The IUP Crimson Hawks know all too well that what matters is how you finish the season, not how you start it.
Last season, the Crimson Hawks beat Ashland, 19-10, in the opener, and that ended up being IUP’s high-water mark in a 7-3 season. Conversely, the Eagles used the loss as fuel and reached the NCAA Division II playoffs, even advancing to the second round.
So, the takeaway from Thursday night’s humbling 13-9 season-opening loss to Ashland is the realization that the only thing lost was a game. Nothing more.
Well, maybe some pride. But nothing else.
“Right now, all of our goals are still in line,” said quarterback Matthew Rueve, who threw for 221 yards in his IUP debut. “Everything we want to accomplish is still there for the taking. The biggest thing we have to do is get back, learn from this, and move on to the next.”
That’s a common sentiment shared by players and the head coach.
“I mean, it’s a tough loss, and obviously, we like to get out of here with the win, but there’s still a long season ahead of us,” said defensive back Dinari Clacks. “Right now, we just have to move forward and be better in the future.”
“We (will) put it behind us and look forward,” said safety Noah Johnston. “Now we focus on Lock Haven.”
“You’d love to be sitting here 1-0, like we’ve been the last nine years or whatever,” said head coach Paul Tortorella. “But last year, we beat them in the opener, and we didn’t take advantage of it. They got better, and they got to the semifinals of the region. If we play up to our ability, we have a chance to win every Saturday.”
But the Crimson Hawks have some work to do, mainly on offense.
Despite preseason optimism that IUP had an offense capable of putting up some gaudy statistics and scores this season, none materialized against the Eagles. It wasn’t just a bad night on offense; it was a historically bad night:
- IUP gained just 206 total yards, with 108 coming on two plays: a 55-yard touchdown catch and run from Rueve to Randy Washington and a 53-yard pass from Rueve to Maurice Massey.
- The Crimson Hawks hadn’t gained that few total yards since finishing with 176 against Kutztown in a 44-7 loss in 2014.
- That game was also the last time IUP was held to single-digit scoring.
- The Crimson Hawks managed just seven first downs, their fewest in any game in 55 years, since they had six against California in a 14-6 loss on Halloween 1970.
- Worst of all, IUP’s rushing total of minus-15 yards was the second lowest in program history.
College football differs from the pros in that negative yardage from sacks counts toward the team rushing total, rather than the team passing total, as it does in the NFL. Rueve was sacked five times, totaling minus-40 rushing yards, and he probably could have gone down another five times if he hadn’t gotten rid of the ball. But he did have two bad interceptions where he threw into coverage.
The IUP running backs did virtually nothing, totaling just 25 yards on 15 carries. Tavion Banks had the longest rush by a back, a 5-yard run. The longest rush for IUP was by WR Devin Whitlock on an end-around, and it went for only six yards.
It would be easy to point at the offensive line and say it was the culprit, but that would imply changes are needed. The truth is that offensive lines are not plug-and-play. They take time to develop and jell into a unit of five playing as one, which only happens through experience.
The Crimson Hawks’ starting offensive line Thursday contained two players who had never started a college game (LT Anthony Shovlin and RG Tanner Fuchs) a senior with only five career starts at guard making his debut at center (Matt Nelson), and a right tackle (Wyatt Koval) making his return to the starting lineup after missing half of last season with mononucleosis.
The line faced an Ashland front that featured DE Michael Shimek, a two-time All-GMAC player who finished with 3 1/2 sacks.
“They beat us up front without blitzing a lot,” Tortorella said.
So, to be fair, some of what ailed the IUP offense on Thursday was the defense across the line of scrimmage. Ashland is a veteran team with a lot of experienced players, many of whom were on the field in 2023 and 2024 when the Crimson Hawks beat them in season openers. It’s hard to imagine a more motivated opponent coming into Miller Stadium than the Eagles, who were 0-5 against IUP until Thursday night.
As for the IUP defense, there is a lot to be happy about. The Crimson Hawks forced Ashland to punt eight times, recorded two turnovers, and allowed only 235 total yards. It was only the third time this millennium that IUP lost while allowing 235 yards or fewer.
It was also the fourth time in 22 games that IUP allowed fewer than 17 points and lost. That never happened in Tortorella’s first five years as head coach.
The second turnover IUP forced was a fumble recovery near the end zone that saved a touchdown when DB David Awuah drilled Ashland receiver Jent Joseph, knocked the ball loose, and recovered the fumble. Had that turnover not happened, Ashland might have put the game away earlier than it did.
But for the Crimson Hawks to live up to their expectations, they must play complementary football. If you hold your opponent to 13 points, you ought to win.
“We know this was a wake-up call,” Johnston said. “We took things a little too for granted, but I think we are waking up. I know I am, and I can get other guys on the same board. That will take time, but as the season goes on, we will be what we need to be.”
