Lock Haven football upsets No. 10 IUP, defeats Crimson Hawks for first time since 1981
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INDIANA -- Historic is the only way to describe what happened when Lock Haven traveled on the road on Saturday to take on the No. 10-ranked Indiana (Pa.). After a game of wild twists and turns the Bald Eagles earned their signature victory, stunning the Crimson Hawks, 35-20.
Not only was the win the first time Lock Haven beat IUP since 1981 -- and the first time on the road since 1961 -- but also marked the first time in program history they upset a team ranked inside the Top 25 in Division II.
Right from the opening snap of the game the winds began to blow in the Bald Eagles favor, as IUP quarterback Mason Maggs fumbled on a bad snap and a Lock Haven defender managed to fall on top of it. Instantly giving the Bald Eagles an infusion of life.
It wasn't long before Bald Eagles QB Rob Footman found the endzone, as just five plays later he took a 2-yard rush to the painted turf and set Lock Haven up 7-0 not three minutes into the game. While it would be the first time that Footman found the endzone, it was far from his last.
Footman would end the game going 20-27 through the air for 231 yards and 5 total touchdowns, captaining an elite team offensive performance.
"I give credit to the coaching staff for putting together the gameplan." Footman said after the game when asked about his game. "And credit to my teammates, it takes 11 guys. I couldn't have done what I did today without them."
The first half as a whole saw both offenses take command, after the Bald Eagles score IUP responded with a drive of their own capped off by Maggs finding D'vay Johnson in one on one coverage in the endzone for a touchdown. Before Footman linked up with running back Cureem Hathcock for a 10-yard TD of their own to have the score at 14-7 to start the second quarter.
It was that second 15 minute period where the Bald Eagles really began to pull away. As the offense kept humming, and the defense began to rev their engines. Despite multiple good IUP drives, the Crimson Hawks could not find paydirt, settling for field goals of 51 and 21-yards away.
Meanwhile their defense was bending but not breaking, the Haven offense shattered the IUP secondary. Footman fired a missile down the sideline and found a wide open Jake Roberts for a 38-yard score. And all the sudden at the half the Bald Eagles found themselves up 21-10.
Though as the team went to the locker room, one message was clear on the sideline. Lock Haven knew IUP was far from out of the contest. Good teams fight, but great teams finish.
The Bald Eagles got the ball to start the second half but a lengthy drive was snuffed out due to a blocked Caden Bauer field goal. The first of two misses Bauer would suffer. But that LH defense that has been so stellar all year stepped up to the task and kept IUP off the board.
As the fourth quarter got underway the Crimson Hawks were driving to try and tie the game, but it was rotational defensive lineman David Montgomery who played the role of the hero. On an attempted running back screen Montgomery got out in space and intercepted the pass and took it 60-yards the other way to set the Bald Eagles up on the IUP 30. After being given such a generous gift Footman graciously thanked his hosts by hooking up with Mekhi Watson for a 33-yard score putting the Haven up 28-10.
Watson was a lethal weapon for Lock Haven all afternoon. Carving up the Indiana (Pa.) secondary for 12 catches and 146 yards to go with that 33-yard score.
And despite a late IUP touchdown from Maggs to Gavin Harrold, IUP fell victim to three more turnovers. One, a muffed punt that was recovered by Connor Fultz, a pair of picks by Rocco Daughtery and Rasu Wearing-Poindexter, and a Jaden Huntingdon touchdown, sealed the 35-20 upset win for Lock Haven.
As Footman went down into the victory formation the Bald Eagle sideline erupted into celebration, and Head coach Joe Battaglia could be seen leading the charge as Lock Haven moved to a perfect 3-0 in PSAC West play in upset fashion.
"All we heard about was the West," coach Battaglia said after the game in regards to the narrative that Lock Haven would struggle moving to the western side of the PSAC. "All we heard was 'the West, the West, the West.' We wanted to come out and make a statement. We made a statement."
It cannot be overstated how much a win of this caliber will send shockwaves around the conference, for so long the Bald Eagles have been seen as a doormat, an "easy win", no longer. This program has been on the rise for a few years, and now they have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt they can compete with the top dogs.
Time will tell what a win like this can turn into, and the momentum it can bring to a program hungry for a spark. But one thing is for sure, this is a Bald Eagles team nobody can overlook. And this is a win that will go down in the history books.
Lock Haven 35,
No. 10 Indiana (Pa.) 20
Lock Haven 7 14 0 14 -- 35
Indiana (Pa.) 7 6 0 7 -- 20
First quarter
LHU--Robert Footman Jr. 2 run (Caden Bauer kick), 11:44.
IUP--D'Avay Johnson 13 pass from Mason Maggs (Preston Rathway kick), 3:25.
Second quarter
LHU--Cureem Hathcock 10 pass from Footman Jr. (Bauer kick), 13:21.
IUP--Preston Rathway 51 field goal, 7:25.
LHU--Jake Roberts 38 pass from Footman Jr. (Bauer kick), 3:24.
IUP--Rathway 21 field goal, 0:36.
Fourth quarter
LHU--Mekhi Watson 33 pass from Footman Jr. (Bauer kick), 8;51.
IUP--Gavin Harrold 2 pass from Mason Maggs (Rathway kick), 6:21.
LHU--Jaiden Huntington 4 pass from Footman Jr. (Bauer kick), 2:06.
TEAM STATISTICS
LHU IUP
First downs 20 19
Rushes-yards 31-85 19-71
Passing yards 231 252
C-A-I 20-27-1 29-42-3
Total yards 316 323
Fumbles-lost 1-0 2-2
Penalties-yards 6-64 7-66
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Lock Haven, Ezequiel Johnson 10-42; Tucker Teats 3-22; Robert Footman Jr. 13-12 TD; Cureem Hathcock 2-9; Celius Benton 1-1; TEAM 1-(minus 1). IUP, Leon Parson 13-59; Mason Maggs 6-12.
PASSING--Lock Haven, Robert Footman Jr. 20-27-1 231 4 TDs. IUP, Mason Maggs 29-42-3 252 2 TDs.
RECEIVING--LHU, Mehki Watson 12-146 TD; Jake Roberts 5-66 TD Cureem Hathcock 1-10 TD; Jaiden Huntington 2-9 TD. IUP, Gavin Harrold 9-95 TD; D'Avay Johnson 5-49 TD; Connor Shamany 5-48; Leon Parson 4-35; Jeremiah Coleman 5-22; Zachary Boyd 1-3.