ERIE, Pa. – Redshirt senior quarterback Lenny Williams Jr. totaled 352 yards and four touchdowns to lead 23rd-ranked IUP football to a 43-34 win over Gannon on a wet Saturday afternoon.
 
Williams threw for 232 yards and three touchdowns, adding 120 yards and a score on the ground as the Crimson Hawks improved to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division.
 
Sophomore running back Justice Evans added another threat on the ground with 140 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. The Crimson Hawks totaled a season-high 284 rushing yards on 46 carries.
 
With a total of four weather delays – one in pregame, three during the contest – due to storms moving through the Great Lakes region, the game lasted more six hours. With an original kickoff time of noon, the final whistle didn't blow until almost 6:30 p.m.
 
The game was a back-and-forth slugfest with the lead exchanging hands a total of eight times in the first half.
 
IUP was the first to strike with a 34-yard field goal by junior Dillon Sarka. Gannon answered with a Marcus Jones touchdown run before IUP came back with a 23-yard aerial strike from Williams to tight end Grant Smith to take a 9-7 lead into the second quarter.
 
Gannon (2-6, 2-3) received another score on the ground from Jones to retake the lead, but the Crimson Hawks came back with another Williams passing touchdown, this one a 16-yard strike to junior JoJo Gause.
 
Jones was Gannon's biggest offensive threat, finishing with 142 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries.
 
The Crimson Hawks forced a Gannon punt on its next possession, but a fumble by senior Mike Pietropola on the return gave the Golden Knights good field position at the IUP 40. Three plays, and one IUP penalty later, Gannon scored to take a 21-16 lead.
 
IUP came right back, fighting threw a lightning delay to put together an 86-yard, 15 play drive that took up 7:55 of clock and ended with a 3-yard touchdown run by Evans. The kick by Sarka gave IUP a 23-21 lead.
 
After another Gannon touchdown, Williams went to work with 33 seconds left in the half, completing 4-of-5 passes to put the Crimson Hawks in position to get a 40-yard field goal by Sarka as time expired. IUP went into the half down 28-26.
 
The second half was owned by the Crimson Hawks, taking the lead for good on their third possession of the third quarter on a 29-yard run by Williams. IUP went up by two scores at 40-28 early in the fourth as Williams found Smith for another touchdown, this one from 16 yards out.
 
Williams would have had his fifth touchdown of the game late in the fourth, but a holding call brought the ball back and the position ended with a 25-yard field goal by Sarka.
That field goal, Sarka's third of the day, gave the Crimson Hawks a 43-28 lead with just over five minutes to play.
 
Gannon came back with a quick touchdown but IUP bled the clock on its final possession to secure the win.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks return home to host Seton Hill (1-7, 1-4) Saturday. Kickoff at George P. Miller Stadium is set for noon.
 
Notes
The Crimson Hawks put up their biggest offensive output of the season with 516 total yards on 75 plays (6.9 avg.) … The IUP defense held the Golden Knights to 99 second half yards and six points … Despite rushing for 142 yards, Jones was held to 55 yards on 12 carries in the second half … Junior defensive end Dondrea Tillman had two sacks Saturday to bring his season total to 8.5 … Evans' and Williams' rushing outputs mark the first 100-yard performances of the year for the Crimson Hawks … IUP is now 50-9 since 2011 when a player rushes for 100 yards in a game … The 120 yards was the third 100-yard rushing performance by Williams against Gannon in his career … Williams had his second 4-touchdown game of the season (Lock Haven) and sixth of his career … It was also the fifth game of 3 passing touchdowns for Williams this year and 13th of his career … Williams became the eighth player in PSAC history with 100 touchdowns, finishing the game with 101 for his career – 72 passing, 29 rushing … Williams also moved into the top five in IUP history in career rushing yards with 2,698.
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP football on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPfootball.