Youngstown State look to bounce back after falling 0-1 in conference
· Yahoo Sports
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) - Youngstown State is looking to turn its lessons from its first conference loss of the season to wins as the Penguins prepare to return home Saturday.
YSU is coming off a loss to South Dakota State, its second loss overall and first in Missouri Valley Football Conference play. Despite the result, head coach Doug Phillips remains confident in his group and believes the issues can be corrected.
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"I believe we have great players. I believe our kids have great attitudes. I believe they are physical," Phillips said. "But I'm proud of the effort and the attitude our guys had on Saturday. We got to fix some things, it's fixable and we got a long season. And like I said, you got to put that game behind you, focus in on the team that you're playing this Saturday at 2:02 p.m."
The Penguins have focused less on dwelling on the loss and more on the task ahead.
Defensive Back Cam Smith feels that the team learned a lot about their defensive assignments after giving up 245 rushing yards to South Dakota State running back. The Penguins understand that South Dakota will come into this weekend looking to establish the run and force the defense into mistakes with play-action.
"Coach always says we either win or we learn," Smith said. "We weren't able to come out with a win of that game, but we definitely learned a lot about our defense and how we need to continue to harp on doing our jobs and making sure that our scheme is right every week.
That message has carried throughout the locker room.
Tight-End Alex McDonald echoed the same confidence that the Penguins' problems are fixable, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.
In the Penguins' two losses, the team has rushed for a combined 120 yards. That is uncharacteristic for a team that has rushed for nearly 450 yards.
"Every mistake we've made so far is fixable," McDonald said. "It's not like a helpless feeling. It's like, we can fix it, we can get better, and we're going to do it and keep going."
Now the Penguins will have an opportunity to respond in front of their home crowd. Phillips said the team must put last weekend behind it and turn its attention towards its next opponent.
Youngstown State returns to the Ice Castle at 2 p.m. Saturday to take on South Dakota.
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