On last night’s edition of Hawk Talk on U92 and Renda Digital TV, IUP football coach Paul Tortorella said the team has plenty to play for in this week’s game against Clarion. IUP lost to Gannon on Saturday, suffering its first defeat of the year and dropping into a three-way tie for first in the PSAC West.
But Tortorella says IUP is still in position to win the PSAC.
The coach says IUP has to take care of business on Saturday at George P. Miller Stadium.
In the first numerical ranking of the season, IUP comes up third in Super Region One as rated by the NCAA DII Football Committee. Undefeated Shepherd holds down the top spot in the region, with Ashland number two despite also losing last Saturday. After IUP come Assumption, Slippery Rock, Notre Dame (of Ohio), and Gannon in the top seven. The top seven at the end of the season will advance into the NCAA Division Two playoffs. New Haven, Bentley, and Concord round out the top ten.
In the newest AFCA coaches poll, IUP fell to a tie with Harding College (of Arkansas) for 17th in the nation. That’s down six spots from last week for the Crimson Hawks. Slippery Rock, which IUP beat last month, rose to number ten. Grand Valley State remains number one, followed by Angelo State, Shepherd, Ouachita Baptist, and Pittsburg State.
