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THE GAME: IUP looks to get back on track after last weekend's heartbreaking loss to No. 6 California as they travel to face PSAC East opponent Millersville on Saturday afternoon. The Crimson Hawks have jumped into the national rankings in both the coaches (AFCA - 21st) and media (D2Football - 22nd) polls and own a 3-1 overall record while Millersville had dropped 3 straight games after winning its season opener.

ON THE AIR: The game will air live on WQMU-FM 92.5 with Jack Benedict serving as the play-by-play announcer and John Flickinger at his side as the color analyst. The two will be joined by sideline reporter Greg Drahuschak. The pregame show begins at 12:30 p.m. IUP-TV will again be back to webstream the game live on NMTVSports.com.

HEAD COACH CURT CIGNETTI: IUP head coach Curt Cignetti (West Virginia, '82) begins his second season at the helm after leading the Crimson Hawks to a 7-3 overall record (5-2 PSAC West) in 2011. This is Cignetti's 30th year of coaching, with previous stops at Alabama (07-10), NC State (00-06), Pittsburgh (83-84, 93-99) Temple (89-92), Rice (86-88) and Davidson (85). Two of his most notable pupils have been WR Julio Jones at Alabama and QB Philip Rivers at NC State.

THE SERIES: IUP owns the all-time series lead with Millersville with an 11-5 record, including wins in each of the last three games. In those three matchups the Crimson Hawks have outscored Millersville 125-6, including a 17-3 win in 2009, the last meeting between these two schools.

IN THE TOP 25: IUP has made huge leaps up the national polls, debuting at No. 23 in the AFCA poll after the first week and moving up to No. 17 the following before a No. 14 ranking last week. After Saturday's loss to No. 6 California, IUP has dropped to No. 22 in the AFCA poll. 

NEXT GAME: The Crimson Hawks return home next Saturday to host rival Slippery Rock on Homecoming. IUP owns the all-time series lead between the two schools with a 44-34-2 record, but are coming off of a 20-6 loss to The Rock on the road last season.

HAWK TALK

GROUND AND POUND... The IUP running game continues to put up huge yardage and is now 4th in Division II with 315.0 yards per game. Led by Sr. RB Harvie Tuck (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary), the Crimson Hawks have gone over 300 yards in a game 3 times and have scored 16 TDs on the ground.

TUCK'S TRUCKIN'... Tuck continues to prove he's one of the best runners in Division II, ranking 2nd in the nation with a 180.25 yards per game average. He had his best game of the year against No. 6 California, running 43 times for 256 yards, both career-highs, adding 2 TDs. He's gone for 200 yards twice this season and debuted with a 185-yard effort in the season-opener.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS... Tuck continues to chip away at the IUP career rushing charts as he now has 3,402 yards, 4th all-time. He's currently 221 yards behind Aamir Dew (1999-2001) for 3rd place.

OUT OF THE BOX... After seeing limited action in the first 4 games, Jr. QB Mike Box (Lawrenceville, GA/Collins Hill) has moved to the starter column in this week's two-deep. With IUP down 17-10 in the 4th quarter against California, Box entered the game and finished 5-7 for 90 yards and a TD, giving the Crimson Hawks a 24-17 lead late in the game.

CONTROLLING THE CLOCK... The Crimson Hawks powerful running game has helped IUP to average 35:23 time of possession, 4th in Division II. IUP owned the clock for more than 37 minutes twice this year and are t-21st in the NCAA with 24.0 first downs per game.

MORE BIG PLAYS ARE COMING... After a quiet opener, Jr. WR Pat Brewer (Coatesville/Coatesville) has come up with big plays in each of the past three contests, catching a 57-yard TD pass against Cheyney; returning a kickoff 82 yards for a TD against Lock Haven; and catching 5 passes for 80 yards and a TD against California. Last year the speedster averaged 25.2 yards per catch, with 5 plays of at least 44 yards.

BEST DEFENSE IN THE NATION?... IUP boasts arguably the top defense in the nation so far this year, ranking near the top of Division II in several categories including scoring defense (1st - 8.00 ppg); rushing defense (1st - 28.75 ypg); and total defense (5th - 229.00 ypg).

IUP is also 1st in the nation in first downs allowed (10.50/game) and 12th in third down efficiency (13/50; 26.00%).

SUFFOCATING... That IUP run defense has been practically suffocating this season, allowing an average of 28.75 rushing yards per game. Opponents have not rushed for more than 47 yards in a game, averaging 1.1 per carry, while IUP held All-PSAC back Lamont Smith of California to just 44 yards on 17 carries.

LET ME CLEAR MY THROAT... Jr. LB Carl Fleming (Reisterstown, MD/Franklin) has announced his presence as one of the dominant forces on the IUP defense, leading the team with 12 solo stops while accumulating 19 total tackles on the year. He's added 3.5 TFL and has broken up a pass.

THE MEISNER BROS... Sr. DE Greg Meisner (Greensburg/Hempfield ) (Kentucky) and his brother So. DE Shane Meisner (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield ) (Rutgers) both transfered to IUP this year and have helped the Crimson Hawks wreak havoc on opposing offenses. Each of them have 13 total tackles and have combined for 9.0 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 2 batted balls, 2 FRs and a FF.

THE NAME CHANGES, BUT HIS PLAY DOESN'T... Jr. DB Terrell Holloway (Penn Hills/Penn Hills) (formerly Terrell Washington) has continued to excel at IUP's “Star” position, as 4.0 of his 12 tackles have come behind the line of scrimmage. He also has a sack, blocked a FG against Lock Haven and had a FF and FR against California.

ULLMAN ON FRED MITCHELL WATCH LIST... So. K Brett Ullman (Baltimore, Md./Perry Hall) is one of 44 kickers from across college football to be named to the Watch List for the 2012 Fred Mitchell Award. Ullman has 27 points this year, converting 21-21 XPs and and a 42-yard field goal.

THE 500 WIN CLUB... IUP became just the 17th school in NCAA Division II history with 500 all-time wins when it defeated Lock Haven 56-6 on Nov. 5 last year. The Crimson Hawks have a record of 504-253-23 (.661) in 83-plus seasons.

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

OFFENSE... The Marauders are on the bottom half of the PSAC in several offensive categories, averaging 248.5 yards and 17.0 points per game. However, they did flex their muscles in the season-opening win over West Virginia Wesleyan, scoring 41 points and totaling 400 yards. The offense runs through QB Ted Stachitas, who leads Millersville with 405 yards through the air and 201 yards on the ground. He'll be joined in the backfield this week by a pair of backup RBs in Ian Sadon and Mike Jones, who've combined for 103 yards and 2 TDs. Jones has been the main target in the passing game, catching 16 passes for 189 yards, while WRs Matt Egenrieder and Dominc Sanders each have double-digit receptions.

DEFENSE... The Millersville defense sits at the bottom of the PSAC in many categories, giving up over 500 yards and nearly 45 points per game. DE Reggie Slaton leads the team in total tackles with 31, and has proven to be the Marauders biggest playmaker with 7.5 TFL and 2.0 sacks. CB Lou Brown has a pair of interceptions to go along with his 20 tackles while SS Brian Knell has 24 stops.

SPECIAL TEAMS... David Coates has shown big play potential in the return game, averaging 32.4 yards on 16 kickoff returns, including a 97-yard TD. K Anthony Kassab has converted 8-9 of his XPs this year and both of his FG attempts. The punting duties will be handled by Jeff Lawson, who's averaging 38.9 yards on his 32 kicks.