Eastern Washington vs. Youngstown State: Score, Reaction from FCS Playoffs 2016

Kevin Rader sent the Youngstown State Penguins into the FCS final with a four-yard touchdown with one second left, giving Youngstown State a 40-38 win over the Eastern Washington Eagles on Saturday night in Cheney, Washington.

The final play wasn't without controversy, as the junior tight end pinned the ball against the back of Eastern Washington linebacker Ketner Kupp in the end zone before he fell to the turf. Officials reviewed the catch and determined the ruling on the field stood.

FCS Football showed Rader's game-winning one-handed catch:

Fake Bo Pelini celebrated the win:

For most of the 2016 season, Youngstown State hung its hat on its defense. The Penguins entered the game ranked 10th in total defense in FCS. The offense, though, delivered Saturday to send the team through to the championship.

Hunter Wells went 16-of-24 for 243 yards passing and two touchdowns. Tevin McCaster and Jody Webb each broke the century mark on the ground, with McCaster running for 154 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries.

Hero Sports FCS put McCaster's performance in perspective:

Few expected Youngstown State to outperform Eastern Washington offensively, considering the Eagles averaged 533.5 yards and 42.7 points a game.

Eastern Washington out-gained Youngstown State 326-229 and held the Penguins to 0-of-5 on third down, but the Eagles only maintained a seven-point lead at halftime. 

The frigid temperature in Cheney had little impact on the scoring, as Eastern Washington was up 24-17 through the first two quarters.

The first of two McCaster first-half rushing touchdowns put Youngstown State ahead 7-0, but Roldan Alcobendas connected on a 21-yard field goal, and Gage Gubrud hit Cooper Kupp with a four-yard touchdown pass to make it a 10-7 game with 31 seconds left in the first quarter.

Kendrick Bourne caught an 83-yard touchdown pass at the 12:35 mark of the second quarter to put the home team ahead 17-7. The Eagles' Twitter account shared a photo of the senior wideout on the sideline after his score:

Eastern Washington looked to have the game firmly in hand after its advantage grew to 14 points, 24-10, after running back Sam McPherson registered the first passing touchdown of his college career with 2:48 remaining in the half.

With Youngstown State staring at a 4th-and-1 at the Eagles' 20-yard line, Penguins head coach Bo Pelini gambled and went for it. The risk paid huge dividends after McCaster broke through the Eastern Washington defense to score and give his team a much-needed shot in the arm.

FCS Football shared a replay of the sophomore running back crossing the goal line: 

Youngstown State's baseball team had full confidence the Penguins could mount a second-half comeback:

Zak Kennedy hit a 20-yard field goal on the opening drive of the third quarter to trim the deficit to four points, 24-20. But Shaq Hill provided the Eagles with a little more breathing room after hauling in an 18-yard pass in the end zone with 6:46 left in the quarter.

The Penguins answered back with a 14-play, 82-yard drive that culminated in an 11-yard touchdown pass from Wells to Alvin Bailey with 12:14 left in the game. It was an impressive grab by the junior wideout, who had Youngstown State defensive back Jake Hoffman draped all over him.

FCS Football shared a second look at Bailey's catch:

On Youngstown State's next drive, McCaster put the Penguins ahead 34-31 with his third rushing touchdown of the game. Youngstown State's lead was short-lived, however, after Hill punched it in from a yard out to put the home team up 38-34 with 4:24 remaining.

The Penguins appeared to be in serious trouble after a false-start penalty set them up with a 3rd-and-6 at the Eastern Washington 30-yard line with 44 seconds left. But Wells scrambled for nine yards to keep the drive alive, and Rader scored the decisive touchdown four plays later.

Youngstown State will meet James Madison in the FCS final on Jan. 7. The Dukes did the Penguins a favor when they knocked out North Dakota State, which entered the playoffs as the five-time reigning champion. The Bison were riding a 22-game postseason winning streak entering the finals.

Youngstown State was a perennial Division I-AA power in the 1990s under Jim Tressel before Tressel took the Ohio State job. Between 1991 and 1999, the Penguins won four national titles and finished runners-up on two occasions.

Beyond a semifinal run in 2006, the school hasn't tasted much postseason success since then.

Winning a national championship would be a tremendous turnaround for the Penguins, who finished 5-6 in 2015. While it's way too early to project a Tressel-era dynasty again in Youngstown, Saturday's win highlighted the strides the program has made since Pelini's arrival last year.

Postgame Reaction

Youngstown State shared some of the postgame celebration inside the Penguins' locker room:

"They played it very well, that linebacker walled me off. He played it pretty much perfect," Rader said of his touchdown catch, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "I saw the ball in the air, and I made the play on it."

Pelini said he didn't know Rader had caught the ball until hearing his players' reactions: "I didn't have a good look at it. All I could hear is the guys right next to me going, 'He caught it, he caught it, he caught it.'"

"One play doesn't define the year," said Eastern Washington head coach Beau Baldwin, per the AP's Nicholas K. Geranios (via the Charlotte Observer). "It was a battle to the very end. I feel so good about what this group of seniors has done."