Complete Game Notes (PDF) I PSAC Week 2 Preview

GameDay Central
No. 8/9 IUP vs, Cheyney
Saturday, September 4, 2013
George P. Miller Stadium I Indiana, Pa.
Hall of Fame Game

Watch: There will be no webcast this weekend (Updated: 9/13, 9 AM)
Listen: WQMU92.5FM (Pregame 3:30 p.m.)
Live Stats: IUPAthletics.com

Prior to the game, IUP will induct 4 new members to the IUP Athletics Hall of Fame. You can view the story and list of inductees here.

THE GAME: The Crimson Hawks host the Cheyney Wolves in their 2013 home opener at George P. Miller Stadium. IUP is ranked eighth in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 Poll and ninth in the D2football.com Top 25 Poll, improving from the 10th spot they earned in both polls prior to the season. The Owls are coming off a season-opening loss to Lincoln, falling to the Lions 33-28.

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 3:30 p.m. You can also listen to the action on the internet at u92radio.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 20-5, going 11-3 in PSAC West play and 2-1 in the NCAA playoffs. He has a record of 10-2 at home and 10-3 on the road. This will be 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 perfect 5-0 lead over Cheyney in a series that began in 1994. IUP's biggest win came in 2007 with an 80-14 victory, a school record for points in a game. IUP has outscored the Wolves by an average of 54.4 - 5.2. In 2012, the Crimson Hawks blanked the Wolves 56-0.

NEXT GAME: The Crimson Hawks open up their PSAC West slate on the road against Seton Hill. The Griffins are competing for the first time as a full member of the PSAC, after joining in July of 2013. They were previously associate members of the conference. Seton Hill is coming off a season-opening loss to Fairmont, falling 37-29 to the Fighting Falcons. This will be the first ever matchup between the two teams.

HAWK TALK

TOP OF THE LIST... The Crimson Hawks are ranked eighth in the American Football Coaches Association Week 1 Poll. They sit at the nine spot in the D2football.com Week 1 Poll, improving from the preseason polls, where they sat in the ten spot. This is the highest ranking the Crimson Hawks have received since Nov. 18, 2003.

BACK WHERE HE BELONGS... R-Sr. RB De'Antwan Williams (Woodbridge, VA/Woodbridge) was granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA prior to Saturday's game against Southern Connecticut State. The redshirt senior had been awaiting word from the NCAA during the summer and his status for the season was unclear prior to the decision. He rushed for 1,325 yards and ten touchdowns with IUP in 2012 and will be an instrumental part of the Crimson Hawks' offense.

TACKLING RECORDS... R-Sr. LB Carl Fleming (Reisterstown, MD/Franklin) set a new career best for tackles in a single game with 15 in IUP's season opener against Southern Connecticut. Of those 15, six were solo tackles.

INTERCEPTIONS GALORE... University of Pittsburgh transfer Marco Pecora (Johnstown/Richland) made an immediate impact in his first game with the Crimson Hawks. He intercepted the Southern Connecticut State Owls not once, but twice in IUP's 30-20 season opening victory. His second interception sealed the game for the Crimson Hawks as he picked off the Owls' quarterback in the end zone with just over a minute remaining in the game. Jerell McFadden (Manassas, Va./Osbourn) also had an interception in the game.

HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE... The Crimson Hawks have won six straight home openers dating back to the 2006 season. In those six games, they've outscored their opponents 266-80.

ROOMMATE BONDING... Roommates Terrill Barnes (Gettysburg/Gettysburg) and Mike Box (Lawrenceville, GA/Collins Hill) connected on eight plays for 162 yards, averaging 20.2 yards per play including a long catch and run of 56 yards.

BLOGGING BUZZ... D2football.com national blogger Bob Eblen gave football "Five Fearless Predictions" for the 2013 Season. At the top of the list, IUP winning a national championship. Eblen noted that the Crimson Hawks remind him of the 2008 Minnesota-Duluth national championship team and are "solid and balanced offensively and can stop the run."

PSAC IN PERIL...Six of the 16 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference teams lost on opening weekend including nationally ranked Shippensburg, who was shut out 33-0 by Shepherd.

TIME TO SHINE...Junior Dorian Lane (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Woodland Hills) will most likely get his first start at middle linebacker today taking the place of the injured Alexander Berdahl (Ashburn, Va./Bishop O'Connell). Lane played in all 14 games last season with the Crimson Hawks, recording 28 tackles. He also had one sack in the PSAC championship game against Shippensburg.

RUN, RUN, RUN...Three running backs gained positive yardage in IUP's 30-20 victory over Southern Connecticut State. De'Antwan Williams (Woodbridge, VA/Woodbridge) had 135 yards on 18 attempts, Erik Finklea (Cincinnati, OH/Woodward) had 50 yards and one touchdown on seven attempts and Izzy Green (Trotwood, Ohio/Trotwood-Madison) had 14 yards and one touchdown in three carries. Jay Watkins (Chester, Pa. /Hyde School) is also expected to get carries at running back.

O-LINE SHUFFLE...The offensive line will be shuffled for the home opener, as head coach Curt Cignetti looks to spark the team. Bruce Atkins (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) moves to left tackle, where Bryon Dovales has started for the previous three years. Dovales will take over the left guard spot. Nick Carnicella (Greensburg/Hempfield) will see his first game action starting at the center position. The only player on the offensive line who remains in the same position as last week's game is Mike Chramo at right guard.

SCOUTING THE WOLVES

OFFENSE... The run-oriented will bring their option attack with featured six players with at least 5 carries in last week's loss to Lincoln. RB Marcus Jones got the most action with 18 carries while RB Nahum Purdie showed big play ability with a 10.3 yard average and 2 TDs. QBs Adler Thony and Darrell Cosby will get the bulk of the work under center for Cheyney, each a threat to run and pass.

DEFENSE... The Cheyney defense was opportunistic last week, forcing 4 fumbles while recovering three for turnovers. The Wolves also had 3 sacks and 13 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. LB Isaiah Fleming appears to be the biggest threat on the unit, racking up 15 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery last week. DE Ariene Gardner added 6 tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss.

SPECIAL TEAMS... Jewel Jones will handle both the kicking and punting duties for the Wolves. He converted 2 of his 4 extra point attempts and averaged 30.8 per punt. Eugene Moten and Earnest Polite are set to return kicks. Moten had a 53-yard kickoff return against Lincoln and averaged 13.0 yards per punt return.