Bloomsburg 28, Edinboro 10

EDINBORO, PA – For three quarters Edinboro appeared on the verge of upsetting nationally-ranked Bloomsburg.  But the fourth quarter belonged to the Huskies, who scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns for the second straight week to erase a 10-7 deficit and hand the Fighting Scots a 28-10 defeat. 

The loss drops Edinboro to 2-1 and snaps a six-game winning streak dating back to last season.  Bloomsburg, ranked 12th in the AFCA Division II Top 25, is also 2-1.  The Huskies were ranked 10th by D2Football.com, with Edinboro ranked 20th.

The contest ultimately came down to Bloomsburg taking advantage of its opportunities, with the Fighting Scots failing to do so.  The turning point came with the Fighting Scots leading 10-7 in the third quarter after taking the second half kickoff and driving 74 yards on nine plays.  Unable to establish a ground game, the Boro took to the air, with redshirt freshman Trevor Harris (Waldo, OH/Marion Pleasant) completing 6 of 7 passes for 78 yards.  However, after Edinboro reached the Bloomsburg nine yard line, the Huskies’ defense stiffened and held Edinboro to a 25-yard field goal by Kody Robertson (Columbus, OH/Hilliard Davidson). 

On the ensuing series Damion Malott (Akron, OH/Akron North) intercepted Dan Latorre’s pass and returned it eight yards to the BU 27.  On the very next play Bloomsburg came with a corner blitz and Marcus Waddy’s crunching hit on Harris caused a fumble, which was recovered by Scott Keating at the 30.  The Huskies gained one first down before punting, but the battle for field position was turned in their favor.

A week ago Bloomsburg trailed California(Pa.), 13-3, heading into the fourth quarter before rallying for three touchdowns and a 24-19 win.  The Huskies put three more touchdowns on the board against Edinboro in the final fifteen minutes.  They took the lead for good on an impressive 11-play, 80-yard drive.  Latorre scambled for 26 yards to convert a 3rd-and-8 play to start the drive, and then hooked up with Kyle Ream on a 46-yard play to turn a 3rd-and-22 play at the BU 47 to a first down at the Edinboro seven.  Jamar Brittingham scored the first of his first three touchdowns on a one-yard plunge.  Jon Koening extra point Bloomsburg a 14-10 lead.

Two series later Edinboro drove to the BU 39, but a pair of incomplete passes with a yard to go halted the march.  On the very next play Latorre and Brahin Bilal combined for a 51-yard gain to the EU 9.  Brittingham scored two players later on a three-yard run.

The Huskies tacked on an insurance score on another Brittingham run, this one covering five yards.  The play came after an interception and brilliant return on a lateral by Waddy.  Dan Tillotson intercepted the pass, then lateraled it to Waddy, who finished off a play that in all covered 24 yards to the EU 6.

Edinboro grabbed a 7-0 lead on the very last play of the first quarter, as Ryan Valasek (Natrona Heights, PA/Highlands) got behind the Bloomsburg secondary for a 27-yard TD pass from Harris.  Bloomsburg tied the game on the next series, going 81 yards in nine plays.  The Huskies twice converted on third down, once on a pass interference penalty, and once on 3rd-and-10.  Ream accounted for the touchdown with a diving catch for a 24-yard touchdown pass from Latorre.

Edinboro finished the game with 253 total yards, while Bloomsburg ended with 303.  The Fighting Scots were limited to 42 yards on the ground, the lowest total since they were held to 18 yards by Slippery Rock in 1999.  Bloomsburg ran for 119 yards, the first time the Fighting Scots have allowed 100 yards in seven games.  It also represented the most yards on the ground by an opponent since the East Stroudsburg playoff game at the end of the 2004 season.  Edinboro entered the game ranked eighth in Division II in rushing defense (39.5 ypg.).

Harris threw for a career-high 211 yards, completing 23 of 37 passes.  The 23 completions is tied for the fourth-highest total in school history.  Valasek caught 6 passes for 83 yards, moving into ninth place in career receptions (83).  Ulysee “Spud” Davis (Bryans Road, MD/Bishop McNamara) was the leading rusher with 42 yards on 19 carries.

Brittingham, who finished third in the Harlon Hill Award voting a year ago after rushing for over 2,200 yards, finished with 78 hard-earned yards on 23 carries.  Latorre completed 12 of 22 passes for 183 yards, although he was intercepted three times.

Ben Stroup (Columbus, OH/Hilliard Davidson) had an outstanding game defensively for the Fighting Scots, finishing with a career-high 14 tackles, with a pair of sacks.

Edinboro is back in action on Saturday, September 23, playing at Cheyney.

Shippensburg 42, Kutztown 27

IUP 35, East Stroudsburg 20

Indiana, Pa. – Senior tailback Chris Morgan rushed for 286 yards to break his own single game record, leading IUP to a 35-20 win over East Stroudsburg Saturday night at Miller Stadium.

IUP compiled 511 yards of total offense, including 433 on the ground, to improve to 2-0 on the season.  East Stroudsburg fell to 1-2.  The game marked the Miller Stadium debut for new IUP head coach Lou Tepper.

Morgan broke his mark of 266 yards set against Lock Haven in 2004.  He had scoring runs of 62, 26 and 51 yards in the first half as IUP took a 28-20 lead into intermission.  Morgan carried only 18 times for an average of 15.9 yards per attempt.  The 433 rushing yards is the second highest total in IUP history, eclipsed only by a 523-yard effort against Slippery Rock in 1994.

East Stroudsburg quarterback Jimmy Terwilliger completed 17 of 26 passes for 256 yards and continued his assault on the NCAA Division II record book.  He finished the night with 12,066 career passing yards, edging past Joey Conrad of Glenville State for the division record in that category.

However, the senior signal caller was held without a touchdown pass for the first time in his 40-game collegiate career.  Four of his completions for 126 yards went to wide receiver Evan Prall.

Kareem Dutrieuille complemented Morgan on the ground with 69 yards on 16 carries while freshman Tobias Robinson made his IUP debut and gained 51 yards on five attempts.

Neither team was stopped in the first quarter, combining for five touchdowns and ending with IUP ahead by a score of 21-13.  The teams traded the first four touchdowns, with Prall scoring from 15 yards out and Joe Kircher adding a one-yard run sandwiched around scoring jaunts of 62 and 26 yards by Morgan, leaving IUP ahead 14-13.

The game started turning in IUP’s favor after the second Morgan touchdown.  LeRyan Dallas fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Carliss Jeter recovered at the East Stroudsburg 17.  On third and goal from the 16, Kevin Weidl hit Rickie Simmons, who found his way into the end zone to make it 21-13 with 26 seconds left in the quarter.

The Warriors missed a field goal on their next drive, and IUP quickly made it 28-13 when Morgan scored from 51 yards out.  East Stroudsburg made it 28-20 at halftime on Kircher’s second one-yard touchdown run of the game.

The IUP defense then held the powerful Warrior offense off the board in the second half, allowing only 95 yards over the final 30 minutes, and tacked on an insurance touchdown with 12:04 remaining in the game when Anthony Rodriguez scored on a 31-yard run. 

IUP is back on the road next Saturday for a 6 p.m. game at Millersville.  East Stroudsburg plays host to California in a 1:05 game.

California 43, Cheyney 8

CALIFORNIA, Pa. -- Sophomore Brandon Lombardy rushed for a career-high three touchdowns, all in the first half, and freshman Tyler Lorenz added three field goals to lead California, Pa., to a 43-8 non-league football victory over Cheyney (0-3) at Hepner-Bailey Field at Adamson Stadium Saturday.

It was Cal’s 12th-straight win in the series against the Wolves and seventh-straight home victory. Cheyney’s losing streak was extended to 11 games.

Lombardy, who did not play in the second half, finished with a game-high 95 rushing yards on 10 carries.  He scored twice in the first quarter, both from the four-yard line, and added a 22-yard scoring burst midway through the second quarter.  His seven TDs this season equal his season total for the 2005 campaign.

Junior QB Joe Ruggiero also threw two first-half TD passes as the Vulcans (2-1) took a 40-0 lead in the first half.  Ruggiero was 16-for-22 for 156 yards in just 30 minutes and moved over the 3,500-yard mark for career passing yards (3,538 yards in 16 games).

Cheyney’s offense, which managed 215 yards total offense, was led by QB Derrick Murry, who completed 12-of-25 passes for 183 yards, including a 12-yard TD strike to Ray Feamster in the final minute of the third quarter.

Cal’s fifth-year coach John Luckhardt (26-19) also moved into a tie for sixth place with former Cal head coach and longtime Penn State assistant coach Earle Bruce (26-6 from 1946-49) on the Vulcan career wins.

Cal finished with 483 yards total offense, including 279 with the rushing game.  The Vulcans had 23 first downs to just eight for Cheyney.  Cal’s defense forced two Cheyney turnovers.

Cal scored on its first eight possessions of the game and gained possession inside the Cheyney 15-yard line three times in the first half.  Cheyney’s first possession ended with the first of two fumbles at its own 13-yard line.  Two plays later, Lombardy bulled into the end zone from four yards out.

Lorenz made it 10-0 midway through the period with a 30-yard field goal, the first of three for the freshman from Savannah, Tenn.  During the 10-game schedule of 2005, Cal only attempted three field goals (making two).  This year, Lorenz is 4-for-7 from three-point range.

Lombardy increased Cal’s lead to 17-0 with a four-yard scoring run late in the first quarter, capping a 47-yard drive after a short Cheyney punt. 

Early in the second quarter, Ruggiero threw his first TD pass of the game, a seven-yard strike to Sr. WR Marc Huddleston, who has a scoring reception in each of Cal’s three games this year.

Ruggiero, who topped the 3,500-yard mark for career passing yards (now with 3,538 yards and 30 TDs in 16 games), added a second TD aerial late in the first half to Jr. WR Brandon Jackson from 11-yards out.  It’s the eighth time in Ruggiero’s career he’s thrown at least two TD passes in a game.

Lorenz added his second and third field goals, from 22 and 34 yards, to complete Cal’s scoring. 

Late in the third quarter, Cheyney QB Derrick Murry drove the Wolves 80 yards on nine plays, breaking the shutout with a 12-yard pass to Ray Feamster.  Murry finished with 183 yards on 12-for-25 passing.

Defensively, Jr. LB Josh Zunic led the Vulcans with six tackles and his first fumble recovery of the season.  Zunic reached the century mark in career tackles, now with 102.

Other standouts for the Cal defense included Juan Butler with four hits, Willie Walker with three stops, including two in the Cheyney backfield, and Rich Dublak, who had three tackles, including a seven-yard sack, and a fumble recovery.

The Vulcans return to action Saturday (9/23, 1:05 p.m.) with a non-league clash at East Stroudsburg, which went to the NCAA Tournament semifinals in 2005 and boast the passing combination of QB Jimmy Terwilliger, the 2005 Harlon Hill Trophy winner, and WR Evan Prall.

Slippery Rock 46, Mansfield 0

6 p.m.

West Chester 49, Clarion 21

(CLARION, PA.): West Chester scored 22-unanswered points in the second half and Dean Millard scored two second half td’s as the Rams pulled away to defeat Clarion 49-21 on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

Held at Clarion’s Memorial Stadium, West Chester improved its record to 1-2, while Clarion dropped to 0-3.

Clarion wide receiver Pierre Odom had a career receiving night for the Golden Eagles catching 6 passes for 246 yards and 1 td. Odom’s touchdown came on a 64-yard td pass from freshman quarterback Mark Rupert in the second quarter giving Clarion a 14-6 lead with 6:04 left in the first.

West Chester narrowed Clarion’s lead to 14-13 at 1:32 of the first when Brent Steinmetz scored on a 2-yard run capping a 10-play, 60-yard drive.

Tailback Osagie Osunde gave the Golden Rams the lead for good at 9:20 of the first with a 2-yard td run. The PAT made it 20-14 Rams.

Osunde came right back and scored on a 15-yard td pass from qb Matt Burdalski with 3:28 left in the second and West Chester had a 27-14 lead.

Clarion came back before halftime and drove 72-yards in 7 plays to hit paydirt. Clarion qb Mark Rupert (Knoch) rolled left and hit tight end Matt Foradora in the endzone on a 7-yard td pass. The PAT came with only 26-seconds left before halftime and Clarion closed the gap to 27-21.

West Chester’s Dean Millard scored on a 1-yard run with 10:35 in the third, Mike Washington caught a 31-yard pass from Bill Zwaan at 14:41 of the fourth, and Millard tacked on a 65-yard td run with 7:45 left to make the final West Chester 49 Clarion 21.

Clarion totaled 378 yards of offense including 75 rushing and 303 passing. Clarion freshman qb Mark Rupert hit on 14 of 29 passes for 302 yards and 2 td’s. It was his first 300 yard passing game of his career.

Odom, who had 246 receiving yards, notched the second most receiving yards in a single game. Clarion’s Terry McFetridge had 251 receiving yards against Kutztown in 1982.

Zach Gourley had 14 stops and 1 tfl, and Matt Morris had 11 stops for Clarion’s defense.

West Chester collected 522 yards of offense including 312 rushing and 210 passing. QB Bill Zwaan completed 11 of 17 passes for 195 yards and 2 td’s. Osagie Osunde rushed 14 times for 130 yards and 1 td, while Millard had 9 rushes for 89 yards and 2 td’s.

Clarion travels to Bloomsburg next Saturday for a noon kickoff, while West Chester returns home to host Shippensburg.

Millersville 35,  Lock Haven 0

MILLERSVILLE, Pa. -- The Lock Haven University football squad (0-3) was felled in its home opener by Millersville University (1-2) tonight (Sept. 16) at Hubert Jack Stadium. The Bald Eagle defense played strong at times, causing their first two turnovers of the season. 

The Millersville offense had incredible balance, rushing for 145 and passing for 215 yards, respectively. The Marauders had a solid first touch, working their way deep into LHU territory thanks to conversions on three third-and-five-plus situations. Faced with a fourth-and-one at the Lock Haven eight, they tried a rush and were immediately stuffed by Derek Harsch (Wellsboro, Pa./Wellsboro) and Luke Ellison (Montoursville, Pa./Montoursville), giving LHU the momentum.

LHU picked up a pair of first downs on the ensuing drive, but were stalled near midfield after it gave up a sack. 

Millersville capped its next possession with a 33-yard touchdown pass as Dan Csencsitz hit Andrew Tischbein for the first points of the game. The Marauders tacked on a pair of TDs in the second on a two-yard rush by Brad Lantz and a blocked punt returned 25 yards by Tischbein.

The Bald Eagles had an excellent chance to put some points up just before halftime as freshman quarterback Ilio DiPaolo (Athol Springs, N.Y./St. Francis) completed four passes over an extended drive to set up a fourth-and-three on the Millersville seven with just seconds left. LHU tried to spread the defense with multiple wideouts, but DiPaolo was sacked again to finish the half 21-0.

Csencsitz hit Fry for the second passing touchdown of the day mid-way through the third quarter, and Lantz capped a 10-play drive with a one-yard power TD to finish the scoring in the fourth.  

The Bald Eagle offense was without their top two tailbacks and was unable to get much done on the ground. The weight fell on the throwing arm of DiPaolo, who made multiple excellent athletic plays, but was also dropped for five sacks during the course of the contest.  

DiPaolo finished with 164 yards on 21-of-32 passing. His main targets were Adam Lawrence (Hanover, Pa./Delone Catholic/Shippensburg University)--seven catches for 54 yards--and Troy Wile, Jr. (Fayetteville, Pa./Chambersburg)--five grabs for 48.  

MU’s Lantz finished with 118 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while Csencsitz covered 215 through the air and two scores. 

Linebacker Harsch and safety David Show (Mill Run, Pa./Connellsville) each posted 10-tackle games, the first such game for Harsch this season. Both Harsch and Shawn Crebs (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg) recorded tackles for loss. Freshman Demetrius Wilson (Philadelphia/George Washington) led the line with five stops.