INDIANA, Pa. - The Crimson Hawks take momentum into a road rivalry matchup as they head up Route 422 to take on 6th-ranked Slippery Rock Saturday at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium. The Homecoming kickoff is 1 p.m.

IUP is coming off its best offensive performance of the year, putting up 500 total yards in a 58-21 blowout win over Clarion to improve to 4-1 overall, 3-0 in the division. Six Crimson Hawks scored while Jr. WR Duane Brown put up 212 all-purpose yards in a game that IUP led by 51 points early in the fourth quarter. Brown was named special teams player of the week, helping IUP total 180 kick and punt return yards. 

Slippery Rock (6-0, 3-0) enters coming off its fourth straight blowout victory, defeating Edinboro 49-13 on the road a week ago. One of the top offensive football teams in Division II, The Rock had its third game of 500+ yards, including a season-high 263 rushing yards against the Fighting Scots. 

QUICK NOTES / STORYLINES
• This is just the second time in the last five meetings that just one team is ranked. The other instance came in 2018 when an unranked SRU team defeated No. 14 IUP 30-27 in Indiana. 
• The winner of this game has won the PSAC West seven of the last eight seasons, with that lone exception coming in 2016 (Cal U). IUP has division titles in 2012 and 2017, SRU in 2013-15 and 2018-19.
• Slippery Rock has owned the edge in the series in recent years, winning five of the last seven dating back to 2013. IUP's wins during that span came in 2016 and 2017, both over ranked SRU squads. 
• The series has been high-scoring of late, with the last five games averaging 68 combined points scored: 38.0 for IUP and 30.0 for Slippery Rock. 
• IUP is 12-2 in October games under HC Paul Tortorella since 2017. Both of those losses came to Slippery Rock (2018, 2019).
• Last week's win gave IUP a 21-3 record against PSAC West foes under Tortorella. Those losses - Slippery Rock and Cal in 2018, Slippery Rock in 2019.
• IUP's offensive production has increased each week, hitting 500 total yards and 58 points in last week's win at Clarion. IUP averaged 334 yards and 31 points the first four games. 
• Gr. QB Harry Woodbery has totaled 11 touchdowns - 9 pass, 2 rush - in three games since taking over the starting job. His 66.2 completion pct. and 177.9 rating would each rank 3rd in the PSAC if he played in enough games to qualify. 
• IUP represents the top-scoring team SRU has faced this season. The Rock's six previous opponents are averaging 19.0 points and 305 yards of total offense per game. 
• The Slippery Rock offense is one of the best in Division II, averaging 497.5 yards, including three games of 500+ yards. 
• The Crimson Hawks are 5th in Division II with a +1.80 turnover margin per game (+9 on the year). IUP has forced 10 turnovers - 3 fumbles and 7 interceptions. 
• SRU has just as many turnovers gained as it does turnovers lost (8) on the year. 

NOTEBOOK

HAWKS REBOUNDED FROM SEPTEMBER LOSS
The Crimson Hawks responded well from their early-season loss to No. 11 Shepherd, winning each of their last three games by an average of 25.7 points. The loss to Shepherd marked just the sixth season since 2011 that IUP has dropped a game in the first month. Two of those years the Hawks made the NCAA playoffs, including 2012 when IUP rebounded from a loss at No. 6 Cal U to win the PSAC. 

COACH TORTORELLA THROUGH 40 GAMES
The Mercyhurst game three weeks ago marked Coach Tortorella's 40th game as head coach of the Crimson Hawks. Now with 42 games under his belt, Tortorella owns a record of 35-7 (.833), including a 21-3 (.875) mark against PSAC West schools. He reached 30 wins faster than any other IUP coach (35 games), and has two NCAA playoff berths (2017, 2019), division, PSAC, and regional titles (2017), and a 6-3 record against top-25 opponents. 

IMPLICATIONS AT STAKE WHEN CRIMSON HAWKS FACE SLIPPERY ROCK
These teams enter with identical 3-0 divisional marks as this meeting could possibly decide the PSAC West regular season champion. The winner of this game has won the division seven of the last eight seasons, with that lone exception coming in 2016 (Cal U). The Crimson Hawks won the West after defeating SRU in 2012 and 2017 while The Rock won this meeting and the West in 2013-15 and 2018-19.

CRIMSON HAWKS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
For the second straight week the Crimson Hawks did not show up in the AFCA Coaches' Top 25, showing up as the top team in the receiving votes category. After its loss to Shepherd, IUP dropped in the rankings for three straight weeks before falling out after its 28-23 win over Gannon. The Hawks opened the season at No. 17 in the coaches' poll. Dating back to 2016, IUP has been nationally-ranked in 52 of 58 possible national ranking releases, including 36 straight weeks from 2016-18.

IUP OFFENSE STILL FINDING ITS FOOTING, HAS IMPROVED EACH WEEK
After not reaching 300 yards of total offense in the season-opening win over No. 18 Kutztown, the Crimson Hawks have improved each week, posting a season-high 500 yards and 58 points in last week's win over Slippery Rock. In the first two games against No. 18 Kutztown and No. 11 Shepherd, IUP averaged 314 yards per game and had a 30.0 third down conversion rate. But over the last three outings, the Hawks are averaging 402 yards and are converting 56.8 percent on third downs 

WOODBERY OFF TO GOOD START 
Some of that offensive improvement can be attributed to graduate transfer QB Harry Woodbery, who has started under center each of the last three games. Woodbery has totaled 11 touchdowns - 9 pass, 2 rush - as the Crimson Hawks are averaging 44.7 points and 402 yards with him as the starter. In his first game against Mercyhurst he combined for 5 touchdowns and last Saturday Clarion he completed 16-20 passes for a season-high 263 yards and 2 TDs. His 177.86 QB rating and 66.2 completion percentage would both rank 3rd in the PSAC if he played in enough games to qualify. 

IUP OFFENSE SPREADING THE WEALTH IN PASS GAME
Through five games this season, 13 different IUP receivers have caught at least 1 pass while six players have at least 1 receiving touchdown. The receiving corps are highlighted by Jr. WR Duane Brown and Sr. WR Irvin Charles, who have combined for 49 catches, 743 yards, and 8 TDs. The duo has four 100-yard games between them and have accounted for the eight longest pass plays this season. 

TRIO OF BACKS SHARING THE LOAD IN THE RUN GAME
The Crimson Hawks consistently have a deep running back group and this year is no exception. Three players have shared the workload, as Srs. Malik Anderson and justice Evans, and Fr. Dayjure Stewart have combined for 121 carries, 613 yards and 6 TDs. All three have led the team in rushing at least once, with Stewart posting a team-high 98 yards in the win over Mercyhurst. Evans recently moved into the top-10 in IUP history with 2,583 career rushing yards. 

CRIMSON HAWKS AMONG BEST IN NATION IN TURNOVER MARGIN, FORCING TOs
IUP leads the PSAC and ranks 5th in Division II with a +1.80 turnover margin per game - or +9 for the season. The Hawks are the only team in the nation to turn the ball over just once all year while their 10 turnovers forced ranks 4th in the PSAC despite playing one less game. IUP's 7 interceptions are tied for 3rd in the PSAC and have come from six different players. Fr. SS Jaheim Howard has a team-best 2 picks.

CRIMSON HAWKS ARE 23-1 SINCE 2011 WHEN THE DEFENSE SCORES
Jr. DT Raunya Mitchell scored the defense's first touchdown of the season when he picked off a tipped pass and rumbled 21 yards for a score in the season-opening win over Kutztown. The Crimson Hawks have 28 defensive touchdowns since 2011 and boast a 23-1 record since then when the defense scores.

CRIMSON HAWKS HAVE 'SPECIAL' TEAMS
IUP puts emphasis on its special teams units and it has shown in 2021 as the Hawks have excelled in the kicking game and on returns. Soph. P Dylan Grubbs is among the national leaders with a 42.5 punting average while IUP's 38.96 net punting is 4th in Division II. Fr. PK Tyler Luther has been accurate in his first year, making 22-23 PATs and 2-2 FGs. On returns, Duane Brown has helped IUP average a PSAC-best 17.4 yards on punt returns while Malik Anderson, Qashah Carter and Nazir Streater combine to average 24.6 yards on kickoff returns, 4th in the PSAC.