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Nov. 8, 2008
Tobias Robinson rushed for 215 yards and two touchdowns to help IUP overcome a mistake-prone first half, and the Crimson Hawks pulled away for a 34-7 victory over Kutztown in the season finale Saturday at Miller Stadium. IUP won its fourth in a row and finished the regular season with an 8-2 record. The Crimson Hawks will find out Sunday if that is good enough to earn a second consecutive trip to the NCAA playoffs, although the prospects appear slim. The 24-team playoff field will be announced Sunday afternoon. Kutztown lost for only the second time in its final six games and finished the season at 5-6. The game was the first between IUP and Kutztown since the 1993 opener, and IUP remained undefeated at 8-0-1 all-time versus the Golden Bears. Robinson posted his second 200-yard game of the season and rushed for 1,203 on the year to become the ninth running back in school history to run for 1,000 yards in a season. Andrew Krewatch also reached career milestones after completing 26 of 38 passes for 268 yards. The junior quarterback broke Brian Eyerman's school records for career pass attempts and completions, ending the game with totals of 983 and 561, respectively, in those two categories. Krewatch also became the third quarterback in school history to reach the 7,000 mark in career passing yards, currently standing at 7,263. His touchdowns versus Kutztown gives him 63, two shy of Tony Aliucci for second place. Mychal Skinner set career highs with nine catches for 147 yards and a touchdown while Ken Witter added 10 receptions, mostly on quick hitters, and likely finished his career with 153 receptions, third on the all-time IUP list. IUP led only 10-0 at halftime but the margin could have been much wider. The Crimson Hawks reached the Kutztown two on their opening drive of the game but had to settle for a 28-yard Craig Burgess field goal after a Robinson fumble pushed the ball back to the 11. IUP quickly made it a 10-point game when Akwasi Owusu-Ansah intercepted a Shane Martin pass and returned it 43 yards to the Golden Bear 25, and Robinson went in on the next play. Owusu-Ansah added another pick at the IUP 15 to stop a Kutztown drive, giving the cornerback five in the past two games and eight on the season, one shy of the school record. But then the mistakes started haunting the Crimson Hawks. A bad snap on a field goal attempt denied IUP points early in the second quarter, Robinson lost a fumble at the Kutztown 8, Skinner dropped a sure touchdown pass, and Krewatch was intercepted by Cody Kohn in the end zone in the final minute of the first half. The second half was a different story. After the Golden Bears stunned IUP with a 54-yard drive on their first possession of the third quarter to pull within 10-7 on a seven-yard touchdown run by Maurice Adams, the Crimson Hawks began to open up the lead. Burgess kicked his second field goal to cap a 69-yard drive, and IUP led 13-7 at the end of the third quarter. Krewatch then hooked up with Leo Wood on a 15-yard score, the first career touchdown for the senior wide receiver, 49 seconds into the final quarter to make it 20-7. Kutztown reached the IUP 23, but on a fourth and 14 play, Owusu-Ansah closed ground on a pass into the end zone and knocked it away from Kaleb Klosky to turn the ball over on downs. Robinson wasted little time in expanding the Crimson Hawk lead, racing 77 yards past the Golden Bear defense for his 13th rushing touchdown of the season and giving IUP a 27-7 advantage. Kendell Coleman fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Anthony Constantine recovered at the Kutztown 5. Krewatch finished the IUP scoring with a six-yard touchdown pass to Skinner with 8:45 remaining in the game. Burgess' two field goals made him 16 for 22 on the season, leaving him just two shy of the school record held jointly by Mike Geary in 1993 and Jon Ruff two years later. Burgess was also perfect in 46 extra point attempts, the most by any IUP kicker without a miss in a season. Rory Marshall, starting in place of the injured Andre Henderson, joined Owusu-Ansah with the first two interceptions of his career, giving the Crimson Hawks 10 picks and a total of 15 forced turnovers in the past two games. James Carson and Kirk Holloway had sacks, and Rob Plowman and Abe Satterfield led IUP with seven tackles, helping the Crimson Hawks hold Kutztown to just 262 yards of total offense while the Crimson Hawks piled up 504 yards and scored better than 30 points for the seventh time this season. The game was the final home contest for 19 seniors. On offense, the group included Steve Cooper, Luis Cruz, Garrett Lestochi, Pat McDanel, Jason Warning, Witter, Mike Wojcik and Wood. The seniors on the IUP defense are Dale Boston, Quinton Cobb, Ken Evans, Donta Green, Anthony Guerra, Terrence Jackson, Garrett Majors, Plowman, Aaron Princes and Jermaine Smith. Unfortunately, Lestochi (ribs) and Jackson (knee) were unable to play Saturday. Cooper filled in at fullback for Lestochi and had his first two career receptions good for 14 yards. |
