Final statistics: SRU vs. Millersville

2009 SRU cumulative statistics

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – A career-high 205 yards by redshirt sophomore running back SayQuan Scott-Mitchell and three long scoring drives were the primary ingredients for success Saturday night in the Slippery Rock University football team's 31-14 win over visiting Millersville University in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference "crossover" action on Bob DiSpirito Field at N. kerr Thompson Stadium.

Scott-Mitchell, who made his first collegiate start Saturday in place of Ryan Lehmeier (shoulder), carried the ball 27 times before he scored on a 22-yard run on his final tote of the game.

That TD, on the only play of the series, capped the shortest scoring drive of the night for The Rock (2-0).

SRU had scoring drives of eight plays, 80 yards; 14 plays, 80 yards and 12 plays, 88 yards for its first three TDs of the game.

A 41-yard field goal by junior kicking specialist #C.J. Bahr# on the hosts' third drive of the game capped the Green and White's shortest sustained drive of the game, an eight-play, 55-yard march.

The three long scoring drives alone almost equalled Millersville's total offense effort. Final statistics showed SRU with a 434-264 advantage in total yardage.

Scott-Mitchell paced a 280-yard rushing effort for SRU, while The Rock passed for 154 yards.

Millersvillle (1-1) had 50 yards rushing and got 214 passing yards from quarterback Bill Shirk, who was 18 of 32 with one TD and one interception. Jamal Smith had seven catches for 112 yards and one TD.

Rock starting quarterback Rocco Colavecchia was 12 of 22 for 151 yards and one TD and was picked off twice. Redshirt freshman H-Back Kenny Cottman caught five passes for 55 yards and one TD.

The Rock shot itself in the proverbial foot on its first two possessions of the game as it had potential scoring drives killed inside the Millersville 10-yard line by a fumble and an interception.

The fumble ended the game's opening possession and came five plays after an apparent 31-yard touchdown pass from Colavecchia to Cottman was negated by a holding penalty. The Rock then benefitted from two pass interference penalties against the Marauders before Scott-Mitchell coughed up the football at the Millersville 3-yard line.

SRU moved from the Millersville 48 to the Marauders' 8 on the hosts' second drive of the game before Colavecchia threw the first of his two interceptions. Dan McClellan swiped the pass in the end zone.

Millersville appeared to be in position to pour salt in the wound as it marched from its own 20 to the The Rock 21 on the guests' second drive of the game before the hosts' defensive unit stiffened and forced a 38-yard field goal. John Banzhof's attempt sailed wide left with 14:06 left in the second period.

That set the stage for Bahr's field goal with 10:25 left in the second period. For awhile, it appeared those would be the only points scored in the opening half.

On the Millersville drive following Bahr's field goal, Millersville moved to inside The Rock 5-yard line, only to see a potential scoring drive thwarted by a fumble at the goal line. Senior defensive end Pat Marsilio stripped Marauders running back Brad Lantz of the ball just shy of the line, then pounced on the loose ball in the end zone for a touchback.

Two Rock possessions later, with 0:45 left in the first half, Colavecchia hit Cottman for a 19-yard TD to cap an eight-play, 80-yard drive that was accomplished in only 118 seconds.

Bahr tacked on the first of his four extra point kicks in the game to give The Rock a 10-0 lead heading into intermission.

The Rock outgained Millersville by a 228-127 margin in the first two periods. Scott-Mitchell had 101 yards on 12 carries.

Millersville took the second-half kickoff and went 57 yards in eight plays, capped by a one-yard burst by Lantz, to trim The Rock's lead to three points, 10-7, with 10:52 left in the third period.

The Rock responded with a 14-play, 80-yard scoring drive that ate up seven minutes of time to push the Green and White lead back to 10 points, 17-7, with 3:45 left in the third period. Senior running back Damarcus Cleckley capped the drive with the first of his two TD runs, a two-yard burst off right tackle, and Bahr tacked on the PAT.

Not to be outdone, Millersville came right back and moved 47 yards in four plays to trim the margin back to three points, 17-14, with 1:49 left in the third stanza. Shirk connected with Smith for a 39-yard TD to culminate the drive.

The offensive give-and-take sequence ended when Colavecchia was intercepted for the second time in the game on the ensuing Rock possession, but The Rock defense forced Millersville into a three-and-out situation.

Cleckley's second TD run, a one-yard jaunt to cap a 12-play, 88-yard, five-minute drive, with 8:20 left in the game, and Scott-Mitchell's 22-yard burst with 4:06 left accounted for the final two TDs.

The Rock, 2-0 for the second time in the last three seasons, will go in search of win #3 next Saturday when it travels to Kutztown for a PSAC "crossover" game.

Millersville plays its third straight road game next Saturday at Indiana (Pa.).

Notes: Bahr has now been successful on 52 straight extra-point kicks, a string that stretches back to Week 9 of the 2007 season ... Scott-Mitchell's rushing total Saturday surpassed a 179-yard effort he had Oct. 11, 2008, at Clarion ... His 28 carries Saturday were 16 more than he had in the Clarion game ... The Rock has now beaten Millersville five straight games and enjoys a 14-4-1 advantage in the all-time series.