Sept. 30, 2006

Final Stats

Clarion, Pa. - Nate Crookshank threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third score Saturday night to lead The Rock to a methodical 31-7 win over hosting Clarion in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division action.

The win in the opening game of division competition was The Rock's fourth straight following a season-opening loss at NCAA Division I-AA power Youngstown State.

Clarion and first-year head coach Jay Foster -- SRU's defensive coordinator from 1988-2005 -- fell to 0-5 overall, 0-1 in PSAC-West action.

Crookshank's offensive supporting cast included Damarcus Cleckley, who rushed for 91 yards and one TD, and Colin Golden, who had six pass receptions for 69 yards and one TD.

The hosts took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter before The Rock ran off 31 unanswered points to record the win.

A 15-yard TD pass from Crookshank to Luke Wetzel in the opening minute of the second quarter and the first of four Ryan Daniel extra-point kicks tied the score at 7-7.

Daniel scored what proved to be the game-winning points with just over two minutes left in the first half when he booted a 33-yard field goal to put SRU on top, 10-7, at intermission.

The Rock iced the win with scoring drives on its first two second-half possessions.

Golden's 18-yard TD pass from Crookshank early in the third period made it 17-7 before Crookshank's one-yard quarterback sneak extended the lead to 24-7.

Cleckley scored the game's final points with a three-yard run midway through the fourth quarter.

The Rock finished the game with a 322-204 advantage in total yardage, helped along by a pair of bad snaps from center by Clarion that resulted in minus-43 yards in offense.

Tyler Boudreau and Jared Palmer tied for team-high tackle honors for The Rock with six each. Boudreau and Cory Lacek each had a fumble recovery, Lacek also had a fumble forced and Mike White recorded a quarterback sack.

The Rock will seek a fifth successive win next Saturday when it hosts PSAC-West rival Shippensburg in a 7 p.m. game on Bob DiSpirito Field at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium.