Oct. 6, 2007
Final Stats
East Stroudsburg, Pa. - The Rock offense, despite playing without its top runner and top receiver, amassed 552 total yards Saturday afternoon en route to a 31-24 win over hosting East Stroudsburg in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference"crossover" action.
Redshirted freshman running back Ryan Lehmeier stepped in for the PSAC's top rusher, Corey Manfull (shoulder injury), and ran for a career-high 229 yards and two touchdowns to pace a 332-yard rushing attack. Sophomore Damarcus Cleckley added a career-best 109 yards and one TD.
Senior quarterback Nate Crookshank passed for 220 yards on a 18-of-33 passing day with one interception and one TD toss, a 25-yarder to senior H-Back Colin Golden in the second period.
Sophomore wide receiver Terry Grossetti was SRU's top receiver with eight catches for 108 yards, both of which were career-high marks, while. Golden had five catches for 78 yards.
The Rock's top receiver this season, senior Paul Favers (17 catches, 414 yards, 5 TDs) served a one-game suspension Saturday for violating team rules.
The Rock defense yielded 338 yards on Saturday, 236 of which came through the air, but forced and recovered four fumbles by Warriors.
Saturday's win improved SRU's overall record to 5-1, while the loss dropped ESU to 1-4.
Rock head coach George Mihalik (20 seasons) is now 7-0 in head-to-head meeting with fellow SRU Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Denny Douds, ESU's 34th-year head coach.
SRU owns a commanding 11-1 advantage in the all-time series.
Freshman kicking specialist C.J. Bahr gave SRU a 3-0 lead Saturday when he booted an 18-yard field goal with 6:04 left in the first period.
The field goal capped an eight-play, 43-yard drive set up by an ESU fumble recovered by senior defensive back Brad Mueller.
East Stroudsburg scored the next 10 points before Crookshank and Golden hooked up for a TD to tie the count at 10-10 with 9:08 left in the second period. The scoring play capped a seven-play, 65-yard drive.
An ESU fumble on the ensuing kickoff (recovered by sophomore DB A.J. Saunders) set The Rock up at the Warriors' 30-yard line. Lehmeier sprinted 26 yards on the second play to give SRU a 17-10 advantage.
ESU came right back, though, and -- aided by a 67-yard kickoff return -- tied the score at 17-17 with 7:20 left in the first half.
That's where the score stood at intermission before SRU had two scoring drives in the third quarter to take a 31-17 lead entering the final stanza.
Lehmeier capped a five-play. 64-yard drive with a 47-yard sprint to the endzone on SRU's initial second-half possession.
Cleckley then burst into the endzone from a yard out on the final play of the third period to cap a five-play, 25-yard drive. The drive was set up by an ESU fumble, forced by junior defensive end Mike White and recovered by senior defensive tackle Clint Forsha.
White also recovered a fumble at the ESU 28-yard line just before halftime, but the potential scoring drive was thwarted when Crookshank was intercepted with four seconds left before intermission.
Sophomore DB Anthony Walls led The Rock in tackles with nine, while Saunders had five tackles, junior DE Tyler Boudreau had two quarterback sacks (-13 yards) and White had one QBS (-7).
The Rock hosts Clarion next Saturday in a 2 p.m. Homecoming Weekend game on Bob DiSpirito Field at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium.
