INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP football team, ranked first in Super Region One, defended its home field with a 19-13 triumph in the NCAA DII Playoffs on Saturday. With the win, IUP is now one of just eight teams remaining in the NCAA DII Playoffs, returning to action at home next week.
IUP (10-1) turned the momentum with a scoop and score return from
Connor Kelly in the third quarter, coming after a blocked punt from
Raunya Mitchell. Meanwhile, the Crimson Hawk defense held a potent Ashland (10-2) ground game to just 106 yards on the afternoon.
Mak Sexton battled past two interceptions, tossing a pair of first half touchdown passes. He finished with 142 yards through the air with the IUP rushing attack tallying 172 yards.
Hilton Ridley and
Duane Brown hauled in receiving touchdowns for IUP in the first half, while the recovery from Kelly accounted for the IUP scoring.
Outgaining the Eagles in the running game,
Adam Houser racked up 125 yards with a heavy workload of 33 carries.
Naszhir Taylor and
Drew DiNunzio-Biss each posted a team-high nine tackles. DiNunzio-Biss added an interception off a tipped pass in the second quarter.
A theme most of the season, IUP dictated the time of possession by holding the ball for nearly 38 minutes.
The Crimson Hawks forced a three and out on the opening series of the game by limiting Ashland's rushing attack. IUP drove down the field with a touchdown drive on its opening offensive possession, beginning with a 20-yard snag along the left sideline by Brown. A heavy dose of ground and pound football set IUP up in the redzone, where Sexton delivered the game's first score on a six-yard pass to Ridley. The Eagles blocked the extra point as IUP led 6-0 in the first.
Ashland countered with a 10-play scoring drive in response, spanning 75 yards in about five minutes. The Eagles picked up chunks of yardage throughout the series, resulting in a 38-yard heave down the right sideline from Austin Brenner to Garret Turnbaugh. Ashland jumped ahead 7-6, marking its lone lead of the afternoon.
The Crimson Hawks had five players go for 10 yards or more in its next series that carried over to the second quarter. Houser burst up the middle for 11 yards, while
Cole Laney,
Daniel Deabner and Ridley all had big pass receptions on the touchdown drive. Sexton floated in a ball to Brown, who won his one-one-one matchup on the outside against a stacked box, for a 12-6 IUP advantage following a missed extra point.
After applying pressure on Brenner, IUP swarmed for its 15th interception of the season on a tipped pass corralled by DiNunzio-Biss. The Eagles came up with a big defensive play, holding IUP scoreless with an interception from Michael Ayers inside the 10.
After yet another interception for the Ashland defense, the Crimson Hawks stayed true to their assignments as the Eagles pulled out a trick play. On a reverse pass, Taylor charged in for a big sack that backed the Eagles up to their own 48. Behind the sticks, IUP forced a punt with just over seven minutes left in the first half.
Looking for points before the half, IUP ran a fake punt on a fourth down near midfield as Laney raced down the left side, barreling his way near the Ashland 30. The Eagles came up with a stop on another fourth down, holding IUP off the board in a big series. Ashland advanced the ball to about midfield before the opening half expired on a penalty.
Both defenses tightened down in the second half. With just under four minutes left in the third, the Crimson Hawks burst through the Ashland unorthodox punting formation as Mitchell blocked the ball down for Kelly to pick up and score on a 25-yard return. Going hurry-up, the Eagles closed out the scoring with a nine-yard scamper from Gei'vonni Washington, accounting for the 19-13 final.
The Crimson Hawks held the ball for over seven minutes in the fourth, forcing Ashland to deplete its timeouts with some timely runs from Houser. The IUP pass rush took its intensity to another level on the game's final drive, forcing Brenner to escape the pocket on multiple occasions and closing out the victory.
IUP hosts Shepherd in a rematch of the PSAC Championship game in the Super Region One Final on Saturday, December 3. The kickoff time at Miller Stadium will be announced following the participants call on Monday.
Gallery: (11-26-2022) Football vs. Ashland
