Scouting Report: Youngstown State Penguins

FCS week has arrived in the Commonwealth. Kentucky will see the Missouri Valley Conference to roll into town on Saturday afternoon.

Following a huge road win against Florida, the Cats and their top-10 ranking will begin a two-game non-conference homestand on Saturday with Youngstown State. The Penguins are in the middle of a rebuild but have shown some proof of concept through the first two weeks of the season.

Let’s begin our deep dive at KSR with the Guins.

Nuts and Bolts

Youngstown State is a very proud program with a rich winning tradition. The Penguins have made the FCS playoffs 13 times and own an very impressive 29-9 overall record in the postseason. Most of that success came under Jim Tressel.

The man known for wearing sweater vests at Ohio State first made a name for himself as an FCS head coach in Youngstown. Tressel roamed the sidelines for 11 seasons with the Guins and won four national titles (1991, 1993, 1994, and 1997). Before leaving for Ohio State, Tressel finished his career at YSU with a 135-57-2 overall record.

After 10 seasons at Ohio State, Tressel has moved into administration and is now the President at Youngstown State. He’s overseeing a football program that is having some issues.

Current Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heacock spent nine seasons at Youngstown State (2001-09) and took the Penguins to the semifinals in 2006. Current Alabama offensive line coach and former Kentucky staffer Eric Wolford replaced Heacock and spent five years (2010-14) as the head of the program. During his watch, the Penguins did not make a playoff appearance. A big name then followed.

Former LSU defensive coordinator and Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini returned to his hometown and led the Penguins to a national runner-up finish in 2016. However, that was the only playoff appearance in five years (2015-19).

From there, former Cincinnati assistant Doug Phillips has taken over, and things are not going well. The Penguins went 4-13 through his two seasons and need to show some proof of concept in 2022. However, the recruiting is going well, and YSU is off to a hot start with a pair of double-digit home wins. The arrow appears to be pointing up.

Saturday will be the first all-time meeting between the two programs. YSU is 0-1 under Phillips against Power Five competition after losing to Michigan State by four touchdowns last year. Mark Stoops is undefeated against FCS competition during his time at Kentucky.

Out in the desert, lines for FBS vs. FCS games typically are not released until Friday. ESPN’s SP+ has the Wildcats as a 39-point favorite. Stoops is 3-5 against the spread (ATS) against FCS competition. Kentucky is 2-4 ATS under Stoops in games after a ranked win.

Youngstown State offense

Before diving into the progress made in 2022, let’s take a look back at production Youngstown State put on the field last fall. Offensive coordinator Troy Rothenbuhler has a team that can establish the run, but needs more explosiveness from the passing attack.

• Scoring: 24.7 (No. 67 overall in FCS)
• Yards Per Play: 5.1 (No. 83 overall in FCS)
• Yards Per Rush: 4.8 (No. 23 overall in FCS)
• Yards Per Pass: 5.6 (No. 106 overall in FCS)

The Penguins are an 11 personnel heavy offense that operates strictly out of the shotgun that likes to run inside zone with numerous RPO looks. The ground game must deliver for this attack to be successful.

Early in the season, the rushing attack has once again been very good as the Penguins averaging 252 rushing yards per game on 6.5 yards per attempt. Meanwhile, the passing game has flashed some more big-play pop but is still dealing with inefficiency.

Everything starts with All-American tailback Jaleel McLaughlin (5-9, 183, Super).

You can't teach speed, and #8 in the Red & White has a LOT of it!

Jaleel McLaughlin second TD in 2:09 has put the Penguins up by 14 late in the fourth.

18 carries, 155 yards and 2 TD's for McLaughlin.#GoGuins // #GritU pic.twitter.com/6IklYchVRn

— Youngstown State Football (@ysufootball) October 9, 2021

The former Division II transfer rushed for 1,139 yards and 12 touchdowns on 6.5 yards per attempt last season. The veteran has seen that production increase this fall. McLaughlin has rushed for 332 yards and four touchdowns through two games while averaging a robust 10.1 yards per attempt. The veteran is currently the NCAA’s active leader in attempts (1,065), yards (6,910), and touchdowns (69). McLaughlin needs 1,165 yards to become the NCAA’s career rushing leader.

The veteran is often a threat out of the backfield in the passing game having recorded 23 receptions in his last 12 games. The speedster is the engine for this YSU offense and is the top guy that Kentucky must stop on Saturday afternoon.

Lined up next to McLaughlin in the backfield will be a quarterback with some potential. Demeatric Crenshaw (6-1, 221, RSo.) started nine games for YSU last season earning Missouri Valley Freshman of the Year honors. The Pickerington (Ohio) Central product had a high completion percentage (62.2%) but averaged a woeful 5.1 yards per attempt.

However, the young quarterback appears to have made some strides in the offseason.

In last week’s blowout home win against Dayton, Crenshaw threw for 230 yards and five touchdowns as the Penguins cruised to a victory but has only completed 54.3 percent of his 46 passes despite creating more explosive plays. There has been some growth, but Crenshaw is more dangerous as a run threat.

Keep pushing forward, young man!

Here's the 6-yard score by Crenshaw on 4th-and-1.

📺 BTN#GoGuins🐧 pic.twitter.com/yVPvNpkuf4

— Youngstown State Football (@ysufootball) September 11, 2021

Th former low three-star recruit rushed for 599 yards and seven touchdowns as a redshirt freshman and has already carried the ball 19 times this season. Kentucky will once again have to defend QB run on Saturday.

On the perimeter, a familiar face is WR1 at Youngstown State. Bryce Oliver (6-1, 212, RSr.) spent three seasons as Kentucky before deciding to enter the transfer portal. The South Florida native landed in the Missouri Valley and put together a solid debut campaign with 24 receptions for 266 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns last fall.

Oliver seems to have taken the next step in 2022.

Through two games, the former low three-star recruit is clearly the top weapon in this passing game as the SEC transfer has logged 10 receptions for 121 yards and two scores. Oliver is not a vertical weapon but is a very effective intermediate option. Expect the former SEC receiver to get plenty of targets on Saturday.

However, YSU does look to push the ball down the field. Max Tomczak (6-0, 181, RFr.) has shown big play capability with five receptions for 148 yards, and Eastern Michigan transfer Latrell Fordham (6-4, 182, So.) can also be a threat.

The YSU offensive line has a boatload of experience with 72 combined career starts. The Penguins brought back all five starters from last season. Jaison Williams (6-2, 298, RJr.) is the best of the group and was named a preseason all-conference selection.

Youngstown State defense

Once the 2021 season ended, it was blatantly obvious that Doug Phillips had to make a change at defensive coordinator. Youngstown State might have had the worst defense in the FCS last season.

• Scoring: 35.4 (No. 108 overall in FCS)
• Yards Per Play: 7.2 (No. 123 overall in FCS, last place)
• Yards Per Rush: 6.5 (No. 123 overall in FCS, last place)
• Yards Per Attempt: 7.9 (No. 110 overall in FCS)
• Takeaways: 15 (T-82 overall in FCS)

Lenor-Rhyne defensive coordinator Jahmal Brown was hired in the offseason and he has made an immediate impact. Through two games, the Guins are allowing just 53 rushing yards per game on 1.8 yards per attempt as YSU has made a total flip on defense.

Creating havoc appears to be a point of emphasis for Brown.

The Penguins have recorded 18 tackles for loss, 12 pass breakups, 6 QB hurries, and 5 interceptions through two games. Brown’s unit is forcing the issue after being consistently shredded each week last season. In YSU’s hybrid 4-2-5 scheme, the Penguins are going to take chances and try to stop the run, but that can leave them susceptible to the big play.

Big play shots through the passing game should be available for Kentucky, but the offensive line must protect Will Levis first against an active and experienced defensive front.

At defensive end, James Jackson (6-2, 252, Super) and Dylan Wudke (6-4, 251, RJr.) have combined to start over 30 games and have a combined 14.5 tackles for loss in their career. The disruption starts with these two, but the teeth of the defense is in the back seven.

At linebacker, Griffin Hoak (6-1, 222, RSr.) — younger brother of former Kentucky quarterback Griffin Hoak — has started 21 consecutive games for the Guins and owns 118 career tackles with 10.5 tackles for loss. He is the leader in the middle. In the transfer portal, YSU added Greg Benton Jr. (6-1, 228, Super) from Western Illinois who also has 100-plus career tackles. The Penguins are very solid at linebacker.

But the biggest strength on the defense appears to be in the secondary.

Florida transfer Quincy Lenton (6-0, 195, Super) starts at free safety and leads the team in tackles (13), solo tackles (9), and tackles for loss (3.5). Brown will often sneak the veteran in the box, and Lenton has been very active his year. Next to him at strong safety is Ohio State transfer Marcus Hooker (5-11, 195, Super). YSU is small at cornerback as neither Jordan Travers (6-0, 173, RJr.) nor Natavious Payne (5-10, 164, RSr.) provides much size or experience, but the safety position has high playmaking potential.

The Penguins are light on the edges but strong down the middle. Expect YSU to take advantage of all that experience at linebacker and safety by asking these players to play downhill to give this group a chance to create passing downs early and often.

Youngstown State special teams

At kicker, former Kent State transfer Colt McFadden (6-0, 194, Super) has been Mr. Reliable for Youngstown State. In his career, McFadden is 15 of 19 on field goals with a long of 45 and a 50.9 percent touchback rate on 85 career kickoffs. However, the veteran is off to a slow start this season with two misses from 30-plus yards.

Paddy Lynch (6-2, 191 Sr.) returns as the starting punter and has taken a big jump this season. Lynch has sent three punts over 50-plus yards and has yet to give up a return. YSU appears to have a real weapon at punter.

Elsewhere, YSU does a very good job at limiting returns and does not have a lot of value in the return game. Kentucky should get some kick return opportunities for Barion Brown as McFadden does not blast it off the tee.

Keys to Victory

— Kentucky messed around last year in Week 3 and found itself in a fist fight with Chattanooga during the noon window. One year later, a similar situation has arrived. Youngstown State is a team riding high after a hot start, and the Cats are fresh off a huge win. A sluggish start on Saturday could lead to another unexpected close game. Landing a haymaker or two early in the first quarter could go a long way for the Big Blue.

— The Big Blue Wall appeared to make some big strides in the second half last week, but this is still a new group that is trying to gel. Similar to Miami (Ohio) and Florida, expect YSU to load the box, use stunts, and try to get Kentucky behind the chains in the run game. Meanwhile, UK has allowed a very high pressure rate this season. Getting in passing downs early is not where they want to be. First down success rate will be something to monitor on Saturday. If the Cats can get ahead of the chains consistently it should lead to a big day.

— It’s pretty simple for Kentucky’s defense this week — get No. 8 on the ground. Jaleel McLaughlin might be the best back the Wildcats have faced to this point, and the super senior has enough burst to create a splash play at anytime. Overall, Kentucky’s run defense has been very solid but both Miami (Ohio) and Florida were able to bust a couple of runs. McLaughlin could turn those busts into scores. The Cats must know where the tailback is at all times and get him on the ground with sure tackling.

— Due to YSU’s aggressive nature, there should be many opportunities for Kentucky’s receivers to get in space and create some explosive plays. Through two games, the passing offense has created 14 plays of 15-plus yards. Their 25 percent big-play rate has been very strong. Will Levis must connect on some big plays to open up the offense so the ground game can hammer the Guins once they have to get in some two-high safety looks to protect the big play. Kentucky has a huge advantage on the perimeter.

— There is close to no way that Youngstown State wins on Saturday without winning the turnover battle. Through two games, Kentucky is 1-0-1 in the turnover column and has lost this battle just one time in its last seven games dating back to last here. The Cats are 7-0 in those games for a reason. Play this to a draw and it should translate to a double-digit victory where the heavy favorite breathes easy in the fourth quarter.