INDIANA, Pa. – Redshirt sophomore
Dom McNeil (Philadelphia, Pa./Martin Luther King) scored three of the Crimson Hawks' nine touchdowns as sixth-ranked IUP football blew out Cheyney 65-16 on Saturday afternoon at George P. Miller Stadium.
McNeil had 70 receiving yards and a touchdown on four catches, and added two more scores on Cheyney punting errors, helping the Crimson Hawks improve to 3-0 overall.
The receiver's first two touchdowns came 1:30 of game time apart in the opening quarter. He first crossed the goal line on a 45-yard touchdown pass from redshirt junior quarterback
Lenny Williams, Jr. (McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox), and on Cheyney's ensuing possession, blocked a Wolves' punt and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown.
Those touchdowns gave IUP a 13-3 lead heading into the second quarter.
After a Cheyney touchdown on a 27-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dominick Trautz, the Crimson Hawks scored on a pair of touchdown runs by freshman running back
Justice Evans (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) and sophomore back
Malik Anderson (Ellicott City, Md./Howard).
Trautz threw for another touchdown, but IUP answered with a 34-yard scoring pass from Williams to redshirt junior receiver
Swahneek Brown (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) and a 19-yard interception return by sophomore lineman
Dondrea Tillman (Sterling, Va./Potomac Falls). The Crimson Hawks took a 48-16 lead into the break.
IUP had two big third quarter scores, as McNeil recovered a botched snap on a Cheyney punt attempt in the end zone followed by a 59-yard zigzagging touchdown run by Evans. Redshirt sophomore placekicker
Dillon Sarka (Lebanon, Ohio/Waynesville) added a 20-yard field goal in the fourth quarter for the game's final score.
Evans posted his first career 100-yard game with 116 yards and two scores on 13 carries, averaging 8.9 yards per carry.
Williams played just one half under center, completing 10-of-14 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns in limited work.
IUP totaled 416 yards of offense, including 247 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
The Crimson Hawks' defense gave up 254 total yards, although Cheyney and Trautz did gain 287 through the air. Aided by the botched snap, IUP limited the Wolves to negative-33 yards rushing, with no Cheyney runner gaining more than 13 yards on the ground.
Tillman was one of many IUP defenders who stood out, totaling eight tackles, four tackles-for-loss including two sacks, and that interception returned for a score.
Senior safety
Max Redfield (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) had nine tackles, picked off a pass, broke up three more, and recovered a fumble. Linemen
Dyllon Scott (Reading, Pa./Exeter Twp.) and
Jordan Diven (Coraopolis, Pa./West Allegheny) each had sacks, and linebacker
Nick Amendola (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) led all tacklers with a career-high 10 stops.
Up next
The Crimson Hawks will play their fourth straight home game to open the season next weekend when they open divisional play against Edinboro (2-1). The Fighting Scots lost on Saturday to West Chester, 62-28.
Notes
Williams passed IUP Hall of Famer Michael Mann for fifth in program history in career touchdowns responsible for with 53 … He also moved into sixth place in career total offense, passing quarterback Lynn Heiber with 5,921 yards … The negative-33 yards rushing allowed is the second best mark in program history (negative-52 yards vs. Edinboro, 1968) … IUP has had a different 100-yard rusher in all three games this season –
Samir Bullock (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan), 200 yards vs. Ashland;
Duane Brown (Spring Church, Pa./Apollo-Ridge), 137 yards vs. East Stroudsburg; Evans 116 yards vs. Cheyney … IUP now has three defensive touchdowns this season, with Tillman's interception return and McNeil's fumble recovery (which officially counts as a defensive score) … IUP had six plays of 20-plus yards … Crimson Hawks are ranked sixth in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and fifth in the D2Football.com Media Poll
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP football on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPfootball.
