INDIANA, Pa. — IUP will host Assumption on Saturday in the program's first NCAA Division II playoff appearance since the 2022 season. Marking the 21st postseason trip in program history, the Crimson Hawks look to rebound from a narrow loss in the PSAC championship and end a three-year playoff drought.

Quarterback Matthew Rueve threw three touchdown passes in the title game, but a costly sack on IUP's final possession and an unsuccessful fourth-down attempt sealed the win for Kutztown, which claimed its third straight PSAC crown. Jeremiah Coleman caught two of Rueve's three touchdowns, while Leon Parson finished with 95 scrimmage yards. On defense, Nathan Rosario-Santos posted 13 tackles, 3 tackles for loss totaling 14 yards, and one sack.

Assumption closed its regular season with a 42–24 win over PSAC opponent West Chester. In his first collegiate start, quarterback Dom Santiago accounted for five touchdowns — three passing and two rushing — to lead the Greyhounds into the postseason.

QUICK NOTES / STORY LINES

• IUP opens the 2025–26 postseason at home against NE10 runner-up Assumption at Miller Stadium.

• The teams have met only once before, also in the postseason. IUP defeated Assumption 27–22 in the 2017 Super Region One championship, Paul Tortorella's first season as head coach.

• The winner will advance to face the winner of Kutztown vs. Bentley.

• Assumption is 4–2 on the road this season. Its closest road win was a 28–26 victory over Franklin Pierce, and its closest road loss was a 20–17 defeat at Bentley in the NE10 championship.

• Quarterback Matthew Rueve continues to lead the Crimson Hawks' offense, becoming the first quarterback in the PSAC to surpass 3,000 passing yards this season. He has thrown 31 touchdowns and holds a 173.2 efficiency rating, the second highest in the conference.

• Tortorella is 3–3 in the postseason since becoming head coach in 2017.

• IUP features one of the top passing offenses in Division II. Under offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr., the Crimson Hawks rank fourth nationally with 326.6 passing yards per game.

• Assumption head coach Andy McKenzie brings more than 20 years of college playing and coaching experience. He won the NE10 title in 2022, reached the NCAA Division II first round that season and has never finished below .500.

• Assumption ranks among the nation's best in red-zone performance. The Greyhounds are fifth nationally in red-zone offense (.919) and sixth in red-zone defense (.633).

• Assumption has seen PSAC competition twice this season, defeating West Chester 42–24 on the road and falling to Kutztown 51–14 in the season opener.

NOTEBOOK

KEEP SLINGING IT
Graduate quarterback Matthew Rueve leads the PSAC in touchdown passes (31), passing yards (3,107) and completion percentage (71.3), and ranks second in efficiency (173.2). Under first-year offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr., Rueve has powered the league's top passing attack, averaging 312.4 yards per game. He is the only quarterback in the PSAC averaging more than 300 yards per game through the air.

Rueve already ranks second in program history for single-season passing yards. He needs just 22 yards to surpass Quinton Maxwell's 2019 total of 3,129 and become IUP's all-time single-season passing leader.

BIG-TIME RECEIVERS MAKE BIG-TIME PLAYS
Wide receivers Maurice Massey and Devin Whitlock combine to average 157.0 receiving yards per game. The duo has accounted for 14 of IUP's 31 passing touchdowns this season.

Jeremiah Coleman and Massey lead the team in explosive scoring plays, combining for 10 touchdown receptions of significant distance. Each has five such plays. Coleman's longest touchdown came on a 72-yard pass from Rueve, while Massey's longest was a 42-yard reception.

THE LIFEGUARD OF THE DEEP END
Redshirt junior safety Noah Johnston anchors the IUP defense with 79 total tackles. He also has 1.5 sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, a fumble recovery and two quarterback hurries. Johnston is posting career highs in sacks and tackles for loss during his best season with the Crimson Hawks.

SPLASH PLAYS APLENTY
IUP's offense and special teams have produced no shortage of explosive moments. Seventeen of the team's scoring plays have gone for 20 or more yards. The lone special teams touchdown — a 60-yard punt return by Kalen Frazier against Lock Haven — was the program's first punt return touchdown since 2014.

STOUT DEFENSE
While the offense draws plenty of attention, the Crimson Hawks' defense has posted elite numbers. IUP ranks seventh nationally and second in the PSAC in total defense, allowing just 266.5 yards per game. The unit has surrendered only 208 points, also second-best in the conference.

IUP has recorded 33 sacks for a loss of 240 yards and has excelled in key situations, ranking 12th nationally and first in the PSAC in third-down defense (.304).

IT'S IN THE GENES
Transfer quarterback Matthew Rueve comes from a notable quarterback lineage, including his cousin, former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. Rueve followed his uncle's path to Boston College, where he began his collegiate career after being rated the No. 1 pro-style quarterback in Ohio's Class of 2020.

His cousin, Henry Hasselbeck, is a quarterback at UCLA. Rueve spent last season at Findlay, earning second-team all-conference honors while throwing for 2,646 yards and 26 touchdowns.

FAMILIAR FACES
IUP offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. originally recruited Rueve to Boston College. Rueve spent two seasons in Cignetti's offense before Cignetti left for the offensive coordinator role at Pittsburgh. Now reunited, the pair will look to generate success on the field named after Cignetti's father, IUP legend Frank Cignetti Sr.

PLAYOFF HAWKS
Head coach Paul Tortorella will be on the sideline for his seventh postseason game at IUP, carrying a 3–3 playoff record. The Crimson Hawks' most recent postseason appearance came in 2022, when they defeated Ashland 19–13 before falling to Tyson Bagent and Shepherd in the Super Region One final, 48–13.

DEPTH AT RECEIVER
The Crimson Hawks feature one of the deepest receiving groups in the PSAC and across Division II.

2025 Season Receiving Leaders

Nine different Crimson Hawks have caught touchdown passes this season. Massey leads the group with eight scores on 47 receptions. Freshman Jeremiah Coleman has also hauled in eight touchdowns on just 22 catches, including a 72-yard strike from Matthew Rueve.

Tight end Connor Shamany has emerged as a reliable target, posting two games with more than 90 receiving yards and totaling 31 receptions. One of those breakout performances included a three-touchdown outing on six catches.