Beau Brungard threw for 232 yards and three scores and ran for 119 yards and two more touchdowns for Youngstown State in its first game. (Youngstown State Athletics Photo)
Youngstown State quarterback Beau Brungard gave Kentucky a sneak peek of what to expect during the Penguins’ season-opening 43-10 win over Mercyhurst last week.
Brungard was 20-for-29, throwing for 232 yards and three touchdowns in the easy victory. He also ran for 119 yards on 21 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns.
“He was basically their whole offense last week,” Kentucky linebacker Grant Godfrey said. “We’ve just got to contain him. That’s been our whole mojo this week, just containing them and just doing our jobs. … We saw some of their offense, we saw what their quarterback can do. We’ve gotta stop him.”
Godfrey added that Brungard’s ability to pass and scramble makes him a complete player and one who will be difficult to defend in the open field.
“He’s a great player,” Godfrey said. “He’s real quick and real fast. He’s their best player.”
Kentucky coach Will Stein has also taken note of Brungard and considers the Youngstown State signal caller “one of the best players in the country, not just FCS.”
“He’s an elite player, not just good, not just an average guy’s elite,” Stein said. “He can run, he can throw. He’s big. He breaks tackles. He doesn’t get caught in the open field. I think he’s somebody we obviously have to account for him every single snap.”
What makes Brungard successful in the pocket?
“He’s extremely composed,” Stein said. “He throws it on time. He’s bigger than he looks on the tape and TV copies. We’ll see him in person, but he’s a pretty rocked-up guy. He’s built like a running back, but can make throws across the field and he makes really good decisions.”
Stein praised Brungard for his loyalty to the program. His father, Mark Brungard, played at Youngstown State and led the Penguins to two straight FCS championships from 1993-94.
“I think he had multiple offers to leave that school,” Stein said. “… He stayed, and a credit to him. He’s loyal to that program, to that university.”
The opener will be the team’s first under Stein and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman, formerly at Texas A&M.
“We just have to focus on ourselves,” Godfrey said. “It’s a you versus you game. If we all do our jobs, we should handle them.”
One Response
I know his dad is Youngstown state alumni but he should have jumped up against better competition. After winning basically the hesiman in FCS he really has nothing left to prove except maybe a championship. I guess he wants to win a championship there because I'm sure he could have easily played power 4 football.
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