ASHLAND — Maybe the fourth time is the charm.
For the fourth time in program history, Ashland has advanced to Division II football’s Sweet 16. Fourth-seeded AU (10-1) will meet No. 1 seed Indiana University Pennsylvania (9-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday at IUP’s George P. Miller Stadium.
The Eagles previously reached the super region semifinals in 2008, 2015 and 2017. Each time, AU came up empty-handed.
“This is the fourth time we’ve had a chance to advance to the semifinals of the region. … Every time you draw a tough team and it’s no different this time,” Ashland coach Lee Owens said. “I think if you’re there enough times, knocking on the door enough times, sooner or later you bust the door down.
“It takes that. The other team’s not going to give you the win. You’re going to have to go in and take it. You’re going to have to play hard for 60 minutes and make a play at the end to win it.”
Ashland advanced to the Super Region One semifinals with a 20-13 win over Notre Dame in last week’s playoff opener. Tailback Larry Martin rushed for 135 yards, while quarterback Austin Brenner completed 7-of-15 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 47 yards and a score.
The Eagles overcame a pair of first-quarter turnovers in cold and blustery playing conditions to beat Notre Dame for a second time this season. The teams met in the regular season opener with AU pulling away late for a 31-14 win.
“This team is kind of built for that kind of scenario,” Owens said of playing in the tough conditions. “We run the ball pretty well, we play good defense. We play hard and we’re a physical football team.
“It was a hard draw, there’s no question. Trying to beat a good team twice is really difficult to do and our guys found a way to do it.”
AU will face an even bigger challenge Saturday. IUP won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference with a 24-21 victory over Shepherd in the PSAC championship game.
“IUP is a big, strong, physical football team,” Owens said. “I think IUP and Ashland are pretty evenly-matched. Because we go there, advantage IUP.
“The good thing is we do have some maturity. For the most part … we’ve shown up and played hard and found a way to win (on the road). That’s what it’s going to take this week.”
Martin lead’s AU’s rushing attack with 1,155 yards and nine touchdowns on 209 carries. Gei’vonni Washington has been hobbled by injuries most of the year, but rushed for 42 yards on 11 carries last week.
“If you don’t stop them from running, you’re done,” IUP coach Paul Tortorella told the Indians (Pennsylvania) Gazette. “They set up the pass by running the ball. Most teams we play nowadays are the opposite.
“They’re very similar to us in regard to philosophy.”
Like Ashland, IUP’s offense is built around its running game. The Crimson Hawks average 172.9 rushing yards per game. Dayjure Stewart leads IUP with 794 yards and seven touchdowns on 144 carries, but suffered an injury in the PSAC championship game and his status for Saturday is unclear.
Quarterback Mak Sexton has completed 179-of-274 passes for 2,555 yards and 29 touchdowns. Duane Brown has 66 catches for 1,045 yards and 16 touchdowns but missed the PSAC championship game with a knee injury. Like Stewart, Brown is questionable for Saturday’s game.
Ashland and IU met during the regular season in 2017 and again in 2018. The Crimson Hawks booted a walk-off field goal in 2017 for a 26-23 win and beat Ashland 21-17 at Ashland the following year.
“We played a really good IUP team in 2017 and 2018 … and in both cases we weren’t able to make plays at the end,” Owens said. “They made the play at the end and we didn’t.
“As we move through this tournament, and in this round in particular, it becomes really important that we make the last play. We make one more play than they do. That’s what we’re trying to coach this week.”
