UNI football swirl around the drain to the sewer. (I picked UNI in the pick em)

[Paladin1aa]

Screw you Farley, I am getting a tingly feeling watching UNI football swirl around the drain to the sewer. (I picked UNI in the pick em)


LOL ! You made the sucker pick. As bad as YSU is, UNI has been awful. You even went against Massey, lol.

Unfortunately I predicted YSU to go 5-7 in preseason. They ended up 4-8 and if not for the epic meltdown the week before losing after a 28-0 lead, I might have nailed it again.

Farley has one game to go - Indiana St. Pick carefully, lol

[POD Knows]

LOL ! You made the sucker pick. As bad as YSU is, UNI has been awful. You even went against Massey, lol.

Unfortunately I predicted YSU to go 5-7 in preseason. They ended up 4-8 and if not for the epic meltdown the week before losing after a 28-0 lead, I might have nailed it again.

Farley has one game to go - Indiana St. Pick carefully, lol
Toss up games like this I alway pick the teams that I don’t want to win so when it get it wrong at least the team I like the least gets the loss. Science.

[Paladin1aa]

As promised, here’s the wrap up on YSU 2024 season. I projected a 5-7 record in preseason and they finished 4-8. Their prospects for next year do not look any better. Pending recruiting, their problems remain QB and D. When YSU lost early to Duquesne, the warning sign was there. Then came the blowout losses where the D couldn’t stop 5he run or the pass. The QB is a glorified Wildcat QB with a strong run game but scares no one with his arm. This season was ugly.

Our Dline was poor vs the run and didn’t pressure the passer. The LBs, while fundamentally sound, lacked the talent for this level. The secondary had a couple who could defend but others who couldn’t. Translation - YSU has recruited poorly and has glaring holes in its roster. They continue failing recruiting both h.s. and the portal.

The only good news for next year is the Monster recruit class of several years ago asserts itself . Most of the class were O players and the Oline should be o.k. ,but unless they fix the QB problem in recruiting, not much will change on O. They also lack power backs which they need to recruit but have a couple of small scat backs returning. TEs and WRs return capable players. Our kickers are top notch.

My advice is recruit a QB, a RB and everything else on D. We have weak front 4, lack talented LBs and have need for more DBs. The key will be if you see more local Valley “stars” recruited, they will have failed and YSU will continue its slide to the basement. Go to Florida, Georgia, get after Ohio big school players with emphasis on parochial schools. Stop recruiting local small schools.

It’s no secret YSU coaching staff is weak, starting with the HC, Mr. Principal. Both coordinators show poor adjustments in game and neither had any extensive previous experience. The architect of this mess remains as the AD so can’t see this changing much.

Factor in the schedule next year - money game at Mich. St., FCS game at Towson and games with NDSU, SDSU, UND, SIU, ISUr and at UNI. I see probable wins with Mercyhurst , Bobby Morris , Indiana St. and Murray St. Ugly looking.

Chance of losing record next year is high. Next up - recruiting.

[Paladin1aa]

And in a sign of how incompetent the coach is, the ONLY real QB on the roster has hit the portal. Schondelmyer will land somewhere and he will play immediately. The only reason ,beyond the cronyism here , that he didn’t play is that the coach doesn’t like to play Frosh QBs. Let’s simply forget he outplayed all other QBs in practice and especially the Spring game where they couldn’t hide it any longer. Mind you, he could have played 4 games and not lost his redshirt but that would expose the cronyism where they are playing the son of a former National Champ , who is little more than a Wildcat QB.

Beyond poor recruiting and wasting schollies on local “stars” who do not have talent for this level, this clearly is why YSU is not and will not be a National power again.

[BeamMeUp]

Paladin - what do you think of those two 3-stars that apparently committed to YSU on the YSU board? Any good?

[Paladin1aa]

Paladin - what do you think of those two 3-stars that apparently committed to YSU on the YSU board? Any good?

Haven’t looked yet, but did do a quick review from the 24/7 site on a QB who committed - he played and started for 3 teams in 3 years, 2 public’s and a parochial in 2 different states. Throws the long ball often but has throwing mechanics that needs work. My reaction was did they recruit a head case ? He also played for powerhouses as he “ promoted” himself up the ladder. Went to Florida to play for the defending state champ , Homestead.

Waiting for the complete list and then I’ll dig deep into it. They need a ton of help. At least the 2 you mentioned are coming from big school programs playing highly competitive teams. What I’m seeing is they are offering schollies to far more big school athletes and getting away from weaker athletes from small school programs. That crap has to stop.

[Paladin1aa]

And now the backup QB, who is a passer, is gone. We now have NO passing QBs on the roster. So both of our passing QBs are gone. They need to bring in several QBs to replace them. If word gets out that they are playing a Wildcat QB masquerading as a real QB who can pass that is their preferred O, it probably influences someone who is a strong passer/weak runner not to come.