In September, IUP football coach Paul Tortorella compared this season to taking a test.
Tortorella became IUP’s interim head coach earlier this year after a 22-year stint as defensive coordinator and replaced Curt Cignetti. After two decades with the program, Tortorella knew the the job better than any of the other potential suitors. And it shows — IUP just completed its first undefeated regular season since 1993.
By all accounts, Tortorella passed the test. He was named PSAC West coach of the year last Wednesday, a day after the school officially removed the interim tag from his title. IUP’s 11-0 record is the best by a first-year coach in school history.
Tortorella credits his staff and players for the team’s success this season. The Crimson Hawks produced a program-record 16 All-PSAC West football honorees and were led by former Sto-Rox High School standout Lenny Williams Jr., who threw for 2,366 yards with 26 touchdowns and just six interceptions this season with a 67.7 percent completion rate.
“You obviously need to have good football players and you need a great staff,” Tortorella said. “They played a big part in so-called passing the test because you take the test every Saturday. You go 11-0. Sometimes on a Saturday, you just don’t have it and you might come up short here and there. We had the opportunity to every Saturday just do enough to win the game, and I think a big part of it is,as a program, we’re just worrying about the next game.”
IUP excelled on both sides this season, ranking 17th in the country in total offense at 466.5 yards per game and 11th in scoring defense with 11.6 points allowed per game.
The next test comes Saturday, when IUP plays host to West Chester in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs at noon. The Crimson Hawks secured a first-round bye after earning the No. 1 seed in the Super Region One rankings.
It’s a familiar opponent for the Crimson Hawks, as they beat West Chester in the PSAC championship game two weeks ago, 24-7.
“They’re always well-coached and they always cause a lot of problems for your defense with the things that they do offensively,” Tortorella said. “They are an offense that will hit the big play on you. That’s the one thing, they’re a big-play offense. They might not do anything for two or three series, and then two series in a row they can hit two big plays for two touchdowns.
“They can score at any time from anywhere, they’ve got a dynamic running back … and defensively they play very hard, they’ve very well-coached, and they don’t make a lot of mistakes.”
Duquesne
Graduate transfer quarterback Tommy Stuart was named a Walter Payton Award finalist Monday after his dominant campaign. He set a single-season school record for completion percentage (.667) for the Dukes to go with 27 passing touchdowns (eighth in the nation).
Washington & Jefferson
The Presidents will play host to Frostburg State at noon in the second round of the Division II playoffs Saturday. Washington & Jefferson beat Johns Hopkins last Saturday, sealing the 31-28 win with a field goal in the final minute.
Omari Sankofa II: osankofa@post-gazette.com and Twitter @omarisankofa.
First Published: November 22, 2017, 11:03 p.m.
