Gameday Central / Complete Game Notes (PDF) / PSAC Notes

THE MATCHUP
The Crimson Hawks return to George P. Miller Stadium as they host Edinboro for Homecoming at IUP. Last week was the first road contest for the Crimson Hawks, suffering a 20-6 defeat at the hands of Slippery Rock in the PSAC West opener for both squads. The Fighting Scots, however, continued their winning ways with a 27-0 shutout of Gannon, as Edinboro climbed into the top 25 of two national polls.

THE HEAD COACHES
IUP head coach Curt Cignetti (West Virginia '82) begins his first season at the helm of the Crimson Hawks as he looks to bring the program back to national prominence.

The oldest son of legendary IUP head coach Frank Cignetti (1986-2005), he brings with him a wealth of Division I experience, serving as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator from 2007-10 under Nick Saban at Alabama. He's also served as the recruiting coordinator at NC State and has spent time at Temple, Rice and Davidson.

Scott Browning has been excellent in his first five seasons as the Scots head coach, winning more games than any previous Edinboro head coach during that period. Now in his sixth season, Browning has a 412-19 record. He coached the offensive linemen, defensive backs and running backs, and served as the offensive coordinator at Edinboro before accepting the head coaching job in 2006.

THE SERIES
The Crimson Hawks lead the all-time series with Edinboro, going 53-21-4, including last year's 18-0 road win. It has been even throughout the 2000s, with IUP winning six of the 11 meetings, including the high-scoring 54-35 victory in 2003.

LAST TIME OUT
IUP turned the ball over four times, all interceptions, and couldn't get any kind of consistency on offense en route to the 20-6 loss to The Rock. Jr. RB Harvie Tuck (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary) ran for 100 yards in his third straight game to open the season, netting 125 on 28 carries, but didn't find the end zone. Slippery Rock didn't explode offensively, but did outgain IUP 321-258, and returned one of the interceptions for a touchdown.

Jr. DL Carl Thornton (Beaver Falls/Beaver Falls) had a standout game, posting a career-high 11 total tackles, including 2.5 TFLs, while Sr. LB Mark Jackson (Canton, OH/McKinley) had eight tackles, 2.5 TFLs and a forced fumble.

OUT OF THE BOX
IUP fans got their first glimpse of So. QB Mike Box (Lawrenceville, GA/Collins Hill) on Saturday, as the transfer from UConn played a large part of the second half for the injured So. QB Pat Smith (Hollidaysburg/Hollidaysburg). Box was 5-12 for 83 yards through the air.

PAT'S PASSING GAME
Smith was limited against Slippery Rock, completing just 5-13 passes for 48 yards and an interception. For the season he's completed 34-65 passes for 396 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

TUCK EVERLASTING
Jr. RB Harvie Tuck (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary) is first in the PSAC and eighth in Division II this season with 130.0 yards per game on the ground in three contests, carrying the ball 79 times for a 4.9 average. Dating back to last season, Tuck has hit the 100-yard mark in rushing eight of the last 10 games, totaling 1,319 yards on 256 carries. 

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Tuck entered the 2011 season with 1,674 rushing yards, 15th all-time at IUP. With his 393 yards this season, Tuck is in 12th place on the all-time list, just 61 yards shy of Tink Stennett (1997-00), who's 10th with 2,125 yards.

THE JAMES GANG
So. RB James Johnson (Philadelphia/Glen Mills) scored his second career touchdown in the fourth quarter against Bloomsburg. He had 246 yards and a touchdown in 2010, and will look to improve on those numbers as the No. 2 running back this season.

BARNES TO BE A STAR
So. WR Terrill Barnes (Gettysburg/Gettysburg) has been the Crimson Hawks most efficient wide receiver this season, with 217 yards and a touchdown on just nine catches. In his IUP debut, Barnes flashed his playmaking ability with three catches for 149 yards and a score, making grabs of 62, 50 and 37 yards.

BRING THE “D”
The Crimson Hawks are third in the PSAC and 18th in the nation in rushing defense, allowing just 85.7 yards per game on the ground. Overall, the IUP defense has allowed just 257 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns this season, including 76 yards to Bloomsburg, one of the top rushing teams in the nation.

MAKING HIS MARK
Sr. LB Mark Jackson (Canton, OH/McKinley), who moved from safety in spring ball, has been the top linebacker for IUP this season, totaling 17 tackles, 3.0 TFLs, an interception and a forced fumble. Becoming more comfortable in his new position, Jackson has increased his production in each game, totaling eight tackles against Slippery Rock.

RUN STUFFERS
Two players that have led the charge on defense have been Jr. DL Carl Thornton (Beaver Falls/Beaver Falls) and So. LB Alex Berdahl. They're tied for the team-lead with 20 total tackles, with Thornton posting a career-high 11 with 2.5 TFLs against The Rock. Berdahl's had at least five tackles in every game, getting nine against SlipperyRock, and has an interceptions.

THE DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD
IUP defensive backs are three of the top five leading tacklers for the team so far in 2011, with Sr. FS Johnny Franco (Altoona/Tyrone) and So. CB Jerrell McFadden tied for third on the team with 19, while So. CB Marvens Toussaint (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Port Charlotte) has added 18.

HOLDING THE LINE
The IUP offensive line has helped lead the Crimson Hawks to the fourth best rushing offense in the PSAC, averaging 174.7 yards per game so far this year. Fr. C Matt Sasson has done an excellent job filling in for injured starter Sr. C Anthony DiPasquale (Pittsburgh/Pine-Richland).

NOT TAKEN FOR GRANTED
A “large” part of the IUP special teams success in 2011 is thanks to 6'7” 250-pound Sr. P Grant Shallock, who is fifth in the nation and first in the PSAC in net punt yardage, going for 43.8 yards per kick. He's had four punts of 50+ yards on the year, including a long of 55.