Overall analysis
This was the big one.
No. 18-ranked Edinboro stayed in playoff contention after upsetting No. 16-ranked IUP, 24-17, Saturday at Sox Harrison Stadium. The Scots blew a 17-point lead by allowing IUP to score 17 points in the fourth quarter, but they managed to pull out a memorable victory.
The Scots had lost three straight to IUP and hadn’t beaten IUP coach Lou Tepper since he left Edinboro to coach the Crimson Hawks. Saturday’s victory killed two birds with one stone. Now the Scots will take on another team that’s beaten them three times in a row in rival Slippery Rock. Time to see how Edinboro will do after winning a big game.

Key plays

With the game tied at 17-17, junior quarterback Trevor Harris hit sophomore receiver Gary Nolen for a 35-yard touchdown on fourth down and seven. The Scots had success running a play in which Nolen ran a crossing route underneath the coverage. The score gave Edinboro the lead with four minutes and 39 seconds remaining.

Down 24-17, IUP got possession and on the first play of the ensuing drive after Nolen’s score, the Crimson Hawks turned the ball over. Andrew Krewatch’s pass bounced off the hands of receiver Leo Wood and Edinboro linebacker Y’hoshua Murray intercepted the pass of the deflection with four minutes and 26 seconds remaining.

Still down 24-17, IUP got the ball back, but on 2nd down and 10, Krewatch was sacked for a loss of seven yards by Edinboro senior defensive end Mike Enoch. With a little more than a minute in the game, IUP wasn’t able to fully recover from the loss and fell short of scoring on its final drive of the game.

Key stats

IUP had three turnovers. Edinboro didn’t have any turnovers.
Edinboro posted five sacks to help limit IUP to 30 yards rushing.
Edinboro won the time of possession battle as it had the ball for 37 minutes and 34 seconds.

Top players
Gary Nolen (Edinboro) – Tied a career high for catches in a game with six for 86 yards with the final being the game winner. A sophomore receiver, Nolan set Edinboro up to make a 39-yard field goal to put the Scots ahead, 17-0 late in third quarter.
Ulysee Davis (Edinboro) – Replacing junior Houston Brown, who is indefinitely suspended for violating team rules, Davis, a senior tailback, rushed for 73 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.
Donta Green (IUP) – A senior linebacker, Green made a game-high 11 tackles with eight being solo stops. He also made 2 ½ tackles for loss and had a sack.

Flop players
IUP secondary – Had no answer for Harris in the first half. They made adjustments in the second half, but they were down 14-0 at halftime.
IUP tailbacks – Shane Brooks and Tobias Robinson both lost fumbles in the game. Robinson came in the game having rushed for 539 yards in five games. He had only 29 yards rushing on seven carries Saturday.
Edinboro secondary – Once IUP went to the hurry-up offense, they had their way with the Scots’ secondary. Wonder how the game would have gone if IUP had went to the no-huddle offense from the jump.

Erie connection
IUP sophomore Andre defensive back Andre Henderson, a Strong Vincent graduate, made 10 tackles with eight being solo stops. IUP freshman Abe Satterfield, an Iowa transfer, blocked a field goal at the end of the first half.

They said it
“I feel like still got to go through our season like we were going to the playoffs. If not, the season would be a total waste. I still feel like we can get some wins and help the guys out that are going to be here next year.” – IUP senior defensive tackle Jermaine Smith about IUP having their playoff chances severely damaged after losing to Edinboro.

“We just started the game slow. The whole first half. Offensively. Defensively. We came out slow. We weren’t getting off the ball like we’re used to doing and that kind of hurt us.” – IUP sophomore defensive back Andre Henderson, a Strong Vincent graduate, about IUP falling behind 17-0 in the fourth quarter.

“Give me three more seconds. Give me another down.” – IUP junior quarterback Andrew Krewatch about needing more time on IUP’s final possession. He had his streak of throwing at least two touchdowns in a game end at 11.

“As I’ve said many times, my time was six wonderful years. Loved it. I don’t know as many kids now as I did. Nothing will be like the first year I came back here (to coach against Edinboro as IUP’s head coach), but there is still a lot of nostalgia and there a lot players I know and (Edinboro quarterback) Trevor (Harris) and I are particularly close. His mom calls me three or four times during the season wishing us luck. They’re just great people, but there are a lot of great players on their side. There are a lot of great players on our side. I think we both knew what was at stake. I didn’t think it got out of control. We didn’t have some of the issues we had that first year. It was a great college game if you didn’t care who won. I thought it was a classy game.” – IUP coach Lou Tepper about playing Edinboro.

“It’s a big relief because a lot of the older guys wanted him. They wanted him bad so we had to do it for them – Edinboro sophomore Gary Nolen about the seniors wanting to beat IUP coach Lou Tepper, who used to coach at Edinboro.

“I took a helmet to helmet hit and I blacked out for a second. I just felt a big tingle. I popped right up. I thought I was all right and somebody told me a stumbled off the field. I’m fine. I think I just got my bell rung. My nose just started gushing (blood). I don’t know. I think it was just from the helmet. It’s all right. Not a big deal. It goes with the game. Football is physical game. Men play football. I’m a man.” – Edinboro junior quarterback Trevor Harris about getting knocked out of the game. He came back after missing only one play.

“I thought we were going to give it away to be honest with you. I knew going into the fourth quarter when it was 17-0 it was not over. There is no way. They’re too good of a football team. They’re going to make their share of plays and they started to make their share of plays and thank God we ran out of time.” – Edinboro coach Scott Browning on Edinboro holding off IUP in its 24-17 win.

“Whoo. What can I say? It’s a great victory, man. I really, really wanted to win this game. There’s nothing more I wanted to do to win this game. I’d trade every statistic I got for a ‘W’ and that’s what happened. We came out there the whole team so focused. We all gave 100 percent from special teams to offensive line and defensive line. We were shooting on all cylinders and it was a great victory – Edinboro senior Ulysee Davis describing the feeling of beating IUP. It was his first win against IUP.

“Preparation. We knew what they were doing. Everything just clicked. Our coaches did a great job all week of scouting them and giving us a great plan to put us in position to make plays. Everybody who was in the position to make a play made a play in the first half. – Edinboro senior defensive end Mike Enoch about Edinboro shutting out IUP in the first half of its 24-17 win.

“It wasn’t we have to win this game. It was we are going to win this game.” – Edinboro sophomore noseguard Adam Smith-Friedman.

Next – Edinboro plays at Slippery Rock next week in a 2 p.m. PSAC West game. The Rock (4-2, 2-2) have won three consecutive games against Edinboro. Slippery Rock is coming off a 49-14 win against Clarion. The Scots follow that game with a Thursday night home game against PSAC co-leader, Mercyhurst College (5-2, 4-0).

- Duane Rankin
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