Youngstown, Ohio – The Youngstown State defense denied No. 7 North Dakota’s game-winning two-point conversion attempt to lift the Penguins to a 41-40 overtime victory Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.

The Penguins (3-6, 2-3 Missouri Valley Football Conference) began the extra period with the ball, and senior Tyshon King’s one-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-one gave the Penguins a 41-34 lead.

Sophomore quarterback Beau Brungard ripped off a 15-yard run to the UND 10 on the extra period’s first play, and a six-yard run by Ethan Wright and a three-yard carry by Brungard set up the Penguins at the North Dakota one. After being stopped on third down, King burst through the line for the game-winning score.

The Fighting Hawks’ Simon Romfo scrambled for 24 yards on third-and-12 down to the YSU three, and two plays later hit Bo Belquist on a one-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to one.

On the two-point try, North Dakota (5-3, 2-2 MVFC) quarterback Quincy Vaughn’s pass attempt touched an offensive lineman and fell incomplete securing the upset victory for the Penguins.

In a game that featured nine lead changes, the Penguins ran for 334 yards while accumulating 406 total yards against the Fighting Hawks. Devin Johnson recorded eight total tackles to lead the Penguins defense, which also had two sacks.

Brungard turned in an amazing day accounting for four touchdowns, including three on the ground, and ran for 176 yards. He also threw for 76 yards on 8-of-12 passing with a touchdown. He also broke the YSU single-season rushing record by a quarterback of 638 by Jeff Ryan in 2001. Brungard now has 777 on the year.

Wright ran for 93 yards while King added 65 yards on the ground. Cyrus Traugh led the Penguins receivers with five receptions for 27 yards and a touchdown.

On the game’s opening possession, the Penguins methodically moved the ball down the field capped by a seven-yard touchdown pass from Brungard to Traugh to take a 7-0 lead with 8:47 left in the quarter.

Brungard connected on 5-of-7 passes for 43 yards and rushed for another 15.

The Fighting Hawks answered quickly to knot the game at 7-7 in just four minutes. UND drove 75 yards in just seven plays, and Gaven Ziebarth’s five-yard scoring scamper evened the score.

After Avery Scott picked off Brungard at the UND 41, the Fighting Hawks took a 13-7 lead after Ziebarth’s one-yard scoring plunge capped an 11-play, 59-yard drive at the 13:04 mark of the second quarter.

Youngstown State regained the lead 14-13 after Brungard burst through for a 13-yard touchdown run on a quarterback draw. King busted a 30-yard gainer on the first play of the drive to get to the YSU 44. Brungard ran three times for 30 yards on the final three plays of the drive.

The Penguins pinned the Fighting Hawks back on their own 10 on the ensuing kickoff, but North Dakota retook the lead 20-14 after a 11-play, 90-yard drive. Romfo connected with Isaiah Smith on a 19-yard wheel route for the go-ahead score with 1:15 left before the intermission.

Youngstown State gained the lead for the third time after Brungard led a frantic last-minute drive to put the Penguins up 21-20 at the intermission.

Brungard hit Tomczak on a 12-yard gainer to get to the YSU 40. A pair of rushes by both Brungard and Wright set up the Penguins at the UND 28-yard line.

On third-an10, Brungard unleashed an electric, highlight-reel 28-yard touchdown dash to give the Penguins the lead with six seconds remaining.

A sack by Michael Voitus and Preston Zandier forced the Fighting Hawks to punt on their first drive of the second half, but the Penguins fumbled the ensuing punt and UND recovered at the YSU 19. Three plays later, Romfo hit Belquist on a six-yard touchdown pass for a 27-21 lead at the 10:10 mark of the third.

The Penguins answered on their next possession running nine straight times for 75 yards to take a 28-27 lead with 4:49 left in the third. Brungard capped the drive with his third rushing score of the game on a two-yard scamper.

A sack by Carston Marshall and a 21-yard punt return by Traugh set up a 34-yard field goal by Andrew Lastovka that gave the Penguins a 31-27 edge with 15 second to go in the third quarter.

The eighth lead change of the game came on Ziebarth’s third touchdown of the game, a two-yard run, that capped a 13-play, 65-yard drive to give the Fighting Hawks a 34-31 lead with 9:13 to go in the game.

After the team’s exchanged punts, Brungard broke off a 46-yard run to the North Dakota 21, but the Penguins settled for a Lastovka 35-yard field to tie the game at 34-34 with 15 seconds left and force overtime.

Youngstown State visits No. 20 Illinois State Saturday, Nov. 2. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at Hancock Stadium in Normal, Ill.

Read Full Article