GameDay Central
IUP Crimson Hawks (8-2, 5-2 PSAC West)
at Shippensburg Red Raiders (7-3, 6-1 PSAC East)
Saturday, November 16, 2013 | 1:00 p.m.
Seth Grove Stadium | Shippensburg, Pa.
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
Watch: IUP-TV (CATV Ch. 6) | NMTVSports.com
Listen: WQMU 92.5 FM |
U92radio.com
Live Stats: ShipRaiders.com |
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2013 IUP Schedule
THE GAME: The Crimson Hawks hit the road for their final game of the regular season as they travel to Shippensburg to take on the Red Raiders on Saturday. After a two-game slide, IUP is back on a hot streak, winning its last three games, including a 55-20 romp over Gannon on Senior Day. Shippensburg rebounded after a tough loss to then-No. 13 West Chester with an upset win over then-No. 5 Bloomsburg and a shutout over Cheyney. IUP is 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the PSAC West while the Red Raiders are 7-3 overall and 6-1 in the PSAC East.
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. You can also listen to the action on the internet at u92radio.com. IUP-TV will have the live broadcoast on Comcast Ch. 6 and NMTVSports.com.
HEAD COACH CURT CIGNETTI: IUP head coach
Curt Cignetti (West Virginia, '82) enters his third season at the helm after leading the Crimson Hawks to a PSAC championship, a 12-2 record and a berth in the NCAA playoffs in 2012. Through his two-plus seasons, Cignetti has a record of 27-7, going 16-5 in PSAC West play and 2-1 in the NCAA playoffs. He has a record of 14-3 at home and 13-4 on the road. This is Cignetti's 31st 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).
THE SERIES: IUP holds a 45-17-4 lead in a series that dates back to 1930. Shippensburg has not tasted victory since 1988, a streak of 21 consecutive wins by IUP. The latest one coming at George P. Miller Stadium a season ago as the Crimson Hawks defeated Shippensburg 41-10 to earn their third PSAC "State Game" Championship in program history.
NEXT GAME: This will most likely be the end of the 2013 season for the Crimson Hawks, who are currently 10th in the Division II Super Region 1 rankings. The top six teams in each region advance to the NCAA playoffs.
HAWK TALK
WINNING THE 800TH... Last week was the 800th game in program history as IUP improved its all-time record to 521-256-23, a .666 winning pct. The victories are the 16th most in Division II.
THE NATIONAL POLLS... IUP remains on the outside looking in on both of this week's Top 25 Polls. The Crimson Hawks received 32 points in the AFCA Coaches' Poll, two spots back and 26 points behind West Texas A&M, which is ranked 25th.
IN THE REGIONAL POLLS... The Crimson Hawks debuted in the NCAA Division II Super Region 1 rankings, showing up at No. 10 when they were released on Monday. Six teams in each region advance to the NCAA playoffs and six of the top eight teams in the rankings will play each other this weekend.
PSAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK... R-Sr. QB
Mike Box (Lawrenceville, GA/Collins Hill) was named PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Week after setting career-highs with 21 completions (25 attempts), 387 passing yards and 4 TDs in the 55-20 win over Gannon. It's the 5th most passing yards in program history and most since Brian Eyerman threw for 407 against Saginaw Valley State in 2001. It was also the first 300-yard passing day by an IUP QB since Andrew Krewatch threw for 311 against Gannon in 2008.
ENTERING THE TOP 10... Sr. WR
Terrill Barnes (Gettysburg/Gettysburg) caught 8 passes for 151 yards last week, the exact totals he needed to enter IUP's season top 10 in both categories. His season totals now stand at 57 catches (t-9th) for 928 yards (t-10th) and 7 TDs. He's on pace for 63 catches for 1,021 yards and 8 TDs.
NICE CATCH(ES)... With his 8 catches last week, Barnes moved into 8th place all-time with 120 career receptions. His 2,048 yards in his three seasons at IUP is 9th all-time while his 17 TDs are tied for 6th.
ONE OF THE BEST... Among those with only three playing seasons at IUP, Barnes is 2nd in career receptions (Lewis Hicks, 1996-98, 139), 2nd in yards (Hicks, 2,060) and tied 1st in TDs.
GOOD COMPANY... R-Sr. RB
De'Antwan Williams (Woodbridge, VA/Woodbridge) has 2,357 career rushing yards in two seasons, 8th all-time in IUP history. He's 121 yards behind Larry Monsilovich's (1969-71) total of 2,478. Michael Mann (1990-93) is IUP's all-time leading rusher with 4,805 yards.
RUNING AGAINST THE RAIDERS... The Crimson Hawks totaled 287 rushing yards in last year's PSAC championship win over Shippensburg, including 129 yards from Williams.
BACK IN BUSINESS... After giving up 1,086 yards to Slippery Rock and Edinboro, the IUP defense has given up an average of 294 yards in its last three contests. The Crimson Hawks have forced 7 turnovers during that time and have giving up just 40 points (13.3 per game).
AIR CONTROL... Heading into this week's game against a high-powered passing offense, IUP has limited opponent QBs over the past three weeks, allowing 124.0 yards and 2 TDs. Opponents have completed just 43.7 pct. of their passes with 6 INTs. IUP gave up just 205 yards to Zulli last year, picking him off twice.
PICK CITY... The Crimson Hawks lead the PSAC and are tied for 6th in DII with 19 interceptions this season. Seven times the IUP defense has picked off at least 2 passes, including 5 against Cal. R-Jr. SS
Eric Williams (Yardley/Pennsbury) has 6 picks, 1st in the PSAC and tied for 8th in the nation.
ACCESS BLOCKED... The Crimson Hawks have blocked 5 kicks this season, including 3 against Edinboro. R-Sr. DB
Terrell Holloway (Penn Hills/Penn Hills) and R-Sr. NT
Akeem Smith (Philadelphia/Frankford) each have 2 while R-So. DT
Jeff Palmer (Cranberry Twp., Pa. /Seneca Valley) has 1.
SCOUTING THE RED RAIDERS
OFFENSE... The Red Raiders offense starts with Harlon Hill Award-winning QB Zach Zulli. He is having a down year, however, with a still-impressive 61.7 completion pct., 3204 yards and 33 TDs. His favorite target is All-American WR Trevor Harmon, who has 93 catches, 1268 yards and 20 TDs. WR Sheldon Mayer adds a deep threat with 60 catches for 872 yards. RB Blair Brooks is 4th in the PSAC in all-purpose yards, averaging 158.3 per game. He's averaging 7.1 yards per rush, 3rd in the PSAC among those with at least 100 carries.
DEFENSE... The Shippensburg defense is led up front by DE Jake Metz. The 6-7 All-American leads the PSAC with 11 sacks and is 2nd with 18 TFLs. On the other side, DE Dainen Green has 10.5 TFLs and 6.5 sacks. The Red Raiders have the 4th best passing defense in the PSAC, giving up just 187.5 yards per game, however they are next to last with just 6 interceptions.
SPECIAL TEAMS... The Red Raiders have 3 returns for TDs this year, including kickoffs returns by Brooks (89 yards) and Shannon Maura (96 yards) and a punt return by Mayer (85 yards). PK Drew Newcomer has the longest FG in the PSAC this year of 49 yards, but has gone just 2-7 from 40+. P Nate Schmidt averages 38.4 yards on his 44 punts.
