YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State head coach Doug Phillips said this time of year “is like Christmas.”

Meanwhile, both senior safety Dathan Hickey and senior receiver Luke Hensley also indicated their excitement during Tuesday’s press conference to finally line up against players other than their teammates.

That can only mean one thing — game week is finally here for the Penguins after a long offseason. YSU will kick off the 2025 season against Mercyhurst tonight at 6 p.m. (ESPN+/570 WKBN) at Stambaugh Stadium.

“You can prepare all you want, but you’re preparing off things that happened last fall, whether you’re Mercyhurst or Youngstown State,” Phillips said. “There’s a lot of new faces at Mercyhurst and there’s a lot of new faces here. So no matter how hard you prepare, you better be ready

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