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PSAC Football Notes: Unbeaten IUP Faces Showdown at Cal

IUP's Duane Brown, who was just named PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week. Photo IUP athletic communications.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Following a big win over Slippery Rock last week, unbeaten IUP, ranked No. 18 in the AFCA Top 25, has another tall task on its hands when they travel to Cal to take on the Vulcans.

That game is scheduled for a 12 p.m. kickoff, while other action in the PSAC West includes Gannon at Edinboro (2 p.m.), Clarion at Seton Hill (4 p.m.), and Mercyhurst Prep at Slippery Rock (6 p.m.).

In the East, Bloomsburg is at Kutztown (12 p.m.), East Stroudsburg is at Millersville (12 p.m.), Lock Haven travels to No. 4 Shepherd (2 p.m.), and Shippensburg is at West Chester (2 p.m.).

Here are some more notes as PSAC teams prepare for Week 6 action.

  • EDINBORO – Edinboro improves to 3-2 after a last-second field goal win against Mercyhurst last weekend. On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Isaac Bernard finished the day 27-41 for 241 yards.
  • CLARION – Clarion fell to California (Pa.) to pick up their fourth loss of the season last weekend. Playing without a couple of key players due to injury, Clarion showed determination in trying to hang with what was predicted to be one of the PSAC West’s elite teams.
  • SETON HILL – Last week, Narrio Walks took over the defense with 13 total tackles and a sack, while Jaylen McDuffie added 11 tackles with three for loss. McDuffie has the second-most total tackles in the PSAC with 56. Seton Hill has played Clarion eight total times, and are at a 3-5 record deficit. The last meeting resulted in a blowout win in 2021.
  • MERCYHURST – Mercyhurst opened the year with back-to-back wins with at least 45 points on offense with a 45-28 win over Alderson Broaddus and a 49-7 win over Lock Haven. Since then, the Lakers have dropped three straight games to Kutztown (51-30), Indiana (33-16) and Edinboro (16-13).
  • SLIPPERY ROCK – No. 20 Slippery Rock will look to bounce back from its first loss of the season versus IUP last weekend. Slippery Rock enters this week ranked first in the PSAC and seventh in Division II in both total defense and scoring defense, allowing just 235.2 total yards and 12.0 points per game.
  • GANNON – Gannon gets back-to-back wins to improve to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the PSAC West. They are tied atop the Western Division standings with Indiana (Pa.) and California (Pa.). Defense was the name of the game versus Seton Hill. Gannon limited the Griffins to 201 total yards, including 90 on the ground. It’s the third time in five games they’ve allowed less than 100 yards on the ground, all wins.
  • IUP – IUP enters the AFCA Top 25 Rankings at No. 18 after defeating a No. 8-ranked Slippery Rock team during their Homecoming weekend. Their record now stands at 4-0 to lead the Western Division.
  • CAL – California (Pa.) enters the Coal Bowl as the home team. The home team has won eight of the last nine meetings with the lone exception being last season when Cal earned a 38-34 win in the final seconds at Miller Stadium.
  • BLOOMSBURG – Despite a comeback by the opponent in the fourth quarter, Bloomsburg held on for their first victory over West Chester in three years last week, 21-16
  • KUTZTOWN – Kutztown is 6-4 in their last 10 matchups with Bloomsburg, with an even amount of wins at home and on the road.
  • EAST STROUDSBURG – Matt DeLaurentis got his second consecutive start at quarterback to fill in for injured Jake Cirillo last week against Kutztown. He completed 22-41 passes for 197 yards with one touchdown and an interception.
  • MILLERSVILLE – Millersville earned their first win of the season with a strong performance in Lock Haven. True freshman Robert Footman Jr. stepped in at quarterback to throw 5-for-8 for 149 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Footman also rushed nine times for 46 yards.
  • LOCK HAVEN – Lock Haven has lost both contests against Shepherd since the program joined the conference, and will the travel to play the Rams on the road for the first time this weekend.
  • SHEPHERD – No. 4 Shepherd kept their undefeated streak alive after a solid 30-13 win over Shippensburg. The Rams continue to display their offensive prowess week after week. This past weekend the team finished with 456 yards of total offense to eclipse Shippensburg’s 342 yards.
  • SHIPPENSBURG – Shippensburg dropped to 2-3 after a loss at the hands of nationally-ranked Shepherd. The Raiders held the Rams’ top-ranked offense to just seven first-half points but gave up multiple scores in the second half. The team could not generate enough of their own scoring to match Shepherd, as they only converted on 3-of-11 third down plays.
  • WEST CHESTER – West Chester is now 3-2 following a comeback effort that fell just short in Bloomsburg. Down 3-21 heading into the fourth quarter, the Golden Rams put 13 straight points on the board to pressure Bloomsburg, but the Huskies ultimately held on
                       

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