Findlay 37, IUP 34
August 29, 2002
Donnell Stadium ** Findlay, Ohio
IUP stormed back from a 20-7 third quarter deficit but then squandered a
pair of eight-point leads in the final period as host Findlay stunned the
Indians 37-34 in the season opener for both teams Thursday night. IUP had
entered the game ranked seventh in the American Football Coaches Association
preseason poll.
The loss was the third in a row for IUP dating back to the last two games of
the 2001 season and marked the first time the Indians have suffered a losing
streak of this length since the team dropped five straight in the middle of
the 1982 campaign. IUP also lost a season opener for the first time since
1997 and have dropped its last seven games played outside the state of
Pennsylvania.
Elice Parker made his IUP debut after transferring from LSU and rushed 20
times for 197 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown on the first play of the
game. Brian Eyerman, beginning his fourth season as the starting
quarterback, shook off a slow start to complete 17 of 32 passes for 268
yards and three touchdowns.
But Eyerman was intercepted once and was sacked five times, with the final
one resulting in a fumble that led to Findlay's winning field goal. IUP
also fumbled the ball away three times. Carmelo Ocasio caught six passes
for 166 yards and two touchdowns, and he became just the sixth player in IUP
history with 2,000 receiving yards, finishing the game with 2,055.
Ocasio also moved into seventh place in career receptions at IUP with 111,
and he became the fourth player in school annals to reach 20 or more career
touchdowns. Eyerman, meanwhile, inched into second place with 51 career
touchdown passes, trailing only the 65 Tony Aliucci had between 1988-91.
Eyerman pushed his completion total to 380 and into fourth place in the
school record book.
Robert Campbell led Findlay with 185 rushing yards on 39 attempts and a pair
of touchdowns. Jeff Fraser hit on 14 of 24 passes for 151 yards and three
touchdowns, with Jeff Rowe hauling in nine of those throws for 113 yards and
all three scores.
After Parker's big play to give IUP the early lead, the Indian offense
bogged down the rest of the half, and the Oilers tied the contest on a
one-yard run by Campbell with 12:20 left in the second quarter. IUP had a
chance to take the lead right before intermission when Eyerman hit Ocasio on
a 51-yard catch-and-run, but Ocasio lost control of the ball at the Findlay
two, and the Oilers recovered.
The second half turned into one of the wildest 30 minutes of football in IUP
history. Findlay started quickly with a 10-yard run by Campbell and an
18-yard pass from Fraser to Rowe giving the Oilers a 20-7 lead with 4:02
left in the third quarter. But the Indians struck right back, scoring three
touchdowns in a span of 3:46 to take a 28-20 lead.
J.R. Thomas took in a three-yard pass from Eyerman, Justin Spence plowed
through the middle for an 11-yard scoring run, and Ocasio caught an
eight-yard touchdown toss from Eyerman, the latter with 12:13 left in the
game to give IUP a 28-20 cushion. The latter two drives were set up by a
14-yard punt by Roland Hamilton that gave the Indians the ball at the
Findlay 30 and an acrobatic tip and interception by Jeff Jackson that gave
the Indians possession at the Oiler 16.
Down by eight, Findlay, which was 3-8 a year ago and lost 31-10 to IUP at
Miller Stadium, moved 80 quick yards, including a 32-yard pass to Josh
Lenaburg and a 23-yard touchdown to Rowe. The two-point conversion run
failed, leaving the Oilers behind by two with 9:47 left.
The red hot IUP offense continued its second half onslaught right away. On
the third play of the ensuing drive, Ocasio caught a 57-yard touchdown pass
from Eyerman that made it 34-26 at the 8:18 mark. But an unsportsmanlike
penalty call forced a 35-yard extra point attempt which Josh Telenko pushed
wide left.
That left the door open for Findlay, and the Oilers took advantage.
Starting at the IUP 44 with 4:09 left in the game, the hosts went the
distance on just two passes from Fraser, the first covering 16 yards to
Bryce Abbott and the second a 28-yard hookup with Rowe that pulled Findlay
to within two with 3:36 remaining. Fraser completed the two-point
conversion pass to Campbell to tie the game.
Eyerman was sacked by Jackson Harris on the second play of the next drive,
and Brian Baker recovered at the IUP 17. The Oilers capitalized on the
turnover when Andy Campbell booted a 29-yard field goal with 1:25 left to
give Findlay the lead again at 37-34.
The Indians appeared to be in position to end Findlay's upset bid when Matt
Brunck returned the kickoff to the IUP 46, and a personal foul against the
Oilers moved the ball within 39 yards of the end zone. IUP picked up a
first down on a pass interference call, but after three incomplete passes,
Harris was the hero again, blocking Telenko's 32-yard field goal attempt
with just eight seconds left on the clock.
The loss denied Frank Cignetti in his third attempt at his 150th win at IUP.
The Indians had finished the 2001 season with losses to Millersville and
Saginaw Valley State, the latter in the opening round of the playoffs. The
Indians have lost its last three games on the road against GLIAC opposition,
a stretch that includes losses at Northwood in the first round of the 2000
playoffs and Saginaw Valley State a year ago.
In addition to Parker's stellar IUP debut, several other players had notable
first performances in Indian crimson and gray. Spence had 26 yards on five
carries from his fullback position and wide receiver Dave Davis caught four
passes for 52 yards. On defense, linebacker Kris Griffin had nine tackles,
second on the team to Jackson's 12, and strong safety Trent Jones made six
stops, including one for a loss.
IUP now begins a tough three-game home stretch that includes contests with
playoff contenders Bloomsburg, Catawba and New Haven. Bloomsburg reached
the Division II national championship game in 2000 while Catawba was in the
semifinals last season. New Haven has won three of six games against the
Indians, the only 2002 opponent that does not have a losing record against
IUP.