No game in the PSAC West this week was any closer than two scores by game’s end. For each game but one, the contest likely could have been called at halftime. Taking a look at the standings, we have a new leader in the PSAC West as Slippery Rock moves into the top spot at 8-1 overall and 5-1 in the conference. Following is IUP (6-2, 5-1), Clarion (7-2, 4-2), Cal (6-3, 4-2), Gannon (6-3, 3-3), Mercyhurst (5-4, 2-4), Seton Hill (2-7, 1-5) and Edinboro (0-8, 0-6).
IUP 28, Clarion 14
IUP’s defense pitched a shutout in the second half to hand Clarion its second loss of the season Saturday. IUP held Clarion to just 35 yards rushing on the day. Meanwhile, IUP ran for 336 yards, led by a pair of 100-yard rushers in Shannon Jackson (167) and Lenny Williams (134). Jackson scored twice for the Crimson Hawks in his first career start. Clarion’s Connor Simmons completed just 14 of his 40 passing attempts for 246 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown to Delrece Williams and a 10-yard scoring strike to Khalil Webster, who finished with five catches for 105 yards. IUP improved to 6-2 while Clarion fell to 7-2.
Cal 42, Gannon 21
After building a 35-0 lead late in the first half, Cal coasted to a 42-21 victory over Gannon Saturday. James Harris threw three TDs and ran for another in the first half to break the game open for the Vulcans. He wound up completing 18-of-27 passes for 263 yards and the three scores. His favorite target was Kowan Scott, who caught seven passes for 151 yards and two scores. The Cal defense forced six turnovers in the win. Gannon QB Liam Nadler went down early in the contest, giving way to redshirt freshman QB Zach Phillips, who wound up throwing his first two career TDs in the game. He finished with 156 yards passing and led the team with 67 yards rushing as Brock Jones was bottled up and held to just 7 yards on four carries. Both teams sit at 6-3.
Mercyhurst 41, Seton Hill 13
Mercyhurst jumped out to a 34-13 lead at the half and rode it to a convincing victory over Seton Hill Saturday. Zack Emerick had one of the best games in his career, completing 20-of-30 passes for 311 yards and four TDs in the win. His biggest asset on the day became the big-play capability of FJ Williams, who hauled in just three passes but for 104 yards, including a 58-yard TD. Emerick also threw a 68-yard TD pass to running back Brandon Brown-Dukes. For Seton Hill, Christian Strong led the offense by completing 20-of-28 passes for 162 yards and a TD. Mercyhurst improved to 5-4 while Seton Hill fell to 2-7.
Slippery Rock 52, Edinboro 10
Slippery Rock built a 31-10 halftime lead en route to a blowout victory over Edinboro Saturday. The Rock piled up 369 rushing yards on a paid of 100-yard rushers, seeing Shamar Greene (105) and Julian Durden (113) break the century mark. Greene scored twice while Durden also added a TD, a 26-yard scamper in the fourth quarter. Dante Nania also threw three TDs for SRU while the receiving output was a balanced attack. For Edinboro, Darren Massey caught 15 passes albeit for 73 yards, breaking his own single-game record for receptions. He needs just eight catches to break his own single-season record of 80 receptions. SRU improved to 8-1 as it took over the conference lead while Edinboro fell to 0-9.
Photo Credit: IUP Athletics
