PSAC West Week Five

October 3rd, 2019 12:00pm

PSAC West Week 5

Last week we opened the division play and the results were pretty much as expected. IUP stormed past the Lakers. The Laker defense was probably the biggest surprise of the week as they couldn’t slow down the Crimson Hawks. Gannon rolled over Clarion, Slippery Rock dominated the Griffins and Cal U stymied the Fighting Scots in a great defensive performance.

Key points to ponder as we move further into the season.

Is this the best Slippery Rock team of the last ten plus seasons?
Will anyone from Erie county finish above .500?
Do Seton Hill and Edinboro come into the October 26^th matchup without a win?

This week the schedule has four great matchups culminating with the Homecoming matchup from Miller Stadium in Indiana. Gannon hosts Edinboro in a matchup of teams going in differing directions. Seton Hill visits Clarion in a battle of 0-1 teams in the PSAC west. Slippery Rock takes its undefeated record up I79 to Erie to visit the Lakers of Mercyhurst.

Week 5 Schedule:

Edinboro (0-4, 0-1) at Gannon (2-2, 1-0)

#13 Slippery Rock (4-0, 1-0) at Mercyhurst (2-2, 0-1)

Seton Hill (0-3, 0-1) at Clarion (2-2, 0-1)

Game of the Week:

Cal U (3-1, 1-0) at #21 IUP (4-0, 1-0)

Edinboro (0-4, 0-1) at Gannon (2-2, 1-0)

12pm Gannon University Field, Erie PA

Edinboro is floundering early in 2019. Gannon won last week against Clarion 44-14. Edinboro struggled running the ball last week against California. Edinboro played well at times but could not sustain momentum on either side of the ball. The Golden Knights on the other hand played well in all phases of the game last week while hosting Clarion, storming to a 27-0 lead in the first half. Quarterback Jimmy Keefe passed for over 370 yards last week in the win for the Golden Knights and if he can continue, this roll will be key to Gannon continuing to stack wins. Quarterback play will be even more important on the Fighting Scot sideline this week, the Gannon defense picked off four passes last week and will look to pressure whomever the Scot’s put under center. Gannon has the opportunity to continue this strong run to open division play as after this week they see Seton Hill on the schedule. The pick Gannon 27 Edinboro 17

#13 Slippery Rock (4-0, 1-0) at Mercyhurst (2-2, 0-1)

12pm, Saxon Stadium, Erie PA

The Rock is rolling into Erie, after a dominating 55-14 victory to open the PSAC west schedule last weekend in Greensburg. Mercyhurst on the other hand got eaten up and shredded last week by the Crimson Hawks dropping that game 56-24. I for one thought that the Lakers would hold the Crimson Hawks in check for most of the game. We may look back and realize that IUP is a dominate offensive program later in the season. The Lakers have no chance to lick their wounds with Slippery Rock coming in this weekend. Slippery Rock quarterback Rolland Rivers continued to put up great numbers this year last weekend. Accounting for five touchdowns and over 400 yards on the day. Look for the Rock to continue to roll on the offensive side of the ball as they are the leagues number one overall offense. Slippery Rock will need to avoid looking past Mercyhurst for the Homecoming matchup next week with rival IUP. If Slippery Rock can continue to click on offense I do not think Mercyhurst will be able to slow this machine down. The pick Slippery Rock 40 Mercyhurst 14

Seton Hill (0-3, 0-1) at Clarion (2-2, 0-1)

2pm Memorial Stadium, Clarion PA

Homecoming weekend from picturesque Clarion County as the Golden Eagle welcome Seton Hill for a 2pm kickoff from Memorial stadium. Could this be the week the new Griffins head coach Dan Day gets his first win for the program? The Griffins took one on the chin last week as did the Golden Eagles. Both of these are scorn teams coming into this weekend. The weather should be wonderful for a game between two clubs striving to bounce back this week. The pick Clarion27 Seton Hill 20

Game of the week, 11^th annual Coal Bowl

Cal U (3-1, 1-0) at #21 IUP (4-0, 1-0)

2pm Miller Stadium, Indiana PA

The 11^th annual Coal Bowl kicks off this Saturday from the campus of IUP. Homecoming festivities and a great PSAC game day atmosphere await the Crimson Hawks and Vulcan’s when they meet on the gridiron this Saturday. A series with an all time record of 58-26-2 in favor of IUP is hard to call a great rivalry. Since 2005 however the Vulcan’s have flipped the script to the tune of 11-4 and 7-3 since the series was given the “Coal Bowl” moniker. Over the last six meetings of the “Coal Series” the home team has come out victorious. This year the Vulcan’s will again enter as the prohibitive underdog. IUP has been very strong in all phases of the game. Transfer quarterback Quinton Maxwell has led the offense with great precision. Completing 72% of his passes and since the opening weekend cutting down on turnovers have made Maxwell one of the early seasons PSAC Player of the Year candidates. For the Vulcan’s second year starter Noah Mitchell has struggled at times with both touch and decision making. The Vulcan rushing attack led by Nelson Brown has averaged over 140 ypg. IUP torched the Mercyhurst defense last week and if Cal U cannot slow the Crimson Hawk attack it will be a long day for the Vulcan’s. Cal U leads the league in interceptions and rank third in sacks, the Vulcan will look to put pressure on Maxwell and force the quarterback into mistakes. The opportunistic defense will play a key role for the Vulcan’s on Saturday. If the secondary can continue to rule the day the Vulcan’s will stay in first place in the PSAC West. IUP will need to rebound next week as they head to rival Slippery Rock to try and ruin homecoming for the Rock. Cal U has taken steps each week and must take a big step this weekend. IUP is second in the league in third down conversions converting over 55%. If the Vulcan’s cannot get the IUP offense off the field it could spell doom for the visitors from Cal U. This should be a great matchup many of the key battles are strength on strength. The pick Cal 35 IUP 33

This week will begin to separate the contenders from the field. Next week I will take a look at the other teams around the region and how our schools from the PSAC West stack up as we approach the half way point of the season. We will preview the huge homecoming matchup from Slippery Rock and take a look back at this weekend’s action from across the western half of the Commonwealth.