GREENSBURG, Pa. – Sophomore running back
Samir Bullock (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) tied an IUP record with six rushing touchdowns as he helped the fourth-ranked Crimson Hawks to a 57-14 blowout win over Seton Hill on Saturday afternoon at Offutt Field.
Bullock finished with 263 rushing yards on 31 carries, IUP improved to 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division.
His six touchdowns tied teammate
Chris Temple (Malvern, Pa. /Great Valley) and former Shippensburg back John Kuhn for the single game PSAC record. Bullock's 263 yards are the fourth most in IUP history, and the most since De'Antwan Williams ran for 315 at Shippensburg in the 2013 season finale. It was also Bullock's second 200-yard game of the season.
Bullock scored IUP's first six touchdowns on the day, including three in the second quarter as the Crimson Hawks took a 30-14 lead into halftime. They broke it wide open in the third quarter, with Bullock scoring twice more in the first four minutes while senior receiver
Allen Wright (McKeesport, Pa. /McKeesport Area) and freshman running back
Justice Evans (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) added a pair of touchdowns to wrap up the game's scoring.
Bullock's big rushing output led the way for the Crimson Hawks to put up 640 total yards, their highest total of the season. Evans finished with 114 yards on a 50-yard touchdown on 13 carries, his second 100-yard game of the season. IUP finished with a season-best 431 rushing yards.
Redshirt senior quarterback
Lenny Williams, Jr. (McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox) was an efficient 17-of-21 for 209 yards with one touchdown through the air. He also threw an interception, just his second of the season, although it came off of a tipped pass early in the first quarter.
The IUP defense forced four turnovers, including interceptions by senior safeties
Max Redfield (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) and
Takhi Turner (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Twp.), and another by redshirt junior corner
Anthony Davis (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway). Sophomore linebacker
Nick Amendola (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) also recovered a second quarter fumble that led to Bullock's fourth score of the game.
In all, the Crimson Hawks scored 21 points off of those four forced turnovers.
IUP got off to a slow start, with Seton Hill (0-5, 0-2) converting that early Williams' interception into a touchdown less than six minutes into the game. The Griffins then gave up two points with a high punt snap that went out of the end zone for a safety.
That slow start was then erased, as Bullock gave IUP the lead with an eight-yard run on the ensuing drive, starting a string of eight straight possessions that ended in a touchdown for the Crimson Hawks.
Notes
IUP came into today ranked fourth in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches' poll and third in the D2Football.com Media top 25 … Bullock is the third IUP back since 2012 to have multiple 200-yard rushing games in one season, joining Harvie Tuck (2012) and
Chris Temple (Malvern, Pa. /Great Valley) (2015) … With nine rushing touchdowns this season, Bullock has already matched his 2016 freshman season output … IUP's 431 rushing yards are the fourth highest single game total in program history, the most since finishing with 433 against East Stroudsburg in 2006 … The seven rushing touchdowns on Saturday also matched a program single game record … Redfield has an interception in each of the last three games … It was the fourth straight game IUP has forced at least two turnovers, including four-plus in each of the last three.
Next week
The Crimson Hawks will host rival and nationally-ranked California (4-1, 1-1) in the ninth-annual Coal Bowl and Homecoming at George P. Miller Stadium. The Vulcans lost to Slippery Rock (5-0, 2-0) 47-44 in overtime on Saturday.
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP football on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPfootball.
