INDIANA, Pa. – Quarterback Quinton Maxwell tossed three touchdowns and the IUP defense had three sacks as the 19th-ranked Crimson Hawks earned a 35-0 shutout victory over visiting Gannon at a rainy George P. Miller Stadium Saturday afternoon.
 
Maxwell's three touchdowns all came in the opening half to help IUP get out to a 28-0 halftime lead before cruising down the stretch. The Crimson Hawks improved to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division with the win.
 
Maxwell finished 21-of-31 for 257 yards and had his sixth game of at least three touchdown passes this season.
 
His first scoring toss went for seven yards to receiver Duane Brown on the game's opening drive, as Brown extended his Division II-leading streak to eight straight games with a touchdown reception. He finished with seven catches for 69 yards and that score.
 
Maxwell also connected with receivers Qashah Carter and JoJo Gause for first half touchdowns. Carter's was a 28-yarder to give IUP a 28-0 lead in the first quarter while Gause's was a 7-yard toe-tapper in the corner of the end zone.
 
Gause finished with six catches for 83 yards while Carter had three grabs for 65 yards. Maxwell spread his 21 completions to seven different pass catchers.
 
Sandwiched between those passing touchdowns was a defensive score as linebacker Damon Lloyd picked off a Jimmy Keefe pass and sprinted 40 yards into the end zone. It was the second pick-six of the season for the IUP defense.
 
IUP capped its day with a 1-yard plunge by fullback Ryan Langdon in the third quarter, his second straight game with a rushing touchdown.
 
The defense smothered Keefe all day as the Gannon QB completed just 7-of-27 passes for 72 yards. He was sacked three times, including twice by team-leader Dajour Fisher. Drake Puffenbarger also got to Keefe.
 
Linebacker Nick Amendola finished with a game-high nine tackles while safety Mike Nash had eight to go along with a pass breakup. Lloyd had seven tackles and cornerback Nazir Streater broke up two passes.
 
Notes
The Crimson Hawks are No. 19 in the AFCA Coaches' and No. 21 in the D2Football Media Top 25 polls … The season's first NCAA regional rankings will come out Monday with IUP one of six teams in Super Region One with a 7-1 record or better … This was IUP's second shutout of the season, the most since 2013 (two) … Brown now has 13 receiving and 16 total touchdowns on just 39 offensive touches this season … IUP finished with 330 passing yards, the sixth 300-yard game of the season … This was the sixth time IUP has held an opponent under 200 passing yards, including the third time under 100 … Carter opened the game with a 54-yard kickoff return.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks are back on the road next week as they travel to Greensburg to face Seton Hill (2-5, 2-3). Kickoff is at noon.
 
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