Story and photo courtesy of Indiana (Pa.) Athletics
INDIANA, Pa. - With a fantastic defensive effort that limited the nation's No. 1 offense to just 10 points, 13th-ranked IUP defeated seventh-ranked Shippensburg 41-10 in the 2012 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Football Championship on Saturday afternoon at George P. Miller Stadium.
For his performance on the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Carl Fleming (Reisterstown, MD/Franklin) was named the PSAC Championship Most Valuable Player. Fleming had a game-high 12 tackles, battled down two passes, and returned a fourth quarter interception 40 yards for a touchdown.
The Crimson Hawks (10-1) held a Shippensburg team that entered the game averaging over 566 yards and 53 points to just 271 yards of total offense. Harlon Hill candidate Zach Zulli, Division II's leading passer, completed just 17-of-42 for 205 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
Conversely, IUP quarterback Mike Box (Lawrenceville, GA/Collins Hill) completed 11-of-16 passes for 178 and a career-high three touchdowns, all to wide receiver Terrill Barnes (Gettysburg/Gettysburg). Barnes finished with seven catches for 124 yards.
This is IUP's first PSAC title since 1987.