It’s a small sample size, but the efforts of the IUP defense just two games into the season have been a pleasant surprise for the Crimson Hawks.
In a loss to Ashland and a win over Lock Haven, IUP has allowed only 23 points, the second-fewest in the 15-team Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Only Kutztown (14 points) has given up fewer than the Crimson Hawks.
But there is an asterisk to IUP’s stats. Although their opponents have scored 23 points, the IUP defense really only allowed 13 of them. Lock Haven’s 10 points were scored off turnovers from the IUP offense, a 70-yard interception return for a score, and a field goal after IUP fumbled at their own 10-yard line.
The surprising part might be that the IUP defense is playing with five new starters: linebackers Nathan Rosario-Santos and Tai-Don Strickland, and defensive backs David Awuah (SS), Mekhi Johnson (Star), and Davon Willie (CB).
But IUP head coach Paul Tortorella disputes the idea that these five are new to the defense.
“When you say five new starters, in some places that means guys who just got there in August,” he said. “(But) Strickland’s been here. Santos has been here. The two transfers (Johnson and Awuah) were here for spring ball. It’s not as big a transition as the old days, when a transfer would arrive in the summer or you had to play a true freshman. Getting them in for spring makes a big difference. The two linebackers were our backups last year. Both could’ve started for a lot of teams in our league, but we had two really good senior linebackers. So, it’s not really a surprise they’ve played well.”
Fair point. But neither Rosario-Santos nor Strickland saw much game action last season on defense, although they have been in the IUP system for a couple of years and have practiced a lot.
But the other three are all new in a different sense. Johnson (Millersville) and Awuah (Seton Hill) joined the team in January as transfers, so their experience with their new team is somewhat limited. And Willie is a redshirt freshman who won the starting job at field cornerback only the week before the season opener against Ashland.
Those five have meshed well with holdovers like Logan Danielson, Terrell Williams, Logan Goodwin, and Randy Okungu (defensive line), and Noah Johnston and Kalen Frazier (defensive backs) to form a unit that has held its own thus far.
“What stands out so far is the constant pressure on the quarterback,” Tortorella said. “In two games, we have six sacks and a lot more hits and hurries. Even when we don’t sack him, we’re forcing throws under pressure.”
Lock Haven quarterback Jackson Ostrowsky would be able to testify to this. In Saturday’s 42-10 IUP win, Ostrowsky was sacked four times but was hit many times, and he had to make several throws with limited time to process the defense.
Ostrowsky, who was second in the PSAC in passing yards last season (3,198) and touchdown passes (27), was held to 130 yards and no touchdowns by the Crimson Hawks. His longest completion was 19 yards.
“We didn’t give up a single explosive play,” Tortorella said. “It’s hard for an offense to score if they can’t create explosives and can’t finish in the red zone.”
The IUP defense has also proven to be adept at quick-change situations, when a turnover by the offense puts the defense on the field, sometimes on a short field.
Against Ashland, IUP quarterback Matthew Rueve threw three interceptions and lost a fumble, although the last interception doesn’t really count because it was on a Hail Mary of sorts at the end of the game.
But the other times the Crimson Hawks turned the ball over, the defense held its own and did not give up a single point. On one of the possessions, it forced a turnover of its own, when Awuah drilled an Ashland receiver inside the 5-yard line, forcing a fumble that he recovered.
Other than the interception return, Lock Haven had one opportunity to take advantage of an IUP mistake when Tavion Banks lost a fumble at the IUP 10-yard line. But the Bald Eagles didn’t do anything with it. They had an incomplete pass on first down, a 5-yard loss on second, a holding penalty on third down, and an incomplete pass on the ensuing opportunity. Lock Haven had to settle for a 42-yard field goal.
“Our defense didn’t panic—we made plays, forced some negative yardage, and held them to a long field goal,” Tortorella said. “That’s a win.”
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