WEEK 2

Raise your hand if you thought Gannon would be 0-2, or if you thought West Chester would come within 30 of Delaware.

Random thoughts on another crazy weekend:
  • Curt Cignetti's debut at IUP was quite impressive in a lot of ways. The biggest thing is the noticeable difference in talent from the last few seasons. There are several new players who had outstanding games, and, more impotantly, a lot of holdovers who seem drastically better than they were a year ago. Tops on that list is QB Pat Smith, who went 10-for-14 for 179 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover. It's too early to be able to gauge how good the Crimson Hawks will be, but I have a feeling they'll be a team to wreckon with this season.
  • Lock Haven was oh-so-close to ending its 32-game losing streak and handing head coach John Allen a win in his debut. But the sad truth is that the Bald Eagles will have to put their money on the Gannon and Clarion games, because there's nobody else left on their schedule who they have a realistic chance of beating.
  • I'm not sure there's a QB in the league who can scare people like Kutztown's Kevin Morton can.
  • Here's a scarry thought for the PSAC: When Bloomsburg's Franklyn Quiteh left Saturday's game at Clarion with an injury, sophomore Eddie Matteo came off the bench to score five touchdowns and rush for 179 yards. Nobody runs the ball better than the Huskies, yet it's still surprising when an unknown takes the field and puts up shocking statistics.
  • I can't say I was shocked at Kutztown's win over Mercyhurst. The Golden Bears are going to be a factor in the regional playoff race, and with some good fortune, they could be the team to beat. But I'm more surprised with the Lakers' unimpresive 1-1 record, which includes a narrow win vs. something called Notre Dame College. Marty Schaetzle is too good a coach to let this thing slip away, so that won't happen. The good news for Mercyhurst is that division play is just starting. If the Lakers take care of things in the West, they'll be fine.
  • If I had to put money on it, I'd bet that Kutztown will be 10-0 when the Golden Bears play Bloomsburg in the final weekend of division play.
  • Edinboro's Cody Harris has made huge strides since last season. Then again, he shredded Merrimack's defense on Saturday. Nonetheless, there's good reason to think the comparisons between Cody and his older brother, Trevor, aren't seem so strange. Cody Harris is certainly on the rise, and so are the Fighting Scots.
  • There was a time when Shippensburg was known as a running team that passed the ball only when it had to. Those days are long gone. Under new head coach Mark Maciejewski, QB Zach Zulli is flourishing. The Red Raiders won't be a pushover this season.
  • What's up with Gannon? Yikes. In two weeks the Golden Knights have fallen off the map.
  • Most impressive team of the week: West Chester. Yes, the Rams are improved from last season. But this much? The fact they stayed with mighty Delaware is impressive, no matter the context. Someone forgot to send the Rams the memo that they were supposed to take a beating and say "thank you."
  • Least impressive team of the week: Gannon. Losing to Lake Erie was bad enough. But getting hammered by Shippensburg like that is shocking.


POWER RATINGS
Don't read too much into these. After two weeks, we still don't know much about the big picture.

1. Kutztown (2-0): The only question is the defense. But the Bears will score. A lot.
2. Bloomsburg (2-0): They Huskies are who we thought they were.
3. California (1-1): Too much talent for most teams to stay with.
4. Slippery Rock (2-0): Lack of competition skews things a bit, but The Rock is tough.
5. IUP (1-0): We'll find out a lot Thursday against Bloomsburg.
6. Mercyhurst (1-1): Goals are still attainable, just like last season.
7. Edinboro (2-0): Good offense; good defense. Things are looking up.
8. West Chester (0-2): The Rams made some big strides from Week 1 to Week 2.
9. Shippensburg (1-1): The Raiders probably learned a lot in that loss to Shepherd.
10. East Stroudsburg (1-1): QB Ray Wagner is a good one, but the defense needs work.
11. C.W. Post (0-2): Starting over isn't pretty.
12. Gannon (0-2): Growing pains hurt, don't they?
13. Clarion (0-2): The QB can't do it all. Someone else must step up on offense.
14. Cheyney (1-1): New year, same story.
15. Millersville (1-1): Yes, they won a game. But it might be the Marauders' only win one.
16. Lock Haven (0-1): The road will not get easier.