Complete Game Notes (32-page PDF)

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University football team will open the 2017 season Saturday on the road at Kentucky State University Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. at Alumni Stadium in Frankfort, Kentucky.
 
Below you will find all pertinent information regarding live coverage options, directions and complete game notes.
 
LIVE COVERAGE LINKS
• Live Stats  |  Provided by SRU Athletic Communication and KSU Sports Information
• Live (free) Video  |  Provided by SRU Athletic Communication
• Live Audio (Online and Radio)  |  Provided by The Rock Station 97.7 FM (Butler).
• Twitter  |  Live scoring information and in-game updates.
 
TICKETS
• Tickets can be purchased on game day or online HERE
• Adult General Admission - $15
• Children - $5
 
DIRECTIONS AND PARKING
• GPS Address: 111 Athletic Drive, Frankfort, KY 40601
• Directions Link: http://kysu.edu/visit-ksu/directions/
• Parking is available in the lots surrounding Alumni Stadium
 

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THE GAME
Slippery Rock will look to open the season with a win for the ninth consecutive year, but will face a resurgent Kentucky State squad that reached its conference championship game last fall and is hungry for more. The game will mark the first meeting in the series for the two teams. Next fall, the Thorobreds will travel to Slippery Rock to open the 2018 campaign.


 
ALL-TIME SERIES
Slippery Rock and Kentucky State have never met on the football field. The two teams will also meet next year to open the 2018 season at Slippery Rock's Mihalik-Thompson Stadium (10,000 capacity).
 
COACHING MATCHUP
Slippery Rock head coach Shawn Lutz is in his 21st overall season at The Rock and his second as head coach. Lutz posted a 7-4 record in 2016 in his first season as head coach. Prior to that, he served four years as the associate head coach and eight as the defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. Lutz has been a member of the coaching staff for eight of SRU's PSAC West titles. He played tight end at West Virginia University, graduating in 1996. Lutz then earned a master's degree in sport management from SRU in 2003.
 
John L. Smith is also in his second year as the head coach at Kentucky State, where he posted a 4-7 record last fall in his first campaign. The 4-7 record included an appearance in the SIAC title game and marked the beginning of a turnaround for the program. Smith came to KSU with a strong Division I background, having been named the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2003 while serving as the head coach at Michigan State. Smith has previously served as head coach at Michigan State, Utah State, the University of Idaho and most recently, Arkansas (2012). He has a bachelor's degree from Weber State and a master's degree from the University of Montana.
 
GRASS IS GREENER IN KENTUCKY
Kentucky State's home field at Alumni Stadium is natural grass, which marks just the fourth time in the last seven years that SRU is scheduled to play on a grass surface. In fact, it will be the first game in nearly four years that SRU has played on grass. The Rock practice, and play, on the Astroturf Gameday Grass 3D artificial surface at home and play on all artificial surfaces in PSAC West divisional play. The last SRU football game that was played on grass was an NCAA playoff game at Winston-Salem State (N.C.) on Nov. 23, 2013. SRU played two games on grass in 2013, opening the year with a win at Northwood (Mich.).
 
SRU's Last Three Games on Grass:
• Nov. 23, 2013 - L, 20-27 at No. 9 Winston-Salem State (NCAA playoffs)
• Sept. 7, 2013 - W, 51-36 at Northwood (Mich.)
• Sept. 11, 2010 - W, 30-0 at Cheyney
 
SEASON OPENER STREAK
Slippery Rock has won its last eight consecutive season-openers, including last year's comeback victory over New Haven at home. The last time The Rock failed to open their season with a victory was the 2008 season at Seton Hill University.
 
WINNING SEASON STREAK
With a 7-4 record last fall, Slippery Rock has now put together eight straight winning seasons, has been above .500 in 10 of the last 11 years and has finished in winning fashion in 24 of the last 29 seasons. Only three teams in the PSAC have at least eight winning seasons in a row entering the 2017 season.
 
CURRENT WINNING SEASONS STREAK IN PSAC
1. Bloomsburg - 18       
2. California - 15          
3. Slippery Rock – 8
 
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Slippery Rock's 11 opponents in 2017 combined to post a 70-53 overall record (.569 winning percentage) in 2016. That includes two NCAA playoff teams (Cal U and IUP) and three others that posted at least seven wins last fall (West Chester, Edinboro, Kutztown). The Rock will also face Gannon, which was 5-6 in 2016 but did enough in the offseason to receive votes in the AFCA Division II national poll. In total, SRU will face five teams that are listed in the preseason national poll (Cal, IUP, West Chester, Edinboro, Gannon).
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Slippery Rock is listed as "receiving votes" in the AFCA Division II preseason national poll, marking the fourth straight year The Rock appears in at least the list of teams receiving votes in the preseason poll. SRU was ranked 11th in the preseason national poll entering the 2016 season and has reached as high as No. 7 in the national rankings during the course of the last four years (final rankings of 2015). The full national polls are on page 10 of the complete PDF notes linked above.
 
2016 IN REVIEW - SLIPPERY ROCK
The Rock are coming off a 7-4 record in 2016 that included a 3-4 mark in PSAC West play, a disappointment compared to expectations entering the season after SRU had won three straight PSAC West titles and appeared in three straight NCAA postseason tournaments from 2013-15.
 
The Rock were hampered by injuries to key players for most of the season, including the loss of the program's all-time leading rusher Shamar Greene midway through the fifth game, and first loss, of the year. Greene went down in the second quarter of the California game and never returned to the lineup, closing his career with 4,275 rushing yards.
 
After losing three straight games, including two on the final possessions for the opposition, SRU rebounded to win the last two games of the season in convincing fashion, putting up 90 points and allowing just 36 in wins over Seton Hill and East Stroudsburg.
 
2016 IN REVIEW -KENTUCKY STATE
Kentucky State posted back-to-back 3-7 seasons in 2014 and 2015 before John L. Smith took over the program and led the Thorobreds to a 4-7 record and an appearance in the SIAC title game in 2016. They nearly claimed the league title after leading much of the championship game before falling 33-30 to Fort Valley State.
 
The highlight win of the year came on the road at No. 5 Tuskegee, where the Thorobreds picked up one of the best wins in program history with a 10-9 victory. Tuskegee went on to earn a trip to the NCAA playoffs and won its first round game before bowing out in the second round with a 9-3 overall record on the year.
 
OUT OF STATE SWING CONTINUES
The trip to Kentucky State marks the third straight season opening road game that Slippery Rock will travel well outside of Pennsylvania for. The Rock's last season opener on the road was 2015 at New Haven (Conn.) and before that was 2013 at Northwood (Mich.). The trend will continue, as the next scheduled road opener for SRU is 2019 when the team will travel to Wayne State (Mich.). The last time SRU opened its season on the road against a team inside of Pennsylvania was 2011 at Seton Hill, before the Griffins joined the PSAC.
 
TEAM CAPTAINS NAMED
The coaching staff named two captains early in camp with those votes going to Marcus Martin on the defensive side of the ball and Cornelius Raye on the offensive side of the ball. After camp, the players voted on the other two captains. Those votes went to Ian Park on offense and Delmar Henderson on defense, giving The Rock four captains in their fifth year on a collegiate roster.
 
GARRY WINS QB JOB
Redshirt senior Tanner Garry was named the starting quarterback for the season opener, marking the fourth straight season SRU will start with a new signal caller for its opening game. Garry was with the team last season, but had to sit out the year after transferring for a second time. He took the majority of the first team reps in the spring game last April. Prior to joining SRU, Garry spent three seasons on the Youngstown State team, where he appeared in 17 games in a reserve role. He began his collegiate career at Bowling Green, where he redshirted as a true freshman. Garry will make his first collegiate start against Kentucky State. His last official start at QB came in 2011 at Fort Cherry High School, where he set school passing records for yardage (4,502) and touchdowns (50) and earned Honorable Mention All-State honors.
 
QB BATTLE GOES TO THE WIRE
The QB competition lasted all the way through preseason camp with Garry being pushed by fellow Division I transfer Andrew Koester and returning sophomore Augustus Necastro. The future at the position looks bright as both Koester and Necastro have three years of eligibility remaining.
 
COACH LUTZ ON THE QB BATTLE
"We really had a good battle between those three guys for the starting spot. After camp we just felt like Tanner gives us the best chance to win, but we think Andrew really came on strong in camp after only having a couple weeks to learn the offense. If we have to go to him or Augustus at any point, we'll be comfortable doing that and we know they can both move the offense."
 
FRESHMEN EVERYWHERE
A quick look at the depth chart entering week one of the season will show a total of 16 players on offense and defense listed as starters or backups that have no collegiate game experience. Of those 16 freshmen or redshirt freshmen, 11 are on the defensive side of the ball, including five projected starters. In total, The Rock projects to start four redshirt freshmen and two true freshmen in week one. The true freshmen projected to start are cornerback De'Vijan Franklin and linebacker Trysten McDonald.
 
ALL FRESHMEN AT LINEBACKER
Included in that list of freshmen is all three projected starting linebackers, as redshirts Tim Vernick and Dylan Whiteman are projected to join McDonald in the base 4-3 defense. The Rock have started at least two seniors at linebacker in each of the last three years.
 
DIFFERENT VERNICK - SAME SPOT
Redshirt freshman Tim Vernick came out of camp as the projected starter at middle linebacker, filling a familiar role for Rock fans. Tim's older brother, Bob, who graduated last year, was a first team All-Region middle linebacker that appeared in 44 games over the last four years at SRU. With Tim earning the starting job, it could pave the way for a stretch of eight straight years with a Vernick patrolling the middle of the SRU defense.
 
A WHOLE NEW DEFENSE
Just two players on the defensive side of the ball saw time in the starting lineup last year in defensive end Marcus Martin (plenty more on Martin coming below) and safety Kyle Hall, and Hall only started in three games. Add in Delmar Henderson, who saw significant time last year, and The Rock defense has just three players projected to start that saw the field on defense last fall.

TOUGH TO RUN ON
Slippery Rock has ranked in the top 10 in the country against the run in each of the last three seasons and has been one of the toughest teams in the nation for opponents to find success on the ground. Last year, The Rock ranked sixth in the nation, allowing just 82.5 rushing yards per game. SRU allowed just eight rushing touchdowns in 11 games in 2016. The Rock defense has not allowed opponents to run for an average of 100 or more yards per game since the 2013 season, when opponents averaged 121.8 yards per game. Over the last three years total, SRU has allowed just 3,018 rushing yards, or 81.6 yards per game. Opponents have scored just 32 rushing TDs over that stretch, an average of 0.86 rushing TDs per game.


 
SAMPLE SWITCHES SIDES
A fourth starter on defense that saw time on the field in each of the last two years is Tavarus Sample, who has made the switch from wide receiver to safety for the 2017 season. Sample made the move in the spring and emerged as the starting strong safety. The coaching staff described the move as a natural fit for Sample, who has embraced the role.
 
BERRY EMERGES AS TOP BACK
Another battle that began in the spring and carried over to the preseason was at running back. Second team All-PSAC performer Isiah Neely figures to see a significant number of carries this season, but redshirt freshman Chacar Berry is expected to start in the backfield in week one after putting together a strong offseason. Braden Fochtman and Nassir Weaver are also expected to get carries as The Rock looks to employ a committee style backfield.
 
OFFENSIVE LINE GETS STRONGER
On paper, the strongest unit on the roster entering the season is the offensive line. With four starters returning from last fall and the addition of Northwestern University graduate transfer Ian Park at right guard, the line looks to be one of the strongest units in recent years. All-PSAC right tackle Steve Gaviglia will join Park on the right side, while Jim Popa will move from guard to center and Austin Fields will remain at left guard. Chris Larsen, who started six games at left tackle last fall, rounds out the left side. The Rock's projected five starting linemen average out at 6 foot, 2.5 inches and 296 pounds.
 
GAVIGLIA SHINES ON OFFENSE
One of the pleasant surprises of the 2016 season for Slippery Rock was right tackle Steve Gaviglia, who played the 2015 season as a backup defensive tackle. He made the move to offensive line and went on to lead the unit and earn All-PSAC honors in his first year of playing offense. Gaviglia returns for his junior year this fall.
 
PARK ADDS POWER ON THE RIGHT
Gaviglia will be joined on the right side of the offensive line by Northwestern University alum Ian Park at the guard spot. Park, at 6-4, 315 pounds, will be among the biggest offensive linemen in the PSAC this season. With starting experience in the Big 10, Park figures to be a key addition to the line. He played spring ball at SRU after graduating last December and made such an impact on the team in less than one year that his teammates voted him as a captain for this fall. Park earned his bachelor's degree in communications from Northwestern.
 
JOHNSON LOOKING FOR BREAKOUT YEAR
Wide receiver Marcus Johnson put together a breakout junior season last fall after adapting to the SRU offensive scheme following his transfer from Thiel. He pulled down 54 passes for 898 yards and 13 touchdowns, including a monster 10-catch, 237-yard, four-touchdown showing in the final game of the 2016 season against East Stroudsburg. Firmly planted as the No. 1 receiver entering his senior year, Johnson should see even more targets. He will also handle punt return and kick return duties for the first time in his SRU career.
 
RAYE COMPLETES INSIDE-OUT COMBO
The Rock projects to have one of the top inside-outside receiving duos in the region this year, if not the nation, with Johnson on the outside and Cornelius Raye in the slot. Raye enters his senior year with 1,478 career receiving yards, good enough for 11th on the all-time ledger at The Rock. He also has 115 catches, which ranks eighth at SRU and 15 touchdowns, which also ranks eighth.
 
CHAPLA SET FOR DOUBLE DUTY
Placekicker Jake Chapla came out of camp as not only the projected starter for placekicking duties, but also as the projected starter in the punting game. Fellow sophomore Josiah Davis handled the punting role last year and will enter week one as the backup for both punting and kicking duties.
 
BIG LEG FROM CHAPLA
Kicker Jake Chapla made a 51-yard field goal as a true freshman last year, becoming the first SRU kicker to hit from 50 yards since 2003. His kick is the third longest field goal in school history and was the longest in the PSAC last year. Chapla made five field goals from 40 yards or longer and was 11-of-17 overall as a freshman last fall. His 11 made field goals rank fifth in program history for a single-season. The SRU record for a single-season is 14, set by Jason Katsaouni in 2003.
 
MARCUS MARTIN QUICK CAREER RECAP
Redshirt senior defensive end Marcus Martin enters his senior season as the Slippery Rock program and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference all-time leader in tackles for loss (66.0) and quarterback sacks (40.5) ... ranks sixth all-time in Division II history in career sacks and ninth all-time in Division II history in career tackles for loss with one full season still to play ... two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American ... three-time PSAC Player of the Year (Freshman of the Year in 2014, Defensive Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016) ... two-time Super Region One Defensive Player of the Year (2015, 2016) ... National Freshman of the Year (2014) ... 2016 Lindy's Sports Preseason Division II Player of the Year ... Multiple All-America honors each season ... complete list of honors in table to the right.
 
THREE-TIME PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Entering his senior season, Martin has a chance to become the first and only player in PSAC history to earn four consecutive major awards. He was the PSAC West Rookie of the Year in 2014 and has been the Defensive Player of the Year in each of the last two years. He has also earned those same honors in Super Region One. Martin is the second SRU player to ever earn three PSAC yearly awards, joining quarterback Randy McKavish, who was the PSAC West Offensive Player of the Year in 1997, 1998 and 2000. McKavish was also the Rookie of the Year in 1997 and is the only player in league history with four yearly major awards.
 
RECORDS ALREADY HELD
Martin enters his senior year already owning the career sack (40.5) and tackle for loss (66.0) records for both Slippery Rock and the entire PSAC. He also owns the SRU single-season record for sacks and ranks first and second on that ledger thanks to his 16.0 sacks in 2014 and his 15.5 sacks in 2015.
 
ACADEMIC HONORS
In addition to his accomplishments on the field, Martin has also built a decorated list of honors in the classroom. He was named a CoSIDA Academic All-American in both of the years he has been eligible for the award, including a first team selection last fall. He was also named to the PSAC Fall Top 10 in 2016 and has been a PSAC Scholar-Athlete and Division II Athletic Director's Association Academic Achievement honoree in each year of his career. Martin carries above a 3.5 GPA and is majoring in safety management with a minor in business administration.
 
ONLY ACTIVE PLAYER ON RECORD WATCH
Martin is the only active player in Division II that is listed in the NCAA record books for career sacks and tackles for loss. He is one of only two players at any level of NCAA football that is listed in their respective record books for sacks and tackles for loss, joining Sam Houston State senior P.J. Hall of the Division I FCS ranks, who has 66.5 tackles for loss entering the year. Martin needs 6.0 sacks and 11.0 tackles for loss to become the Division II all-time leader in each category. The NCAA career sack and tackle for loss records are listed in the PDF notes linked above.
 
MARTIN TRYING TO JOIN PSAC ELITE LIST
The PSAC has named an All-Conference squad each year since 1951. Only seven players have been voted to first team All-PSAC honors four times. Martin, a three-time first-team selection, can become the eighth to be recognized four times. The others on the list are: Brandon Brown-Dukes, Mercyhurst (2015, RB), Franklyn Quiteh, Bloomsburg (2013, RB), Mike Washington, West Chester (2008, WR), Jim Terwilliger, East Stroudsburg (2006, QB), Tim McCutcheon, California (2007, OT), Mark Brubaker, East Stroudsburg (2004, PK) and Rob Carey, Lock Haven (2003, DB).

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
Martin is the lone SRU player to be named to a Preseason All-America team for 2017. Martin was named to the first team for all four of the primary Division II teams that were announced. He is the lone player from the PSAC to be named to first team honors on both the Lindy's Sports and D2football.com lists. He was also named to the first team by Street and Smith and HERO Sports.
 
RETURNING ALL-PSAC PLAYERS
Slippery Rock returns a total of four players that were named to All-PSAC honors in 2016. In addition to Martin on the first team, running back Isiah Neely, offensive lineman Steve Gaviglia and wide receiver Marcus Johnson were all named to second team honors.
 
STRONG FIRST QUARTERS
Slippery Rock scored first in seven of the 11 games last season and outscored opponents by a 100-63 margin in the first quarter of games. The 100 first quarter points were the second most SRU scored in any quarter, trailing the 115 fourth quarter points SRU scored last year. The worst quarter for SRU last season was the third quarter, where The Rock managed just 79 points on the year.

 

MERHAUT GETTING HIS SHOT
Slot receiver Mike Merhaut has earned a chance to start at the opposite slot from Cornelius Raye. Merhaut, entering his redshirt sophomore season, set WPIAL AAAA records his senior year of high school at Pine-Richland when he caught 110 passes for 1,532 yards and was the leading receiver in the state of Pennsylvania.

MOST EXPERIENCED PLAYER IN PSAC
Marcus Martin enters the season with 37 consecutive starts to his name, every game since the beginning of the 2014 season. That tally is four more than any other player in the PSAC as East Stroudsburg OL Devon Ackerman and Millersville DL Drew Seaburg have both started 33 games. The second most experienced player in the PSAC West is Indiana DB Jay Watkins, who has started 30 career games for the Crimson Hawks.
 
STARTERS NOTES
Marcus Martin has started 21 more games than any other player on the SRU roster and enters week one of the season with 37 straight starts, the most of any player in the PSAC.  The next highest number of starts on the SRU roster is Cornelius Raye's 16, followed by Marcus Johnson's 12. Austin Fields and Jim Popa started all 11 games last season and Steve Gaviglia started 10 games, missing only one start to allow a senior to start in the final game of the year.
 
Only four players on the SRU roster have started a game on the defensive side of the ball and one of those, Patrick Minenok, will likely miss the season due to an injury suffered in preseason camp.
 
Ian Park started 16 games at Northwestern University. Tim Soave started 18 games at Lackawanna College.
 
FAMILY CONNECTIONS
A number of current players on the SRU roster have direct family connections to other current players or former players that wore the Green and White. Tim Vernick is a younger brother of Bob Vernick (last played in 2016), Chacar Berry is a younger cousin of Alfon Cook (2016), Jacarri Cleckley is a younger brother of Damarcus Cleckley (2009), Elijah K. Jackson is a cousin to Anthony (2013) and AJ Saunders (2009) and Tanner Garry and Corey Garry are cousins.
 
SPECIAL EVENTS SCHEDULE
Each of The Rock's five scheduled home games this season will have at least one special event set to take place. The complete list of special events can be found below.
 
• Sept. 9 vs. West Chester – Hall of Fame Game – 6 p.m.
• Sept. 16 vs. Lock Haven – VillageFest and Family Day – 6 p.m.
• Sept. 30 vs. California – Military Appreciation Day – 6 p.m.
• Oct. 14 vs. Indiana – Homecoming – 2 p.m.
• Oct. 28 vs. Clarion – Senior Day – 1 p.m.
 
HOMECOMING GAME SET FOR ESPN 3
The NCAA selected Slippery Rock's Homecoming game Oct. 14 against Indiana for its Division II Showcase. The game will be produced by a television crew and will stream worldwide on ESPN3 and the ESPN app. This marks the second time in the last three seasons that SRU has been chosen as a host site for the NCAA's Showcase.
 
ROCK PICKED THIRD IN WEST
The Rock were picked to finish third in the PSAC West according to the preseason coaches poll, behind Indiana (Pa.) and California (Pa.). The last time SRU was picked third in the league was the 2014 season, which resulted in an overall PSAC title and a trip to the NCAA playoffs.
 


CHAMPS NOT PICKED FIRST IN EITHER POLL
For the fourth straight year the defending PSAC West champions have not been picked first by the coaches. California, the overall PSAC champion last year, was picked second behind Indiana. The Vulcans defeated Indiana twice last season, handing IUP its only two losses. In the East, defending champion Kutztown was picked second behind West Chester.
 
ROCK GETS TOP TWO IN THE EAST
Slippery Rock is scheduled to face the top two vote getters in the East. West Chester, which is receiving votes in the AFCA poll and is ranked No. 25 in the D2football.com poll, is the week two opponent and home opener for SRU. The Golden Rams were a unanimous pick for the top spot in the East. This will mark the fourth straight year SRU and WCU will meet and the first time in that stretch that the game will be played at SRU. Kutztown, which won the PSAC East last year with a 7-0 record, is scheduled to be the week 11 opponent for SRU.
 
ROCK TO PLAY ALMOST EVERY TEAM WITH WINNING RECORD
Eight teams in the PSAC - four in each division - posted winning records last season. One of those was SRU at 7-4 and The Rock will play five of the other seven this fall in California (11-1), Indiana (10-2), Edinboro (9-2), Kutztown (7-4) and West Chester (8-3). The only two teams in the league with winning records last year that are not on the SRU schedule are Shippensburg (7-4) and Bloomsburg (6-5).
 
TITLE GAME SHIFTS BACK TO THE EAST
The PSAC title game will move back to the East Division champion in 2017 as it continues to alternate between the divisional winners each year. Slippery Rock is still the only visiting team to win a PSAC title game since the league reinstated the championship in 2008. The Rock won the 2015 title on the road at West Chester, 61-12.
 
KENTUCKY STATE QUICK HITS
• KSU is coached by John L. Smith in his second year. Smith has Division I head coaching experience at four places, including Michigan State for four years and most recently, Arkansas in 2012. He was named the Big 10 Coach of the Year in 2003 in his first year at Michigan State.
• KSU was 4-7 last year, but went 4-3 in the SIAC Western Division, good enough to earn a trip to the league title game, where it lost 33-30 in double overtime to Fort Valley State. The biggest point in the season for the Thorobreds was a 10-9 road win at No. 5 Tuskegee, which stands as one of the biggest wins in the program's history. Tuskegee went on to earn a trip to the NCAA playoffs and won its first round game before bowing out in the second round of the playoffs. 
• It's hard to predict what the KSU offense will look like this year with the addition of transfer quarterback Paul Campbell, who is much more of a pure passer than the Thorobreds had behind center last year. The offense managed just 111 passing yards per game last year, which ranked 163rd in the nation out of 170 teams. 
• In addition to adding a new QB, KSU also discovered its starting running back late in the 2016 season. Lavelle Cloyd rushed for 315 yards on the season, but 280 of those came in the last four games of the year. He went for 119 yards in the SIAC title game on just 13 carries. He also rushed for 81 yards against Lane and 80 yards against Benedict. Cloyd only had 11 total carries in the first seven games of the season before coming on strong late.
• The top returning threat in the passing game is Demetrius Anderson, who caught 43 passes for 577 yards and three touchdowns last year. He was the lone player on the roster with more than 17 catches and the only one to go for more than 155 receiving yards on the year.
• Rodriquez Jones is the top returning player on the defensive side of the ball and is an All-Conference candidate on the defensive line. He finished third on the team in tackles with 75 last year, but led the team with 11.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He also recovered two fumbles and was credited with seven QB hurries. Jones was named to the Black College Football Hall of Fame's "Black College Football Player of the Year" watch list this preseason.
• Saturday's game is a "Green Out" for Kentucky State as the program supports liver cancer awareness. It is also "Frankfort Day" at the game.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock returns home to host West Chester next Saturday, Sept. 9, for the annual Hall of Fame Game. The Rock Athletic Hall of Fame will induct its 2017 class at 2:30 p.m. and those seven honorees will be recognized at halftime of the game. Kickoff is set for 6:06 p.m. and the game will be televised live on ESPN 3 and other local Pennsylvania channels. The complete list of channels will be available next week.
 
 
 

 
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