Youngstown State (10-0) tough final foe for UM

Pity poor Maine. After staggering through their worst football season since 1984, the Black Bears get to wrap things up Saturday by taking on unbeaten Youngstown State in Youngstown, Ohio (1 p.m.).

“They’re one of the two best teams we’ve seen on film this year,” said first-year Maine head coach Kirk Ferentz, ranking Youngstown with William & Mary, whom the Bear braintrust watched in darkened rooms while scouting UConn and Delaware.

Actually, Youngstown is one of the three best I-AA teams in the nation. The Penguins’ 10-0 record has earned them the No. 3 spot in this week’s Top 20. Like hometown congressman Jim Trafficant and hometown millionaire Ed DeBartolo Jr., owner of the San Francisco 49ers, Youngstown is hot.

Here are some other numbers Maine (3-7) has been chewing on this week: Youngstown has beaten three I-A teams this year in Eastern Michigan (24-14), Akron (28-23) and former UM coach Tom Lichtenberg’s Ohio U. squad (27-0).

The Penguins rank in the top 20 nationally in eight categories: rushing offense (222 yards per game), rushing defense (121.6), passing efficiency defense (92.81), total defense (301.9), scoring defense (10.9), turnover margin (plus-20), kickoff returns (28.1) and punt returns (11.9). They’re on a defensive roll. The Penguins have pitched back-to-back shutouts against Ohio U. and Towson State.

Fifth-year Youngstown coach Jim Tressel has led the Penguins to a 19-3 mark since last year’s 28-14 season-opening loss to Maine in Orono. This year’s success story begins with defense and ends with a balanced offense that has been surprisingly error free.

Defensively, the Penguins’ 3-4 alignment has size, speed and experience. The unit is led by junior inside linebacker Ron Brown (5-11, 220), who has 61 tackles. Senior nosetackle Tony Bowens (5-11, 283) spearheads the line, along with junior tackle Pat Danko (6-3, 270).

The secondary is led by junior cornerback Derek Pixley (6-0, 190), who leads the team with 72 tackles. Sophomore free safety Dave Roberts leads the unit with 8 interceptions.

Youngstown’s defense has forced 33 turnovers. Just as importantly, the Penguins’ multiple, option-based offense has committed only 13 t The Penguin offense is tough to stop because they can feature senior tailback Archie Herring, a 5-7, 165-pound scatback who leads the team with 726 yards rushing (1 TD). Or they can feature backup tailback Shawn Patton, a 6-foot, 173-pound freshman, who has gained more than 600 yards. Or, if the tailback is keyed on, they can go to freshman fullback Tamron Smith (5-8, 208), who ran 15 times for 153 yards against Towson State last week.

With such a strong ground game, senior quarterback Ray Isaac (6-1, 175) has been able to pick his passing spots. He’s completed 76 of 147 throws (51 percent) for 1,326 yards and 13 TDs. His favorite target is senior split end Ray Ellington, a 6-2, 221-pound speedster who leads the team with 28 receptions for 560 yards.