Complete Preseason Notes (PDF)  |  2015 Schedule  |  2015 Roster  |  PSAC Poll Release

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The defending Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champion Slippery Rock University football team was picked to finish second in the PSAC Western Division Preseason Coaches Poll that was unveiled Monday afternoon from the annual media day event hosted by Slippery Rock.
 
For the third time in the last four years The Rock claimed the PSAC Western Division title last fall and for the third time in that stretch SRU has not been picked as the favorite the following year.
 
Gannon, which finished tied for first in the division last fall but lost the head-to-head matchup with Slippery Rock, was voted as the division favorite by the league's head coaches. Slippery Rock was picked to finish second, followed by Mercyhurst rounding out the top three.
 
California (Pa.) was picked to finish fourth, followed by Indiana (Pa.) in fifth, Seton Hill in sixth, Edinboro in seventh and Clarion in eighth.
 
This marks the first time since Gannon joined the PSAC that the Golden Knights were picked first in the poll. It also marks the first time in the last nine years that Indiana (Pa.) was picked outside the top three. The Crimson Hawks were picked first in each of the last two years.
 
Slippery Rock served as host for the annual media day event that welcomed the head coach and two players from each Western Division school to the Robert M. Smith Student Center for a luncheon. Media members that included television, print and radio representatives from all across the western part of the state were in attendance to interview coaches and players before teams report to preseason training camps later this week.
 
The Rock, under the direction of 28th year head coach George Mihalik, will report to camp Aug. 13 for a 10-day training period before classes begin Aug. 24. Mihalik enters the 2015 season two games shy of coaching his 300th straight game at The Rock. He ranks fourth all-time among PSAC coaches in career wins and currently ranks fourth among all active coaches in Division II with 185 career victories.
 
The complete 2015 preseason notes packet is available as a PDF above. Brief text from the notes can be found below. A video of coach Mihalik talking about the upcoming season can be viewed by clicking the play button on the image above.
 
PRESEASON POLL
1. Gannon
2. Slippery Rock
3. Mercyhurst
4. California (Pa.)
5. Indiana (Pa.)
6. Seton Hill
7. Edinboro
8. Clarion 

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2015 SEASON OUTLOOK
Slippery Rock enters 2015 with high expectations after winning the PSAC title last year and reaching the NCAA Playoffs for the second time in the last two years.
 
The Rock have now won the PSAC Western Division three of the last four years and with that, earned the right to play in the PSAC title game.
 
In each of those years SRU was able to sneak up on the competition after beginning the year well off the radar of nearly all the national polls and ranked no higher than third in the PSAC West Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
That won't be the case this year as the rest of the Western Division will be well aware of The Rock's chances at repeating this year. Any hope of sneaking up on the competition evaporated when Sporting News ranked Slippery Rock No. 9 in its preseason poll. Lindy's Sports also ranked The Rock No. 25 in its preseason rankings.
 
Slippery Rock returns a core nucleus of 20 starters and 38 letterwinners from last year's roster, including All-Americans Cory Tucker (RT), Marcus Martin (DE) and Shamar Greene (RB), along with All-Region selections Derrick Fulmore (S) and Mike Wainauskis (PK) and All-PSAC selections Joe LoSchiavo (C) and Joe Phillips (DT).
 
With many other starters and significant role players returning, Slippery Rock would have been among the favorites in the division already, but add in the transfers of Division I talents Dante Nania (QB) and Teven Williams (LB) from Youngstown State, Titus Howard (CB) from Pitt and Austin Fields (OL/DL) from West Virginia, as well as a deep freshman signing class that includes more than 15 recruits and The Rock looks stronger on paper in 2015 than they were in 2014.
 
Rock head coach George Mihalik opens the year two games shy of coaching his 300th game at The Rock. He owns the fourth-highest win total among all active Division II head coaches with 185 wins.
 
The season kicks off Sept. 5 with the team's longest road trip since the NCAA playoff game at Winston-Salem State in 2013, a trip to the University of New Haven in Connecticut for a Super Region 1 matchup, where the winner will have an early edge in the fight for one of the NCAA playoff spots from the region. The Rock then returns home to host East Stroudsburg at 7 p.m. Sept. 12 and remains home Sept. 19 to host Millersville at 6 p.m.

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STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
 It's tough to think of a schedule that includes New Haven, East Stroudsburg, Gannon, California, Mercyhurst and Indiana (Pa.) as a weak schedule, but overall The Rock's opponents this year were a combined 50-69 (.420) in 2014. Those numbers are pulled down drastically by Cheyney's 0-11 record and Millersville's 1-10 record.

Just looking at the six teams mentioned above though, The Rock will have their hands full. Those six combined for a 41-23 (.641) record.
 
The five opponents Slippery Rock will play at home this year posted a 23-31 (.426) overall record last year, while the six away opponents were 27-38 (.415) in 2014.

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HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Rock football teams have compiled a 144-64 (.692) record the last 39 seasons in games played at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium (formerly known as N. Kerr Thompson Stadium). The Rock own a 45-19 (.703) home record since artificial turf was installed in the summer of 2003 and are 105-42 (.714) in home games under George Mihalik, with a 41-12 (.774) mark in home games since 2005.
 
The numbers get even better in recent years, as The Rock is 10-0 over the last two years and has not lost at home since Nov. 10, 2012. SRU is 23-4 (.852) at home in the last five years (2010-14) and has gone 5-0 three times in that stretch.

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TURN THE LIGHTS ON
The Rock have compiled a record of 23-9 (.719) in home night games at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium since the lights were installed in 2003. The Rock has won 12 of the last 13 home night games and hasn't lost more than one game under the lights at home in the same season since 2004. Slippery Rock will play three of its five home games under the lights this year, in part thanks to television contracts. The Rock will open the home portion of the schedule with back to back night games (ESU on Sept. 12, Millersville on Sept. 19) and will then host rival Indiana (Pa.) in a night game Oct. 24.

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TV COVERAGE
Slippery Rock will have an expanded slate of TV games this year with contracts currently being worked out to televise games against East Stroudsburg, California, Mercyhurst, Indiana and Edinboro. Complete channel listings will be announced in the week prior to each game.

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NCAA PLAYOFF FIELD EXPANDS
The NCAA has expanded the Division II football playoff field by four teams beginning this fall from 24 to 28. What that means is that each of the four Super Regions will receive one extra bid to the postseason. That extra spot will make the fight between the teams ranked 4-10 entering the final week of the regular season an even more interesting one.

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PSAC CHANGES CROSSOVER GAMES RULE
After counting the mandated crossover games as part of the divisional record in 2014, the PSAC has reversed that decision for 2015. That decision helped Slippery Rock win the division and get the bid to the title game last year after SRU won both of its crossovers against East Stroudsburg and Millersville. The Rock will play both of those teams again this year, both at home, but those games will not count toward the division record. Only the seven PSAC West games will determine the divisional winner and representative in the title game.

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WINNING SEASON STREAK
With a 9-3 record last fall, Slippery Rock has now put together six straight winning seasons, has been above .500 in eight of the last nine years and has finished in winning fashion in 22 of the 27 seasons in head coach George Mihalik's career.
 
• Consecutive Winning Seasons: 6
• Winning Seasons in Last 9 Years: 8
• Winning Seasons for Mihalik: 22 of 27
 
Only three teams in the PSAC have managed to put together at least six consecutive winning seasons entering 2015.
 
1. Bloomsburg - 16
2. California – 13
3. Slippery Rock – 6

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RETURNING ALL-PSAC PLAYERS
Slippery Rock returns a total of seven players that earned All-PSAC honors in 2014, including three first team selections.
 

Team	Player	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	Hometown
1st	Cory Tucker	OL	6-4	285	R-Sr.	South Park, Pa.
1st	Marcus Martin	DE	6-3	235	R-So.	West Mifflin, Pa.
1st	Shamar Greene	RB	5-9	185	R-Jr.	Duquesne, Pa.
2nd	Joe LoSchiavo	OL	6-3	290	R-Jr.	Lakewood, Ohio
2nd	Mike Wainauskis	PK	6-0	180	R-Sr.	Jefferson Hills, Pa.
2nd	Joe Phillips	DT	6-3	250	Jr.	Washington, Pa.
2nd	Derrick Fulmore	DB	6-0	200	Jr.	West Mifflin, Pa.

 

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PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
The following list of SRU players are included on one of five Preseason All-America teams that have been announced so far this summer.
 

SPORTING NEWS
1st	Marcus Martin	DE	6-3	235	R-So.	West Mifflin, Pa.
LINDY'S SPORTS
1st	Cory Tucker	OL	6-4	285	R-Sr.	South Park, Pa.
1st	Marcus Martin	DE	6-3	235	R-So.	West Mifflin, Pa.
INSIDE SCOUTING
1st	Cory Tucker	OL	6-4	285	R-Sr.	South Park, Pa.
FOOTBALL GAMEPLAN
1st	Cory Tucker	OL	6-4	285	R-Sr.	South Park, Pa.
USA COLLEGE FOOTBALL
1st	Shamar Greene	RB	5-9	185	R-Jr.	Duquesne, Pa.
1st	Marcus Martin	DE	6-3	235	R-So.	West Mifflin, Pa.
2nd	Joe LoSchiavo	OL	6-3	290	R-Jr.	Lakewood, Ohio
2nd	Mike Wainauskis	PK	6-0	180	R-Sr.	Jefferson Hills, Pa.
2nd	Joe Phillips	DT	6-3	250	Jr.	Washington, Pa.
2nd	Derrick Fulmore	DB	6-0	200	Jr.	West Mifflin, Pa.

 

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GREENE CLIMBING RECORD BOOKS
Shamar Greene's 1,482 rushing yards last fall were the second most ever recorded by a Rock running back in a single-season in the program's illustrious history.
 
Through just two years of his career, Greene is already up to No. 13 on the all-time career rushing ledger at Slippery Rock with 2,209 yards. If he rushes for 1,000 yards in 2015 he will move all the way up to No. 5 all-time. It would take a 1,700+ effort to take the all-time record away from Stan Kennedy (3,932), but if Greene matches his 1,482-yard effort from last fall he would move all the way up to No. 2... and still has one more year of eligibility in 2016.

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MARCUS MARTIN SHATTERS SACK RECORD
Marcus Martin had one of the best freshman seasons in Rock football history last fall when he shattered the single-season sack record with 16.0 sacks, breaking the record by 4.0 sacks. He also tallied an incredible 22.5 tackles for loss on his way to becoming the only freshman in the nation to make the AP Little All-America team.

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RUN DEFENSE EXCELS
The Slippery Rock rush defense was outstanding in 2014. The Rock ranked eighth among all Division II programs in that area, allowing just 92.2 yards per game. SRU held opponents under 75 rushing yards in six of 12 games. The Rock defense allowed just 263 rushing yards in the last four games of the regular season combined (65.8 yards per game) in wins over Indiana (Pa.), Edinboro, Clarion and #5 Bloomsburg.

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NEW VIDEO SCOREBOARD
Mihalik-Thompson Stadium will receive its next upgrade this fall with the addition of a new video scoreboard that will display live video action during home games. The scoreboard was made possible by a generous gift from 1986 Rock alum and successful businessman Chuck Sanders, who was the 1984 NCAA Division II rushing champion. The board is being installed now and is expected to be ready before the first home game.

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NEW COACHING ROLES
Mihalik made the following coaching asssignment changes for 2015: Zack Patterson's role will change to offensive coordinator and QB coach, Frank Bongivengo will coach wide receivers, Domenick Razzano will be the co-defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator, Marc Hull will join the staff as a linebackers coach, former Rock linebacker Quindell Dean will return as a grad assistant and work with the secondary and Josh Bermann will join the staff as a grad assistant and work with the running backs.