Oct. 20, 2007
Final Stats
Shippensburg,Pa. - A 17-yard touchdown pass from Nate Crookshank to Paul Favers with two seconds left to play gave The Rock a 38-34 win Saturday afternoon over hosting Shippensburg in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division action.
The game-winning play was Favers' second TD in the final 90 seconds and capped off a wild end to the contest.
Shippensburg took a 27-24 lead on a TD with 1:28 left to play, only to see Favers return the ensuring kickoff 68 yards for a touchdown to put SRU on top, 31-27, with 1:18 left.
The hosts responded with an 84-yard kick-return TD of their own to go back on top by a 34-31 margin with 1:07 left.
An unsportsmanlike conduct/excessive celebration penalty on Shippensburg gave The Rock prime position from which to start its ensuing drive, and Crookshank and Co. made the most of the opportunity.
Crookshank lofted an ally-oop pass in the endzone and Favers climbed the ladder to haul it in for the game-winning points.
With the win, The Rock improved its overall record to 7-1 and upped its PSAC-West mark to 2-1 heading into next Saturday's showdown with nationally ranked California U. of Pa. Game time on Bob DiSpirito Field at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium is 1 p.m.
Crookshank finished Saturday's game with 23 completions in 35 attempts for 288 yards and three TDs to lead a 446-yard Rock offensive attack.
Colin Golden caught seven passes for 99 yards and one TD, while Terry Grossetti had five catches for 104 yards and a TD, Josh Prigorac had seven catches for 48 yards and Favers two catches for 21 yards.
Corey Manfull, the PSAC's leading rusher, gained 80 yards on 20 carries after missing the previous two games with a bruised shoulder. Ryan Lehmeier, who rushed for more than 200 yards in each of the last two games, had 67 yards on 14 carries and scored one TD Saturday.
Sam Morant recorded nine tackles and intercepted one pass to lead The Rock defense, while Anthony Walls and Jake Barzen had eight tackles each and Tyler Boudreau added seven tackles, including three for losses (-7 yards).
The Rock defense, which played for the third successive week without All-America defensive end Cory Lacek (groin), allowed Shippensburg to compile 403 yards in offense.
Saturday's game definitely wasn't one for the weak-hearted.
The Rock held a 7-0 lead at the end of one period, thanks to a 23-yard Crookshank-to-Golden TD toss with 8:28 left in the quarter. The scoring play capped a five-play, 33-yard scoring driv e.
Lehmeier scored from two yards out with 11:59 left in the second period to cap a seven-play, 42-yard drive and extend The Rock lead to 14-0.
Shippensburg trimmed the margin in half with a 12-play, 82-yard scoring drive that ended with 3:46 left before intermission.
The hosts then cut the margin to one point, 14-13, with a nine-play, 75-yard drive midway through the third period. The extra-point kick was unsuccessful, which would prove to be a crucial component in the outcome.
SRU snatched quickly regained the momentum, though, as Crookshank connected with Grossetti for a 65-yard TD on the first play of the ensuing drive. That gave SRU a 21-13 advantage heading into the final stanza.
Shippensburg closed the margin to 21-19 with a seven-play, 82-yard march early in the final period but again failed on the conversion attempt, this one a pass attempt.
A 23-yard C.J. Bahr field goal with 5:56 left to play pushed The Rock lead to 24-19 and set up the final 90 seconds of suspense.
A 10-play, 55-yard scoring drive gave Shippensburg the aforementioned 27-24 lead with 1:28 left.
Favers' kick-return TD, immediately followed by an 84-yard kick-return score by Shippensburg's Kevin Marshall, made it 34-31 with just more than a minute left to play.
Crookshank then led The Rock 74 yards in nine plays for the winning score.
