2025 Non-Conference Games

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I don't think it was for this past year, but I didn't really care to dive into a ruling that had very little consequence on the here and now. I'll say their record was below expectations for the program though.

Beyond that, their record the last 2 years is 15-8, with a playoff appearance. Not a power though, just like your school isn't.

I think this board as a whole jumps too fast on the here and now. Everybody is guilty of it.

IUP and Shepherd are powers because they've been good for a very, very long time. Some dips here and there, sure. It happens.

Tort has a great overall record ... but, my goodness, it could really great. The how/why they've lost so many games in the final minute is up for debate. But, man, he should probably have 7-8 more wins than he does.

[Ram040506]

It was for the 2022/23 seasons. So, the record for the last 4 seasons should be about 15-30 something, or so.

Pretty incredible to have 2 final 4 appearances in that time span and have that bad of a record.

[iupgroundhog]

Pretty incredible to have 2 final 4 appearances in that time span and have that bad of a record.

I'm assuming playoff wins are vacated, too.

[EyeoftheHawk]

It’s hard to call IUP a current “power” in the PSAC. You don’t get to have a losing season throwing in two losses to Edinboro and one to Seton Hill, and also going 0-4 against your top rivals the last two years along the way and be considered a power. You don’t get to lose a game because you forgot how many timeouts you had. That can NEVER happen, not once. IUP has one national playoff win since 2018. ONE. It doesn’t matter why or how good some think they should have been. The record is the record. They did win the PSAC in 2022 but then got drubbed on their own field in the SR1 championship by Shepherd, the same team they beat to win the PSAC.

As a longtime IUP fan and someone who was a student during the run of dominance and national prominence, it pains me to say that IUP is just among a group of pretty good teams that are behind the top dogs, Kutztown and Slippery Rock. They no longer have the advantages they once did and it’s showing. The program is just as close to falling into the middle of the pack as it is getting to the top, and that’s scary to think about.

[Fightingscot82]

It’s hard to call IUP a current “power” in the PSAC. You don’t get to have a losing season throwing in two losses to Edinboro and one to Seton Hill, and also going 0-4 against your top rivals the last two years along the way and be considered a power. You don’t get to lose a game because you forgot how many timeouts you had. That can NEVER happen, not once. IUP has one national playoff win since 2018. ONE. It doesn’t matter why or how good some think they should have been. The record is the record. They did win the PSAC in 2022 but then got drubbed on their own field in the SR1 championship by Shepherd, the same team they beat to win the PSAC.

As a longtime IUP fan and someone who was a student during the run of dominance and national prominence, it pains me to say that IUP is just among a group of pretty good teams that are behind the top dogs, Kutztown and Slippery Rock. They no longer have the advantages they once did and it’s showing. The program is just as close to falling into the middle of the pack as it is getting to the top, and that’s scary to think about.

Fair description. I put IUP with Cal - they are PSAC West contenders until further notice because if anything they're consistently above average. Everyone else is too inconsistent.

[Ram040506]

I'm assuming playoff wins are vacated, too.

I'm just gonna live in blissful ignorance, makes me feel better.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

It’s hard to call IUP a current “power” in the PSAC. You don’t get to have a losing season throwing in two losses to Edinboro and one to Seton Hill, and also going 0-4 against your top rivals the last two years along the way and be considered a power. You don’t get to lose a game because you forgot how many timeouts you had. That can NEVER happen, not once. IUP has one national playoff win since 2018. ONE. It doesn’t matter why or how good some think they should have been. The record is the record. They did win the PSAC in 2022 but then got drubbed on their own field in the SR1 championship by Shepherd, the same team they beat to win the PSAC.

As a longtime IUP fan and someone who was a student during the run of dominance and national prominence, it pains me to say that IUP is just among a group of pretty good teams that are behind the top dogs, Kutztown and Slippery Rock. They no longer have the advantages they once did and it’s showing. The program is just as close to falling into the middle of the pack as it is getting to the top, and that’s scary to think about.

Their record last year was their record. The gap, however, wasn't very big.

Below is a list of (all) losses during Tort's run. I think some patterns become very clear.

-

DATE	OPPONENT	SCORE	COMMENTS
12/9/2017	West Florida	27-17	Came out flat, down 24-0 before rally
9/29/2018	at Cal	36-24	The Infamous Pick 6
10/6/2018	SRU	30-27	Flat start / IUP had lead in final minute
11/10/2018	Ship	45-21	Completely disinterested / awful showing
10/12/2019	at SRU	45-42	Started game down 17-0 / IUP had lead in final minute
11/23/2019	Shepherd	31-27	IUP had lead in final minute
9/18/2021	Shepherd	37-21	(5) starters out Covid test including QB
10/23/2021	Cal	38-34	IUP blew huge lead / gave up 21 in final qtr
10/30/2021	Edinboro	21-17	A book could be written on this game. Let's say some had a wild Friday night
10/29/2022	at Gannon	43-36	Gannon QB went bonkers
12/3/2022	Shepherd	48-13	Rams got revenge / Bagent went nuts
9/9/2023	ESU	13-12	The Timeout heard 'round the world
9/30/2023	at SRU	42-21	Worst showing of Tort era
10/7/2023	Cal	30-20	Karst injured early when 14-14, downhill from there
10/28/2023	at SH	35-28	Uninspired showing to say it nicely
10/28/2023	Gannon	16-15	IUP had lead in final minute
10/5/2024	SRU	33-32	IUP had lead in final minute (was down 21-0)
10/12/2024	at Edinboro	27-23	IUP had lead in final minute
10/26/2024	at Cal	16-13	IUP had lead in final minute

-

Factual data:

In (7) of Tort's (19) losses, IUP had the lead in the final 60 seconds of the game. That is a mind-blowing statistic.

IUP has gone 61-19 under Tort (including postseason)

[IUP24]

Their record last year was their record. The gap, however, wasn't very big.

Below is a list of (all) losses during Tort's run. I think some patterns become very clear.

-

DATE	OPPONENT	SCORE	COMMENTS
12/9/2017	West Florida	27-17	Came out flat, down 24-0 before rally
9/29/2018	at Cal	36-24	The Infamous Pick 6
10/6/2018	SRU	30-27	Flat start / IUP had lead in final minute
11/10/2018	Ship	45-21	Completely disinterested / awful showing
10/12/2019	at SRU	45-42	Started game down 17-0 / IUP had lead in final minute
11/23/2019	Shepherd	31-27	IUP had lead in final minute
9/18/2021	Shepherd	37-21	(5) starters out Covid test including QB
10/23/2021	Cal	38-34	IUP blew huge lead / gave up 21 in final qtr
10/30/2021	Edinboro	21-17	A book could be written on this game. Let's say some had a wild Friday night
10/29/2022	at Gannon	43-36	Gannon QB went bonkers
12/3/2022	Shepherd	48-13	Rams got revenge / Bagent went nuts
9/9/2023	ESU	13-12	The Timeout heard 'round the world
9/30/2023	at SRU	42-21	Worst showing of Tort era
10/7/2023	Cal	30-20	Karst injured early when 14-14, downhill from there
10/28/2023	at SH	35-28	Uninspired showing to say it nicely
10/28/2023	Gannon	16-15	IUP had lead in final minute
10/5/2024	SRU	33-32	IUP had lead in final minute (was down 21-0)
10/12/2024	at Edinboro	27-23	IUP had lead in final minute
10/26/2024	at Cal	16-13	IUP had lead in final minute

-

Factual data:

In (7) of Tort's (19) losses, IUP had the lead in the final 60 seconds of the game. That is a mind-blowing statistic.

IUP has gone 61-19 under Tort (including postseason)

For context purposes, I need to understand where we are at in the conversation. Are we simply talking about his record? Are we talking about the direction of the program and where they stand currently? Are we still discussing them as a "power" program in the conference and region? This discussion has quickly tentacled out to other discussions, so I'm just trying to understand where it's at.

I ask those questions because as of a few months ago 61-19 wasn't good enough for much of the IUP contingent. Most of the contingent here wanted IUP to go in a different direction, with full understanding that there wouldn't be any seismic changes. How did we go from wanting to fire him to saying he heads a power program and has done a good job (if that's what we are saying)?

I hear what you are saying regarding his record (which is objectively good). I also hear what you are saying regarding that record being on a razor's edge of being much better and having some significant wins. I do believe though, that programs of the ilk we are trying to put IUP in find ways to win those games where IUP has found ways to lose them. Elite teams tend to make their own breaks and luck. IUP doesn't do that organically enough.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

For context purposes, I need to understand where we are at in the conversation. Are we simply talking about his record? Are we talking about the direction of the program and where they stand currently? Are we still discussing them as a "power" program in the conference and region? This discussion has quickly tentacled out to other discussions, so I'm just trying to understand where it's at.

I ask those questions because as of a few months ago 61-19 wasn't good enough for much of the IUP contingent. Most of the contingent here wanted IUP to go in a different direction, with full understanding that there wouldn't be any seismic changes. How did we go from wanting to fire him to saying he heads a power program and has done a good job (if that's what we are saying)?

I hear what you are saying regarding his record (which is objectively good). I also hear what you are saying regarding that record being on a razor's edge of being much better and having some significant wins. I do believe though, that programs of the ilk we are trying to put IUP in find ways to win those games where IUP has found ways to lose them. Elite teams tend to make their own breaks and luck. IUP doesn't do that organically enough.

Draw your own conclusions.

It's interesting data.

[ESU Warrior]

Their record last year was their record. The gap, however, wasn't very big.

Below is a list of (all) losses during Tort's run. I think some patterns become very clear.

-

DATE	OPPONENT	SCORE	COMMENTS
12/9/2017	West Florida	27-17	Came out flat, down 24-0 before rally
9/29/2018	at Cal	36-24	The Infamous Pick 6
10/6/2018	SRU	30-27	Flat start / IUP had lead in final minute
11/10/2018	Ship	45-21	Completely disinterested / awful showing
10/12/2019	at SRU	45-42	Started game down 17-0 / IUP had lead in final minute
11/23/2019	Shepherd	31-27	IUP had lead in final minute
9/18/2021	Shepherd	37-21	(5) starters out Covid test including QB
10/23/2021	Cal	38-34	IUP blew huge lead / gave up 21 in final qtr
10/30/2021	Edinboro	21-17	A book could be written on this game. Let's say some had a wild Friday night
10/29/2022	at Gannon	43-36	Gannon QB went bonkers
12/3/2022	Shepherd	48-13	Rams got revenge / Bagent went nuts
9/9/2023	ESU	13-12	The Timeout heard 'round the world
9/30/2023	at SRU	42-21	Worst showing of Tort era
10/7/2023	Cal	30-20	Karst injured early when 14-14, downhill from there
10/28/2023	at SH	35-28	Uninspired showing to say it nicely
10/28/2023	Gannon	16-15	IUP had lead in final minute
10/5/2024	SRU	33-32	IUP had lead in final minute (was down 21-0)
10/12/2024	at Edinboro	27-23	IUP had lead in final minute
10/26/2024	at Cal	16-13	IUP had lead in final minute

-

Factual data:

In (7) of Tort's (19) losses, IUP had the lead in the final 60 seconds of the game. That is a mind-blowing statistic.

IUP has gone 61-19 under Tort (including postseason)

Most schools would love this percetange. Winning about 70 percent of your games is a good season. However, some schools have higher expectations (not saying IUP does or does not)

[CUlater]

It’s hard to call IUP a current “power” in the PSAC. You don’t get to have a losing season throwing in two losses to Edinboro and one to Seton Hill, and also going 0-4 against your top rivals the last two years along the way and be considered a power. You don’t get to lose a game because you forgot how many timeouts you had. That can NEVER happen, not once. IUP has one national playoff win since 2018. ONE. It doesn’t matter why or how good some think they should have been. The record is the record. They did win the PSAC in 2022 but then got drubbed on their own field in the SR1 championship by Shepherd, the same team they beat to win the PSAC.

As a longtime IUP fan and someone who was a student during the run of dominance and national prominence, it pains me to say that IUP is just among a group of pretty good teams that are behind the top dogs, Kutztown and Slippery Rock. They no longer have the advantages they once did and it’s showing. The program is just as close to falling into the middle of the pack as it is getting to the top, and that’s scary to think about.

This is incredibly well said and logical. Fairest assessment I’ve seen on here about where the program currently stands, from an IUP faithful anyway. I do think that they are setup fairly well to bounce back this year tho and if you look at the last 10 years, this is a team that rises up every 3-4 years…just when you think they are dead. So we’ll see what happens.

[iupgroundhog]

For context purposes, I need to understand where we are at in the conversation. Are we simply talking about his record? Are we talking about the direction of the program and where they stand currently? Are we still discussing them as a "power" program in the conference and region? This discussion has quickly tentacled out to other discussions, so I'm just trying to understand where it's at.

For the record, the conversation started when the topic was whether the PSAC East was stronger overall than the PSAC West. I posited that the West had 3 "power" teams, i.e. SRU, Cal, and IUP, while the East seems to have Kutztown, although some programs appear to be on the upswing and a couple teams with long traditions are stumbling. In my mind, that was a fair assessment. That discussion will always be based on conjecture, though.

The convo turned to IUP when a Shepherd poster (who thinks that serious NCAA violations are easily swept under the rug) insisted that IUP was no longer a "power." So, regardless of the definition of "power", I think most conference observers see SRU, Cal, and IUP as the dominant programs in the West.

Luckily, this will all play out on the field.

[IUPNation]

There isn’t a power in this conference based on the old IUP, the 2007-2008 Mon Valley U or the mid 2010’s Shepherd teams level of scale.

There are some good regional teams..IUP being one, but nobody is special.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Last (7) years (postseason included):

TEAM	RECORD	WINNING %
SRU	75-17	.8152
KUTZTOWN	70-16	.8139
SHEPHERD*	68-19	.7816
IUP	61-19	.7625
CALIFORNIA	55-23	.7051

*On-field record not including recent deduction of wins

[EyeoftheHawk]

This is incredibly well said and logical. Fairest assessment I’ve seen on here about where the program currently stands, from an IUP faithful anyway. I do think that they are setup fairly well to bounce back this year tho and if you look at the last 10 years, this is a team that rises up every 3-4 years…just when you think they are dead. So we’ll see what happens.

I’ve gotten called negative on here by some fellow IUP posters for trying to be logical, LOL. The current trend for IUP is to do what you said, and that’s put a dominant team on the field every 3-4 years. Nothing wrong with that, but that’s also not being a power. If someone said I’d win $1 million by picking which team between IUP and East Stroudsburg would make more playoff appearances over the next five years, I’d really struggle to pick and I wouldn’t feel good about either choice after I made it.

That’s kind of my point. IUP doesn’t have the advantages it used to. Other programs have gotten better and there’s more parity overall in the conference. Some teams that have historically struggled have improved and recruited very well this year, Clarion being one of them. Slippery Rock and Kutztown have annually made the national playoffs and won when they got there. The same was true of Shepherd not long ago. The only team to give Ferris State a competitive game in the playoffs last year was Slippery Rock. I’m not talking about whether or not IUP is a solid program because it is. That’s far from being what I would describe as a power, at least how I define it anyway. Others will have different definitions.