INDIANA, Pa. – The 16th ranked Slippery Rock University football team couldn't get out of its own way in the first quarter as No. 13 Indiana University (Pa.) opened up a big margin and cruised to a 48-19 victory Saturday at George P. Miller Stadium.
 
The loss drops Slippery Rock to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division action. Both of The Rock's losses on the year have come on the road at teams currently ranked in the top 13 with California now up to No. 7 in the national poll. Indiana improves to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in PSAC West games with the victory.
 
Indiana finished the game with a 462-365 edge in total offense after throwing for 295 yards and rushing for 167 yards. The Rock passed for 245 yards and ran for 120 yards.
 
Don King III finished the game 16-of-25 for 179 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for 78 yards on 12 carries, but finished with 58 net rushing yards after lost sack yardage.  
 
Both TD passes went to Marcus Johnson, who caught four passes for 69 yards and the two scores. Cornelius Raye caught four passes for 54 yards and Dakota Clanagan caught one pass for a 47-yard touchdown from Nathaniel Musselman late in the game.
 
Derrick Fulmore finished with a team-high 10 tackles and one tackle for loss to lead the defense. Patrick Minenok was in on nine tackles and had one pass breakup and Anthony Zappone made seven tackles. Alfon Cook finished with two pass breakups.
 
Indiana was led by Lenny Williams, who played despite being knocked out of last week's game with a head injury. He completed 11-of-19 passes for 244 yards with two touchdowns and added one rushing score. Allen Wright caught six passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Samir Bullock, who was also a question mark after leaving last week's game with an injury, rushed for 120 yards on 21 carries.
 
Early mistakes by The Rock were the story of the game as Indiana scored on multiple long plays in which SRU defenders missed tackles and assignments. The first offensive play of the game for the Crimson Hawks set the tone when a short pass was met with three missed tackles and ended up going for 89 yards and a score.
 
Indiana would add to the lead on the next Slippery Rock possession when Isiah Neely appeared to be down by contact near midfield, but the ball popped out and was scooped up and ran back for an IUP touchdown after the whistle never blew.
 
The Rock battled back with a 67-yard drive that was capped by a touchdown pass from Don King III to Marcus Johnson, but the PAT was blocked to make it 14-6 with 6:24 to play in the first.
 
From there, the Crimson Hawks put up 24 unanswered points, all coming on big plays or being set up by big plays. Included in the scoring plays was a 51-yard passing TD on a reverse thrown by a receiver in which the SRU defense bit on the run and left Wright all alone for an easy score. Also included was a 71-yard pass that set up a one-yard TD run and a 44 yard rush that set up another score.
 
The Rock put more points on the board with the last drive of the first half when King III hit Johnson for their second TD of the game. The two-point attempt failed to make it 38-12 at halftime.
 
Indiana ate clock much of the second half, scoring a field goal in the third and then scoring its final touchdown of the game after The Rock fumbled the ball away on a punt return.
 
SRU tallied the final points late in the fourth quarter when Musselman connected with Clanagan for a 44-yard TD strike.
 
Slippery Rock returns home next Saturday for the annual Homecoming weekend and will host Edinboro (6-1) in a 2 p.m. televised kickoff.
 
 
NOTES: Indiana snapped a streak of three straight losses to Slippery Rock in the series … The Rock have lost two games this year, both to teams currently ranked in the top 13 in the AFCA Division II national poll … SRU played without its top offensive players, running back Shamar Greene and center Joe LoSchiavo, for the second straight game … SRU was also without linebackers John Conglose and Cody Allen due to injuries … Don King III threw two touchdown passes to give him 14 on the year, moving him up to 11th in single-season history at SRU … He has now completed 154 passes on the year, which is tied for the seventh most in a single-season in school history … Cornelius Raye caught four passes in the game to bring his career total to 101, becoming the 11th player in school history to top 100 career catches … Drew Scales is now on 99 career catches …  Scales had 165 kickoff return yards in the game and moved up to No. 2 all-time in career kick return yards at SRU with 1,625 …. He is just 29 yards away from the career record (1,654) set by Paul Favers (2004-07).