Complete Game Notes (28-page PDF)

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University football team will open the home portion of its 2017 schedule Saturday night when No. 24 West Chester visits Mihalik-Thompson Stadium for a nationally televised kickoff at 6 p.m.
 
Below you will find all pertinent information regarding live streaming coverage options, ticket information, parking, tailgating and complete game notes.
 
LIVE INTERNET COVERAGE
• Live Stats  |  Provided by SRU athletic communication office.
• Live Streaming Video (FREE)  |  Rock Digital Network - Provided by SRU athletic communication office.
• ESPN 3  |  ESPN subscription or cable package with ESPN required.
• Live Audio (Online and Radio)  |  Provided by The Rock Station 97.7 FM (Butler).
• Twitter  |  All scoring information and in-game updates.
 
LIVE TELEVISION LISTINGS
• ESPN 3 - Available to more than 99 million households at WatchESPN.com, on smart phones and tablets via the ESPN app and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
• ESPN College Extra - Live TV available to AT&T Uverse, DirecTV, Bright House Networks, Cox, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS and select NCTC subscribers.
• WPNT 22 - 22 over-the-air, Comcast SD 10/HD 812, Comcast Clarion SD 12/HD 812, Armstrong SD 22/HD 108, Atlantic Broadband SD 8/HD 707, Citizens SD 12/HD 812, Time Warner SD 22/HD 1022, Verizon SD 10/ HD 510, Consolidated SD 10/HD 710, DirecTV 22, Dish Network 22 (Pittsburgh, Western Pa.).
• WJAC 6.2 - 6.2 over-the-air, Comcast 110-187-202-248, Armstrong 410, Atlantic Broadband 110, Windstream 16, Laurel Highland 15 (Johnstown/Altoona/State College).
• SPORTS TIME OHIO (Erie Time Warner 21-23/HD308-1308, Armstrong 47/HD177, Sharon Time Warner 76/HD 308-1308, DirecTV 662, Dish Network 431) Erie, Meadville, Sharon, Cleveland, Columbus, Akron, Toledo, Huntington, Charleston, Youngstown & Buffalo.
 • WLVT 39.4 (39.4 over-the-air, Comcast 266, Comcast Princeton 136, Service Electric 112, RCN 8, Blue Ridge 153, Verizon 472,) Philadelphia/Lehigh Valley.
• WHP CW (21.3 over-the-air, Comcast 13/HD805 Harrisburg, Comcast 4/HD854 Lancaster, Blue Ridge 9, Verizon 15/HD 515, DirecTV 15, DISH 15) Harrisburg/Lancaster/York/Carlisle/Lebanon.
• BLUE RIDGE CABLE NETWORK (BRC 113, BRC 11, BRC 13) Poconos, Eastern and Northern PA
 
TICKETS (For advance tickets, Call 724-738-2021 or stop by the Athletic Office in Morrow Field House )
• Tickets can be purchased on game day. The stadium gates will open at 4:30 p.m.
• Chair-back Reserved Seat - $10
• Reserved Bench Seat - $10
• Adult General Admission - $8
• Ages 6-High School - $3
• Children Under 6 - FREE
• SRU Students – FREE with valid student ID
• WCU Students – $5 with valid student ID
 
PARKING
• Parking is available in the lots surrounding the stadium
• Parking spaces are $5 in all tailgating lots (directly below stadium)
• Campus Map  |  Stadium is #53 on Map
 
TAILGATING
• Tailgating is allowed in paid lots three hours before kickoff (lots open at 3 p.m.)
• No Tailgating at halftime
• All Tailgaters must enter game at kickoff
• Tailgating is open for two hours after game ends
• No hard liquor or glass bottles
• Adhere to all campus tailgating rules found HERE.
 
FOOTBALL ALUMNI ZONE
  • To comply with PSAC and NCAA Championship guidelines, and to ensure the safety of players and team personnel, alumni will no longer be allowed on the sideline during games.
  • The Rock Football Alumni Zone will be on the track beyond the end zone opposite the scoreboard. A tent will be placed there for alumni to gather pregame.
  • Football alumni wishing to watch the game from field level will be asked to stay on the track surface behind that end zone and will not be allowed on the sidelines.
  • Football alumni wanting passes for the Alumni Zone should contact Steve Saylor at slipperyrockfootball@gmail.com before Friday to reserve your pass at the Will Call window.
  • No alcoholic beverages will be permitted in the Alumni Zone.
  • No children under the age 16 will be permitted in the Alumni Zone.

HALL OF FAME GAME
The Rock will induct its 2017 Hall of Fame class at a banquet Saturday afternoon. The honorees, which include former football standout Brian Polk, will be recognized at halftime of the game. For more information about the Class of 2017, click HERE.

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THE GAME
Slippery Rock welcomes No. 24 West Chester for the home opener. This marks the fourth straight year these two teams will meet, but the first in that stretch where the game will be played at SRU. Both teams have high expectations and enter the week getting attention on the national stage. The Golden Rams moved into the national poll at No. 24 this week, while SRU is receiving votes (complete poll on page 10 of the PDF notes linked above).
 


ALL-TIME SERIES
Slippery Rock and West Chester have met just 17 times in a series that began in 1929. Six of those meetings were in the PSAC Championship game and another was an NCAA playoff game. This marks the fourth straight year the teams will meet. The last four meetings in the series were all played at West Chester. The Golden Rams haven't visited Mihalik-Thompson Stadium since 2010.
 
  • Last Meeting: 2016 (SRU won 36-28)
  • Current Streak: Slippery Rock has won the last two games.
  • First Meeting: 1929 (SRU won 13-6)
  • at West Chester: WCU leads 6-4
  • at Slippery Rock: SRU leads 5-2
  • Most Points Scored (by WCU): 46 (2014)
  • Biggest Win Margin (by WCU): 36-6 (1963)
  • Most Points Scored (by SRU): 61 (2015)
  • Biggest Win Margin (by SRU): 61-12 (2015)
  • Last SRU Win: 2016 at WCU (36-28)
 
SUCCESS AGAINST THE PSAC EAST
Slippery Rock has won its last 10 regular season games against PSAC East opponents, dating back to the final game of the 2012 season. The only losses The Rock have suffered to a PSAC East team during that stretch were the PSAC title game at Bloomsburg in 2013 and an NCAA playoff game at West Chester in 2014.
 
ROCK GETS TOP TWO IN THE EAST THIS YEAR
Slippery Rock is scheduled to face the top two vote getters in the PSAC East this year. West Chester was a unanimous pick for the top spot in the East. This will mark the fourth straight year SRU and WCU will meet and the first time in that stretch that the game will be played at SRU. Kutztown, which won the PSAC East last year with a 7-0 record, is scheduled to be the week 11 opponent for SRU.
 
COACHING MATCHUP
Slippery Rock head coach Shawn Lutz is in his 22nd overall season at The Rock and his second as head coach. Lutz posted a 7-4 record in 2016 in his first season as head coach. Prior to that, he served four years as the associate head coach and eight as the defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. Lutz has been a member of the coaching staff for eight of SRU's PSAC West titles. He played tight end at West Virginia University, graduating in 1996. Lutz then earned a master's degree in sport management from SRU in 2003.
 
West Chester head coach Bill Zwaan is in his 15th year as the head coach of the Golden Rams and his 21st year as a collegiate head coach. He went 54-14 in six seasons at Division III Widener before moving to West Chester in 2003. He is 117-54 at West Chester (.684), ranks eighth all-time in PSAC wins (117) and is fourth among active Division II head coaches with 171 career NCAA victories. He played quarterback at the University of Delaware, graduating in 1979.
 
TURN THE LIGHTS ON
The Rock have compiled a record of 28-9 (.756) in home night games at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium since the lights were installed in 2003. SRU has won 10 straight and 17 of the last 18 home night games and hasn't lost more than one game under the lights at home in the same season since 2004. The last home night game loss for Slippery Rock came on Sept. 29, 2012 in a back-and-forth game that Kutztown came out of with a 56-49 win. The Rock will play three home night games this season with the games against Lock Haven next week and California (Pa.) Sept. 30 also set for 6 p.m. kickoffs.
 
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Rock football teams have compiled a 156-65 (.706) record the last 41 seasons in games played at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium (formerly known as N. Kerr Thompson Stadium). The Rock own a 57-20 (.740) home record since artificial turf was installed in the summer of 2003 and are 53-13 (.803) in home games since 2005.
 
The numbers get even better in recent years, as The Rock are 22-1 (.957) since the beginning of 2013 and have posted a 35-5 (.875) record at home since the beginning of the 2010 season. SRU has posted four flawless home seasons since 2010, including a 7-0 mark in 2015 that included a pair of NCAA playoff wins, which were the first home NCAA playoff wins since the 1999 season.
 
SEASON OPENER STREAK
Slippery Rock's win at Kentucky State last week marked the ninth straight year The Rock have opened the season with a win. The last time SRU failed to open their season with a victory was the 2008 season at Seton Hill University.
 
FIRST TV GAME OF THE YEAR -MIHALIK ON THE CALL
This week's game will be televised by the SportsFever Network and will air regionally on WPNT-22 out of Pittsburgh. It will stream nationwide on ESPN3 and the ESPN app. Legendary SRU head coach George Mihalik, who won 197 games before retiring after the 2015 season, will join the broadcast team as a color commentator. Fans without an ESPN subscription will still be able to stream the game for free through The Rock Digital Network at www.RockAthletics.com. This marks the third straight year that the SRU-WCU matchup will be televised.
 
LAST MEETING WITH WEST CHESTER - 9/10/16  |  Box Score
No. 12 Slippery Rock held off a West Chester team that ran 99 plays on a day where temperatures on the turf exceeded 100 degrees to post a 36-28 road win last September.
 
The Rock trailed for less than three minutes in the game and built as much as a 15-point lead on three different occassions, but could never slam the door as West Chester stayed in it. SRU led 36-21 with 10:24 to play. West Chester scored with 2:14 left to cut it to 36-28 and got the ball back one more time, but couldn't get out of its own half of the field as time wound down.
 
West Chester posted a 500-341 edge in total offense in part thanks to running 31 more plays (99-68) than SRU. Both teams averaged 5.0 yards per play. WCU got most of its yardage through the air, passing for 431 yards and rushing for 69. Slippery Rock ran for 170 yards and passed for 171. Turnovers played a role in the game, as West Chester threw three interceptions and SRU threw one interception and lost one fumble.
 
Shamar Greene led SRU with 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Don King III threw for 171 yards with three touchdowns. A total of seven players caught at least one pass with TDs going to Milly Raye, Marcus Johnson and Leroy McClain. Marcus Martin finished with 3.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks to lead the defense.
 
WCU threw the ball 64 times, completing 32 passes. QB Andrew Derr finished with 431 yards and three TDs. Shannon Mayer caught nine passes for 128 yards and two scores.
 
LAST WEEK FOR SLIPPERY ROCK
Slippery Rock jumped out to a 28-0 lead and never trailed in posting a 42-21 road win at Kentucky State last Saturday. The Rock found success through the air, passing for 403 yards, as a muddy grass field made the ground game challenging. SRU finished with a 487-245 edge in total offense and held Kentucky State to just 77 rushing yards on 41 carries, an average of 1.9 yards per carry.
 
Tanner Garry passed for 390 yards, five touchdowns and no INT to lead the offense. Marcus Johnson caught 12 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns and Milly Raye caught seven passes for 132 yards and one score, a highlight reel 57-yarder that made SportsCenter's Top 10 plays Saturday. Johnson's 231 yards were the second most in the nation in week one. Marcus Martin broke the SRU single-game record with 6.0 tackles for loss.
 
GARRY COMMANDS OFFENSE - NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tanner Garry was named the PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week after his five TD passes ranked first in the nation in week one. His 390 yards ranked sixth in the nation and his 30 points responsible for were the fifth most in the country.
 
NO RUST FOR GARRY AT QB SPOT
The QB battle in preseason camp went to the wire, with Youngstown State transfer Tanner Garry coming away as the starter. Garry wasted little time in proving that was the right call, putting together one of the best debuts for an SRU starter in program history. He completed 65 percent of his passes for 390 yards with five touchdowns, no interceptions and no sacks. The start marked the first of the redshirt senior's college career and marked his first full game at QB since his senior year of high school in 2011-12.
 


LAST WEEK FOR WEST CHESTER
West Chester was dominant in all phases of the game in posting a 51-9 win over Bentley at home last Thursday night. The Golden Rams put up a 478-213 advantage in total offense after throwing for 265 yards and rushing for 213, while holding Bentley to just 34 rushing yards on 30 carries, an average of 1.1 yards per touch.
 
Paul Dooley was efficient, completing 12-of-15 passes for 183 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 42 yards. Mark Dukes rushed for 82 yards and one TD and Jarel Elder added 42 rushing yards and one score. Four players caught a TD pass, led by Tyler Karpinski with six catches for 80 yards and one score. Jordan Banks (4-67-1) and Rasheem Jones (2-68-1) were the only other players with more than one catch. Tyler Morrissey led the defense with 2.0 sacks, while Rashee Davis had three pass breakups and Deionte Wilson and Jordan Burney each finished with a team-high five tackles.
 
MARTIN CLOSING IN ON NCAA RECORDS
Senior defensive end Marcus Martin entered this season needing 6.0 sacks and 11.0 tackles for loss to tie the all-time Division II records in each category. He took a big chunk out of those numbers in week one when he broke the SRU single-game record for tackles for loss, posting 6.0 TFL and 1.0 sack at Kentucky State. Martin now ranks third all-time in Division II with 72.0 tackles for loss, just 5.0 away from the record of 77.0 that is currently held by Andre Bernardi from North Greenville. He now has 41.5 career sacks and ranks fifth all-time in that category, just 5.0 away from the record of 46.5 that is currently held by Lucky Baar from McKendree. Martin is already the all-time SRU and PSAC record holder in both categories. More on Martin on pages 4-5 of the PDF notes linked above.
 
JOHNSON BECOMING ELITE No. 1 RECEIVER
Senior wideout Marcus Johnson caught a career-high 12 passes last week for 231 yards and three touchdowns, marking the second-most receiving yards in a single-game in program history, trailing only his own 237-yard effort in the final game of 2016. In his last two games, Johnson has gone for 468 yards and seven touchdowns through the air. He is up to sixth all-time at SRU with 17 career TD grabs.
 
MILLY RAYE GOES OFF - THEN GOES VIRAL
While Johnson was dominant on the outside last week, slot receiver Milly Raye was just as unstoppable underneath. He finished with 132 yards and one score to mark the first time since Nov. 9, 2013 that Slippery Rock had two receivers go over 100 yards in the same game. Raye, whose Spin-o-Rama touchdown was viewed millions of times on social media thanks to posts by ESPN and Bleacher Report over the weekend, now has 1,610 career receiving yards and ranks eighth all-time at SRU.
 
FRESHMEN PLAY WELL
In total, Slippery Rock played 18 freshmen or redshirt freshmen last week in the opener that had never played a down of college football, including six that started. All three of The Rock's starting linebackers are freshmen and all three played a significant role last week. Tim Vernick recorded 10 tackles and one sack, Dylan Whiteman recorded seven stops and forced one fumble, Trysten McDonald finished with six solo tackles and two tackles for loss and Mason DeHart recovered a fumble. Lineman Owen Jacobs added a blocked field goal.
 
STILL TOUGH TO RUN ON
Despite starting five freshmen and nine new starters on the defensive side of the ball last week, The Rock defense maintained what has been their staple for the last five years - clogging up the run game. SRU has ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation the last three seasons in stopping the run and hasn't allowed teams to rush for an average of 100 or more yards per game for more than three years. The Rock held Kentucky State to 77 rushing yards on 41 attempts, an average of just 1.9 yards per carry. SRU finished the game with 15.0 tackles for loss, led by Marcus Martin's 6.0. Zach Bader and Trysten McDonald each had 2.0, while Khadir Roberts had 1.5 and Tim Vernick and Tim Soave each had 1.0.
 
NEELY GRABS STARTING SPOT BACK
Redshirt freshman tailback Chacar Berry opened the season atop the running back depth chart, but fumbled twice in his debut last week. Isiah Neely took the bulk of the carries and was productive to the tune of 54 yards and one touchdown. Neely, who was a second-team All-PSAC performer last year, is expected to start in week two.
 


LINEBACKING RUNS IN THE VERNICK FAMILY
Fans watching the opener last week would have noticed a 10-tackle, one sack effort from The Rock's starting middle linebacker, redshirt freshman Tim Vernick. He picked up right where his older brother, Bob, left off. Bob Vernick graduated last year and was a first team All-Region middle linebacker that appeared in 44 games over the last four years at SRU. With Tim earning the starting job, it could pave the way for a stretch of eight straight years with a Vernick patrolling the middle of the SRU defense.
 
OFFENSIVE LINE SOLID IN WEEK ONE
On paper, the strongest unit on the roster entering the season was the offensive line. With four starters returning from last fall and the addition of Northwestern University graduate transfer Ian Park at right guard, the line looked to be one of the strongest units in recent years. All-PSAC right tackle Steve Gaviglia, center, Jim Popa, left guard Austin Fields and left tackle Chris Larsen didn't allow a single sack in the week one opener at Kentucky State, allowing the offense to throw for more than 400 yards. The Rock's five starters on the line average out at 6 feet, 2.5 inches and 296 pounds.
 
SAMPLE SHINES IN DEFENSIVE DEBUT
Tavarus Sample made the switch from wide receiver to safety for the 2017 season and the dividends showed in week one when Sample led The Rock in total tackles with 11, including seven solo. He also registered one pass breakup. Sample made the move in the spring and emerged as the starting strong safety. The coaching staff described the move as a natural fit for Sample, who has embraced the role.
 
BADER STEPS UP IN THE TRENCHES
Trey Blandford was projected to start at the nose guard position last week, but tweaked something during warmups and couldn't play. Zach Bader stepped up and delivered, tallying five solo tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack.
 
PARK ADDS POWER ON THE RIGHT
All-PSAC right tackle Steve Gaviglia is joined on the right side of the offensive line by Northwestern University alum Ian Park at the guard spot. Park, at 6-4, 315 pounds, is among the biggest offensive linemen in the PSAC this season. With starting experience in the Big 10, Park figures to be a key addition to the line. He played spring ball at SRU after graduating last December and made such an impact on the team in less than one year that his teammates voted him as a captain for this fall. Park earned his bachelor's degree in communications from Northwestern.
 
TEAM CAPTAINS NAMED
The coaching staff named two captains early in camp with those votes going to Marcus Martin on the defensive side of the ball and Milly Raye on the offensive side of the ball. After camp, the players voted on the other two captains. Those votes went to Ian Park on offense and Delmar Henderson on defense, giving The Rock four captains in their fifth year on a collegiate roster.
 
CHAPLA SET FOR DOUBLE DUTY
Placekicker Jake Chapla came out of camp as not only the projected starter for placekicking duties, but also as the projected starter in the punting game. Fellow sophomore Josiah Davis handled the punting role last year. Chapla punted twice in the opener for an average of 41.5 yards with a long of 47. He was a perfect 6-for-6 on extra point tries and missed his lone field goal attempt, a 46-yarder to end the first half.
 


STARTERS NOTES
A total of 12 players made their first start in the Green and White in the opener, including eight on the defensive side of the ball and four on offense. Of those 12, six are either true freshmen or redshirt freshmen.
 
Marcus Martin has started 21 more games than any other player on the SRU roster and enters week two of the season with 38 straight starts, the most of any player in the PSAC.  The next highest number of starts on the SRU roster is Milly Raye's 17, followed by Marcus Johnson's 13. Austin Fields and Jim Popa started the last 12 games and Steve Gaviglia only missed one start in the last 12 games to allow a senior to start in the final game of 2016.
 
Ian Park started 16 games at Northwestern University. Tim Soave started 18 games at Lackawanna College.
 
POPA STEPS IN AT LONG SNAPPER
Jim Popa was forced to step in as the long snapper last week after Garret MacFarland had to miss the game. It was the first time Popa has long snapped in a game. All of his snaps on PAT tries were good as The Rock went 6-for-6 and all three of his punt snaps were good. MacFarland is expected back this week.
 
MOST EXPERIENCED PLAYER IN PSAC
Martin has 38 consecutive starts to his name, every game since the beginning of the 2014 season. That tally is four more than any other player in the PSAC as East Stroudsburg OL Devon Ackerman and Millersville DL Drew Seaburg have both started 34 games. The second most experienced player in the PSAC West is Indiana DB Jay Watkins, who has started 31 career games for the Crimson Hawks.
 
WEST CHESTER QUICK HITS
• West Chester was the unanimous top pick to win the PSAC East in the Preseason Coaches Poll. The Golden Rams garnered all eight of the first place votes.
• West Chester was dominant last week in a 51-9 home win over Bentley, putting up 478 yards of offense with a balanced attack and allowing just 213 total yards to Bentley.
• QB Paul Dooley was about as a efficient as it gets last week, completing 12-of-15 passes for 183 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 42 yards on just five carries and rested much of the final quarter. Four different WCU receivers caught a touchdown pass last week. Tyler Karpinski led the way with six grabs for 80 yards and one score. Rasheem James (2-68-1) and Jordan Banks (4-67-1) each finished with more than 65 receiving yards.
• West Chester rushed for 213 yards with a committee approach. Starting RB Jarel Elder rushed for 68 yards and one score on 13 carries. Mark Dukes added 82 yards and one TD on seven carries.
• The defense was balanced last week with no player recording more than five tackles in the game. Jordan Burney recovered one fumble for the lone takeaway of the game. Tyler Morrissey registered 2.0 sacks and Rashee Davis recorded three pass breakups. Deionte Wilson and Burney each had five tackles.
 
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Slippery Rock's 11 opponents in 2017 combined to post a 70-53 overall record (.569 winning percentage) in 2016. That includes two NCAA playoff teams (Cal U and IUP) and three others that posted at least seven wins last fall (West Chester, Edinboro, Kutztown). The Rock will also face Gannon, which was 5-6 in 2016 but did enough in the offseason to receive votes in the AFCA Division II national poll. In total, SRU will face five teams that are listed in the preseason national poll (Cal, IUP, West Chester, Edinboro, Gannon).


 

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