YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — The last time the Youngstown State University football team kicked off the season with a Thursday night road game was back in 1993. The Penguins will snap that 31-year streak when they kick off at Villanova this week in the same stadium against the same team that ended their playoff run last year.
Watch the video above to hear from the Penguins as they get ready for the Wildcats.
“I think we have a motivation factor with every game that we have, but this one, just a little bit more,” says Penguins linebacker Logan Pasco. “We just have to get that bad taste out of our mouth.”
“Just knowing they ended our season, it’s that extra chip on your shoulder a little bit to get that game back,” says Penguins running back Tyshon King. “But we can’t play emotional and be worrying about last year. We got to focus on what we got to do to win Thursday.”
“You learn from losses. You had to reflect back and see what you could have done better, where you could have done better,” says YSU head coach Doug Phillips. “So for me, we’ve done some different things since December, since that loss.”
Youngstown State and Villanova have played 10 contests previously with the Penguins leading the all-time series 7-3.
“We got one opportunity this week. We got to make it count,” added Phillips. “They got tough, physical kids. They’re successful, defending champs, they’re picked to win their league again today. So we’re facing a task that is challenging. That’s why they put a ‘C’ on our chest and call us coach. We got to get our kids ready for a great game to go back on the road to a place where they kind of handed it to us last year.”
The Penguins and Wildcats will kick off in Philadelphia this Thursday at 6 p.m.
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