SETON HILL Griffins (5-3, 2-3 PSAC West) at EDINBORO Fighting Scots (6-1, 3-1 PSAC West) 
Date: Saturday, October 29, 2016
Site: Edinboro, Pa.
Stadium: Sox Harrison Stadium (6,000)
Kickoff: 3:00 p.m.
Live Stats: www.sidearmstats.com/edinboro/football/
Radio: WFSE 88.9 (Streamed on www.edinboronow.com)
TV: ESPN3

Edinboro Game Notes
Seton Hill Game Notes
 
The Game Story
 
After finishing 0-11 a year ago, few would have thought that Edinboro would enter week number nine deep in the PSAC West title chase. At 6-1 in conference play, the Fighting Scots are tied with IUP, just a game behind 7-0 California(Pa.). The Fighting Scots and Vulcans meet on November 5, but Edinboro must first get past a Seton Hill team that comes in at 5-3 with a win over PSAC East-leading Kutztown, plus a near upset of IUP. Edinboro picked up its fourth straight win with an incredible 37-35 win at Slippery Rock. At 7-1, Edinboro is off to its best start since 2008. The Fighting Scots are ranked seventh in Super Region One.

The Justin Lustig Era continues to reach new heights in its first season. The Fighting Scots are 7-1 after the 2015 squad went 0-11.  Edinboro opened the season with road wins at Saint Joseph's(In.) (31-30) and at Lock Haven (44-38), followed by a classic 54-51 double overtime win over West Chester in the home opener. The Fighting Scots opened PSAC West action with a 56-28 loss to then ninth-ranked Indiana(Pa.), but righted themselves nicely with an impressive 62-14 win at Clarion.  That was followed by back- to-back wins over local rivals Gannon and Mercyhurst, a 41-17 Homecoming win over the Golden Knights, and a 45-16 win at Mercyhurst two weeks ago. Last week, Edinboro won a 37-35 decision at Slippery Rock, snapping a six-game losing streak to The Rock. The last time Edinboro got off to a 7-1 start was 2008. Edinboro has now clinched a winning season for the first time since 2011.

Justin Lustig was the first head coach at Edinboro to win his first three games, and is now the first head coach to win seven of his first eight games. Lustig and former head coach Scott Browning had been the only Edinboro head coaches to win their first two games and also their first two road games. Lustig is Edinboro's 14th head coach. 

Like Edinboro, Seton Hill is enjoying a resurgence in 2016. The Griffins come in with a 5-3 record, their most wins since the 2008 squad finished at 9-3. In fact, Seton Hill had won just 11 games the last seven years. The Griffins handed Kutztown, the PSAC?Eastern Division leader, a 44-22 defeat, and nearly pulled off an upset of Indiana(Pa.) before suffering a 47-39 loss.

Edinboro's win at Saint Joseph's snapped an 11-game losing streak for the Fighting Scots after Edinboro suffered its first winless season since 1951 and the seventh in school history.  The Fighting Scots finished 0-11 a year ago, the most losses in school history. The win also snapped a string of eight straight setbacks on the road dating back to October 2014. Edinboro has now won five straight games road games for the first time since the 2003 season.

Edinboro is ranked seventh in the NCAA's initial Super Region One poll. LIU-Post is first and California(Pa.), Edinboro's opponent next week, is second. In addition, the Fighting Scots were among "others receiving votes" in this week's AFCA?Division II?Top 25. Edinboro was last ranked in the AFCA poll in 2011.

The Edinboro-Seton Hill game has the makings of a shootout. The teams rank one-two in the PSAC in passing offense and pass attempts.  Seton Hill averages a league-high 392.3 ypg., while Edinboro is second at 342.3 ypg. Edinboro, meanwhile, has attempted 388 passes, the top figure in the league, with the Griffins next at 382. Both have attempted over 60 passes more than the next team in the PSAC.  Edinboro has thrown 40-or-more passes in six of eight games, and over the three games has averaged 54 passes per game.  Seton Hill has thrown at least 38 passes in every game, including 62 passes against California(Pa.) and 56 vs. Gannon. Edinboro comes in averaging 42.8 ppg., third in the PSAC?and tenth in Division II. Seton Hill averages 35.3 ppg., fourth in the PSAC. 

Edinboro was picked to finish eighth in the PSAC West in the coaches' preseason poll after being picked to finish seventh a year ago.  Seton Hill was picked to finish seventh.

Youth is featured on the 2016 roster, along with a touch of seniority. After having just five seniors in 2015, this year's roster has six redshirt seniors and nine seniors. However, 50 of the 83 players on the opening day roster have a year experience or less. That breaks down to 24 freshman, nine redshirt freshmen, and 17 sophomores. The youth was evident in the season opener, with two redshirt freshmen starting and a total of three true freshmen and six redshirt freshmen playing.

Jake Sisson continues to rank among the NCAA leaders in passing and total offense.  The junior quarterback has passed for 32 touchdowns on the season. He has been named the PSAC?West Offensive Player of the Week three times, and has been named the D2Football.com Offensive Player of the Week twice. He was responsible for a school-record seven touchdowns at Clarion. Sisson currently ranks second in NCAA Division II in points responsible for (216) and is second in passing touchdowns (32). He ranks second in the PSAC and fourth nationally in yards passing (2,730) and passing yards per game (341.3), and also in total offense (354.4 ypg.).    


On Radio ...
The Edinboro-Seton hill game can be heard live on WFSE FM 88.9, with Drew Patrick providing the play-by-play and George Schmidt the commentary. The WFSE stream can be heard at www.edinboronow.com.  In addition, all Edinboro radio broadcasts will be aired by the Keystone Sports Network. The games will be broadcast on WWCB 1370 AM in Corry, Pa. and WLOA 1470 AM in Greenville, Pa. The Keystone Sports Network streams live at www.keystonesports.net.

... and TV
} The SportsFever Television Network will televise the game on a variety of outlets, along with the game being available on ESPN3. Edinboro will be featured in four SportsFever Game of the Week telecasts in 2016.

LIVE
ESPN 3 (Accessible at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One)
ESPN College Extra
WPNT 22 -- Pittsburgh
WHP 21.2 --Harrisburg/Lancaster/York/Carlisle/ Lebanon
WHAG 25 -- Hagerstown/Frederick/Chambersburg/Cumberland/Winchester/Washington D.C.
 
DELAY
Saturday, October 29 -- 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 30 -- 3:00 p.m.
Monday, October 31 -- 6:00 a.m.
Tuesday, November 1 -- 7:00 p.m.
SPORTS TIME OHIO -- Erie, Meadville, Sharon, Cleveland, Columbus, Akron, Toledo, Huntington, Charleston, Youngstown & Buffalo

The All-Time Series
Edinboro leads 2-1
Edinboro won the first two meetings with Seton hill, both at Sox Harrison Stadium, before the Griffins picked up their first win in the series last year at Offutt Field.

The Last Meeting
2015 -- Seton Hill 44, Edinboro 22 
Seton Hill took control of a close game at the half with two quick third-quarter scores and went on to hand Edinboro a 44-23 defeat. In a battle of backup quarterbacks, the Griffins scored 30 unanswered points after Edinboro grabbed a 16-14 lead. The tide of the game turned on a pair of key plays, one late in the second quarter and the other early in the third. After taking a 16-14 lead late in the second quarter, Edinboro had the Griffins stopped near midfield with less than two minutes remaining. Seton Hill, however, executed a fake punt to perfection, with Khalil Howard rambling 38 yards to the Edinboro 14. After three runs lost a yard, Jesser Boulnemour came in and kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired to give Seton Hill a 17-16 advantage at the half. The second play occurred after Seton Hill took the second half kickoff and marched 79 yards in 10 plays. Dan Pietrangelo completed the drive with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Ty George to give the Griffins a 23-16 lead with 12:13 to play. On Edinboro's first play from scrimmage in the second half, the Scots fumbled, with the Griffins recovering at the EU 16. Four plays later the Griffins were up 30-16 as Brandon Stout scored on a two-yard run.  Edinboro did not score again until midway through the fourth quarter on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Wallman to Alex Caratelli. Edinboro could never find an answer to Seton Hill's offense. The Griffins finished with 653 total yards, the third-highest total ever against Edinboro. The Scots finished with 376 total yards behind backup quarterback Wallman. The true freshman made his first appearance this season, and would complete 31 of 50 passes for 283 yards.  Caratelli hauled in 13 catches for 139 yards and a TD, with Darren Massey adding 11 catches for 81 yards and a score. Cory Bell ran for 116 yards on 18 carries. 


Last Week
Edinboro 37, Slippery Rock 35
The Fighting Scots led 31-13 lead early in the third quarter, only to see Slippery Rock run off 22 straight points to take a 35-31 lead with 57 seconds to go. Jake Sisson, who enjoyed an up-and-down day, proceeded to lead Edinboro on an eight-play, 73-yard touchdown drive. It included a brilliant throw and catch on a 22-yard hookup with Jordan Williams that gave Edinboro a first down at the SRU 15 with 13 seconds left. After two incomplete passes, The Rock was called for pass interference in the end zone with no time remaining on the clock. Given one additional down, Sisson threw a two-yard touchdown pass to James Clark for the winning score. Sisson would throw for four touchdowns on the day, giving him 32 on the year to break Trevor Harris' season  record. The junior also endured a record-tying five interceptions on a blustery day. Williams caught TD passes of 9 and 3 yards, and Ta'Nauz Gregory added a 5-yard TD catch and an 85-yard kickoff return for six points. Austin Reese booted a 43-yard field goal into a strong wind. Edinboro won despite being outgained, 442 yards to 267 yards, a season-low. Sisson completed 28 of a career-high 62 passes for 248 yards with 4 TDs and 5 INTs. 
  
.     
Seton Hill 55, Mercyhurst 45
The Griffins jumped out to a 41-10 lead early in the third quarter then held off a late Mercyhurst rally. In addition to 100 points, the two teams combined for 105 passes and 864 yards through the air. Seton Hill would finish with 615 yards, including 458 yards passing as Christian Strong completed 28 of 46 passes for 4 TDs, two to Michael Benton-Ferguson. Khalil Howard set a new Seton Hill record with four touchdowns rushing, finishing with 111 yards on 19 carries.    
 

 
The Coaches
Justin Lustig (Bucknell '00) took over as Edinboro's 14th head coach on January 11, 2016. This marks Lustig's first head coaching position after serving as an assistant coach at Ball State since 2011. A native of western Pennsylvania who played his high school football at nearby Cathedral prep, Lustig also has served as an assistant coach at Louisiana-Lafayette, Eastern Illinois, Christopher Newport, and Villanova.  Lustig has been a part of four teams that earned bowl eligibility in eight years at the FBS level. He was an assistant on five teams that won conference championships in 14 years in the profession, including six NCAA playoff appearances and two bowl games. Five of the teams he has been associated with have been ranked in the top 25. Finally, he has helped develop 37 all-conference performers, including 12 at Ball State. Most recently, Lustig was the special teams coordinator/ running backs coach at Ball State since 2011, along with earning the title of assistant head coach prior to the 2015 season. The Cardinals played in two bowl games during Lustig's tenure. They faced UCF in the Beef O'Brady's Bowl in 2012, then earned a spot in the 2013 GoDaddy Bowl against Arkansas State. Ball State finished with a 10-3 record in 2013 and 9-4 in 2012. In addition, Ball State posted wins over four BCS conference teams -- Indiana twice, South Florida, and Virginia.     
 
Isaac Collins (Rochester '94) is in his fourth season as the head coach at Seton Hill.  He took over the Griffins' program after serving as the head coach at Widener the previous three years. He has a 12-29 record at Seton Hill and is 37-37 in his seventh year as a head coach.  Collins led Widener to the 2012 Mid-American Conference championship with an 11-1 record.  The Pride won the ECAC?Atlantic South Bowl Championship.  He was recognized as the 2012 MAC?Coach of the Year.  He compiled a 25-8 record during his three seasons, including a No. 8 ranking in the AFCA Division III?Top 25.  From 2006-09, he served as the defensive coordinator for The Citadel.  His 2007 defense led the Southern Conference in total defense.  He has also served as an assistant coach at Delaware, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Columbia and Hobart.
  
    
Lustig Comments ... on the Fighting Scots
"I am very proud of how our team went into Slippery Rock and competed against a very good team. It was certainly not a clean ball game, but we found a way to make plays at the end to earn the victory. That tells you a lot about the persistence and fight of our team." 
 

Lustig Comments ... on the Griffins
"Seton Hill is a very good 5-3 football team. Their game against IUP should be enough evidence of how talented they are. Their quarterback is a key component to their success and slowing him down will be imperative. It will be nice for our team to return to Sox Harrison after being on the road for the past two weeks."