ASHLAND SPOILS TEPPER'S COACHING DEBUT

EDINBORO, PA - Ashland used a strong defensive effort and two touchdown passes from Jeff Leopold to Erik Coblentz to capture a 24-17 win over Edinboro in the season opener for both teams. The victory spoiled the debut of long-time Division I coach Lou Tepper, who previously served as the head coach at the University of Illinois.

Edinboro jumped to a 10-0 early in the second quarter, but would not score again until sophomore linebacker Foster Johnson (Rochester, NY/Irondequoit) returned an interception 69 yards for a touchdown with 25 seconds to play. The Fighting Scots took a 3-0 lead on Sean McNicholas' (Kirtland, OH/Kirtland) 22-yard field goal with 1:40 left in the first quarter.

Following an Ashland punt, Edinboro drove 61 yards on eight plays, with Alonzo Roebuck (Pittsburgh, PA/ Northgate) capping the march with a 23-yard run on a reverse early in the second quarter.

Ashland answered with a pair of touchdowns in the final four minutes of the half, both aided by pass interference calls. J.R. McCoy accounted for the first with a one-yard dive at 3:47. After forcing an Edinboro punt, the Eagles marched 65 yards in just 1:58 to take a 14-10 lead with 53 seconds left in the half. Leopold found a wide-open Coblentz for the 19-yard touchdown pass.

The Eagle defense limited Edinboro to just 95 yards in the second half. Not one of Edinboro's five drives started beyond the Fighting Scot 20 yard line in the second half. Ashland went up 17-10 on Matt Pifer's 41-yard field goal, then increased the lead to 24-10 after a short Edinboro punt gave the Eagles the ball at the EUP 36. Following a five- yard penalty, Leopold hooked up with Coblentz for a 41-yard score on the next play.

Leopold completed 10 of 21 passes for 151 yards with 2 TDs and 2 INTs. Coblentz hauled in 5 passes for 95 yards, with Jeff Grubich adding 4 receptions for 47 yards. The Eagles finished with 307 yards in total offense.

Edinboro was held to 245 yards in total offense, most coming on the arm of Jack Davis (Cleveland, OH/Villa Angela-St. Joseph). The sophomore quarterback completed 14 of 29 passes for 167 yards. Stephane Lubin (Brampton, ONT/Brampton Centennial) had 6 catches for 60 yards. The Fighting Scot ground game accounted for just 78 yards, with Bernard Henry (Wadesboro, NC/Anson) leading the way with 13 carries for 37 yards. He also had 4 catches for 72 yards.

Edinboro faces another team from the Buckeye state next Saturday, playing at Division I-AA powerhouse Youngstown State. Ashland, meanwhile, will play at Wayne State.

BORO NOTES:

Foster Johnson's 69-yard interception return for a touchdown was the first by an Edinboro player since Brian Decker returned a pickoff for a score against Cheyney in 1997 ... sophomore Jason Gordon (Columbus, OH/ Brookhaven) also had an interception, after leading the Scots with three a year ago ... Henry now has 1,083 career rushing yards, including 1,046 last season, and needs 13 yards to move past Joe Early into 16th place in career rushing ... the average field position for Edinboro in the second half was its own 14, while Ashland was at the AU 44 ... Jeff Richardson (Webster, NY/Webster), a transfer from Hartwick, led Edinboro with 8 tackles, including four for losses ... sophomore Pat Ashley (LeRoy, NY/LeRoy) blocked an Ashland field goal attempt in the fourth quarter.

~ Fighting Scots ~

2000-2001 Press Release Index

Created on ... September 2, 2000