A close 14-13 game at the half quickly turned in the Penguin's favor behind the running of Josh Cayson. He scored the first of two second half touchdowns to cap YSU's first drive of the third quarter which chewed up over six minutes of the clock with 8:35 left putting Youngstown up 21-13.

After YSU expanding its lead to 31-13, the Sycamores showed life with a no-huddle offense producing a season-long 61-yard touchdown pass from Phillip Johnson to Markus Naves. With the score closer at 31-20, the Sycamore defense still did not contain Cayson, who used a short field of 36 yards to punch in the game clinching TD putting the Penguins up 38-20. With 1:57 left, YSU netted its final score on a Steve Reynolds 43-yard interception return * the only turnover of the contest.

ISU jumped out to a 7-0 lead following its opening drive when Johnson hit Jamie Petrowksi on a 30-yard touchdown as Petrowski caught the ball across the middle and used key blocking on the outside to stretch into the end zone for his second score of the season.

YSU full back Demestruis Ison plunged in from a yard out to tie score latter in the first quarter. The Sycamores continued its march on the Penguins, moving the ball easily inside the five-yard line on its next two possessions, only to be stuffed by the YSU defense. Those promising drives in which one TD was called back due to a holding penalty, resulted in two Kyle Hooper field goals to put ISU up 13-7.

The Penguins gained the 14-13 first half advantage when quarterback Tom Zetts hit Matt Rycraft on a 17-yard catch-and-run for a TD with 8:58 left in the second quarter.

Therral Hatfield almost broke a school record with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, but the scamper was called back due to an illegal block.

Field position was key in the contest, as the game was played with a stiff 25 mph wind blowing out of the southwest. ISU averaged starting from its own 31 while the Penguins started from its own 39. YSU started on the Sycamores' side of the 50 on three of their six touchdowns.

Johnson connected on 19 of his 36 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Martuan Sample led the Sycamores with 55 rushing yards while Jamie Petrowski led all receivers with six catches for 72 yards and a TD. Hooper was 2-of-2 on field goals, pushing his season total to 13 * just five shy of the school's single-season record of 18.

For YSU, Cayson finished with 158 rushing yards and two scores while Zetts was 12-of-19 for 140 yards and two touchdowns.