GAMEDAY CENTRAL
No. 23/25 IUP Crimson Hawks (4-2, 1-2 PSAC West)
vs. Clarion Golden Eagles (4-2, 2-1 PSAC West)
Saturday, October 13, 2018 | Noon
Frank Cignetti Field at George P. Miller Stadium | Indiana, Pa.
*Rankings reflect AFCA/D2Football Top 25 Polls

Watch: IUPAthletics.com | IUP-TV Sports
Listen: WQMU 92.5 FM | u92radio.com
Listen (smartphone): U92 Sports App
Live Stats: IUPStats.com | StatBroadcast
Live Updates: Twitter | @IUPfootball

IUP Game Notes (PDF)
Clarion Preview

THE GAME
The 23rd-ranked Crimson Hawks go for their first win in three weeks when they host Clarion Saturday afternoon at George P. Miller Stadium. Kickoff at Frank Cignetti Field is set for noon. IUP has lost back-to-back games to a pair of rivals in California (36-24) and Slippery Rock (30-27) the last two weeks to fall to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the league. Clarion (4-2, 2-1) had won four in a row, including its first two divisional games, before last week's 41-27 home loss to the Vulcans. 

The game will be broadcast on WQMU 92.5 FM with the voice of IUP Athletics, Jack Benedict, calling the action. You can also listen on u92radio.com and on the u92radio app on your smartphone. IUP-TV Sports will stream video at IUPAthletics.com/watch. 

STORYLINES
• IUP is looking to avoid its first three-game losing streak since the 2010 season; that year IUP lost four straight, including a 21-14 decision to Clarion
• That 2010 loss to the Golden Eagles was the last in this series for the Crimson Hawks; IUP owns a 60-23-3 all-time record, including a current 7-game win streak and wins in 15 of the last 17 
• The IUP offense will have to go against an improved Clarion defense that ranks 2nd in the PSAC in total (323.7) and rushing (73.8) yards allowed 
• IUP has not had a 100-yard rusher through six games this year
• Clarion does give up 250 passing yards per game with 13 aerial TDs; five of CU's six opponents this year have thrown for at least 245 yards in a game
• Lenny Williams is coming off the third 300-yard passing performance of his career (350) against SRU; he leads the PSAC and ranks 12th in DII with 15.82 yards per completion
• Clarion QB Jeff Clemens has thrown for a combined 550 yards and 3 TDs the last two weeks, including a 282-yard performance against Cal; Clemens has thrown 8 INTs in 127 attempts, one every 15.9 passes
• Clarion is 3rd nationally with 12 interceptions, including 6 against Lock Haven; Williams has thrown 5 interceptions combined the last two weeks
• Williams soon looks to move into 2nd place in IUP history in three significant passing categories: TDs (67; Krewatch 68), completions (506; Eyerman 536), and yards (7420; Krewatch 8220)
• Williams is also close to becoming the eighth player in PSAC history with 100 total touchdowns, as he heads into Saturday with 95

NOTEBOOK

CRIMSON HAWKS LOOK TO REBOUND AFTER TOUGH STRETCH
For the first time since 2014, IUP has lost back-to-back games after last week's 30-27 defeat at the hands of rival Slippery Rock. The Crimson Hawks lost two straight games twice during that 2014 season - to Cal and Slippery Rock in October, and Gannon and West Chester in November. IUP has not lost three straight games since 2010 when it lost four in a row to Mercyhurst (28-27), Clarion (21-14), Gannon (45-17) and California (18-15, OT). 

IUP IS 9-5 AFTER REGULAR SEASON LOSSES SINCE 2011
Including the week six loss to Slippery Rock, IUP is 9-5 after losses in regular season games since the 2011 season. In those 14 games, the Crimson Hawks average more than 29 points with three outings of 38 or more. 

COACH TORTORELLA's HEAD COACHING CAREER OFF TO GREAT START
Despite the recent losses, Coach Tortorella has still put together a great start to his head coaching career with a 17-3 record through his first 20 games. He had the best season of any first year IUP coach (13-1) and is tied for the legendary Frank Cignetti for the best 20-game start in program history. 

COACH TORTORELLA IS 5-0 AGAINST TOP 25 TEAMS
In just his second season leading the IUP program, Coach Tortorella already has five wins in as many chances against opponents ranked in the top 25. That includes a pair of Ashland, and last year's wins over California (Pa.), Slippery Rock, and Assumption in the playoffs. 

CRIMSON HAWKS HAVE WON 20 OF LAST 22 HOME GAMES
Despite the week six loss to Slippery Rock, the Crimson Hawks still have 20 wins in their last 22 games played at Miller Stadium dating back to September 2015. The only other loss during that span came to West Florida (27-17) in last year's national semifinal. In the last 22 games, IUP is outscoring opponents 824-370 at home, or an average of 37.5 to 16.8.

IUP HAS BEEN RANKED IN TOP 25 FOR 34 STRAIGHT POLL RELEASES
Even with the losses to Cal and Slippery Rock, the Crimson Hawks remain in the top 25 for the 34th straight week, checking in at No. 23 in the AFCA Coaches' and No. 25 in the D2Football Media polls. It's the third longest streak in program history, trailing 81 straight weeks (1987-95) and 59 straight (2000-04).

IUP IS PSAC WEST's WINNINGEST TEAM SINCE 2011
Since 2011, IUP has the most overall wins and conference wins of any team in the PSAC West. The program owns an overall record of 70-19 (.787) along with a conference record of 41-13 (.759) during that span, with four PSAC West shared or outright regular season titles and a pair of conference championships. 

CRIMSON HAWKS IN YEAR FOUR OF SPREAD OFFENSE
Since moving to a spread offense in 2015, the Crimson Hawks have been a dominant force with the ability to move the ball and score on the ground or through the air. Last year was one of the best passing seasons in school history with 31 touchdowns, while 2016's 48 rushing TDs was a record, and 2015's 293.6 rushing yards per game broke a school mark. 

QB LENNY WILLIAMS OWNS FIVE IUP CAREER RECORDS, COULD BREAK SEVERAL MORE
R-Sr. QB Lenny Williams Jr. already owns five career IUP records, including the total touchdown (pass & rush) mark of 95 which is broke earlier this season. He's on pace to possibly break Brian Eyerman's passing yards record of 8409, and could threaten his passing TD mark of 84 depending on how many more games the Crimson Hawks play this year. 

NO OTHER QB IN IUP HISTORY COMPARES TO WILLIAMS
Williams set the stage for a fantastic career when he rushed for 1,229 yards and 12 touchdowns as a freshman in 2015, helping IUP to the NCAA playoffs. He grew into more of a passer as a sophomore before an injury ended his season, but not before he totaled over 2,400 yards with 26 touchdowns in just nine games. Last year he had one of the best passing seasons in IUP history (2789 yards, 31 TDs), and this year he looks to break several passing records and move into the top five at IUP in rushing yards and TDs.

WILLIAMS IS 3-0 AGAINST CLARION, AVERAGING 267 YARDS WITH 6 TOTAL TDs
The Crimson Hawks have won each of Williams' three previous starts against Clarion, outscoring the Golden Eagles an average of 31-16. Williams has a pair of 100-yard rushing games against CU, with his best performance coming at home in 2016 as he totaled 298 yards and 3 touchdowns with a 191.15 passer efficiency. 

IUP STILL LOOKING FOR FIRST 100-YARD RUSHER; 49-9 SINCE 2011 WHEN A PLAYER HITS 100 YARDS
Through six games in 2018, the Crimson Hawks have yet to see a player rush for 100 yards in a game. IUP rushed for a season-high 236 yards in week five, with Jr. RB Samir Bullock leading the way with 90 yards on 12 carries. Since the start of the 2011 season, IUP has had at least one player rush for 100 yards in 58 of its 89 games played, going 49-9 in those contests. 

TEMPLE LOOKS TO MOVE UP THE RECORD BOOKS IN FINAL SEASON
R-Sr. RB Chris Temple returned to the field in 2018 after missing all of last year with an injury. One of the best running backs in program history, he's 2nd to the great Michael Mann with 38 career rushing touchdowns, and 7th at IUP with 2,633 rushing yards. With 39 total TDs, he's close to moving past Jai Hill (41) for 2nd in that category and is also looking to break into the top five in rushing yards. 

DOM MCNEIL ONE OF TOP DEEP THREATS IN PSAC
Jr. WR Dom McNeil is among the PSAC leaders with a 21.3 yards per catch average (3rd), 486 receiving yards and 81.0 receiving yards per game (5th), and 4 receiving TDs (8th). He has a team-best 7 receptions of 20 yards or more this season and has led IUP in yards five times in six games. 

SEVEN-MAN LINEMAN ROTATION HAS NEARLY 150 GAMES OF EXPERIENCE
The Crimson Hawks annually have an experienced line under the tutelage of Coach Campolo. This year is no different, the IUP's seven-man rotation boasting 142 career games with 112 starts under their belts. Each player has at least four starts and are made up of one freshman, one sophomore, three juniors, a senior and a grad student. Jr. C Jeff Arnold leads the way with 31 career starts while Sr. LT Joe Peterson has played in 32 games with 30 starts. 

CRIMSON HAWKS STRUGGLING WITH TURNOVERS 
IUP has struggled with turnover margin in its two losses, giving the ball away a combined seven times with just two forced turnovers coming back (-5). For the season the Crimson Hawks are even in turnover margin with nine giveaways and nine takeaways. IUP is still 3-0 on the year when winning the turnover battle, 26-3 overall since the start of 2015. 

IUP HAS 25 DEFENSIVE TDs SINCE 2011; HAS 20-1 RECORD WHEN THE DEFENSE SCORES
The Crimson Hawks defense recorded their first touchdown of the season in week two when R-Jr. CB JR Stevens returned an interception 80 yards. Last year the Crimson Hawks had four defensive scores and have 25 since 2011, going a combined 20-1 during that span when the defense gets in the end zone. 

SLIPPERY ROCK HAD BEST FIRST HALF PERFORMANCE OF ANY OPPONENT THIS YEAR
IUP's defense had strung together several strong first half performances, giving up less than 140 yards and eight points on average through the first five weeks of the season. Slippery Rock turned that around in week six, totaling 247 yards and 20 points before the break. 

CRIMSON HAWKS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS WITH 19 SACKS
Although the Crimson Hawks only have one combined sack that last two games, they are still 22nd in Division II with 19.0 on the season. They had 5.0 sacks in the opener at No. 15 Ashland and in week four against Mercyhurst. Clarion ranks near the bottom of Division II with 19.0 sacks allowed, including 4.0 to Seton Hill and 7.0 last week to Cal. 

EASTERLING AND TILLMAN AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS IN SACKS
Most of IUP's sack total can be attributed to its defensive ends: Sr. Deandre Easterling has 5.5 sacks and Jr. Dondrea Tillman has 4.5. With 10.0 sacks combined, they've produced more than half of the team total. Easterling ranked third in the PSAC and 19th in Division II with 0.92 sacks per game. 

DEFENSIVE LINE PROVING TO BE ANOTHER DEEP GROUP
With the exception of Easterling (42 games), Tillman (31), and Sr. DT Dyllon Scott (34), the IUP defensive front is inexperienced. But DL Coach Anthony Leonard has used a rotation of eight players who have combined for 23.0 tackles-for-loss and 16.0 sacks. Five of those eight are freshman or sophomore eligible and have combined for 52 career games played. 

LLOYD, AMENDOLA STARTING TO MAKE THEIR PRESENCE FELT
After a quiet first couple weeks of the season, junior linebackers Damon Lloyd and Nick Amendola have started to ramp up their production. Lloyd has 35 tackles over the last three games, including a career-high 18 in week six against Slippery Rock. He leads the team with 52 stops this year. Amendola has put together three straight games of 10+ tackles, posting a season-high 15 against Slippery Rock. He's 2nd on the team with 46 total tackles this year. 

CARTER 7TH NATIONALLY IN KICK RETURN AVERAGE, HAD 95-YARD TOUCHDOWN AT CAL
The IUP return game is much improved in 2018 with Fr. WR Qashah Carter leading the charge. He leads the PSAC and ranks 7th in Division Ii with a 32.1 kickoff return average, including a 95-yard touchdown at Cal in week five. That return earned him PSAC West Special Teams Athlete of the Week honors, as it was the first KOR for a score since Pat Brewer in 2012 (92 yards at Millersville). As a team, IUP is 2nd in the nation with a 29.92 kick return average and 5th in the PSAC with a 11.78 punt return average.