The sixth-ranked Hilltoppers turned four Youngstown State miscues into 20 points Saturday en route to a 44-19 Gateway Football Conference victory over the Penguins at L.T. Smith Stadium/Jimmy Feix Field.
Western picked up its third consecutive victory since a season-opening loss at I-A Kansas State, winning its league opener for the first time in four tries since becoming a member of the conference. YSU fell to 2-3, 0-1 in the Gateway, with its fourth straight loss to the Toppers. WKU is the only team to defeat the Penguins in a conference opener.
WKU has forced 16 in its three victories.
“I’ve been wondering all week what it would feel like to be 1-0 in the Gateway,” Hilltopper head coach David Elson said. “It feels pretty good.
“YSU had a good game plan, but our guys responded to everything. I thought our offense did a great job, especially in the second half. It was good to see some guys who haven’t played much come up with some big plays for us.”
Deont Smith led the Hilltopper defense, which turned the game around with a pair of key turnovers in the second half. After Chris James gave Western a 16-7 lead with a 28-yard field goal just under five minutes into the third quarter, capping a seven-play, 68-yard march on the Hilltoppers’ opening possession of the second half, the Penguins responded with a drive that covered 66 yards in 13 plays and ate almost six minutes off the clock. But, Smith forced a fumble by Regis Edgerson with YSU facing 3rd-and-goal at the WKU-1, with Dennis Mitchell recovering for Western.
Instead, the Toppers increased their advantage to 23-7 19 seconds before the end of the third period when Justin Haddix found Stephen Willis in the left flat on 4th-and-2 from the YSU-27, with the freshman racing up the sideline for a touchdown that capped a seven-play, 94-yard march.
Smith came through again on the first play of the fourth quarter, intercepting a Tom Zetts pass and returning it 48 yards for a touchdown that made the score 30-7. He finished with a game-high-tying 12 stops, adding a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Brandon Smith and Charles Thompson also had 12 tackles, Mitchell added 11 and Antonio Thomas 10 as Western held YSU to just 211 yards and seven points through three quarters.
The Penguins got on the board first when, facing 4th-and-goal from the WKU-1, Monquantae Gibson barreled his way into the end zone with 7:16 remaining in the opening quarter. His touchdown capped the Penguins opening drive, which covered 62 yards in 13 plays and five minutes, 37 seconds. YSU converted on 2-of-3 third downs to keep the march alive.
The Hilltoppers evened the score late in the period after back-to-back big plays. Lerron Moore ran 49 yards to give Western a first down at the YSU-26, then Brian Porter reached the end zone on the ensuing snap to tie the game with 1:42 to go in the first.
Moore finished with a game- and season-high 173 yards on 17 carries as the Hilltoppers ran for 274 yards. Porter added 47, while Maurice Perkins chipped in with a 41-yard carry that led to a Porter touchdown run which made the score 37-13 with 10:33 left in the contest.
A Thomas interception late in the first half led to the drive that gave the Toppers’ their first lead, which they would hold on to the rest of the way. WKU took over at the YSU-44 after his fourth pick of the season, with Haddix finding Cory Clemons on Western’s first play for a gain of 19 yards. After three rushes, James connected on a 37-yard field goal 1:22 before the break.
The Toppers doubled their advantage before halftime thanks to a break, as Josh Cayson fumbled on the YSU-31 with the Penguins running out the clock. Deont Smith fell on the ball, leading to a 38-yard James field goal as time expired in the half.
Haddix completed 7-of-10 passes for 172 yards, with Clemons leading the Toppers in his collegiate debut with three catches for 78 yards. Haddix — who hit 6-of-8 attempts after the first quarter — connected with six different receivers.
The teams combined for 33 fourth-quarter points. After Smith’s interception return, Kyle Smith caught a 9-yard pass from Zetts two minutes later. Then, the Penguins capped a 10-play, 61-yard possession with a 6-yard pass from Zetts to Matt Rycraft minutes after Porter’s scoring run.
Moore closed out the scoring with a 29-yard touchdown run with 6:39 remaining.
Zetts completed 28-of-40 pass attempts for 286 yards, with Rycraft and Shawn Carlson catching six passes apiece.
Cayson had four catches for 78 yards and was also the Penguins leading ground gainer, adding 57 yards on 13 carries. Gibson, who entered the contest as the Gateway’s leading rusher, was limited to 37 yards on 12 attempts before leaving with an injury.
Mike Bracken and Dorian Chenault had a team-high six tackles each.
Western will next face Northern Iowa Saturday at 4:05 p.m. (CST) in Cedar Falls.
