#16/21 IUP CRIMSON HAWKS at #9/11 SLIPPERY ROCK "THE ROCK"
Saturday, October 12 | 2 p.m. | Bob DiSpirito Field @ Mihalik-Thompson Stadium

Game Notes: IUP (5-0, 2-0 PSAC West) | Slippery Rock (5-0, 2-0 PSAC West) | PSAC Notes

Watch: RockAthletics.com/watch | Listen: WQMU 92.5, U92 Sports App; WIUP-FM, TuneIn App | Live Stats: RockAthletics.com | Twitter Updates: @IUPfootball

THE GAME
The 16th-ranked Crimson Hawks head out onto the road for a top-20 showdown at 9th-ranked Slippery Rock Saturday. Kickoff from Mihalik-Thompson Stadium is set for 2 p.m. 

IUP boasts a perfect 5-0 overall with a pair of divisional wins coming into its second straight rivalry game. The Crimson Hawks are coming off a 17-6 victory over Cal U in the 11th annual Coal Bowl a week ago as the IUP defense limited the Vulcans to just 95 passing yards and 4-13 on third downs. So. WR Duane Brown caught 4 passes for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns while Sr. WR JoJo Gause caught a career-high 129 yards. 

The Rock also brings a 5-0 record and a top-10 ranking into their Homecoming weekend. Slippery Rock has five straight blowout victories to start the year including a 45-14 victory at Mercyhurst last Saturday. SRU had its lowest yardage output of the season in Erie with 416 yards but the defense picked off four passes and the special teams had a 70-yard punt return for a touchdown. 

QUICK NOTES / STORY LINES
• The Crimson Hawks have put together their second 5-0 start in the last three years, and fifth since 2000; 14 times in program history IUP has opened a season with five straight wins
• This is the third time in the last four years that both teams enter this matchup with top-25 rankings; the No. 3 Crimson Hawks defeated No. 9 Slippery Rock on the road in 2017
• The series between these two rivals has been even over the last 12 years with each team winning six games since 2007; IUP has narrowly outscored its rival 25-22 during that span
• This is a matchup between the top two offenses in the PSAC and two of the best in Division II; SRU is 2nd in the country with 53.0 points per game while IUP is 10th at 45.6 and both have 600-yard outputs to their credit
• The Crimson Hawks are ranked in both the AFCA Coaches and D2Football.com Media Polls this week; IUP moved up three spots to No. 16 in the coaches poll and remained at No. 21 in the media rankings
• The game also features two of the most exciting offensive players in the PSAC in IUP WR Duane Brown and Slippery Rock QB Roland Rivers; Brown leads Division II in scoring and TDs and Rivers leads the country in passing TDs
• IUP QBs Quinton Maxwell and Jalen Reese have combined for 19 passing TDs this year, 3rd in Division II; their combined 317.6 passing yards per game are 7th in the country
• Since giving up 37 points in the opener, SRU has allowed an average of 11.8 points over its last four games and are top-30 in Division II in scoring, total and rushing defense
• Led by Rivers, SRU is 4th in Division II with 339.8 passing yards per game, including two 400-yard outputs
• The IUP defense leads the nation with 22 sacks and is 14th giving up 144.2 passing yards per game; Last week Cal U QB Noah Mitchell managed just 95 yards passing and was sacked 4 times
• The IUP defense ranks in the top 25 of Division II in eight categories, including 3rd in sacks (18.0), 6th in total defense (231.5), 8th in scoring defense (12.8), and 12th in interceptions (7)
• After missing out on the postseason last year, the Crimson Hawks look for a return trip after making the Division II playoffs in 2015, 2016 and 2017; IUP's 18 Division II playoff appearances is tied for fourth all-time (NW Missouri State 23, North Alabama 21, Grand Valley St. 19, Pittsburg St. 18)
• The Crimson Hawks entered the year as one of only nine Division II teams with 80+ wins this decade (80); New PSAC addition and former MEC power Shepherd (91) is the only other team in the region on that list
 

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NOTEBOOK

CRIMSON HAWKS START 5-0 FOR FIFTH TIME SINCE 2000
IUP opened the year with five straight wins for the second time in three years after week five's 17-6 rivalry win over Cal U. It's the fifth such start this century. It's the 14th time IUP has started with a 5-0 record, including runs of three straight years twice - 1967-69 and 1991-93. 

IUP AND SLIPPERY ROCK SQUARE OFF IN TOP-20 SHOWDOWN 
For the third time in the last four years, IUP and Slippery Rock face each other as a pair of nationally-ranked squads. The previous two were both won by the Crimson Hawks - 48-18 at home in 2016 and 34-17 in Slippery Rock in 2017. The matchup two years ago decided the PSAC Western Division title with IUP entering the game ranked No. 3 while Slippery Rock was No. 9. 

COACH TORTORELLA HAS HOTTEST START OF ANY IUP HEAD FOOTBALL COACH
Coach Tortorella's 26-4 record over is first 30 games is the best start of any IUP head football coach. Frank Cignetti started 24-5-1 in his first three years (1985-87), Curt Cignetti went 24-6 in his first 30 games (2011-13), and Chuck Klausing started his IUP career (1964-67) with a 23-7 record. Tortorella went 13-1 with a national semifinal appearance in 2017 and went 8-3 a year ago. 

CRIMSON HAWKS MOVE UP IN COACHES' TOP 25, STAY THE SAME IN MEDIA
With a win last week to improve to 5-0, IUP moved up three spots to No. 16 in Monday's AFCA Coaches' Top 25. The Crimson Hawks debuted in the poll at No. 24 after their week one win and have moved up to Nos. 21 and 19 in recent weeks. They remain at No. 21 in the D2Football.com Media Poll. The Crimson Hawks spent 38 straight weeks in the coaches' rankings between 2015-18. 

IUP OFFENSE AMONG THE BEST IN DIVISION II
Led by a recent three-game explosion, the IUP offense ranks among the best in the country. The Crimson Hawks rank in the top 20 of Division II in six statistical categories, including 3rd in passing efficiency (206.7); 7th in passing (317.6); 9th in 3rd down percentage (54.5); 10th in scoring (45.6); and 16th in total offense (473.2) and first downs (118). 

IUP PASSING GAME PUTTING UP BIGGEST NUMBERS IN THE LAST DECADE
Led by a pair of MAC quarterback transfers, the Crimson Hawks' aerial game is having it's most success since 2007. IUP is 7th in Division II in passing at 317.6 yards per game, including four straight 300-yard outings. The 399 and 389-yard outputs in back-to-back weeks are both among the top eight yardage totals in program history and the most in a single game since 2001. The single season record for passing yards is 3,219 in 1993 while the 1992 QB group averaged a record 272.1 passing yards per game. 

QUINTON MAXWELL AMONG BEST QBs IN THE NATION
Sr. transfer QB Quinton Maxwell has made his mark in just a few games with the Crimson Hawks. Through five games he ranks in the top-30 of Division II in 10 categories, and appears in the top-10 in three. Maxwell is 3rd in the country in passing yards per attempt (11.14); 4th in pass efficiency (189.9) and yards per completion (17.10); 11th in passing touchdowns (13); and 13th in completion percentage (65.2). 

JALEN REESE PROVIDES DEPTH BEHIND CENTER
Graduate transfer QB Jalen Reese is the team's primary holder but has seen extensive action in two games this year. Playing the equivalent of one game at QB, Reese is 20-24 (83.3 pct.) for 340 yards, 6 TDs and no interceptions. He tossed 4 touchdowns in one half against Lock Haven and has been part of two of the four longest pass plays for IUP this year (77 and 59 yards). 

RECEIVER DUANE BROWN LEADS THE NATION IN SCORING, IS TWO-TIME PSAC ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
So. WR Duane Brown has been the Crimson Hawks biggest threat through the first five games of the season. The converted running back is tied for first in Division II with 12 touchdowns and 72 points, despite totaling just 23 offensive touches. Brown has 19 receptions for 485 yards and 9 TDs and four carries for 3 rushing scores. He's a back-to-back PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Week, scoring the only two touchdowns in IUP's 17-6 win over rival Cal U a week ago. 

BROWN AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS, HIGHLIGHTS BIG PLAY RECEIVING GROUP
In addition to leading Division II in four scoring categories - points (72), touchdowns (12), scoring (14.4/game), and receiving TDs (9) - Brown is also among national receiving and special team leaders. His 25.53 yards per reception is 5th in Division II while his 485 receiving yards are 19th. He's also 19th with an 11.9 average on punt returns. As a group, IUP wide receivers are averaging 18.3 yards per catch with 16 touchdowns of 20-plus yards. 

THE IUP DEFENSE HAVING A RESURGENCE TO START THE YEAR
The Crimson Hawks defense has been keeping up with its offensive counterparts, ranking in the top 30 of Division II in nine statistical categories, including 1st in sacks (22.0); 4th in total defense (231.2), 5th in scoring (11.4); 9th in pass efficiency (87.62); 14th in passing yards (144.2) and 16th in rushing (87.0).

CRIMSON HAWKS 21-1 SINCE 2011 WHEN THE DEFENSE SCORES
The IUP defense recorded its first touchdown of the season in the week four win at Mercyhurst with a 51-yard interception return by Sr. DE Dondrea Tillman. It helped propel the Crimson Hawks to a 56-24 win as they improved to 21-1 since 2011 in games when the defense scores a touchdown. 

CRIMSON HAWKS LEAD DIVISION II IN SACKS, 21st IN TACKLES-FOR-LOSS
The IUP pass rush is arguably the best in the nation as the Crimson Hawks are tied for the lead with 22 sacks and tied for 2nd with 4.40 sacks per game. The pressure has come from all over with 10 different players - seven linemen, three linebackers - registering at least 1 sack. In his first year as a starter, So. DL Dajour Fisher is tied for 14th in the country with 5.0 sacks. IUP also ranks 21st in Division II with 8.4 TFLs per game (42 total) including a team-high 6.0 by Fisher.

SECONDARY FACES ANOTHER TEST COMING OFF STRONG PERFORMANCE AGAINST CAL U
The IUP pass defense is coming off arguably its best performance all year, limiting Cal U QB Noah Mitchell to just 95 yards on 14-28 passing in week five. It was the second time this season IUP has held the opposition under 100 yards passing as they rank 9th in Division II with a pass efficiency of 87.62. Over the last six quarters going back to the second half of the Mercyhurst game, opposing QBs have gone just 19-43 for 151 yards, no touchdowns and 1 interception (69.03 efficiency). 

DAMON LLOYD ACHIEVED MILESTONE LAST WEEK
With 11 stops in the week five win over Cal U, Sr. LB Damon Lloyd went over 300 career tackles. The three-year starter has led the Crimson Hawks in stops each of the last two seasons (116, 112) becoming the first IUP player since Nick Pascarella since 1989-90 with back-to-back 100-tackle seasons. For the year Lloyd leads IUP and ranks 5th in the PSAC with 44 total tackles and now has 306 for his career.