Bad Start

De'Antwan Williams set the tone for IUP and the game when he took the opening kickoff back 86 yards to the New Haven seven-yard line. He burst through the New Haven kick coverage before finally being dragged down by Kareem Cutler.

Williams was the difference for the Crimson Hawks as New Haven had trouble tackling him all day long. He seemed to bounce off would be tacklers and get more yardage on each run. He finished the game with 125 yards on the ground and carried the load in the second half after Harvie Tuck was injured.

Williams reminded me of other dangerous running back that he shared a name and number with: Texas Longhorn Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams. They both have explosive speed and seem to run over opposing defenders with ease.

Zero

That was the number of points scored in the second half by both teams. New Haven had an apparent touchdown but it was called back on a holding penalty. IUP never seriously challenged to score in the second half.

Game Winning Drive

How often does the final drive of the first half result in a game winning drive? Not often but that was exactly what happened to IUP on Saturday. After New Haven scored to take the lead at 14-10, IUP drove 65 yards to regain the lead right before the end of the first half.

The big play of the drive and the game was a Mike Box completion to Salath Williams for 41 yards that got the ball to the New Haven five-yard line. Box had trouble throwing the ball all afternoon but made a perfect throw to Williams who was behind his defender. He finished off the drive three plays later with another solid throw for a touchdown and the winning margin.

The New Haven defense did a great job bottling up the IUP offense all day long but that drive at the end of the half was a back breaker at the time and proved to be the difference in the game.

Under 200 yards

The IUP running game is one of the best in the country but were held under 200 yards for the first time this season. They only gained 155 yards on the ground Saturday, which is well below their 278 yard per game average heading into the game.

The New Haven defense did a good job of limiting the big play capability of the IUP running attack. Williams had one run of 41 yards but was not able to see a lot of daylight during the game. The Charger front four did an outstanding job in the trenches against a very talented IUP offensive line.

Halftime Deficit

For the first time all season long, New Haven trailed at the halftime last Saturday. The Chargers also never trailed heading into the fourth quarter and that streak was also broken on Saturday.

Even in the Stonehill game when they rallied to win the game, New Haven was up at the half and at the end of the third quarter.

Deep Ball

New Haven seemed to have a lot of success stretching the field with their talented receivers. Jason Thompson caught a 68 yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and seemed to have a step on the IUP secondary most of the game.

There were times that Osiecki had an open receivers down the field but was not able to complete the pass. He either under threw the receiver or the receiver was not able to hold onto the pass.

That happened four times in the end zone for the Chargers including the final play of the game. If the New Haven receives were able to grab just one of those passes, we are talking about a totally different outcome.

Injuries

Injuries played a big part in the game on Saturday. IUP running back Harvie Tuck was injured and missed the entire second half. New Haven quarterback Ronnie Nelson also missed the second half after getting hit hard in the first half. Nelson was on the sideline talking to the trainers before halftime.

He returned to the sidelines in a jacket for the second half and did not see any action the rest of the game. Despite Nelson not being the starting quarterback, his presence on the field for the Chargers helps them move the ball and keep the opposing defense on their heels.

Home Loss

New Haven has been pretty dominant at home the past couple of seasons. Until last Saturday, they had not lost at home since the final game of the 2010 season. That day, they fell to St. Anselm and that loss cost them a chance at making the playoffs.

Last Game

It was very hard for New Haven seniors David Stedman and James Malloy to leave the field for the final time on Saturday. Both of the very dependable offensive linemen seemed to linger on the field and did not want their collegiate careers to end.

Stedman was walking around the end zone after the game still trying to come to grips with the outcome of the game.

Referees

Both teams had issues with the referees during the game Saturday. There were a number of questionable calls on both sides and New Haven coach Peter Rossomando took the high road after the game.

As Ryan Osiecki was explaining his feelings on the refs with the holding call on the Mike DeCaro touchdown catch and run, Rossomando cut off Osiecki and said that they don't play the refs.

I am sure that he wanted to blast the refs for their questionable calls during the game especially the 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that the New Haven bench received.

But he was right. The refs did not cost either team the game on Saturday. Both teams needed to play each other and not the refs. The refs were awful for both teams and that is a shame for any playoff game.

Legacy

Rossomando also commended his seniors for taking the football program from nothing to a national contender over the past four years. He was extremely proud that they were ranked in the top five and had secured two straight number two seeds in the playoffs.

Osiecki also reflected on his time at New Haven and how Rossomando recruited him. He wanted to play Division I and got the chance to go to Louisville. But then transferred to New Haven and called it a great decision because of the experiences that he had over the past four years.

Line of the Day

After New Haven finished their media availability after the game, the New Haven staff was getting IUP to the media room for their interview session.

One of the staff members said, "IUP is coming but they are getting fixed up right now."

Connecticut Connection

For the second straight year, a team visited New Haven in the playoffs with a player that played at the University of Connecticut.

Last year, Kutztown running back Robbie Frey had transferred from UConn to play at the Division II level. This year, IUP quarterback Mike Box started his collegiate career up the street in Storrs, CT before transferring to IUP.

Back-to-Back

A lot of people were upset when New Haven and AIC played in the final week of the regular season and then faced off for the NE-10 championship game.

But the same thing happened in the Pac-12 this year. Stanford played at UCLA Saturday in the regular finale and they are now going to face off in the Pac-12 championship game at Stanford this coming Saturday.

It is just a quirk of the schedule in both instances.