Final statistics

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Redshirted sophomore wide receiver Devin Goda caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from redshirt sophomore quarterback Rocco Colavecchia with 5:10 left to play Saturday afternoon to account for the winning points in Slippery Rock University's 17-16 win over visiting Mercyhurst in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division football action on Bob DiSpirito Field at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium.

With the win, The Rock improved its overall season record to 5-1 and its PSAC-West mark to 2-1.

The Rock is now 18-4 in SRU Homecoming games played under head coach George Mihalik.

The loss dropped Mercyhurst's record to 3-3 overall, 2-1 in division action.

The Rock and Mercyhurst, along with Clarion, are now tied for third place in the PSAC-West standings, one game behind co-leaders California and Edinboro.

That sets up an interesting matchup Thursday night as The Rock and Clarion will a short turnaround time before they meet in a 6 p.m. division game at Thompson Stadium.

Goda finished Saturday's game with five catches for 57 yards, while Colavecchia was 11 of 26 passing for 101 yards and threw one interception.

Redshirt sophomore running back SayQuan Scott-Mitchell rushed for 102 yards on 16 carries and scored the other Rock touchdown.

As a team, The Rock rushed for 128 yards and passed for 101 to finish with a 229-210 advantage in total yardage.

Mercyhurst quarterback Joe Laffey was 9 of 27 passing for 78 yards and one TD. He was picked off twice.

The Lakers rushed for 99 yards, led by Ben Jennings' 48 yards on 13 carries.

The second INT thrown by Laffey, recorded by Rock redshirt sophomore free safety Brandon Watters at midfield, set the stage for the game-winning drive.

The Colavecchia-to-Goda TD toss came on the sixth play of the drive following Watters' pick, his team-high third of the season.

Junior cornerback Robert Doiley recorded the first INT for SRU when he hauled in an overthrown pass by Laffey at The Rock 7-yard line with 0:53 left in the second period.

Colavecchia subsequently threw his only INT of the game on the third play following Doiley's pick, and Merychurst cashed the opportunity into a TD on the final play of the first half.

Laffey hit Trevor Kennedy for a 30-yard score to give the Lakers a 13-7 lead heading into intermission.

The eventual difference in the final score proved to be a missed extra point following the Laffey-to-Kennedy TD.

Mercyhurst got an 18-yard field goal from Robert Giambra with 12:41 left in the game to extend its lead to nine points, 16-7, before The Rock scored the final 10 points of the game to snare the victory.

Junior kicking specialist #C.J. Bahr# nailed a career-best 48-yard field goal with 8:02 left to play to cut the margin to six points, 16-10.

One play later, Watters picked off Laffey to set up the game-winning drive.

Scott-Mitchell capped a six-play, 80-yard drive with an 11-yard scoring run on the final play of the first quarter to account for the first points of the game.

The Lakers then tied the score at 7-7 on a 17-yard return of a blocked punt by Robert Williams with 11:56 left in the second quarter. Rock punter Kyle Witman scooped up a low snap from center, but Julius McCormick rejected the punt attempt.

The Lakers got the ball back via a fumble on the first play from scrimmage following the ensuing kickoff. Defensive back Ryan Taylor knocked the ball loose from Rock H-Back #Kenny Cottman following a pass reception and Tim Herbener pounced on it at the Mercyhurst 45-yard line. But the guests were unable to do anything with the opportunity as The Rock defense forced them into a three-and-out.

The teams traded possessions for most of the remaining time in the second period before they exchanged INTs in the final minute of the half.

That set the stage for the action-packed second half.

NOTES: In addition to his crucial INT, Watters also had seven total tackles in the game. Senior end Mike White and redshirt freshman linebacker Jeff Thompson tied for the team lead in tackles with eight each, while redshirt sophomore linebacker Zach Sheridan matched Watters' total with seven takedowns … With his two PAT kicks Saturday, Bahr extended his school-record string of successful extra pointers to 61 … Saturday's win enhances its chances to be among the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region when the first weekly poll is released Monday … The win also solidifies SRU's bid for a spot in the American Football Coaches Association and D2Football.com national rankings. The Green and White received votes in last week's D2FB poll … Saturday's game marked the first time in six games this season that a Rock opponent did not score points on its opening drive of the second half. The first four foes each scored touchdowns before Indiana got a field goal last week.