Sept. 15, 2007
Final Stats
Bowie, Md. - Senior quarterback Nate Crookshank passed for 163 yards and four touchdowns and junior running back Corey Manfull rushed for a career-high 159 yards and one TD Saturday afternoon to lead The Rock to a 35-7 win over hosting Bowie State in non-conference action at Bulldogs Stadium
The Rock scored 35 unanswered points to erase a 7-0 deficit was undeterred thereafter en route to its third win in as many games this fall.
The 3-0 start is the first for SRU, the No. 27 team in last week's Don Hansen Football Gazette Division II national poll, its first 3-0 start to a season since 1991.
Bowie State, a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, dropped to 0-3 on the season.
Crookshank completed 14 of 20 passes and had one intercepted. He threw a 10-yard TD to senior tight end Frank Cremonose and a 25-yard score to junior wide receiver Terry Grossetti in the second quarter, then added a 27-yarder to sophomore wideout Josh Prigorac and a 15-yarder to senior wide receiver Paul Favers in the third period.
Crookshank did not play in the fourth quarter, as redshirted junior Brad Galvan and redshirted freshman Brandon Frohnapple brought the win home.
Manfull, who entered the game as the leading rusher in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference with a 147.5 yards per game average, scored on a one-yard run in the second quarter. He also did not play in the final period after toting the football 21 times. He had 109 yards on 17 carries in the first half.
The Rock rolled up 445 yards in total offense in the game, 277 of which came in the opening two quarters.
Bowie State, which had 173 yards at halftime, finished the game with 286 yards.
The Rock threatened to score on its first two possessions of the game, but an interception at the BSU 24 and a missed field goal (21 yards) denied the Green and White any points.
Bowie State made The Rock pay for those failures when it marched 80 yards in five plays on the drive following the missed field goal to take a 7-0 lead.
SRU bounced right back to roll 69 yards in six plays to tie the score at 7-7. Crookshank connected with Frank Cremonese for a 10-yard touchdown to cap the drive and C.J. Bahr tacked on the extra-point kick on the final play of the first quarter..
Three Bowie State possessions later, The Rock special teams unit made a huge play as Robert Doiley blocked a BSU punt. That set The Rock offense up first-and-goal at the Bulldogs' 1-yard line. Manfull went in untouched off right tackle on the next play to give SRU a 14-7 lead.
Not to be outdone, The Rock defensive unit then made a big play of its own on the next BSU possession. Jim D'Amico forced a fumble and Tyler Boudreau pounced on the loose ball to kill a Bulldogs drive at The Rock 23.
Seven plays and 77 yards later, The Rock converted the turnover into points when Crookshank connected with Grossetti for a 25-yard TD. Bahr's PAT kick made it 21-7 with 0:41 left in the first half.
That's where the score stood at intermission.
The Rock defense bent but did not break on Bowie State's first second-half drive as it held the Bulldogs at The Rock 23 - helped by a dropped wide-open pass at the goalline by the hosts..
A 27-yard scoring toss from Crookshank to Josh Prigorac capped an eight-play, 77-yard Rock scoring march on the ensuing SRU possession to put an exclamation mark on that defensive stand/BSU blown scoring opportunity.
The Rock moved 55 yards in six plays on its next possession to push the lead to 35-7. Crookshank's 15-yard scoring toss capped the drive with x:xx left in the third period.
Rock backup cornerback A.J. Saunders got the third Rock turnover forced by SRU when he picked off a third-quarter pass.
The Rock, which played its first two games at home on Bob DiSpirito Field at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium, returns to familiar turf next Saturday when it will host Kutztown in a 7 p.m. PSAC "crossover" game.
