Unlike the PSAC championship game when Indiana ran the ball and consumed the clock, in this contest they opened play with a no huddle, hurry up, passing game that knifed through the Golden Ram defense. Even with the pace, due to their success moving the ball, the Crimson Hawks still had the ball for over 11 minutes in the first quarter alone. Meanwhile, the West Chester offense couldn’t do anything. At halftime, the Golden Rams had 17 yards rushing, 21 yards passing for just 38 total yards and only two first downs. That’s compared to Indiana which had 356 yards of offense and a 30-0 lead.
Tyler Morrissey had 15 tackles in the game (Photo Ron Hockman)In the third quarter, with the outcome already decided, West Chester started making some strides, mainly on the running of A.J. Long who finished with a team-high 71 yards on the ground. But he lost a fumble and the Crimson Hawks needed just one play to cross 68 yards for the touchdown.
A.J. Long had 71 yards on the ground (Photo Ron Hockman)Paul Dooley returned to quarterback and engineered a five-play touchdown drive which included a 26-yard pass to Dan Neuhaus and ended with a 23-yard pass to a wide open Tyler Karpinski for the score. But Indiana responded with another one-play touchdown drive, this one a 62-yard pass play.
Tyler Karpinski caught West Chester's only touchdown (Photo Ron Hockman)This game was certainly decided in the trenches. Dooley was sacked five times and Indiana’s 14 tackles for loss amounted to 55 yards. Meanwhile, the Golden Rams defense managed just five tackles for loss for a total of five yards.
Punter Brendan Paulison had another tremendous day. With the wind at his back in the first quarter, he launched punts of 65 and 61 yards. And although his four punts into the second quarter wind only averaged 37 yards, Indiana didn’t return any of them. For the game, Paulison averaged 45.8 yards and pinned three inside the Indiana 20 yard line.
Nydair Rouse forced a fumble on this play (Photo Ron Hockman)Running back Jarel Elder did all he could in his final collegiate game as he ran for 59 yards, had a nine-yard catch and 116 yards in kick returns for a game-high 184 all-purpose yards. Defensively, linebacker Tyler Morrissey had 15 tackles in the game with 14 of them coming before halftime. Safety Jarey Elder had five solo tackles before leaving the game with an apparent shoulder injury late in the first half. Senior cornerback Shaquille James had four pass breakups and three tackles.
One of Shaq James' four pass breakups (Photo Ron Hockman)West Chester Athletic Site - No. 3 IUP Downs West Chester, 44-10, In NCAA 2nd Round
Indiana Athletic Site - Williams totals 4 touchdowns, IUP Football soars past West Chester and into regional title game
GoErie.com - IUP routs West Chester in D-II football playoffs
Indiana Gazette - Evans steps up in big game
Indiana Gazette - Williams, Crimson Hawks race to region final
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - IUP advances to NCAA DII region championship after crushing West Chester
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