IUP’s season ends with first defeat
Can’t overcome big early deficit to West Florida
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
INDIANA, Pa. — Even before the coin toss, IUP had a lot of momentum Saturday going into a Division II national semifinal game.
With a 13-0 record, the Crimson Hawks were the last remaining undefeated team in Division II. They were coming off of a run of big victories to clinch the Western Division title, PSAC Championship and the No. 1 seed in the semifinal round.
IUP also carried a substantial 18-game home winning streak into Miller Stadium, a streak that dated to the 2015 season. The winning streak predates West Florida’s program, which played its inaugural season in 2016.
So not many could have predicted that IUP, a perennial playoff team with a championship bid on the line, would fall behind, 24-0, to a West Florida team that didn’t exist two years ago. But the Argos played with poise and thoroughly dominated the Crimson Hawks for much of the game, ultimately winning, 27-17.
A 17-0 run by IUP in the second half narrowed the deficit to seven, but West Florida (11-3) made a late field goal in the fourth quarter to seal the win. The Crimson Hawks finished the 2017 season with a 13-1 overall record in Paul Tortorella’s first season as head coach.
“Here, we always have goals of winning the conference and winning the region and hopefully having a chance at winning the national championship,” Tortorella said after the game. “That was our goal at the beginning when we took over in January and the kids believed in it. We fell a game short, but like I told the players after the game, we’re not letting this game define our season.”
If there was a team with more momentum than IUP entering Saturday, it was the Argos. West Florida was the No. 6 seed in Super Region Two, but pulled off three consecutive upset victories to clinch the No. 4 seed in the national semifinals. The Argos harassed redshirt junior quarterback Lenny Williams throughout the game, and Williams’ poor first half was a key reason behind IUP’s slow start on offense. He finished 9-of18 passing for 86 yards and a touchdown, but threw an interception and fumbled the ball twice in the first half.
“They played good defense but I just have to make better throws, have to give people chances,” Williams said. “I have to make better decisions.”
West Florida controlled the ball for 12 minutes and 42 seconds in the first quarter. The Crimson Hawks didn’t pick up their first first down until midway through the second quarter, in the midst of a drive that ended with Williams’ second fumble of the game at the 18.