By Lisa Byers
October 11, 2008 11:38 pm
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EDINBORO —Edinboro has had a pretty sour taste in its mouth since Sept. 30, 2006 — the day former head coach Lou Tepper returned to Sox Harrison Stadium and led Indiana (Pa.) to a 23-20 overtime win over the Fighting Scots in his first trip back.
The Fighting Scots settled the score so to speak Saturday with a 24-17 win over IUP that probably ended the Crimson Hawk’s playoff hopes.
IUP, ranked No. 16 in the American Football Coaches Association’s Division II Coaches’ Poll, fell to 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Edinboro, meanwhile, ranked 17th by the AFCA, improved to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the PSAC.
The Scots still remain just a game back of conference-leading California (Pa.) and Mercyhurst and will more than likely retain a spot among the top six in the Super Region 1 Rankings. Only the top six teams from the region will earn a spot in the NCAA Division II playoffs.
For Edinboro, though, beating IUP is just one step in a long process that continues Saturday at Slippery Rock University.
“It’s an exhilarating feeling,” Edinboro quarterback Trevor Harris said. “Anytime you get a big win against a great opponent like (IUP) you’re going to be joyed as a team. But that doesn’t really mean a whole lot. That means it pushes us to 6-1, but you never know. In the PSAC you have to come ready to play every week. It’s not over.”
It is for this week anyhow.
Edinboro put together one of its best efforts of the season against the Crimson Hawks, particularly in the first half when the Scots held IUP scoreless and to just 63 yards of offense. Edinboro had 13 first downs to IUP’s three in the opening half and collected 226 yards of offense on its way to a 14-0 lead.
Ulysee Davis, who got the start at tailback for the first time this season following a solid performance in a win against Gannon last week and the indefinite suspension of Houston Brown, scored both of Edinboro’s touchdowns in the opening half.
He scored on a one-yard run in the first quarter and added a three-yard touchdown run in the second, while totaling 63 yards on the ground. With the scores, Davis moved into sixth place all-time at Edinboro with 24 career rushing touchdowns.
“We couldn’t have played any better (in the first half),” Edinboro coach Scott Browning said. “I was kind of disappointed with the way we came out of the locker room in the second half, but I tell you what, we could not have played better in the first half.”
Edinboro extended its lead to 17-0 with a 39-yard field goal by Merle Bouchat, the first of his career, with just under two minutes to play in the third quarter. But that’s when IUP came alive.
The Crimson Hawks rallied to score two quick touchdowns in the fourth quarter to draw to within just three of the Scots with 11:04 remaining in the game. Garrett Lestochi scored the first touchdown on a 16-yard pass from Andrew Krewatch, capping a six-play 65-yard drive that ate just two minutes off the clock.
Three minutes later Krewatch ended a six-play, 80-yard drive with a seven-yard touchdown run that took just one minute, 39 seconds off the clock. IUP tied the game on a 36-yard field goal by Craig Burgess with 8:06 remaining.
That was enough for the Scots.
Edinboro reassumed the lead when Gary Nolen turned in a fourth down and seven into a 35-yard touchdown on a pass from Harris with 4:39 left to play. The rest was left up to the defense.
And senior inside linebacker Y’Hoshua Murray, an IUP transfer, responded by intercepting Krewatch on the first play of IUP’s next possession that gave the ball back to Edinboro and allowed it to run crucial time off the clock.
IUP got the ball back with 1:21 to play, but Mike Enoch recorded a huge sack of Krewatch for a loss of seven yards on the drive. And Edinboro’s defense forced five incomplete passes to preserve the win.
“Words really can’t explain this,” Murray said. “When I was at IUP, we lost to Edinboro twice. I come over here to Edinboro and we lose to IUP two years in a row. It feels good to finally finish out on top.”
“We just created so many issues offensively,” Tepper said. “We’re not the same team we were four weeks ago. We’ve had five surgeries; We’ve lost a lot of kids. We’ve struggled the last three weeks … It wasn’t until we got into our two-minute mode that we could move the ball, but we were forced to.”
Edinboro’s defense played a big part in IUP’s offensive woes. The Scots held IUP, which entered the game averaging 207.6 yards per game rushing, to just 30 yards. The Crimson Hawk’s also came into the contest averaging a conference-high 38.2 points per game.
“It just shows, we’re here,” said EUP sophomore nose guard Adam Smith-Friedman, who finished with four tackles, including a sack. “We want to make the playoffs. Failure is not an option.”
Of course, it also felt good to get that victory for Browning over his former mentor.
“Coach Browning is our coach and there’s no question about it,” EUP senior defensive end Mike Enoch said. “He’s the guy.”
“It was huge to get this win for him,” EUP junior defensive tackle Chad Brooks added.
Lisa Byers can be reached at 724-6370, ext. 277 or by e-mail at lbyers@meadvilletribune.com.
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