Final statistics
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Senior cornerback Robert Doiley returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown with 4:29 left to play Saturday evening to give the Slippery Rock University football team a hard-fought 27-24 win over Kutztown in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference “crossover” action.
The touchdown accounted for the sixth lead change of a well-played contest between two previously unbeaten teams.
The Rock, 3-0 for the second time in the last three seasons and fifth time in George Mihalik's 22 seasons as head coach, will go in search of its fourth win next Saturday when it travels to Edinboro (2-1) to open PSAC-Western Division action.
SRU, which has cashed a proverbial “gutcheck” each week this season, is one of only four PSAC teams to be unbeaten after three weeks of action.
Kutztown, which saw its season record drop to 2-1, hosts nationally ranked Bloomsburg (3-0) next Saturday in PSAC-East opening-week action.
Kutztown outgained The Rock by a 357-181 margin in total offense behind a 134-yard rushing effort by Dontay Wilson, the No. 2 rusher in the PSAC prior to the game.
Rock redshirt sophomore quarterback Rocco Colavecchia was 12 of 27 passing for 99 yards and one touchdown, while redshirt sophomore running back SayQuan Scott-Mitchell had 43 yards on 11 rushing attempts to lead The Rock attack. Senior Damarcus Cleckley added 39 yards on eight carries, including a 12-yard TD run in the second quarter.
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Kenny Cottman was on the receiving end of an eight-yard toss from Colavecchia in the second quarter to account for SRU's second TD.
Junior placekicking specialist #C.J. Bahr# booted field goals of 33 and 44 yards and was 3-for-3 on extra points to extend his streak of consecutive PATs to 55.
Defensively, in addition to Doiley's game-winning INT, The Rock was led by redshirt sophomore free safety Brandon Watters' nine total tackles (five solo, four assisted).
The Rock held a 3-0 lead at the end of one quarter of play thanks to Bahr's field goal, which capped a 14-play, 62-yard Rock drive with 3:24 left in the first period.
The second quarter featured four lead changes, the first of which came when Kutztown moved 70 yards in 14 plays. Kutztown quarterback Shane Martin capped the drive with a 10-yard run two plays after an apparent touchdown was negated by a false start penalty on the Golden Bears. The touchdown gave Kutztown a 7-3 lead with 12:05 left in the second period.
The Rock came right back to go 46 yards in five plays to retake the lead, 10-3, with 7:52 left in the first half. Cleckley scored his third TD of the season on a 12-yard run to cap the drive before Bahr added the PAT kick.
Just over a minute later, Kutztown regained the lead with a five-play, 66-yard drive. Martin connected with Zach Snyder for a seven-yard TD to culminate the drive and put Kutztown on top, 14-10.
SRU scored the final points of the opening half with a six-play, 64-yard drive capped by an eight-yard pass from Colavecchia to Cottman with 1:02 left before intermission. Bahr's PAT kick sent the Green and White into the locker room with a 17-14 lead.
First-half statistics showed The Rock with a 186-172 advantage in total yards behind a 103-65 passing comparison.
Kutztown took the second-half kickoff and marched 68 yards in only five plays for the fifth lead change of the game and a 21-17 Golden Bears lead with 12:29 left in the third period.
After holding The Rock on the ensuing drive, Kutztown marched 48 yards in six plays before it settled for a 28-yard field goal by Matt Dineen that gave the hosts a 24-17 advantage with 8:34 left in the third period.
Kutztown totally outplayed The Rock in the third period. The Golden Bears generated 142 yards in offense in the stanza while holding The Rock to minus-16 yards.
The Rock defense held Kutztown on the next Golden Bears' first drive of the fourth quarter and forced them to attempt a 46-yard field goal. Dineen's attempt bounced off the right upright and back into the field of play.
That play proved to be the proverbial turning of the tide.
The Rock offense showed signs of generating a drive on the ensuing possession before the drive sputtered just shy of midfield.
A 65-yard punt by senior Kyle Witman, which equaled the longest boot of his four-year Rock career, pinned Kutztown at its own 1-yard line. The Golden Bears appeared to have clawed their way out of danger, but a fumble at their own 25 killed the drive.
Senior #A.J. Saunders forced the fumble and redshirt freshman linebacker Travis Wolff# pounced on the loose ball.
The Rock offense was unable to make the most of the opportunity presented them by the fumble recovery, but did get three points as Bahr booted a 44-yard field goal to trim the deficit to four, 27-24, with 10:24 left in the game.
Six minutes later, Doiley picked off Martin and returned it for the sixth and final lead change of the game, but more importantly the decisive points.
Kutztown went three-and-out on the ensuing drive and The Rock took over possession at the Golden Bears' 48-yard line with 2:30 left to play.
The Rock iced the win when its offense picked up one first down and ate up the remaining time.
Notes: The Rock is now 8-0 all-time against Kutztown … Saturday's win improved Mihalik's record against PSAC-East teams to 40-17-2 … Bahr moved into fourth place on SRU's career field goals chart. He has booted 20 three-pointers in his three-year collegiate career.
