LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – There’s no shortage of storylines as PSAC football enters Week 7.
IUP remains unbeaten and ranked No. 5, while Slippery Rock has rebounded from its lone loss to the Crimson Hawks and remains in the Top 25 at No. 18. Elsewhere, Slippery Rock hosts Gannon at 1 p.m., with The Rock having won the last seven games in the series.
The rest of the games in the West see Edinboro hosting IUP (12 p.m.), Clarion traveling to Mercyhurst (6 p.m.) and Cal hitting the road to Seton Hill (6 p.m.).
In the East, No. 4 Shepherd hosts Millersville (12 p.m.), while Bloomsburg is at Lock Haven (1 p.m.), Shippensburg hosts Kutztown (1 p.m.) and West Chester hits the road to East Stroudsburg (2 p.m.).
Some more Week 7 notes.
IUP – IUP enters this weekend as No. 15 in the AFCA Division II rankings following a hard-won win over California (Pa.) in their 13th Coal Bowl event. The undefeated Crimson Hawk team was at a 21-10 deficit through three quarters, but battled back with 12 unanswered points in the fourth to take the game-winning one-point lead.
EDINBORO – Edinboro fell to an even 3-3 record after a Homecoming loss to Gannon. Despite only winning two of the ten last matchups, the Fighting Scots have the most recent victory after beating IUP at home in 2021.
CLARION – Last week, Clarion routed Seton Hill 40-13 to move their record to 2-4 for the season. In their 13-game history, Clarion stands at a 4-9 disadvantage to Mercyhurst and currently suffers a four-game losing streak to the Lakers since 2017.
MERCYHURST – The Lakers have won their last four contests against Clarion and are 7-3 in the last 10 meetings between the two programs.
GANNON – Their 3-0 start in PSAC West action is also the best since the Golden Knights joined the conference in 2008. In addition, the five wins match last year’s win total (5-6). The last time Gannon defeated a ranked opponent was on November 5, 2011, at home against No. 14 Slippery Rock.
SLIPPERY ROCK – Receiver Jawon Hall was named the PSAC West Special Teams Athlete of the Week after returning the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. Slippery Rock owns 10-6 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1949, but The Rock has owned the series in the last decade. The Rock has won seven straight games in the series and is 8-1 in the last nine meetings.
CAL – California (Pa.) suffered their first home Coal Bowl loss in the final seconds to IUP 22-21. The Vulcans are a perfect 9-0 against Seton Hill in program history dating back to 2008. They will visit Seton Hill for the first time since 2018.
SETON HILL – The Griffins are currently winless against their next opponent, California (Pa.). In their tenth-ever meeting, Seton Hill will host the Vulcans and attempt to score their first victory.
MILLERSVILLE – A career-high from running back Jaheim Morris was the highlight of the day. Morris ran for 156 yards—the most a Marauder has totaled since 2017—to win the PSAC Eastern Division Offensive Athlete of the Week title. Millersville is historically 11-6-1 over Shepherd since the 1980’s, but they have not pulled a win over the Rams since 1999.
SHEPHERD – maintaining the second-best defense. The Rams are currently on a four-game win streak versus Millersville and will host the Marauders for the first time since 2007 for their Homecoming weekend.
KUTZTOWN – Kutztown shut out Bloomsburg for the first time in 47 years to improve their record to 4-2. In an extensive history with Shippensburg, Kutztown are at a deficit in the head-to-head 22-49 but have won the last three competitions dating back to 2018. The Golden Bears have also not lost to Shippensburg on the road since 2014.
SHIPPENSBURG – Shippensburg pulled their overall record to 3-3 behind a 20-13 comeback victory in West Chester. Shippensburg is at a 5-5 draw with Kutztown in their last 10 matchups and will look to break a three-game losing streak for their Homecoming game.
BLOOMSBURG – Bloomsburg fell to 2-4 after going scoreless in Kutztown in Week 6. The Huskies were unable to overcome the onslaught of Kutztown’s offense on the ground, being outnumbered 251-59 in total rush yards.
LOCK HAVEN – Lock Haven suffered another loss at the hands of a dominant Shepherd team. The Bald Eagles are still without a conference win. Lock Haven has not defeated Bloomsburg since 2017, and will have the opportunity to snap a three-game Husky win streak.
WEST CHESTER – West Chester dropped to 3-3 due to a Homecoming loss against Shippensburg. Since their first meeting in 2002, West Chester is 17-3 over East Stroudsburg. The Golden Rams have won nine of the last 10 games, the single loss taking place in 2012 on the road.
EAST STROUDSBURG – Trailing 20-0 in the second half, East Stroudsburg came back to cut the deficit to a single possession, but ultimately fell to Millersville, 20-14, on Saturday. East Stroudsburg will look for their first victory over West Chester in a decade, and to snap their string of eight straight wins.
