INDIANA, Pa. – Freshman Duane Brown (Spring Church, Pa./Apollo-Ridge) scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:09 remaining, and the IUP defense knocked down a Hail Mary as time expired, as the Crimson Hawks defeated Assumption 27-22 to win the NCAA Division II Super Region One Championship and advance to the national semifinals.

Assumption moved the ball down the field on the final drive to get in position for that heave towards the end zone. The Greyhounds (11-2) scored on a 44-yard touchdown pass with seven seconds to play, but quarterback Cody Williams was across the line-of-scrimmage when he threw the ball to draw an illegal forward pass penalty. Williams then had one final attempt to win on fourth down, but John McDonald-Horner (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) and a slew of Crimson Hawks batted down the Hail Mary attempt at the goal line to preserve the win. 
 
The win clinches IUP's seventh all-time trip to the national semifinals. It'll be the first for the program since 1999. 
 
The Crimson Hawks (13-0) overcame four turnovers and a spirited effort from third-seeded Assumption. The underdog Greyhounds returned one interception for a touchdown and also recovered a surprise on-side kick to gain the momentum early. 
 
IUP finished the game with 340 rushing yards, including a career-high 167 by freshman running back Justice Evans (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic), to rise above those mistakes. Brown finished with 59 yards and two touchdowns, sophomore back Samir Bullock (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) also ran for 59 yards with a score, and redshirt junior quarterback Lenny Williams, Jr. (McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox) ran for 55 more yards.
 
The IUP defense limited the high-scoring Assumption offense to a season-low 22 points with 318 total yards. The Crimson Hawks didn't force a turnover, but limited the Greyhounds (11-2) to 4-of-14 third down conversions and 0-of-2 fourth down tries. IUP also limited the amount of special teams touches by Assumption's dynamic return man Deonte Harris, who returned one kickoff and fair caught three punts. Harris was tossed or handed the ball on two more kickoffs by the Greyhounds other return man. 

Sophomore linebacker Damon Lloyd (Bel Air, Md./John Carroll) posted a team-high 11 tackles, including 2.5 stops behind the line-of-scrimmage. Sophomore end Dondrea Tillman (Sterling, Va./Potomac Falls) had six tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble, and graduate end Matt Mowad (Easton, Pa. /Easton) added a third IUP sack. 

The Crimson Hawks broke up 10 passes, including three by redshirt junior cornerback Anthony Davis (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway). Redshirt sophomore corner JR Stevens (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) broke up a pair of passes, each in the end zone on the same drive, that helped hold Assumption to a field goal early in the second quarter.  

Assumption opened the scoring with a 28-yard field goal after a 6:18 long opening drive. IUP answered with a one yard plunge by Bullock, but a 35-yard interception return followed by a 20-yard field goal gave the Greyhounds a 13-7 lead with 12 minutes to play in the first half. 

The Crimson Hawks took a 14-13 lead into halftime after a 25-yard scoring toss from Williams to graduate receiver Chris Wuestner (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) and went on top 21-13 with Brown's first touchdown run to open the third quarter. Assumption scored on a run from two yards out to end the third, but failed a two-point attempt as IUP held onto a 21-19 lead. The Greyhounds took a 22-21 lead with a 25-yard field goal with 7:26 to play before IUP embarked on a 13-play, 76-yard game-winning drive that took up 6:19 of game clock. 

Notes
The semifinal seeds and matchups will be announced by the NCAA on Saturday night ... IUP is the only top regional seed and undefeated team to advance to the semifinals ... Senior safety Max Redfield (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) was injured and carted off the field after a tackle in the second quarter ... Lenny Williams broke the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) career record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 2,205 yards in 34 games ... Evans now has four 100-yard games this year, including two in the playoffs as he's averaging 150 yards per game in the postseason ... Senior receiver Allen Wright (McKeesport, Pa. /McKeesport Area) is just two catches away from breaking Len Pesotini's school record for receptions in a season (74, 1975) ... The win today marked IUP's 18th straight home victory, a streak that dates back to 2015 ... IUP is now 22-17 all-time in its NCAA Division II playoff history. 
 
Up next
IUP will now face an undetermined champion from one of the other three Super Regions. The four teams will be reseeded by the NCAA with the final four bracket announced Saturday night.
 
Check IUPAthletics.com tonight and next week for more information on the semifinal round.
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP football on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPfootball.