Recapping #15 Youngstown State
By John Altavilla
When Yale fell to 2-2 in October, the team knew it was at the crossroad of its season.
The Bulldogs realized they needed to rely on each other, especially when things were going poorly, to reinvigorate themselves and get back on track.
And that’s exactly what happened. Yale ended the season with a six-game winning streak that earned it a share of the Ivy League championship and the first automatic bid to the FCS playoffs any Ivy team had ever earned.
If anyone had any doubt about how the Bulldogs would represent themselves and the Ivy League in the postseason, it was eliminated in historic fashion in the first round of the playoffs.
Down 35-7 at the half to a Youngstown State team which had dominated them, the Bulldogs rebounded momentously by scoring touchdowns on their first five possessions of the second half to beat the Penguins 43-42.
The Bulldogs move on to face No. 2 seed Montana State next Saturday at 2 p.m. on ESPN+,.
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 was also Yale's largest halftime comeback since Oct. 4, 1941. That day, the Bulldogs trailed Virginia 19-0 at the half.
The Bulldogs were again led by their captain, halfback Josh Pitsenberger. He carried 32 times for 209 yards and three touchdowns, the last of which a 56-yard dash with 2:43 to play that completed the comeback.
It was also a breakout day for first year receiver Lucius Anderson. Anderson caught eight passes for138 yards and one touchdown. And sophomore Jaxton Santiago added nine catches for 104 yards.
Quarterback Dante Reno completed 21 of 39 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns.
It was a memorable career for Yale’s senior class, which has now won 32 games during its stay. That’s the most wins in a four-year span for a Bulldogs team since Ivy League play began in the mid-1950s.
The Bulldogs faced a Penguins team that was 8-4; four losses coming against FBS opponent Michigan State and three FCS playoff qualifiers: North Dakota State, North Dakota, and South Dakota State.
The offense was led by junior quarterback Beau Brungard, who had passed for 2,917 yards and 23 touchdowns while rushing for 1,378 yards and 24 touchdowns in 12 games.
And Brungard, who threw for three scores and rushed for another three, played a role in the Penguins five first-half touchdowns that gave it a 35-7 lead and produced 358 yards.
Yale’s comeback began with a 4-yard scoring pass from Reno to Spencer Mermans with 9:21 to play in the third quarter. But the Penguins immediately responded with Brungard’s third touchdown pass to Max Tomczak (six catches, 105 yards), this one from the 7 less than two minutes later.
Yale did not give up. Pitsenberger scored from the 1 and the Bulldogs converted a two point try to cut the lead to 42-22 with 2:43 remaining in the third. And after Yale recovered a fumble, the Bulldogs scored again when Anderson rushed in on an 11-yard jet sweep on the first play of the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 42-29.
After stopping the Penguins, Yale struck again. On fourth-and-goal from the 4, Reno hit tight end Graham Smith with a laser to cut the lead to 42-36. And then Pitsenberger, after Yale again stopped the Penguins, ran for a 56-yard score with 2:47 to play to give Yale its memorable victory.
Youngstown State struck early with a touchdown on its first two possessions and put constant pressure on Reno when he tried to respond.
Brungard got things going to the Penguins first drive connecting with Tomczak for a 22-yard score just 3:25 into the game to complete an eight-play, 79-yard drive.
Yale’s first possession ended when Reno’s pass tipped off the hand of Josh Pitsenberger. The Penguins returned that for a 48-yard touchdown, but that score was also canceled out by a penalty. Brugard was not dissuaded. Soon after, he scored from the 8 to make it 14-0.
Another interception ended Yale’s first drive of the second quarter. And that set up another Brungard-Tomczak touchdown connection, this one from the 6 with 10:40 to play in the first half. It was 21-0.
Pitsenberger found some success on the next drive, breaking off 41 yards on five carries to get the Bulldogs to the 4 from where he scored Yale’s first touchdown to make it 21-7. But just 1:28 later Brungard scored from the 1 ending a four-play 75-yard drive.
By this point Yale was beginning to move the ball, diffusing the pass rush with shorter routes and establishing Pitsenberger. But when it looked like the Bulldogs might cut the lead to two scores, Reno fumbled deep in Penguins territory, and it was returned to the Yale 35.
From there Brungard scored from the 6 with 16 seconds to play in the half to increase the lead to 35-7.
Reno’s Corner
“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."
Players of the Game
RB Josh Pitsenberger, Sr.,6-0, 220, Bethesda, Md. (The Avalon School)
Yale’s captain turned in another historic game rushing for a career high 209 yards on 32 carries with three touchdowns, the last of which was for 56 yards with 2:47 remaining in the game to give the Bulldogs their signature victory. It is the most rushing yardage in a single game for a Yale player since Zane Dudek had 216 against Brown in 2019. Pitsenberger now has 1,447 yards this season with 18 touchdowns. Pitsenberger's 1447 rushing yards on the are good for the second-most in Yale history. He is 172 yards away from breaking McLeod's single-season mark of 1619 yards in 2007. And he’s gained 3,311 yards which is less than 100 away from second place all-time in program history. This game was Pitsenberger's sixth multi touchdown performance of the season, and his fourth with three rushing touchdowns. Pitsenberger became the second Yale running back to reach the 40 career rushing touchdown mark after Mike McLeod scored 54 from 2005 to 2008.
WR Lucius Anderson, FY, 6-1, 200, University City, Mo. (Westminster Christian)
Anderson rose to the occasion – registering career-highs in receptions (eight) and yardage (138) with one touchdown on a jet sweep on the first play of the fourth quarter. He made a key 32-yard reception n a critical 4
th-and-18 play in the second half.
WR Jaxton Santiago, So., 6-3, 215, Bakersfield, Calif., (Centennial)
Santiago joined Anderson in a solid game for the receivers by making a career-high nine receptions for 104 yards.
An Opportunity for a Postseason Berth
By John Altavilla
If not for the determination of players like Yale receiver Mason Shipp, the Bulldogs would have never had the opportunity to pull off one of the greatest comebacks in college football history on Saturday.
Shipp and the student-athletes from the eight Ivy League institutions formed a committee that in August convinced the Ivy League presidents to allow for the first time its football champion to play for a national championship.
It was Shipp who authored the proposal that set the stage for Yale’s 43-42 win over Youngstown State in the first round of the FCS playoffs. Yale trailed 35-7 at the half. Shipp and his Ivy League Student-Athlete Committee, which featured athletes from various sports, advocated for football to have the same opportunity to compete as every other league varsity sports team.
“The entire process consisted of, first, is this something people wanted?” said Shipp. “The answer was yes. After that it was getting a very succinct argument, based on the facts. Then it was a waiting game, letting the process play out and trusting that you put together a good argument. The day it happened, it was pretty cool, just to know there is another layer to Ivy football.”
"Guys like Shipp who are super selfless, they are great leaders, they have great characteristics and qualities,” said captain Josh Pitsenberger. "Shipp is a tremendous leader, he has great perspective. He has helped me a lot and has helped me become the leader I am today. I couldn't do it without guys like him.”
Kamara, Pitsenberger Named Bushnell Cup Winners
Pitsenberger won the Asa S. Bushnell Cup as offensive player of the year. He totaled 1,238 yards on 255 carries and 15 touchdowns, leading in each category. His rushing yard total also puts him at ninth in the country for that category. Pitsenberger earns his fourth-straight set of year-end honors after being named second team All-Ivy in 2023 and 2024, and first team All-Ivy as well as the Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 2022.
Nickel linebacker Abu Kamara was unanimously voted as the Bushnell defensive player of the year. He recorded 65 total tackles (32 solo), 6.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble, three fumble recoveries, two interceptions, eight pass breakups and a blocked kick. His season also included two defensive touchdowns, one on an interception return, and the other on a fumble recovery.
This is the first time since the Asa S. Bushnell Cup was made into separate offensive and defensive awards in 2011 that both winners came from the same school.
The Yale coaches were also recognized with the Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year award, which is the second time the Bulldogs have won it since its inception in 2014 (Tony Reno won Coach of the Year in 2022 before it became Coaching Staff of the Year in 2024). Yale capped its regular season with an 8-2 overall record and a 6-1 record in Ivy play. The Bulldogs finished the regular season on a six-game winning streak – including a 45-28 victory over previously undefeated Harvard — to clinch a share of the Ivy League Championship and the league's first-ever automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs.
