No. 22/24 Yale vs. No. 13/14 Youngstown State
Saturday, Nov. 29 – 12 p.m.
Stambaugh Stadium
Youngstown, Ohio
Live Video | Live Stats | Yale Game Notes

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – For the first time in program history, the Yale Bulldogs will compete in the FCS Playoffs. Team 152's first test on the national stage comes against the 15th-seeded Youngstown State Penguins (8-4, 5-3 MVFC). Kickoff is set for 12 p.m.

What's New

• After Yale's 45-28 victory over previously undefeated Harvard, the Bulldogs moved up to No. 22 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll and entered the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 at No. 24.
• The Ivy League named senior Josh Pitsenberger Offensive Player of the Year. He led the conference with 1,238 rushing yards on 255 attempts and 15 touchdowns, ranking ninth in the nation in rushing yards.
• Junior linebacker Abu Kamara was unanimously selected as the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year. He finished the regular season with 65 tackles (32 solo), 6.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries, two interceptions, eight passes defended, and a blocked kick. He also scored two defensive touchdowns—one on an interception return and another on a fumble recovery.
• Yale received the Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year Award, the program's second since the honor was introduced in 2014.
• Twelve Bulldogs earned All-Ivy recognition. First-team selections included Pitsenberger (unanimous), Nico Brown, Michael Bennett, Leo Bluhm, Ezekiel Larry (unanimous), Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye, Kamara (unanimous), and Brandon Webster. Zairion Jackson-Bass earned second-team honors, while Quintion Lewis, Phoenix Grant and Jaylin Tate received honorable mentions.
• Following the win over Harvard, Yale was named the Pop-Tarts Crazy Good Team of the Week by the All-America Committee of the Football Writers Association of America.
• With the postseason berth, Yale will play more than 10 games in a season for the first time since 1904. That season, the Bulldogs went 10-1 with wins over teams such as Penn State, Springfield Trade, Princeton and Harvard, allowing just 1.8 points per game.
• Quarterback Dante Reno was named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 273 yards and three touchdowns against Harvard.
• Yale finished the 2025 regular season with the Ivy League's top scoring defense (17.2 ppg) and second-ranked scoring offense (29.6 ppg). The scoring defense also ranks eighth nationally.
• The Class of 2026 became the first group in program history to go undefeated against both Harvard and Princeton over their four years outside of wartime interruptions.
• For his 143-yard, three-touchdown performance against Harvard, Pitsenberger was named the DC Touchdown Club's College Player of the Week, honoring standout college players from the Washington D.C. metro area.
• Pitsenberger also secured his place in the Yale record books, finishing the regular season third all-time in rushing yards (3,102) and second in career rushing touchdowns (37).
• Ayo-Durojaiye led the Ivy League with 96 tackles and ranked 16th nationally.
• Brown's 189 receiving yards against Harvard were tied for the seventh-most in a single game in Yale history, matching JP Shohfi's 2019 performance against Columbia. Brown also led the Ivy League with 108.7 receiving yards per game and finished with 10 touchdowns, the second-most in the conference.
• Larry enters the postseason with 10.5 sacks and ranks fifth nationally in sacks per game (1.05).

The Series

• This will be the first-ever meeting between Yale and Youngstown State. It also marks the first time Yale has faced a team from the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
• This is just the second road game Yale has ever played in the state of Ohio. The Bulldogs previously defeated Dayton 24-17 to open the 2004 season.

Scouting Youngstown State

• Youngstown State finished the regular season 8-4 overall and 5-3 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, tying for third place with Illinois State and North Dakota.
• The Penguins' four losses came against FBS opponent Michigan State and three FCS playoff qualifiers: North Dakota State, North Dakota, and South Dakota State.
• This marks Youngstown State's sixth FCS/Division I-AA Playoff appearance since winning the national championship in 1997. In its most recent postseason game, YSU fell to Villanova 45-28 in the second round of the 2023 playoffs.
• Since 2021, the Penguins are 20-8 at Stambaugh Stadium.
• Youngstown State features the MVFC's No. 3 scoring offense (36.1 ppg) and No. 8 scoring defense (30.0 ppg).
• The offense is led by junior quarterback Beau Brungard, a premier dual-threat playmaker. Brungard has passed for 2,917 yards and 23 touchdowns while rushing for 1,378 yards and 24 touchdowns in 12 games. He is a finalist for the 2025 Walter Payton Award, given to the top offensive player in the FCS.
• Brungard's top receiving target is senior Max Tomczak, who leads the Penguins with 64 receptions for 916 yards and five touchdowns.
• Defensively, five Penguins have at least 60 total tackles. Senior defensive back DJ Harris has recorded 47 solo stops and is tied for the team lead with two interceptions. Junior linebacker Michael Wells leads the team with 13 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.

Up Next
The winner will advance to face second-seeded Montana State on Dec. 2 at 2 p.m. in the second round of the FCS Playoffs.