CHARLESTON, W. Va. – The Crimson Hawks forced four second half turnovers, blocked a punt, and scored 34 unanswered points to end the game as IUP defeated Charleston 47-21 in the opening round of the 2015 NCAA Division II football playoffs on Saturday afternoon at UC Stadium.
 
The Crimson Hawks improve to 9-2 overall and will advance to face Shepherd (10-0) in the second round. IUP is the fifth seed in Super Region One while Shepherd is the top seed, earning the first round bye.
 
The comeback started on the first possession of the third quarter when a hit by IUP safety Steve Franco (Tyrone, Pa. /Tyrone ) punched the ball out of Charleston running back Tevion Cappe's grasp and into the hands of defensive tackle Jemal Averette (Upper Marlboro, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel) at the Crimson Hawks 49 yard line. 10 plays later, redshirt freshman quarterback Lenny Williams (McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox) ran into the end zone from four yards out to help cut IUP's deficit to 14-13.

Charleston (10-2) did respond on its next drive, using a 51-yard passing touchdown to go back on top by eight points at 21-13, still with 7:45 to play in the third quarter. 

The Crimson Hawks enusing drive would stall at their 40-yard line, but an accurate punt by Jordan Spangler (Johnstown, Pa./Bishop McCort) dropped inside the Charleston five-yard line, where gunner Allen Wright (McKeesport, Pa. /McKeesport Area) saved it from bouncing into the end zone, pinning the Golden Eagles at their own two. The IUP defense then forced Charleston into a punt, which is when Diamond Jones (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne) busted through the middle and blocked the kick and the Crimson Hawks took over at the UC five yard line. Two plays later, Williams reached across the goal line from a yard out and IUP trailed 21-19.

The blocked put was the second in consecutive weeks for Jones, and led to the first of five straight touchdowns for IUP.

On Charleston's very next play, Eric Williams (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) came up with a huge strip from behind, giving the Crimson Hawks the ball at midfield. IUP needed just four plays to go 51 yards, as Williams connected with senior receiver Sean McVay (Miami, Fla./Miramar) across the middle for a 34-yard catch-and-run touchdown to give the Crimson Hawks a 26-21 heading to the fourth quarter. 

After the IUP defense forced another Charleston punt, the offense embarked on a 13-play, 80-yard scoring drive that lasted 6:40 and ended with a four-yard touchdown run by Williams. The Crimson Hawks rushed on 12 of the 13 plays, using a steady diet of Williams and sophomore running back Chris Temple (Malvern, Pa. /Great Valley) to convert five first downs. The touchdown and kicker Ryan Stewart (Indiana, Pa./Indiana)'s extra point gave IUP a 33-21 lead.

The ensuing IUP kickoff sailed into a stiff wind. The Charleston returners misplayed the ball and the bounce that wound up in the hands of Eric Doe (Darby, Pa. /Academy Prep) as the Crimson Hawks took over at the Golden Eagles' 23. Temple received three straight handoffs, busting a 20-yard run before punching it in from three yards out to help put IUP on top 40-21. The rushing touchdown for Temple was his 17th of the season, just two shy of tying Michael Mann (1993) for the school's single season record. 

The Crimson Hawks did not let up, as linebacker Kevin Clarke (West Mifflin, Pa. /West Mifflin) picked off a Jeremy Johnson third down pass on Charleston's next possession. Redshirt freshman back Shannon Jackson (Fairview, Pa. /Fairview) got into the action with runs of 16 and 19 yards, before Williams scooted around the left side for 21 yards, making defenders miss as he ran into the end zone for his fourth rushing touchdown of the game. 

Lenny Williams (McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox) finished with 252 total yards and five touchdowns, leading an IUP offensive charge that scored six second half touchdowns. The Harlon Hill Trophy candidate finished 10-of-15 passing for 101 yards and a touchdown, and ran 27 times for 151 yards and four more scores. The four rushing touchdowns, along with Williams' 24 points, tied IUP single game playoff records. 
 
Temple finished with 116 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries as the Crimson Hawks tallied 347 yards on the ground.
  
Franco, Clarke and Williams led the defensive effort. Williams finished with a team-high 11 tackles and forced that third quarter fumble. Franco had six tackles, a forced fumble and broke up a pass. Clarke had eight tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks, and that fourth quarter interception.
 
The IUP defense totaled five sacks and four pass breakups, limiting the high-scoring Charleston offense to 21 points and 390 total yards. Charleston's Johnson, another Harlon Hill candidate, was limited to 11-of-22 passing for 172 yards and a touchdown, and ran for just seven yards on 10 carries.
 
The Crimson Hawks converted 4-of-5 third down conversions in the second half, and scored on seven of their eight red zone possessions. IUP also won the time of possession battle 37:27 to 22:33.

The IUP special teams played a big part in the win, with Stewart connecting on two first half field goals of 44 and 29 yards. The 44 yarder counted as the first points of the game and was a career-long. Spangler punted three times, with each of his kicks downed inside the Charleston 20-yard line. In addition to the third quarter punt stopping at the two, he also put kicks at the UC eight and 16 yard lines and averaged 46.0 yards per punt.

IUP is making its 16th all-time playoff appearance. The win today gave the program a 19-15 overall playoff record. IUP and Shepherd have met three previous times, all in the postseason. The Rams won 9-6 in 1998 and 41-34 in 2007, while IUP defeated Shepherd 27-17 in 2012.
 
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP football on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPfootball.