THE GAME
The Crimson Hawks try to get back into the win column on Saturday when they host Clarion at Frank Cignetti Field @ George P. Miller Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 PM. IUP has dropped two straight to rivals California (PA) (21-13) and Slippery Rock (31-21) to fall to 5-3 overall on the season. The Golden Eagles have also not faired well recently, dropping each of their last five, including a 43-32 decision to Cal last weekend. 

The game will be broadcast on WQMU 92.5 FM with the voice of IUP Athletics, Jack Benedict, calling the action. 

RANKINGS
Neither IUP or Clarion are ranked in the AFCA coaches' or D2football.com media polls. The Crimson Hawks fell out after their week two loss at Kutztown.

THE SERIES
This will be the 87th all-time meeting between these schools, with IUP holding a big 58-23-3 advantage in the series. The Crimson Hawks have won each of the last three matchups over Clarion in dominating fashion, winning by an average score of 42-7, including a 42-14 road win a season ago.  

SLIPPERY ROCK LEFTOVERS
• R-So. LB Kevin Clarke (West Mifflin, Pa. /West Mifflin) had another huge day with 21 total tackles and a forced fumble, and was given a "special mention" by the PSAC in its weekly awards release.
• Gr. QB Chase Haslett (Clayton, Mo./Clayton) threw for 361 yards, topping his previous career-high which was set a week prior. 
• IUP totaled just 26 rushing yards on Saturday, the program's lowest total this millennium. 
• Conversely, the Crimson Hawks allowed 234 rushing yards to SRU, the most Clarion racked up 238 yards back on Oct. 15, 2011. 

LOOKING AHEAD
The Crimson Hawks hit the road next week as they head up to Erie to face red-hot Gannon. The Golden Knights will no doubt be looking for revenge after last season's 55-20 IUP victory.

AGAINST THE PSAC WEST 
IUP has perennially been the best team in the PSAC West, boasting a 144-34-1 (.807) record against division foes since 1986. The Crimson Hawks are 19-7 (.731) in the West in three-plus years under HC Curt Cignetti, including a 6-1 season in 2012. 

PLAYING IT CLOSE
Despite its huge underdog status, Clarion played a close game against Cal last week, losing 43-32. The Golden Eagles outgained Cal, 445-440, with the help of 376 passing yards and a 31:57 time of possession. 

NEAR THE BOTTOM
IUP and Clarion are two of the worst teams in the PSAC in giving up sacks, as their QBs have each been brought down 22 times this year, tied for 3rd worst. They also aren't ranked high in team interceptions, with both teams have just 4 picks on the year, also the 3rd worst total in the league. 

PROTECTION IS KEY
The Golden Eagles are one of the best teams in the nation at getting to the QB, tied for 11th in Division II with 26 sacks on the year. On the other hand, IUP is one of the worst at protection, as the Crimson Hawks' 22 sacks allowed are 17th worst in the country. 

ABOUT CLARION
With those 5 straight losses, the Golden Eagles haven't had much team success, although they do have several current and potential stars on the roster. 

The offense received a big lift from QB Connor Simmons, as he threw for a career-high 376 yards against Cal last week. Although he's completing just over 50 pct of his passes in the last 3 games, he's tossed 5 TDs and is averaging 260 yards during that span. The most consistent receiving option this year has been WR Matt Lehman, who leads the team with 19 catches and 417 yards. TEs Mike and Zach Deitrick have combined for 26 catches, 316 yards and 4 TDs. RB Delrece Williams has seen the most carries for Clarion this year, leading the team with 338 yards and 6 TDs on the ground. 

Clarion features former PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year in DE Julian Howsare. Howsare leads the team with 54 tackles and has 8.5 TFLs and 6.5 sacks, to go along with 2 FFs, 2 FRs, and an interception. DT Kwame Bell is actually the most productive lineman, leading the team with 11.5 TFLs, 7.5 sacks and 3 FFs. DE Brandon Short has also put up numbers, with 11 TFLs and 5 sacks. 

The Golden Eagles have come up with some big plays in special teams, blocking 2 punts and returning both for TDs. Williams has also shown to be a threat in the return game with a 25.3 KOR average. 

KEEPING THE TIME
The Crimson Hawks are 2nd in the PSAC and 19th in DII in time of possession, holding onto the ball for an average of 32:55 per game. IUP has been a big ball hog over the last six weeks specifically, averaging 34:52 compared to 27:03 in the opening 2 games. 

A PASSING FANCY?
IUP's offense has flip-flopped over the last 2 games, featuring a heavy dose of the pass. The Crimson Hawks have attempted 95 passes, completing 63.2 pct of those for 720 yards, 4 TDs and 7 ints during that span. It's the most attempts in back-to-back games for IUP in more than a decade. 

The run game has diminished in the last 2 contests, losses to Cal and Slippery Rock, as IUP has just 137 yards and 0 TDs on 63 carries.  

GOING TO THE WELL
A chief benefactor in IUP's reliance on the passing game has been R-Sr. WR Drew Carswell (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Sto-Rox), who has 23 receptions for 268 yards and 3 TDs in the last 2 games. Against Cal, he tied an IUP single game 
record with 15 catches, following that up with 8 more against SRU. His 15-catch game is the 4th highest in PSAC history, as only 9 other players in the history of the league have caught more in 1 game. 

ALL'S WELL THAT CARSWELL
Carswell has been IUP's top target all season long, catching 51 passes for 733 yards and 8 TDs. He's made great leaps over the past 2 games and is now statistically one of the top WRs in the PSAC, ranking 3rd in yards, 4th in yards per game (91.6), 5th in TDs and 6th in receptions. 

CLIMBING THAT LADDER
With his increase in production, Carswell is now on pace for 70 catches, 1008 yards and 11 TDs. Each of those numbers would break into the top 10 for a season at IUP, including receptions, which would be the 2nd highest in IUP single season history (Len Pesotini, 74, 1975) and the most since 2008 (Ken Witter, 66). 

CHASING RECORDS
The triggerman during IUP's passing surge has been Gr. QB Chase Haslett (Clayton, Mo./Clayton), who has entered his name in the record books each of the last two weeks. His 34 completions against Cal tied for 1st all-time while his 373 yards of total offense was 6th most in a game. In throwing for 361 yards against SRU, he displaced his total against Cal (359) for 10th most in a game.  

SO GOES THE TEAM?
Despite his increased yardage in each of the last 2 games, Haslett has better overall performances in IUP's 5 wins compared to its 3 losses. He's completing 67.7 pct of his passes with just 3 interceptions in wins, versus 55.6 pct and 9 interceptions in losses. Also, the Crimson Hawks are 5-0 when throwing 23 times or less.

BREAKING BROCK
Gr. TE Brock DeCicco (Jefferson Hills, Pa. /Thomas Jefferson) has fit in nicely with the new passing game plan, catching 20 passes for 218 yards in the last 3 games. He snagged 11 passes for 111 yards at Cal, tied for the 7th most catching in a single game in IUP history. The Wisconsin transfer is now 2nd on the team with 25 receptions and 3rd with 308 yards. 

PURPOSEFUL STATEMENT
Fr. WR Walt Pegues (Philadelphia, Pa. /Central) has had three straight big games, totaling 568 all-purpose yards against Seton Hill, Cal and Slippery Rock. His first big play of the season came against Seton Hill, breaking an IUP record with a 96-yard PR for a TD. He then had a 63-yard TD on a catch-and-run against SRU, giving him 118 yards on 5 catches in the game. 

His 118.6 all-purpose yards per game leads the team and is 12th in the PSAC, as he's totaled 412 on KORs, 323 on receptions, 177 on PRs and 37 on rushes. 

I'M-A LUIGI, NUMBER ONE!
Fr. RB Luigi Lista-Brinza (McKees Rocks, Pa. /Central Catholic) leads all PSAC freshmen this year with 91.0 rushing yards per game. It's also good for 6th overall in the league, as he has 5 games of 100-plus yards this season. His rushing average is also 3rd amongst Division II freshman running backs. He's had 6 games this year of 100 or more all-purpose yards and leads the team in scoring with 9 TDs. 

HOLDING THAT LINE
The Crimson Hawks have had just two different offensive line units this year, with the same one - R-Sr. LT Bruce Atkins (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills), So. LG Ethan Cooper (Steelton, Pa. /Central Dauphin East), Sr. C Matt Sasson, Fr. RG Dan Charmo (Hamilton, Va./Loundon Valley) and R-Sr. RT Jorge Vicioso (Passaic, N.J./Passaic) - featured in each of the last 6 games. This group helped IUP rush for 207 yards per contest and 13 TDs over its recent 4-game winning streak. Led by Sasson (26 starts), this starting unit has combined for 72 career starts. 

21 CLARKE AVE
R-So. LB Kevin Clarke (West Mifflin, Pa. /West Mifflin) had yet another standout defensive performance against Slippery Rock with 21 tackles, a TFL and a FF. His 21 tackles are the most for a PSAC player this season and tied for the 6th highest total in Division II. Clarke's 94 tackles leads the PSAC while his 11.8 tackles/game is tied for 15th in the nation. He's now had single game totals of 21, 19, 13 and 12. He also leads the Crimson Hawks with 9.5 TFLs and 3 FFs, and has 3 sacks and 1 interception. 

CENTURY 25
Clarke is on pace for one of IUP's best single season tackle performances nearly 30 years. If he plays all 11 regular season games, he's on pace for 129 stops, the most since Kevin McMullan tallied 156 in 1987. That total would be tied for 10th most in school single season history along with Jim Haslett and Gregg Schmidt (1976). 

THE NEW WAVE
Always deep at linebacker, the Crimson Hawks have found the next generation of dominant defenders in Clarke and So. LB Myles Catlin (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Obama). Filling the spots of injured R-Sr. LBs Alexander Berdahl (Ashburn, Va./Bishop O'Connell) and Dorian Lane (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Woodland Hills), Clarke and Catlin have combined for 133 tackles 13.5 TFLs, 4 sacks, 4 pass breakups and 1 interception. To go along with Clarke's 21 tackles on Saturday, Catlin also set a career-high with 15 stops, and had 1 tackle behind the line of scrimmage. 

HEAT MEISNER
The production of R-Sr. DE Shane Meisner (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield ) is starting to heat up as the temperature drops, as he's come up with big plays in each of the last 3 games. He tallied his 1st sack of the year at Cal, bringing down QB James Harris as time expired in IUP territory in the 1st half, and grabbed a one-handed interception against Seton Hill on Homecoming two weeks ago, which led to IUP's final TD of the game in a 51-28 victory. He also helped make a key tackle in the backfield in the 3rd quarter against Slippery Rock, forcing a punt. 

MOWING DOWN THE LINE
R-Fr. DE Matthew Mowad (Easton, Pa. /Easton) received increased playing time against SRU, finishing with a career-high 10 tackles, including 1.5 TFLs and a sack. He now has 29 tackles this year and is 2nd on the team with 8.5 TFLs and 4 sacks. 

GETTING "GIBBED"
The interior of IUP's defensive line includes a pair of transfers in Gr. DT Bryce Gilbert (Brookfield, Wis./Central) and Jr. NG Karon Gibson (Sicklerville, N.J./Woodbury). Both have been terrors to opposing offenses, as they've combined for 61 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, and 6.5 sacks. 

CORNERING THE MARKET
R-Sr. CB Jerell McFadden (Manassas, Va./Osbourn) is the most experienced player on the IUP roster and quite possibly has the most starts of any defensive back in the PSAC. The All-PSAC performer has started each of the last 29 games for the Crimson Hawks and has 40 for his career. 

For his career, McFadden has 224 total tackles, 4 interceptions and 27 more passes broken up. 

DO THE SAFETY DANCE
IUP's safety duo of R-So. SS Steve Franco (Tyrone, Pa. /Tyrone ) and Fr. FS Takhi Turner (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Twp.) have improved each week and are 4th and 6th on the team in tackles with 35 and 31 stops, 
respectively. Franco's production has increased in each of the last four weeks, including an 8-tackle, 2-pass breakup game against Seton Hill, 3 tackles and a TFL at Cal, and 6 tackles against Slippery Rock. 

MOVING UP THE RECORD BOOKS
Sr. K Brett Ullman (Baltimore, Md./Perry Hall) entered this season on pace to break three career IUP scoring records, including points scored, field goals made, and extra points made. He broke the all-time extra points record against Seton Hill, and is 23 points and 4 field goals away from tying those respective school records. 

GOOD RETURNS
Pegues has proven potential as a dynamic returner, as he boasts a 17.7 PR avg on 10 returns and a 22.9 KOR avg on 18 run backs. In addition to his record 96-yard PR for a TD against Seton Hill, Pegues also has KOR returns of 50 and 43 yards. 

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
Sr. PK Brett Ullman (Baltimore, Md./Perry Hall) received preseason All-American honors by both the Beyond Sports Network (BSN) and by the Collegiate Development Football League (CDFL). Sr. DE Shane Meisner (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield ) was also selected by the CDFL. 

SUCCESS IN THE PSAC
The Crimson Hawks are one of the most successful teams in the PSAC, and the winningest in the West since Curt Cignetti took over in 2011. IUP is second to only Bloomsburg with 28 wins (the Huskies have 29). Both schools have won the last two conference championships.

COACHING CONTINUITY
The 10 total coaches on the staff this season have combined to coach 83 seasons at IUP, with four coaches boasting at least 12 years of experience at the school. ST coordinator/DEs coach Bernie McQuown will enter his 28th year on the sidelines with IUP, tops amongst the staff. DC Paul Tortorella has coached 20 years while LBs coach Jim Smith has put in 15 years and OL coach Mike Campolo has logged 12. Cignetti and WRs coach Rod Rutherford each have three years while RBs coach Jim Chapin has two, and OC Tyler Haines has one. CBs coach Johnny Franco and DTs coach Bryant Haines are in their first years on staff.