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SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Slippery Rock University scored 21 unanswered points Saturday afternoon to overcome a slow start and record a 38-17 football win over visiting California (Pa.) in a battle of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division leaders at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.

With the win, the sixth consecutive recorded by the nationally-ranked he Rock (8-1 overall, 5-1 PSAC-West), assured the Green and White of at least a share of the division championship heading into the final week of PSAC-West competition.

The Rock, who were the No. 20 team in last Tuesday's D2Football.com national poll and the No. 24 team in last Monday's American Football Coaches Association Division II national poll, can clinch the outright division title and a berth in the Nov. 16 conference championship game with a victory next Saturday at winless (0-9, 0-6) Seton Hill University.

A win over the Griffins in Greensburg would also pretty much lock up SRU's first NCAA Division II playoff berth since 1999.

Saturday's win gave The Rock an 8-1 record for the second time in the last three seasons and fifth time in George Mihalik's 26 seasons as The Rock's head coach.

That's a good omen for The Rock, who won PSAC-West titles in each of the previous four seasons they were 8-1 after nine weeks under Mihalik's leadership.

The Rock also played in the NCAA playoffs in three of those four seasons (1997, 1998 and 1999). The 2011 campaign, when The Rock lost its final two regular-season games, was the lone exception to that rule.

On the flip side, Saturday's loss snapped a three-game win streak for California (6-3, 4-2). Barring an SRU stumble next Saturday, Saturday's loss also sounded the death knell for the Vulcans' PSAC-West title hopes and bid for an NCAA playoff berth.

The Rock and Vulcans were the No. 5 and No. 8 teams, respectively, in last Monday's Super Region One rankings. The top six teams in the super-region ranking following action Nov. 16 will compete in the national playoffs.

California can still earn a share of the PSAC-West title with a win over Mercyhurst next Saturday at home coupled with a Rock loss at Seton Hill.

The Rock, who entered the game averaging 46.5 points per game, were held scoreless in the first 26 minutes of action and trailed 3-0 before finding their rhythm and recording their sixth consecutive win.

Driving the victory train again Saturday for The Rock was senior quarterback Nigel Barksdale, who passed for 274 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 125 yards and one TD. Barksdale completed 26 of 48 passes and had one attempt picked off.

With the TD tosses, his 24th and 25th of the season, Barksdale broke the SRU single-season TD pass record formerly held by Nate Crookshank, who passed for 23 scores in the 2007 season.

Senior wide receiver John Schademan caught eight passes for 105 yards and one TD to lead The Rock receiving effort Saturday. The TD catch was Schademan's school-record-tying 12th of the season. Schademan shares the record with collegiate All-American and Arena Football League Hall of Famer Greg Hopkins (1994).

Sophomore wideout Jaimire Dutrieuille had seven pass receptions for 57 yards and one TD, an eight-yard toss from Barksdale, and redshirt senior tight end Robert Joyce caught a 14-yard TD from Barksdale to serve as Schademan's supporting cast Saturday afternoon.

Redshirt sophomore running back Brett Crenshaw had 65 rushing yards on 14 carries, including a two-yard TD, to complement Barksdale's running effort.

All told, the Barksdale-led Rock offense, which entered the game averaging 580.8 yards per game, collected 526 total yards, 277 passing and 249 rushing.

Defensively, allowed California 367 yards in total offense (112 rushing, 255 passing) but denied the Vulcans' twice on fourth-and-short plays early in the game with the outcome still in doubt.

Senior linebacker Quindell Dean recorded a game-high 16 tackles, including three tackles for loss, and broke up two passes for The Rock. Redshirt sophomore free safety Derek Morgan had the only Rock interception of the game.

Behind Dean's leadership, The Rock defense, which entered the game ranked fourth nationally in third-down conversions with a 24.7% allowance, held California to a 3-for-19 efficiency on third downs. The Rock stop troop denied the Vulcans points on two of their three trips inside The Rock 20-yard line, a.k.a. "the red zone."

For California, sophomore quarterback Cody Schroeder came off the bench to pass for 176 yards and one TD and senior wide receiver Mike Williams caught six passes for 134 yards.

The Rock moved 33 yards in seven plays on the game's opening drive before being forced to punt.

California responded with a six-play, 53-yard drive on its first possession, but had to settle for a 44-yard field goal by Cody Nuzzo with 10:48 left in the first period.

The Rock offense continued to sputter on its next five possessions and, for the first time this fall, failed to score a single point in the opening quarter.

Barksdale was picked off on a third-down pass attempt to end The Rock's second drive of the game and give the guests the ball at the SRU 36-yard line. But the Vulcans were unable to convert the turnover into points.

Leading 3-0, California had potential scoring opportunities turned aside on each of its next drives. Vulcans starting quarterback James Harris threw incompletions on fourth-and-3 plays at The Rock 16 and 26 yard lines on the respective possessions.

The Rock offense finally put points on the board midway through the second quarter of action when it took advantage of a short punt.

Set up at the California 32, The Rock needed only four plays to find the end zone. Barksdale capped the drive with a 16-yard run at the 8:05 mark of the second period and junior kicking specialists Mike Wainauskis added the first of his five extra-point kicks to give SRU a 7-0 lead.

The Rock never trailed thereafter.

Two SRU possessions later, redshirt senior wide receiver Michael Bongivengo connected with Schademan for a three-yard flea-flicker TD and Wainauskis added the extra point to give The Rock a 14-3 lead with 2:49 left in the first half of action. The TD capped a nine-play, 51-yard scoring drive.

The Rock extended its lead to 21-3 with a four-play, 59-yard drive capped by Crenshaw's two-yard run with 0:44 left before halftime.

In addition to the 18-point lead on the scoreboard, SRU enjoyed a 283-123 total yardage advantage at the intermission.

California took the second-half kickoff and moved 75 yards in 13 plays to trim The Rock lead to 21-10 with 10:49 left in the third period. Schroeder capped the drive with a 14-yard TD run.

SRU came right back with a 14-play, 70-yard drive on the ensuing possession, but The Rock came up dry as Wainauskis' 20-yard field goal attempt was blocked with 6:52 left in the third period.

The score remained 21-10 until the 0:45 mark of the third period when Barksdale threw an eight-yard TD pass to Dutrieuille to cap a five-play, 51-yard drive and push The Rock lead to 28-10.

California moved from its own 12 to The Rock 25 on the ensuing drive, but wound up with nothing to show for it as Nuzzo missed a 42-yard field goal try with 11:49 left to play in the game.

Two Rock possessions later, The Rock scored their final points of the game on a 14-yard, Barksdale-to-Joyce TD toss with 6:39 left to play. The scoring play, which made the score 35-10 capped a 12-play, 80-yard march by the Green and White.

California accounted for the final margin when it drove 63 yards in six plays, capped by a 44-yard TD pass from Schroeder to Trey Johnson with 2:08 left to play.

Notes:

Barksdale's passing yards Saturday improved his SRU single-season-record total to 3,064 or 513 yards better than the previous school record of 2,551 set by Cody Endres in The Rock's 2011 PSAC runner-up season. Barksdale passed Endres on that list last week … Saturday marked the sixth time in nine games this fall Schademan had at least 100 yards in pass receptions … With his 105 pass receiving yards Saturday, Schademan moved into third place on SRU's single-season chart with 1,107. His eight catches Saturday moved him into a tie with Devin Goda (2011) for sixth place on SRU's single-season catches chart with 54 and into sole possession of seventh place on SRU's career receptions list with 106 ... Schademan ranks fifth in career pass receiving yards with 1,898 and tied with Paul Favers (2004-07) fifth in career pass receiving TDs with 15.