First Scouting Report: Against Youngstown St., Mark Stoops will seek a ‘hometown’ win
An early look ahead to the Kentucky Wildcats’ next football game:
The opponent
No. 20 Kentucky (2-0, 1-0 SEC) will face FCS opponent Youngstown State (2-0, 0-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference) on Saturday (Sept. 17) at Kroger Field.
The game will kick off at noon and be telecast by the SEC Network.
On Saturday, quarterback Demeatric Crenshaw threw for 230 yards and five touchdowns to lead Coach Doug Phillips’ Penguins over Dayton 49-16.
Series history
This will be the first football meeting between Kentucky and Youngstown State.
Kentucky Coach Mark Stoops was born in Youngstown and grew up in the Ohio city.
Know your foe
1. Since winning at Pittsburgh in 2012, Youngstown State has lost seven straight vs. Power Five foes — but three of the Penguins’ defeats in such games have been by 11 points or fewer.
As Kentucky head coach, Mark Stoops is 8-0 vs. opponents from the Football Championship Subdivision but has had some close calls.
In 2015, UK had to rally from two touchdowns behind to beat Eastern Kentucky 34-27 in overtime. Last season, the Wildcats were fortunate to escape a determined Chattanooga upset bid before winning 28-23.
2. Youngstown State’s top receiving threat is a familiar face. Bryce Oliver, a 6-foot-1, 212-pound junior, was part of the Kentucky football program from 2018-2020.
In 2019, Oliver caught a 32-yard touchdown pass from Terry Wilson in UK’s season-opening 38-24 victory over Toledo.
In UK’s 23-21 upset of No. 23 North Carolina State in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at the end of the 2020 season, Oliver had an 8-yard reception.
For his Wildcats career, Oliver, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., product, had eights catches for 125 yards and the one TD.
Last season, his first year after transferring to Youngstown State, Oliver caught 24 passes for 266 yards and eight touchdowns — the most TD receptions by a Penguins player since 2011.
In Youngstown State’s 31-14 victory over Duquesne in the season opener, Oliver caught six passes for 58 yards. Oliver had four catches for 63 yards and two TDs in the win over Dayton.
3. Youngstown State running back Jaleel McLaughlin is the Penguins’ star. In Youngstown State’s win over Duquesne, the 5-9, 183-pound product of Marshville, N.C., ran for 203 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries.
He came back against Dayton with 129 rushing yards and a TD on 13 carries and also caught a 52-yard touchdown pass.
Last season for YSU, McLaughlin ran for 1,139 yards and 12 TDs and averaged 113.9 yards rushing a game. A transfer from NCAA Division II Notre Dame College, McLaughlin was an AP Third Team FCS All-America choice in 2021.
McLaughlin entered this season as a preseason First Team All-American, according to Phil Steele.
