Penguins Face Strong Challenge in Trip to Michigan State

Youngstown State at Michigan State

Sept. 13, 2025 | Spartan Stadium

East Lansing, Mich. | 3:30 p.m.

Broadcast Information

TV – Big Ten Network (Guy Haberman, Yogi Roth and Rhett Lewis)

Radio Network – 570 AM WKBN (Bob Hannon, Anthony Romo)

Internet Radio – 570wbkn.iheart.com

App Audio – iHeartRadio App

Penguins

2025 Record: 2-0

Last Game: YSU 56, Robert Morris 17

Head Coach: Doug Phillips (Sixth Season)

X (Formerly Twitter): @ysufootball

Spartans

2025 Record: 2-0

Last Game: Michigan State 42, Boston College 40 (2 OT)

Head Coach: Jonathan Smith (Second Season)

X (Formerly Twitter): @msu_football

Series History

All-Time Series: MSU leads 3-0

Last Meeting: Michigan State 42-14

In East Lansing: MSU leads 3-0

    The No. 25 (AFCA FCS Coaches Poll) Youngstown State football team makes its first road trip of the 2025 campaign visiting Michigan State this Saturday at Spartan Stadium. Kickoff for the contest is set for 3:30 p.m. The game is available on the Big Ten Network, WKBN 570 AM and iHeartRadio.

    • YSU improved to 2-0 on the season with a strong performance in a 56-17 victory over Robert Morris last Saturday. The Guins trailed 3-0 before scoring the next 56 points of the contest. Spearheading the impressive contest was QB Beau Brungard who rushed for a career-high 264 yards on just 10 carries while scoring four touchdowns.

    • Brungard’s performance featured the most rushing yards by a QB in school and MVFC history. His total tied for the third most in a game in school history and was the most since Marcus Mason had 265 in 2005. He had scoring runs of 72, 28, 20 and four against the Colonials and set up another one with a 78-yard gallop.

    • While Brungard now has 25 TDs in his YSU career, including six after two games this year, Flash Wilson, Tahir Mills and Antuan Gardner all scored their first-ever TDs as Penguins.

    • Max Tomczak caught a pass in a game for the 35th consecutive time establishing a new school mark. Tomczak caught a pass in each of the final seven games in 2022, 13 in 2023, 12 in 2024 and two this year. The only game in his career without a reception was at Kentucky in 2022.

    • Defensively, the Guins held the Colonials to just 41 yards rushing on 27 carries after surrendering just 63 on 24 carries in the opener to Mercyhurst.

    • YSU has five takeaways in the two games while not turning the ball over. The Guins are tied for third in the FCS at plus-2.5 per contest.

    • Michigan State (2-0) had a thrilling two-overtime win over Boston College last Saturday night. The Spartans picked up a 42-40 win over the Eagles scoring a touchdown and two-point conversion in the second OT to remain unbeaten.

    • MSU has won all three all-time meetings between the school’s including a 42-14 win in September 2021.

    • The Penguins close out the non-conference portion of the 2025 slate when they visit Towson on Sept. 20.

Defense With Five Takeaways

    The Penguins have forced five turnovers through two games. They are one of 13 FCS teams to have forced five turnovers in 2025.

    YSU forced four turnovers in the season opener vs. Mercyhurst with two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. That marked the most turnovers forced in a game by YSU since Nov. 19, 2022 (Southern Illinois).

    Against RMU, the Guins turned a late second-quarter fumble into a TD.

    In 12 games last year, the Guins had three interceptions and four recovered fumbles.

Multiple FCS Leader

    QB Beau Brungard leads the FCS in rushing yards (409), rushing yards per game (204.5) and rushing and total touchdowns (six), points scored (36), points per game (18). Additionally, he ranks second in the FCS in yards per carry at 10.76 and all-purpose yardage. 

    The next closest FCS QBs are at 6.30 per carry, 198 rushing yards, four rushing TDs and 99 yards per contest.

Stopping the Run

    YSU’s defense ranks third in the FCS in rushing defense surrendering just 52 yards a game after two contests.

    Last week against RMU the Guins limited the Colonials to 41 yards on 27 carries. Robert Morris had 20 of those on one carry as YSU allowed just 21 yards on the 26 other attempts.

    In the opener, YSU limited Mercyhurst to 63 yards on 24 carries. The Lakers had 31 yards on two carries and were held to 32 on the other 22 attempts.

First-Time Starters

    The Penguins has had 14 first-time starters so far this year after two games.

    On offense, WR Flash Wilson, guards Joe Sferra and Isaac Perkins, TB Jaden Gilbert and TE Austin Bray started for the first time. On defense, DBs Dathan Hickey, Justin Wimpye and Dayne Hodge, LB Carston Marshall and defensive lineman Ebony Curry Jr., Thomas Jolly and Collin Vaughn started for the initial time. 

    Against Robert Morris, LB Graydon Rollins, WR Mike Solomon and TE Alex McDonald were first-time starters.

National Honors Times Two

    The Penguins have had the Stats Perform National FCS Players of the Week on offense and defense already this season.

    QB Beau Brungard was named the national Offensive Player of the Week following his record-setting performance against Robert Morris. DB Dathan Hickey took top national Defensive honors following the opening game vs. Mercyhurst.

Tomczak Over 2,000

    WR Max Tomczak enters the game with 2,115 yards receiving. He ranks sixth in school history in career receiving yardage but is just 148 from third place.

    His 162 career receptions already rank him third behind Dominique Barnes (168) and Jim Ferranti (180). Ferranti owns the school record with 3,103 yards set back in 1979.

    A year ago, he had 73 grabs for 904 yards and four touchdowns. He had 56 catches for 669 yards in 2023 and 26 for 430 yards in 2022. In two games this season, he has 112 yards on seven receptions.

    He has caught a pass in a school record 35 consecutive contests. Tomczak also has at least four receptions in 17 of his last 20 games.

Hickey Garners Honors

    Senior DB Dathan Hickey picked up conference and national honors for his performance in the win over Mercyhurst.

    He was named the Stats Perform’s National Defensive Player of the Week and the MVFC Defensive Player of the Week.

    Hickey’s YSU debut was impressive as he was credited with 13 tackles to go along with a key fourth quarter interception and a forced and recovered fumble in the second quarter.

    A transfer from Yale, Hickey had not played a collegiate game in 706 days. His interception came in the fourth quarter with 2:15 left and YSU clinging to a nine-point lead. He returned it 21 yards and YSU was able to run out the clock.

    Hickey became the first Penguin to earn the MVFC defensive honor since Alex Howard on Nov. 7, 2022.

Brungard Shows Off Skills

    Junior QB Beau Brungard set the school  and conference record for rushing yards in a game against Robert Morris last Saturday.

    On just 10 carries, he had 264 yards and scored four touchdowns. The 264 yards tied for the third-most in a game in school history and broke the MVFC record of 245 set in 2001.

    In the opener vs. Mercyhurst, he rushed for 145 yards on a career-high 28 carries with two touchdowns.

    Brungard rushed for 998 yards on 159 carries and scored 16 touchdowns in 2024. He averaged 83.2 yards per game.

    Six times in 14 career starts he has rushed for more than 100 yards. And four times in his career has he been the MVFC Player of the Week.

    For his career, he has rushed for 1,536 yards on 225 carries (6.83 yards per rush) with 25 touchdowns. He has thrown for 2,485 yards completing 249-of-371 passes (67 percent).

    In the final two games of the 2024 campaign, he threw for 522 yards on 49 completions and three scores. 

Specialists Off to Good Start

    The Penguins’ specialists group features an impressive array of experience and it showed in game one.

    YSU has third-year starters in punter Brendon Kilpatrick and placekicker Andrew Lastovka. New to the lineup is long snapper Byron Floyd, who started for two seasons at Pitt and one at Buffalo, before transferring into the program.

    Last season, Kilpatrick was selected as the FCS Punter of the Year by the Augusta Sports Council. In 2024, on 40 punts, Kilpatrick averaged a school-record 46 yards an attempt.

    Lastovka has made 30 field goals in 27 career contests. Floyd has started 40 games (25 at Pitt, 13 at Buffalo and two at YSU).

    Lastovka has made 58 straight PATs dating back to Nov. 18, 2023. Kilpatrick is averaging 49 yards a punt on five attempts.

O-Line Features Experience

    YSU’s offensive line has three starters from last season in tackles Desmeal Leigh and Shane Keenan and center Van Keen.

    Leigh has the most starting experience on the team with 27 starts. Keenan has started the last 14 contests and moved to right tackle this year after playing guard in 2024.

    Keen started 10 times last season and has now started 10 straight contests at center.

    The Guins added Colgate transfer Isaac Perkins who started 15 games and fourth-year junior Joe Sferra will be on the line. Both started against the Lakers and Colonials.

Harris Continues Surge

    CB DJ Harris was named to the MVFC All-Newcomer squad last year as a safety.

    This year Harris is now playing corner for the Penguins after playing safety in 2024. 

    Last season, Harris led the team with 57 total tackles and was second with 36 solo stops. He also led the team with 47 tackles in MVFC play with 28 solos and 19 assist.

    Against Mercyhurst, he had eight total tackles, including an impressive seven solos.

Hodge, Hickey Step In

    DBs Dathan Hickey and Dayne Hodge have made  instant impacts and bring a good wealth of experience to the YSU secondary. In two games as Penguins, both players have been credited with 14 tackles each. 

    Hickey missed the campaign last season with an injury, but had appeared in 28 games throughout his career at Yale. Since the 2022 season he has played in only five games after appearing in 23 from 2018-21.

    Hodge played in 28 games and started 19 contests at safety for Tulsa since 2021. 

    In 2024, he played and started 11 games. Hodge finished second on the team with 60 tackles (30 solos and 30 assists) with three pass breakups. In 2023, he played in all 12 games and started eight contests and registered 57 stops.

Tomczak on Senior Bowl List

    WR Max Tomczak is a member of the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl Top 300 list.

    Tomczak is one of just five FCS players on the list that includes 276 players from Power Four programs. He is joined by UIW WR Jalen Walthall, North Dakota State WR Bryce Lance, Stephen F Austin DB Charles Demmings and Harvard QB Jaden Craig.

2025 Team Captains

    YSU has elected five team captains for the 2025 season. 

    The five players voted captains for the year are QB Beau Brungard (12), TB Ethan Wright (2), Punter Brendon Kilpatrick (40), DE Michael Voitus (42) and DB Dathan Hickey (11).

    Votius has been named a team captain for the second straight year.

Returning All-MVFC Performers

    The Guins bring back four All-MVFC players from a year ago.

    Highlighting the group is first-team WR Max Tomczak and QB Beau Brungard, who earned first-team accolades as an all-purpose player.

    Punter Brendon Kilpatrick was a second-team honoree while OT Desmeal Leigh was an honorable-mention pick.    

Preseason Accolades

Max Tomczak | WR

    • Senior Bowl Top 300

    • East-West Shrine Bowl Watch List

    • 2nd-Team Phil Steele Preseason All-America

    • 3rd-Team SI.com Preseason All-America

    • 3rd-Team Stats Perform Preseason All-America

Desmeal Leigh | OL

    • Third-Team SI.com Preseason All-America

Brendon Kilpatrick | Punter

    • FCS Punter of the Year Watch List

    • Third-Team SI.com Preseason All-America

    • 3rd-Team Stats Perform Preseason All-America

Dathan Hickey | DB

    • East-West Shrine Bowl Watch List

Numbers of Note

• Turnover Margin: Since 1996, YSU is 160-49 when they win or tie the turnover margin. When committing more turnovers, YSU is just 32-95.

Since 1990 YSU is:

• 181-22-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points in a game.

• 160-24 when rushing for 200-plus yards.

• 185-35 when scoring 28-or-more points.

• 99-14-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing in a game.

• 215-24 when leading entering the fourth.