Box Score

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Junior John Moscatel (Lexington, Mass.) totaled 152 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, but the Southern Connecticut State University football team was edged by No. 10 nationally ranked Indiana (Pa.), 30-20, in the season opener for both teams on Saturday.

The game was tied at 14 at the half, and the Owls were within three late in the fourth quarter before the Crimson Hawks added a late touchdown.

Moscatel finished with a career-high 86 yards rushing on 21 carries along with two scores. He also had 48 yards on kickoff returns and 18 yards receiving. Quarterback Jacob Jablonski (Gales Ferry, Conn.) was 15-of-29 for 236 yards and a touchdown. Vito Fornarelli (Colchester, Conn.) hauled in five receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown, while Gary Williams (West Haven, Conn.) tallied four catches for a team-high 88 yards.

The Crimson Hawks opened the scoring with an eight-play, 82-yard drive that was capped by a 45-yard touchdown run from Erik Finklea. The PAT made it 7-0, and that was also the score after the opening 15 minutes concluded.

Southern answered with an 11-play, 65-yard drive to even the score at 7-7 early in the second quarter. The key play was a 32-yard pass from Jablonski to Fornarelli on a third-and-17. Three plays later, Moscatel took a pitch around the left side and scampered in from a yard out. Jeffrey Groth (Shelton, Conn.) added the PAT to tie the score.



IUP went back in front later in the quarter with an eight-play, 64-yard drive capped by a 9-yard pass from Mike Box to Sean McVay.

The Owls countered with a six-play, 82-yard drive to once again even the score. A 30-yard pass from Jablonski to Williams put the Owls at the IUP 9, and Moscatel punched in his second score of the day on the following play. Groth's PAT evened the score at 14-14, which was the result at halftime.



The Crimson Hawks went back in front on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Box to Drew Caswell with just 10 seconds left in the third quarter. The PAT was no good. However, early in the fourth quarter, Brett Ullman atoned for that missed PAT with a 48-yard field goal that pushed the visitors' lead to 23-14.

SCSU put together an eight-play, 75-yard drive later in the quarter to close back within three. This series concluded with a 22-
yard pass from Jablonski to Fornarelli to make it 23-20.



IUP added a touchdown in the final minutes to make it a 30-20 final.

Brian Wilcox (Jericho, Vt.) had 10 tackles to lead the club in that department. Jonathan Balcacer (Peabody, Mass.), Mike Dunkley (New Rochelle, N.Y.) and Carlif Taylor (Bronx, N.Y.) each had seven stops. Mustaqiim Plair (New Haven, Conn.) had four tackles and broke up four passes on the day.

The Owls return to action on Sept. 14 for their Northeast-10 Conference opener at LIU-Post.