Box Score

INDIANA, PA – Harvie Tuck (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary) ran for 149 yards and two scores while Terrill Barnes (Gettysburg/Gettysburg) made huge plays with three catches for 149 yards and a score, helping head coach Curt Cignetti to his first career victory as IUP defeated East Stroudsburg 28-13 in the Crimson Hawks season-opener on Saturday afternoon at George P. Miller Stadium.

Cignetti becomes the sixth coach in IUP history to win in his debut, following Chuck Klausing in 1964, Bill Neal in 1970, Owen Dougherty in 1979, George Chaump in 1982, and Lou Tepper in 2006.

Tuck's 146 yards led a Crimson Hawk ground game that totaled 253 on 51 carries. James Johnson (Philadelphia/Glen Mills) finished with 11 carries for 50 yards while Teddy Blakeman (Penn Hills/Penn Hills) added 41 yards on just four carries.

The Warriors (1-1) struck first, using a 53 yards catch-and-run by Dusty Reed to set up a one-yard plunge by Kendrick Williams as ESU took the 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.

IUP then used a big play of its own, as Barnes took a screen pass from Pat Smith (Hollidaysburg/Hollidaysburg) on the Crimson Hawks very first play and ran 62 yards all the way to the ESU 10-yard line. After three and six-yard carries by Tuck, the Warriors' Taylor Cave forced a Tuck fumble on third-and-goal, as ESU recovered in the end zone for a touchback, ending IUP's threat.

After forcing a three-and-out, IUP again threatened, but came up short after failing to convert on a fourth-and-goal play from the ESU one-yard line.

The Crimson Hawks defense forced another three-and-out, as the offense went back to Barnes as he turned a short pass from Smith into a 50-yard touchdown on the very first play of the drive, knotting the score at 7-7 with 4:39 left in the quarter.

ESU didn't take long to regain the lead, using a long kickoff return and multiple first down passes from quarterback Ray Wagner to set up a 32-yard field goal.

After a 34-yard kickoff return by Pat Brewer (Coatesville/Coatesville) that put the Crimson Hawks at the 50, Smith went back to Barnes, this time throwing deep for 37 yards down to the ESU 13-yard line. Three plays later Tuck would punch it in from six yards out as IUP took a 14-10 lead early in the second.

Neither team would threaten throughout the rest of the first half, but the Crimson Hawks came out hot in the second half, getting a 36-yard kickoff return by Jerrell McFadden, followed by a 21-yard run by Johnson. On the seventh play of the drive, Smith hooked up with receiver Matt Plautz (Cranberry Township/Seneca Valley) for a 20-yard score as IUP went up 21-10.

The Crimson Hawks defense would dominate the rest of the game, including an interception by linebacker Alex Berdahl that he returned 30 yards to the Warriors 31-yard line. The IUP offense used that momentum as Tuck took it in from eight yards out five plays later, giving IUP the 28-13 lead with 4:15 remaining in the third.

After throwing for six touchdowns last week in the win over Pace, Wagner was limited by the Crimson Hawks defense, throwing 323 yards on 26-of-51 passing, but failed to connect on a score and threw two interceptions.

IUP's defense was stout against the run, limited Williams to just 17 yards on 13 carries, allowing just 35 total yards on the ground. Robert Bleiler was the Warriors top receiver, catching seven passes for 45 yards.

Smith was efficient through the air, finishing 10-of-14 for 179 yards and two scores, doing most of his damage when throwing to Barnes. Smith spread his 10 completions among seven total receivers with Barnes (three) and Johnson (two) the only players catching more than one pass.

Defensively, Marvens Toussaint (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Port Charlotte) finished with eight tackles while McFadden had seven, adding a forced fumble and breaking up two passes. Johnny Franco (Altoona/Tyrone), who delivered several big hits in the secondary, had six tackles, broke up three passes, and also forced a fumble. Berdahl added six tackles to his 30-yard interception return.

The Crimson Hawks remain at home as they go into a short week for game two, hosting No. 9 Bloomsburg on Thursday night, September 15. The game will be nationally-televised on CBS Sports Network, with kickoff coming at 8:06 p.m. from George P. Miller Stadium.