Even with 71,301 roaring fans filling Spartan Stadium, Youngstown State did not seem fazed on its opening drive. Chewing up more than half of the first quarter on a 15-play, 65-yard drive capped by a 28-yard field goal to go ahead 3-0.

That deficit lasted only six minutes and was the only time the Spartans trailed. MSU responded with a 10-play, 82-yard drive, finishing with an 8-yard reverse to graduate wide receiver Rodney Bullard Jr., who raced to the left corner of the end zone for his first touchdown as a Spartan.

Bullard wasn’t the only receiver making his presence felt in the first half, as Youngstown State will be having nightmares about sophomore Nick Marsh.

In just two quarters, Marsh racked up 94 receiving yards on six catches, averaging 15.7 yards per reception. Most impressively, 62 of those yards came after the catch as he repeatedly juked defenders to spring himself up the sideline.

But his stellar performance ended early. Marsh was seen with a wrap on his right leg late in the first half and did not return to the field.

After a Youngstown State possession ended in a three-and-out, junior quarterback Aidan Chiles led the offense on an 87-yard drive. An illegal substitution penalty for 12 men on the field gave MSU first-and-goal at the Penguins’ 1-yard line, where sophomore running back Makhi Frazier powered in the Spartans’ second touchdown.

With the run game sputtering, the passing attack became the priority. Chiles completed 22 of 29 passes for 270 yards, connecting with eight different receivers.

Down 14-3, Youngstown State appeared out of the game until sophomore running back Jaden Gilbert broke loose for a 66-yard run to the MSU 1-yard line. Two plays later, the Penguins scored making the deficit just 14-10.

MSU’s offense stalled on a failed fourth-down attempt, and Youngstown State threatened again, advancing to the Spartans’ 38-yard line. But fifth-year defensive back Armorion Smith ended the drive with an interception.

That turnover set up a 70-yard drive in just 1:14, capped by a field goal to extend MSU’s lead to 17-10 at the half as time expired. The key play came from senior tight end Jack Velling, who hauled in a 23-yard catch and finished with 70 yards on six receptions, tying his career high for receptions.

Following three-and-outs from both sides to open the second half, senior wide receiver Omari Kelly broke the game open with an 83-yard punt return to Youngstown State's 4-yard line. On the next play, sophomore running back Brandon Tullis scored on a toss to the left, putting MSU up 24-10.

Later in the third quarter, the Spartans stretched the lead to 31-10, but a Youngstown State touchdown followed by Chiles’ first interception of the season—a tipped ball snagged by a defensive lineman—kept the Penguins in the fight. That hope was extinguished when they missed a field goal, and MSU held the lead by at least 10 points for the remainder of the game.

The win came at a cost. Along with Marsh, several players left early with injuries, headlined by Frazier, who exited early in the fourth quarter, and redshirt junior offensive lineman Luka Vincic, who was carted off at the end of the first half. None of the injuries had an official update after the game.

The game revealed both strengths and weaknesses. MSU’s passing game flourished, but its defense surrendered 24 points to an FCS opponent, and the run game shockingly struggled.

"We want to treat all of our games the same with the same mindset, and that's something that we're going to grow on," junior linebacker Jordan Hall said. "We kind of felt like we (the defense) came out a little flat today, and it showed but that's definitely a point that we want to improve on."

The Spartans will look to clean things up before their biggest test of the season: a trip across the country to face Southern California on Saturday night with kickoff set for 11 p.m.