The Unexpected

Every road trip will include the unexpected. A flat tire, engine trouble, random bumper-to-bumper traffic, you get the idea. The unexpected is inevitable.

In much the same way, the journey of a football season will include games which are not foreseen. This season's visit by Youngstown State falls firmly into that category.

If you want to claim otherwise you weren't looking at the details. 17 points scored against North Dakota, a three-point win over Towson and five ahead of Illinois St.. So a decent team but no previous indication that they were capable of doing in all three phases what they put together in Fargo.

The following weeks may show that this was their absolute peak and now they will crater. TBD on that but enough about YSU and more about the actual game.

If not for the eight games of proof this would be a concerning performance by the defense.

Save for the second quarter interception by Donovan Woolen the Penguins scored with each chance until late in the third quarter.

Positive spin would be that the lack of stops will be just what the coaches need to keep the young men grounded

Overreaction would be that they stink

Was the defense at it's best? No.

Could the prior two possibilities have some measures of validity? Yes.

Here's how I land on the topic of the defense - they struggled but they did enough. The eight previous games outweigh this one and I'm not even going to give it the 11+% that it would be if the season to date were broken down into a pie graph.

It's a blip, it's a brief bit of the unexpected on the journey.

Fortunately for us all, the same did not apply to Cole Payton and the offense.

The Quarterback did some more of his ridiculousness while Barika Kpeenu added another chapter onto the book of Not Missing Charmar Brown with three more touchdowns. DJ Scott also had another quality afternoon as the number two running back with seven carries and a score.

Because of the effectiveness of those three on the ground the receivers collectively were fairly average with the biggest highlight being Jackson Williams' kickoff return house call from the opposite end zone. He's been used sparingly on offense this season because of all the more-senior options at his position but with that sort of physicality and explosiveness on display again the future is as dim as an LED floodlight. The question is whether he will follow Bryce Lance's example and stay here or heed the song of many other programs? That's a topic for weeks down the road but the play of the game will get him that sort of attention.

Now the attention can move in full to the second biggest rivalry game. No one with the program may admit it but with Youngstown wedged between SDSU & UND it's well within the realm of possibility that minds were not fully locked-in to the current competition. Still was not expecting it to be as tight as this game proved to be but the trap was certainly in mind.

Onward!

What say you?