Josh over YSU
43
Winner Yale YAL 9-2 , 6-1
42
Youngstown St. YSU 8-5 , 5-3
Winner
Yale YAL
9-2 , 6-1
43
Final
42
Youngstown St. YSU
8-5 , 5-3
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
YAL Yale 0 7 15 21 43
YSU Youngstown St. 14 21 7 0 42

Game Recap: Football | | Michael LaRocca

Bulldogs Defeat Youngstown State In 43-42 FCS Playoff Thriller

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — In the program's first-ever appearance in the FCS Playoffs, Team 152 defeated Youngstown State 43-42 in an all-time classic Saturday afternoon at Stambaugh Stadium.

After trailing 35-7 at halftime and 42-14 in the third quarter, the Bulldogs scored 29 unanswered points, taking the lead on a 56-yard touchdown run from Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year Josh Pitsenberger with 2:47 left in the fourth quarter. 

Key Performers
  • Pitsenberger had a career day on the ground for Yale, carrying the ball 32 times for 209 yards and three touchdowns. This was the first time a Yale running back went over 200 yards rushing since Zane Dudek had 216 against Brown in 2019.
  • Jaxton Santiago and Lucius Anderson both played excellent games. Santiago made a career-high nine receptions for 109 yards, and Anderson made eight catches for 138 yards and a touchdown. 
  • Newly minted Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Abu Kamara led the Bulldog defense throughout the matchup, recording five total tackles, three pass breakups and a crucial fumble recovery in the third quarter. 
Turning Point
After Pitsenberger scored his second touchdown of the day to make the score 42-20 in favor of the Penguins, quarterback Dante Reno found tight end Graham Smith for the two-point conversion to make the score 42-22. 

On the ensuing Youngstown State drive, Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye forced an immediate fumble on Penguin receiver Kylon Wilson, which was recovered by Kamara. Yale swung momentum its way from there, scoring another 21 points en route to the 43-42 playoff victory. 

Game Notes
  • With the victory, Yale became the first FCS team to come back from a halftime deficit of 28 or more points and win since Cornell did so in a 29-28 road victory over Harvard on Oct. 7, 2000.
  • This is Yale's largest halftime comeback since Oct. 4, 1941. That day, the Bulldogs trailed Virginia 19-0 at the half and came back to win 21-0. 
  • Yale has reached the nine-win mark for the first time since 2019, when the Bulldogs went 9-1 en route to an Ivy League title. 
  • The Bulldogs outscored the Penguins 36-7 in the second half. 
  • This game was Pitsenberger's sixth multi-touchdown performance of the season, and his fourth with three rushing touchdowns. His second-quarter touchdown run was the Ivy League's first scoring play in the FCS Playoffs.
  • Pitsenberger became the second Yale running back to reach the 40 career rushing touchdown mark after Mike McLeod scored 54 from 2005 to 2008. 
  • Pitsenberger's 1447 rushing yards on the season are good for the second-most in Yale history. He is 172 yards away from breaking McLeod's 1619 yards in 2007. 
  • Dante Reno went 21-38 on the day for 260 yards and three passing touchdowns, tying his season high. 
  • Reno is now the seventh quarterback in Yale history to reach 20 passing touchdowns in a season, and is the third quarterback in a row to do it for the Bulldogs after Nolan Grooms in 2023 and Grant Jordan in 2024. 
  • Tight end Spencer Mermans made his first catch of the season, a four-yard touchdown reception to make the score 35-14 in the third quarter. 
  • Smith scored his second touchdown of the season, a clutch reception on fourth down to make the score 42-36 with 5:19 remaining in the fourth quarter. 
  • Micaiah Shaber recorded Yale's only sack of the day, a major stop on third down to give the Bulldogs the ball back trailing 42-36. 
  • Joshua Tarver had a season-high 131 yards on kickoff returns. 
  • Noah Piper went 5-5 on PATs. 
  • YSU quarterback Beau Brungard had 407 total yards of offense, with 317 passing and 90 rushing. His performance also included three passing and three rushing touchdowns. 
Hear From The Bulldogs

  • "First of all, credit to an amazing Youngstown State team," said Tony Reno, Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach. "Secondly, I am so incredibly proud of our players. There was absolutely no quit. They never lost belief in each other or in what we could accomplish together. We talk all the time about it being Yale vs. Yale — about holding ourselves to our own standard of excellence — and today they showed just how deeply that commitment runs. They trusted the process, stayed poised, and showed the heart and resilience that define Yale Football. To become the first Ivy League team to win an FCS playoff game is a historic milestone, and this group earned it with toughness, preparation, and an unwavering commitment to our mission. I'm incredibly proud of every single player on this team, our entire staff, and the entire Yale community that supports this program. We felt that support here in Ohio. Team 152 has shown what belief, unity, and relentless effort can accomplish, and it's a privilege to be part of it."

  • "It's never been about the score for us," said Head Coach of Defense Sean McGowan. "The way that we play is consistent, whether we're up 50 or we're down 42-14, it doesn't make any difference, as long as we have the opportunity to play the next snap."
Around the Ivy League
  • No. 9 Villanova 52, Harvard 7
Up Next
Team 152 will continue its FCS playoff journey next Saturday, Dec. 6, as the team travels to Bozeman, Montana, facing off against the No. 2-seeded Montana State Bobcats at 2 p.m. ET. 
 
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