EDINBORO, Pa. – Trailing 34-21 midway through the third quarter, Edinboro turned up the defense and scored the final 21 points to hand Seton Hill a 42-34 defeat on Saturday afternoon at Sox Harrison Stadium. It marked the fifth time Edinboro has rallied for a come-from-behind victory in the fourth quarter or overtime, as the magical season continued under first-year head coach Justin Lustig. Edinboro won its fifth straight game to improve to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in the PSAC West. Seton Hill fell to 5-4 and 2-4, respectively.
 
The eight victories and five straight wins are both the most since the 2009 season. More importantly, Edinboro entered the game ranked seventh in Super Region One, and continues its quest for an NCAA Division II playoff berth. The Fighting Scots play at sixth-ranked California(Pa.) next Saturday, November 5 with a potential chance to play in the PSAC Championship game. Cal is 6-0 in the PSAC West, with Edinboro and Indiana(Pa.) tied at 5-1.
 

The playoffs seemed like nothing but a dream early in the game, as Edinboro trailed 21-7 with 6:42 left in the first quarter after Seton Hill scored touchdowns on each of their first three possessions. The Griffins totaled 241 yards after one quarter and 377 at the half, as they led 28-21 at intermission.
 
Seton Hill boosted the lead to 34-21 with 7:46 left in the third quarter after a short Edinboro punt. The Griffins needed just two plays to go 36 yards, with Christian Strong throwing his second touchdown pass on a 30-yard toss to Norman Darden. The first ray of hope for Edinboro came when Santiago henao missed the extra point.
 
Those would be the last points of the game for Seton Hill, as the Edinboro defense rose up and held the Griffins on their final six possessions.
 
Edinboro answered the Seton Hill drive with a seven-play, 70-yard drive that featured a Jake Sisson completing six straight passes to the SHU 12, the last a 22-yard hookup with James Clark. Sisson actually threw an interception on the next play, but Seton Hill was called for pass interference in the end zone. On second-and-goal, Walter Fletcher scored on a one-yard run for his sixth rushing touchdown of the season. With 4:47 left in the third quarter, Edinboro trailed 34-28.
 
Strong threw an interception on the next Seton Hill possession, with Zuril Hendrick coming up with the pickoff at the Edinboro 38.
 
The Boro would put together another seven-play drive, this one covering 62 yards. The touchdown came on a great throw-and-catch in the back right corner of the end zone to James Clark, the play covering 19 yards. Two plays into the second quarter, and after Austin Reese's extra point, Edinboro took the lead for the first time at 35-34 with 14:32 remaining.
 
Seton Hill's next possession also resulted in a Strong interception, and again by Hendrick, giving Edinboro the ball at the Seton Hill 38. The Scots needed just four play, and one big trick play, to extend the lead. An incomplete pass and a 14-yard run by Fletcher gave the Scots the ball at the SHU 24. On the next play, Sisson threw a lateral to Alex Caratelli to the left. The redshirt junior wide receiver threw back to Sisson on the right sideline. With an escort of three blockers, Sisson took the ball down to the two. He followed with a two-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Williams, giving Edinboro a 42-34 lead with 12:36 to play.
 

Oddly enough, that would be the final points of the game, but Lustig still had some anxious moments. One came after another trick play went awry. Facing a 4th-and-3 at their own 38, the Scots tried a fake punt. The ball was snapped to one of three protectors, former high school quarterback Trey Staunch, now an offensive tackle.  Staunch threw downfield to Williams, but the pass fell incomplete.
 
Seton Hill took over at the 38, but a sack by Victor Hudson forced a punt three plays later.
 
Seton Hill had another opportunity with just over four minutes to play after an interception gave the Griffins the ball at the SHU 42. A pair of runs and an incomplete pass left Seton Hill facing a 4th-and-3. On fourth down, Khalil Howard was stopped for a gain of just a yard by Josh Kibbie and Hudson.
 
The Griffins would have one last possession, taking over at their own 20 with 1:33 to play. Three plays netted six yards, and on fourth down, Hudson and Ethan Upperco sacked Strong for a nine-yard loss to clinch the victory.
 
The game started out as the track meet everyone expected between two of the top offensive teams in the country. They combined for 35 points in the first ten minutes, as the first quarter alone featured over 420 yards in offense.
 
Edinboro took the opening kickoff and was forced to punt, with Seton Hill responding with a seven-play, 75-yard drive for a 7-0 lead. Strong combined with Darden for a 12-yard touchdown pass for the score.
 
Edinboro needed just three plays and 75 yards to tie the score. Freshman Ta'Nauz Gregory made a leaping grab of a Sisson pass at the SHU 35, juked a defender, and sprinted the rest of the way to complete a 60-yard touchdown pass. The freshman wide receiver has now scored at least one touchdown in eight of his nine career games.
 
Seton hill answered with the longest drive of the afternoon, covering 83 yards on 13 plays. Howard capped the march with a one-yard scoring run on 3rd-and-goal. With 7;12 to play in the first quarter, Seton Hill led 14-7.
 
The Griffins were threatening two plays later after Richardo Housen intercepted a Sisson pass at the SHU 37 and returned it 16 yards to the EU 37. On the very next play, Michael Elardo scored on a 37-yard reverse, giving Seton Hill at 21-7 lead with 6:42 to play in the quarter.
 
Not to be outdone, Edinboro needed just four plays to cover 73 yards to close the gap to 21-14. Sisson opened up with completions of 22 and 14 yards to Williams before hitting Clark for 34 yards. He then threw his second touchdown pass of the opening quarter to Williams from a yard out, making it 21-14 with 5:24 left in the first quarter.
 

The two teams somehow went over seven minutes without a score before Seton Hill put together a seven-play, 68-yard drive to take a 28-14 lead. Howard did the honors on another one yard run with 12:08 left in the second quarter.
 
Edinboro closed the gap to a touchdown just before the end of the half after forcing a Seton Hill punt. Taking over at their own 28 with 53 seconds left in the half, the Scots scored on a 72-yard touchdown pass from Sisson to a wide open Caratelli, whose double move left him streaking down the middle of the field. With 42 seconds lefty in the half, it was 28-21.
 
The two teams would combine for over 700 yards in the first half, with Seton Hill at 377 yards and Edinboro at 364. In the second half, the Fighting Scots held the Griffins to 168 yards, including just 15 yards in the fourth quarter.
 
Edinboro would finish with 572 yards, matching their season high, compared to Seton Hill's 545. The Griffins featured a balanced attack, with 326 yards passing and 219 yards rushing. The Scots, meanwhile, relied once again on Sisson's right arm. Edinboro had 485 yards passing and 87 yards passing. For the first time in nine games, Edinboro held an advantage in time of possession, 31:04 to 28:56.
 
Sisson completed 38 of 62 passes for 463 yards with 5 TDs and 3 INTs. He threw for 400-or-more yards for the fourth time this season, and the 463 yards ranks third in a game. The 62 attempts matches his career high he set a week ago at Slippery Rock, and the 38 completions is the third-highest single-game total. He has now thrown for 2,945 yards, the third-highest season total, while moving into sixth place in career passing yards with 5,383.
 

After breaking Trevor Harris' season touchdown passes record last week, he boosted his total to 37 and has thrown five-or-more touchdowns in a game four times. He came into the game ranked second in Division II in touchdown passes. The 37 TD passes is tied for ninth in a season in the PSAC.
 
For the second time in the last three games, three receivers caught passes for 100-or-more yards. It had never been done before prior to the Mercyhurst game. Clark caught 10 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown, while Gregory had 8 catches for 113 yards and Caratelli 7 receptions for 119 yards and a score. Williams had 7 catches for "just" 69 yards, but two went for six points.
 
With 60 receptions, Clark now ranks fourth in a season, with Caratelli adding 56 (sixth) and Gregory 54 (tied for seventh. Clark has 874 yards receiving, good for sixth in a season.
 
After a slow start, Fletcher finished with 77 yards rushing on 17 carries and a score. He added 5 receptions.
 
Seton Hill also put up some big individual numbers, as Strong completed 24 of 43 passes for 326 yards with 2 TDs and 3 INTs. Ardell Brown caught 8 passes for 89 yards, while Elardo had 6 for 121. Howard posted his fifth 100-yard game of the season, finishing with 165 yards and 2 TDs on 29 carries.
 
Linebackers Austin Mietz and Mike Shansky paced the Edinboro defense with 11 tackles, while Brandon Anderson had 10 stops. Hendrick had 7 tackles and the two interceptions, while Hudson had 7 stops with a pair of sacks. That gives him 11 sacks on the season, moving into fourth place in a season.