THE IUP Football Thread

[Fightingscot82]

SRU has done pretty well on defense - but IUP has too. Regardless of the quality of opponents thus far (and yes, IUP is the best they will have faced to date), Slip is still averaging just 10 PPG allowed - and allowing 90 fewer yards passing. I don't believe the rumors on the demise of the IUP pass defense, but they'll have their hands full against SRU.

IUP will need to minimize the number of big passing plays allowed and force Rock to go for a FG - they're only hitting 40% so far. The IUP OL versus the SRU linebackers should be an interesting matchup - IUP has given up the fewest sacks but Slip has the second-most.

What makes this game fun - rivalry aside - is that on paper both teams are relatively evenly matched on both sides of the ball. Its still early in the season but from my perspective I've seen less rust from SRU. But IUP could come out swinging and make this one extra fun. I wonder if SRU is bringing their band.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The emergence of the old style IUP run game against Mercyhurst was a really positive thing. hurst never loaded the box against IUP - would you with the IUP passing game? The Rock DC will have an interesting decision to make.

On the other hand, IUPs pass defense is a mess - the only thing positive I've seen is that the DBs are athletic enough to do well against the short screen game - and rock uses that a lot, but deep ? - like tort said I'd throw deep every play. Will we see another 45-42 game ?

I sat there all day waiting for Mercyhurst to change its defense but it never did. Seems Duane Brown put some serious fear in to them coming in to the game. He was doubled nearly every play. Sexton's big arm also complicates things. He can make some deep throws not seen in D2 very often.

You're right. Having that film out now of Stewart is going to cause some sleepless nights for upcoming DCs. Not to mention Houser is likely coming back this week. If they can actually get those two together for a full game ... that's a nasty 1-2 punch. Those are legit, strong and elusive burners.

I'd like to see them work on Sexton throwing the ball away when it's not there. I get the gunslinger mentality (and, he's made some incredible plays). But, they can't be giving up 2-3 turnovers against SRU and Cal. Toss it out of bounds and start over.

As for the secondary ... that's certainly the scary area of the team right now for the IUP faithful. I'd agree they have great athletes back there and some hitters, but they are letting some guys get wide open (like nobody within 10 yards wide open). They have two big-time QBs in a row up next. I'm curious to hear what Tort says tonight on his show. They called Mercyhurst's pass incomplete late in the first half (in the endzone). It was real close. That could have changed the whole game. With instant replay, not sure how that would have went.

As of now, the weather for Saturday in Indiana appears to be a near duplicate of this past weekend -- mid-60s and partly sunny.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

SRU has done pretty well on defense - but IUP has too. Regardless of the quality of opponents thus far (and yes, IUP is the best they will have faced to date), Slip is still averaging just 10 PPG allowed - and allowing 90 fewer yards passing. I don't believe the rumors on the demise of the IUP pass defense, but they'll have their hands full against SRU.

IUP will need to minimize the number of big passing plays allowed and force Rock to go for a FG - they're only hitting 40% so far. The IUP OL versus the SRU linebackers should be an interesting matchup - IUP has given up the fewest sacks but Slip has the second-most.

What makes this game fun - rivalry aside - is that on paper both teams are relatively evenly matched on both sides of the ball. Its still early in the season but from my perspective I've seen less rust from SRU. But IUP could come out swinging and make this one extra fun. I wonder if SRU is bringing their band.

They've brought the band down here at least the last 3-4 trips.

Now that the IUP band is back in the bleachers ... get in there early to make sure you get a seat (if you don't have a reserved ticket). The IUP band has 1/5 of the home bleachers ... so that's a lot less general admission seats on the home side. The SRU band will take up about 1/4 of the visiting side. SRU also travels really well for this game.

[Fightingscot82]

I sat there all day waiting for Mercyhurst to change its defense but it never did. Seems Duane Brown put some serious fear in to them coming in to the game. He was doubled nearly every play. Sexton's big arm also complicates things. He can make some deep throws not seen in D2 very often.

You're right. Having that film out now of Stewart is going to cause some sleepless nights for upcoming DCs. Not to mention Houser is likely coming back this week. If they can actually get those two together for a full game ... that's a nasty 1-2 punch. Those are legit, strong and elusive burners.

I'd like to see them work on Sexton throwing the ball away when it's not there. I get the gunslinger mentality (and, he's made some incredible plays). But, they can't be giving up 2-3 turnovers against SRU and Cal. Toss it out of bounds and start over.

As for the secondary ... that's certainly the scary area of the team right now for the IUP faithful. I'd agree they have great athletes back there and some hitters, but they are letting some guys get wide open (like nobody within 10 yards wide open). They have two big-time QBs in a row up next. I'm curious to hear what Tort says tonight on his show. They called Mercyhurst's pass incomplete late in the first half (in the endzone). It was real close. That could have changed the whole game. With instant replay, not sure how that would have went.

As of now, the weather for Saturday in Indiana appears to be a near duplicate of this past weekend -- mid-60s and partly sunny.

Sexton at times reminds me of Trevor Harris. Excellent arm and accuracy - a little too much confidence in those skills at times. Sexton knows he can make crazy throws and thread the needle - but for every couple times that it works you're going to have a risk/reward equivalent of a tipped pass and/or INT. Dude's got an arm you rarely see in D2 let alone in the PSAC.

The secondary is prone to giving up big plays. Seems like too often they're playing for the INT, Pick Six, or to level a SportsCenter highlight hit. Not solid man coverage. However, I think that's a generational issue we've seen just like poor tackling. That one big play gets on the highlight reel, not the 20 standard tackles or pass break ups.

[Iupgh]

A lot of positives to take away from today.

1. The band was awesome. They were engaged from start to finish, had a shot song for every down when IUP was on defense, and didn’t take off the third quarter. They were also engaged as fans and it’s nice to have them back on the home side of the bleachers. A+ for the new band director. By the way, they announced “Hail Indiana” as the IUP fight song so I think that settles it. Good choice. I heard a short a few times based on Crimson Express, but that’s it. It’s clearly dead, and good riddance.

2. Excellent crowd for the first home game of the year. It was a perfect day for football so that didn’t hurt.

3. I like that the OC didn’t try to force the pass after the two bad picks and after seeing IUP was going to clearly own the line of scrimmage. The IUP O-line, minus the pre-snap penalties, was outstanding. They had Hurst on skates most of the game. Stewart is obviously very, very good, but give a lot of credit to the O-line. They were gashing Hurst for 15ish yard runs consistently.

4. Looks like Stewart is indeed special. To run for more than 250 yards and look as fresh as he still did in the fourth quarter was something. He appears durable and is every elusive. You aren’t going to bring him down with an arm tackle. Rock has a lot to prepare for next week.

5. Sexton clearly didn’t have it today, but he still thew three TDs to…who else…Duane Brown. Brown is an elite player and I hope IUP fans appreciate what they’re seeing there.

6. Defense was mostly good. Still too any receivers breaking free. The D-line looked dominant at times, but at others was giving up big runs. Several sacks was good. IUP almost never brought a linebacker, which says a lot for the front four. If you don’t need to blitz to get pressure, life is a lot easier.

7. The officiating was once again awful, particularly the guy on the Hurst sideline. He blew at least three calls among other mistakes. The first Hurst pass to the corner of the end zone early in the game was a TD that he called out of bounds. The later one was not a TD because the kid was bobbling the ball as he went out and he called it a TD. He also called holding on the kicking team on a kickoff? What?! He was also the reason for the clock having to be reset to 4:41 in the fourth quarter. He stopped the clock because apparently he mistook the back stick as the front stick and thought it was a first down. Just a disaster. He has no business on an NCAA officiating crew.

If IUP cleans up the penalties and runs the ball even half as well as this week, they’ll be in good shape against Slippery Rock.

The officiating in the League is a travesty. Holding on the kickoff team is utterly funny. That ref should be banned from every PSAC campus. The head ref was a complete clown show, IUP confronted him about the clock being wrong and he had a major attitude. One penalty until 5 minutes to go on a 1-2 team that’s not very good is shameful. Concerning the actual game crowd and . band were very good. Stewert is a difference maker and the best IUP back since Dew. In a passing league teams will have trouble going back to stopping the run. Combine the RB and veteran line ball control my be the ticket moving forward. And with the best WR in D2 we could be onto big things.

[Iupgh]

He certainly looked fantastic yesterday, but the IUP O-line manhandled the Hurst defensive front. I’m not taking anything away from Stewart who still broke a bunch of tackles and got several yards after contact, but the matchups up front next Saturday will be the true test. If he runs wild again you’ll have a solid argument.

He would have two 200 yard starts if not for that bull s### flag on his 83 yard TD run at Ship, keep that in mind. Ship and Hurst ain’t exactly Wheeling and AB.

[Iupgh]

The emergence of the old style IUP run game against Mercyhurst was a really positive thing. hurst never loaded the box against IUP - would you with the IUP passing game? The Rock DC will have an interesting decision to make.

On the other hand, IUPs pass defense is a mess - the only thing positive I've seen is that the DBs are athletic enough to do well against the short screen game - and rock uses that a lot, but deep ? - like tort said I'd throw deep every play. Will we see another 45-42 game ?

Solid analysis. Just remember same mojo as last year and the IUP pass rush was relentless at SRU and that truly set the tone. Best way to cure bad secondary, extreme heat and SRU QB is no Rivers.

[Iupgh]

I sat there all day waiting for Mercyhurst to change its defense but it never did. Seems Duane Brown put some serious fear in to them coming in to the game. He was doubled nearly every play. Sexton's big arm also complicates things. He can make some deep throws not seen in D2 very often.

You're right. Having that film out now of Stewart is going to cause some sleepless nights for upcoming DCs. Not to mention Houser is likely coming back this week. If they can actually get those two together for a full game ... that's a nasty 1-2 punch. Those are legit, strong and elusive burners.

I'd like to see them work on Sexton throwing the ball away when it's not there. I get the gunslinger mentality (and, he's made some incredible plays). But, they can't be giving up 2-3 turnovers against SRU and Cal. Toss it out of bounds and start over.

As for the secondary ... that's certainly the scary area of the team right now for the IUP faithful. I'd agree they have great athletes back there and some hitters, but they are letting some guys get wide open (like nobody within 10 yards wide open). They have two big-time QBs in a row up next. I'm curious to hear what Tort says tonight on his show. They called Mercyhurst's pass incomplete late in the first half (in the endzone). It was real close. That could have changed the whole game. With instant replay, not sure how that would have went.

As of now, the weather for Saturday in Indiana appears to be a near duplicate of this past weekend -- mid-60s and partly sunny.

also for the first time in a long time in this rivalry IUP appears to have the special teams advantage, we shall see.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Sexton at times reminds me of Trevor Harris. Excellent arm and accuracy - a little too much confidence in those skills at times. Sexton knows he can make crazy throws and thread the needle - but for every couple times that it works you're going to have a risk/reward equivalent of a tipped pass and/or INT. Dude's got an arm you rarely see in D2 let alone in the PSAC.

The secondary is prone to giving up big plays. Seems like too often they're playing for the INT, Pick Six, or to level a SportsCenter highlight hit. Not solid man coverage. However, I think that's a generational issue we've seen just like poor tackling. That one big play gets on the highlight reel, not the 20 standard tackles or pass break ups.

All in all, the defense had a pretty strong day. They held the Lakers to 62 yards on the ground and 178 in the air (240 total). And, 74 of those yards came on their last drive when the game was long over. Mercyhurst hit a couple big plays but other than those IUP was pretty stout.

Regarding bringing heat on SRU ... yes, last year they had that QB rattled quickly. He took some serious shots in the first half and then got real happy feet and release. Granted, this is a different (more mobile) QB this year. Remember they benched the QB IUP played against shortly after that game. But, yes, with the questions in the secondary ... bring that heat all day. Hopefully Vaughn Wallace returns this week. He can be a very disruptive pass rusher.

[IUPNation]

I miss this caliber IUP Marching Band. I hope the new guy is looking at these old videos.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Curt's James Madison team is receiving votes in the AP Top 25. They took down Appalachain State this past weekend.

[IUPalum]

Curt's James Madison team is receiving votes in the AP Top 25. They took down Appalachain State this past weekend.

Guess I forgot they moved up. Could be interesting to follow.

[EyeoftheHawk]

Curt's James Madison team is receiving votes in the AP Top 25. They took down Appalachain State this past weekend.

Very impressive win. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing Curt advance his career again soon. You have to believe his name is going to be in a lot of conversations as more pink slips are handed out at the end of the season for some of the bigger programs.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Tort said on his show last night he's expecting to be very close to full force this weekend (obviously aside from Lockhart). He said this will be the healthiest they've been so far this season.

[Monte's Catering Co.]

As for the secondary ... that's certainly the scary area of the team right now for the IUP faithful. I'd agree they have great athletes back there and some hitters, but they are letting some guys get wide open (like nobody within 10 yards wide open).

😆 I get the same feeling watching Shepherd play!