YOUNGSTOWN STATE RALLIES FOR FOOTBALL PLAYOFF WIN OVER JMU

Saturday, November 25

Youngstown, Ohio

7:30 PM

James Madison University

9-3

Youngstown State

10-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

James Madison

Youngstown State

YOUNGSTOWN STATE RALLIES FOR FOOTBALL PLAYOFF WIN OVER JMU

11/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football

Box Score

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio, Nov. 25, 2006 ? Youngstown State quarterback Tom Zetts threw for 314 yards and directed a pair of fourth-quarter scoring drives as the host Penguins rallied to beat James Madison 35-31 Saturday night in the opening round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs.

JMU took a 31-20 lead on a 27-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Justin Rascati (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz) with 14:52 left in the game, but Youngstown State scored twice during the final 8:06, putting together drives of 52 and 88 yards.

The Penguins raised their record to 10-2 and advanced to the playoffs' second round to meet fellow Gateway Conference member Illinois State, a 24-13 winner at Eastern Illinois Saturday.

JMU closed the year with a 9-3 record after tying its mark for regular-season wins.

Zetts completed 24 of 40 passes and led an offense that compiled 412 yards (84 rushing, 318 passing). He hit on passes of 22 and 18 yards before throwing a six-yard scoring strike to T.J. Peterson on a 52-yard drive that got the Penguins to within 31-28 with 8:06 left.

JMU reached the Youngstown State 12 on the following possession but was ruled to have come up short on a fourth-and-one-yard-to-go quarterback sneak with 4:41 remaining.

The Penguins then put together a 13-play, 88-yard march that ended in Marcus Mason's one-yard touchdown run for a 35-31 Youngstown State lead with 1:12 to play. Zetts had a 30-yard completion on a third-and-15 from the Youngstown State seven and completed four of eight passes for 52 yards overall during the drive.

JMU started its final possession from its 34 and got one first down to reach the Penguin 46. But the Dukes then had three straight passes fall incomplete and Rascati was able to gain only eight yards on a fourth-and-10 carry that ended with three seconds left in the game.

JMU finished with 394 yards (249 rushing, 145 passing).

Rascati completed 14 of 24 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown and ran for a career-high 93 yards and two scores. Junior tailback Eugene Holloman (Virginia Beach, Va./Bayside) ran 20 times for 89 yards for the Dukes.

Youngstown State drove 84 yards in 10 plays to score on the game's initial possession. Marcus Mason capped the series with a one-yard run after Zetts hit Monquantae Gibson on a 43-yard swing pass to the JMU six on a third-down-and-four play.

JMU red-shirt freshman Scotty McGee (Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes) returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown to pull JMU into a 7-7 tie. The kickoff return for a score was JMU's first since Tony Booth scored on a 98-yarder in 1998 against Northeastern and matched the longest kickoff return in JMU history, equaling Jay Jones' 99-yarder for a touchdown at Richmond in 1996.

Youngstown State went up 10-7 on a 40-yard Brian Palmer field goal with 5:51 left in the first quarter after moving 49 yards in nine plays.

JMU took a 14-10 with 2:26 left in the opening period on an 11-yard touchdown run by Rascati at the end of a six-play, 70-yard series. Holloman had run for 25 yards on JMU's first play from scrimmage, and Rascati had hit senior wide receiver D.D. Boxley (King George, Va./King George) on a 19-yard pass on the drive's second play.

Youngstown State went ahead on a four-yard running back option pass from Gibson to Rory Berry with 11:43 left in the half and raised the margin to 20-14 on a 26-yard Palmer field goal with 0:52 seconds left in the half.

JMU got to within 20-17 at halftime when senior placekicker David Rabil (Franklin, Va./Franklin) kicked a 37-yard field goal as the clock ran out. Freshman wide receiver Rockeed McCarter (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic) returned a short Penguin kickoff to the JMU 44, and Rascati hit four receivers with passes to get the Dukes to the Youngstown State 20. Another pass fell incomplete with 0:01 on the clock before Rabil hit on his 11th field goal in 13 attempts this season.

After an exchange of punts on the first two series of the second half ? the game's first punts ? JMU took a 24-20 lead when Rascati hit red-shirt freshman Mike Caussin Springfield, Va./West Springfield) on a 14-yard touchdown pass to a cap a 13-play, 73-yard drive that used 5:47 of playing time. Rascati hit on five of six passes for 49 yards on the possession.

The Dukes raised the lead to 31-20 with a five-play, 51-yard march after forcing a second Penguin punt. Rascati capped the series with his 27-yard run scoring run on the fourth quarter's initial play.