INDIANA, Pa. – The 16th-ranked IUP football program overcame some costly miscues and delivered down the stretch with key plays over the final two minutes in dispatching No. 12 Ashland by a 24-17 count on Thursday night at Miller Stadium.
IUP (1-0) converted the go-ahead touchdown with 1:20 remaining in the contest as redshirt-junior QB
Karst Hunter delivered a ball in stride to the 6'3" graduate wideout
Quinn Zinobile for a 46-yard pitch and catch. From there, the Crimson Hawks clamped down defensively once again as redshirt-freshman
Noah Johnston dove to collect the game-clinching interception with just 34 seconds remaining.
A rematch of last year's NCAA Super Region One Semifinals and one of only two top-25 matchups across Division II football, IUP moves to 4-0 in the series with Ashland (0-1).
Despite facing pressure from a relentless Eagles' pass rush, Hunter found his groove during his IUP debut, particularly in the second half. The mobile signal caller finished with 261 yards passing and three touchdowns through the air. He added 22 yards on the ground despite five total sacks on the evening.
It all amounted to a resilient effort for IUP against a regional power in Ashland. The Eagles cashed in on a pair of drives that started inside the five-yard line following special teams' blunders by the Crimson Hawks.
The game went back and forth throughout with both sides trading scores until the eventual game-winner by Zinobile, who made seven grabs for 122 yards. The Hawks held the edge statistically throughout the contest but Ashland was able to counterpunch, benefitting from a pair of blocked punts and a muffed punt return.
Ashland racked up 10 tackles for loss on the night, missing a chance to take the lead in the second quarter on a missed field goal attempt from 25 yards out. The Hawks capitalized on the ensuing possession with the first of two touchdown tosses to Zinobile for a 14-7 advantage just before halftime.
The Hawks outgained the Eagles in total yardage, averaging over five yards per play. Zinboile hauled in a pair of touchdown passes, while
Derek Lockhart added a three-yard touchdown on a pop pass in the first quarter that opened the scoring.
Defensively, redshirt sophomore
Terell Williams notched six tackles and two for a loss, while redshirt junior
Drew DiNunzio-Biss, redshirt senior
Jay Holmes and sophomore
Cole Weightman added five stops each in a balanced defensive showing.
The Eagles knotted the score at seven near the end of the first quarter on a one-yard plunge from L. Wilson, set up by a blocked punt and recovery at the IUP one-yard line from Issac Brooks. With IUP leading 14-7 at the half, neither side found the scoreboard in the third stanza.
After a penalty on an interception, Ashland kept its drive alive into the early stages of the fourth quarter, cashing in two plays later with an eight-yard scamper by Dezmin Lyburtus, knotting the score at 14. A.J. Rhodes booted an 18-yard field goal for a 17-14 advantage.
Sophomore
Nick Andrasi evened the score at 17 on a chip-shot 27-yard attempt with four minutes remaining in the game. The Hawks defense again rose to the occasion with a crucial three and out, which led to the key sequence down the stretch for IUP.
NOTES
IUP is now 56-33-3 all-time in season openers… The Hawks are 13-2 in home openers since 2000… IUP is 4-0 against Ashland, winning those games by a combined margin of 20 points… Head coach
Paul Tortorella moved to 49-11 at the helm of the Crimson Hawks… Tortorella's first head coaching victory came against Ashland in 2017… Tortorella moved to 11-5 overall against top-25 ranked teams in his career… IUP has won seven straight season openers dating back to the 2015 season… Ashland was opening the 2023 season at the same spot its 2022 season ended, just the second time in the school's history the team faced the same opponent at the end of one season and at the start of another… IUP held a big time of possession advantage, holding the ball for 34:57… Sophomore
JD Younger rumbled for 68 hard-earned yards, including a 43-yard burst up the middle in the in the fourth quarter on the drive that tied the game at 17… The IUP defense limited Ashland to 3-of-14 on third down conversions on the night… Redshirt junior
Cole Laney delivered with three grabs for 106 yards, which included a 74-yard catch down the sideline.
Up Next
IUP hosts East Stroudsburg in the Hall of Fame Game on Saturday, September 9 at 4:00 p.m. from Miller Stadium.
Follow
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Gallery: (8-31-2023) Football vs. Ashland
