Complete Game Notes (30-page PDF)
 
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The fifth ranked Slippery Rock University football team will open the 2021 season on the road at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan Thursday, Sept. 2 with a 6 p.m. kickoff from Adams Field.
 
Below you will find all pertinent information regarding tickets, parking and live coverage, along with complete game notes.
 
LIVE INTERNET COVERAGE
• Live Stats  |  Provided by Wayne State media relations.
• Live Streaming Video  |  Provided by Comcast 900 in Detroit. *
• Live Audio (Online and Radio)  |  Provided by The Rock Station 97.7 FM (Butler County).
• Twitter  |  All scoring information and in-game updates.
    *Game will be televised in Michigan on Comcast CN 900
 
TICKETS
• Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online HERE
• General Admission - $12
• Ages 6-12 - $5
• Children 5 and under - FREE
 
PARKING AND DIRECTIONS
• Parking is available in the lots near Adams Field.
•  Directions: LINK (scroll down to parking info)
 
COVID-19 AND FAN POLICIES
• Full fan policy HERE
•  There is an expectation that fans will be masked while inside the facility.

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THE GAME
Slippery Rock enters the 2021 season opener ranked No. 5 in Division II and carrying significant expectations after returning 17 starters from the 2019 team that posted a 13-1 record and reached the NCAA semifinals. Wayne State is receiving votes in the preseason national poll after posting its second-best record in program history at 8-3 in 2019.
 
628 DAYS BETWEEN GAMES
When the ball is kicked at 6:07 p.m. Thursday night, it will mark the first official action for The Rock football team in a stretch of 628 days dating back to the national semifinals on Dec. 14, 2019. That stretch is the second-longest gap between games in program history with the only other hiatus that lasted longer coming from 1943-45 when SRU canceled both the 1943 and 1944 fall sports season during World War II. After competition resumed in 1945, SRU played football every fall up until the 2020 season was canceled.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
SRU and Wayne State are an even 2-2 all-time against each other. The teams met three times between 1981-86 and did not play again until the season opener in 2019. Three of the four games have been decided by multiple possessions with SRU winning 62-37 in Detroit in 2019 and 35-10 at home in 1985. Wayne State won 28-0 in Detroit in 1986 and edged SRU 14-13 at Michigan Stadium in 1981.
 
• First Meeting: 1981 (WSU won 14-13)
• Last Meeting: 2019 (SRU won 62-37)
• Current Streak: Slippery Rock +1
• at WSU: Tied 1-1
• at SRU: SRU leads 1-0      
• Most Points Scored (WSU): 37 (2019)
• Biggest Win Margin (WSU): 28 (1986)
• Most Points Scored (SRU): 62 (2019)
• Biggest Win Margin (SRU): 25 (1985, 2019)
• Last SRU Win: 2019 at WSU (62-37)
 
COACHING MATCHUP
Slippery Rock head coach Shawn Lutz is in his 26th overall year at The Rock and his fifth season as head coach, where he owns a 39-11 record. Lutz was the PSAC West Coach of the Year in both 2018 and 2019 and was the Don Hansen Football Gazette Division II National Coach of the Year in 2019. The 39 wins are the most among all PSAC head coaches over the last four seasons. Lutz was an assistant at SRU for 20 years before taking over the program in 2016. He served four years as the associate head coach and eight as the defensive coordinator and defensive line coach before taking over. Lutz has been a member of the coaching staff for 11 of SRU's PSAC West titles. He played tight end at West Virginia University, graduating in 1996, and earned a master's degree in sport management from SRU in 2003.
 
Paul Winters is in his 18th year and 17th season as head coach at Wayne State, where he has led the Warriors to an overall record of 91-87 that included a run to the National Championship game in 2011. He was named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2019 after leading the team to an 8-3 record that included an 8-1 mark in the last nine weeks of the year. Winters has guided Wayne State to a total of nine winning seasons. He joined the staff at Wayne State after spending his first 22 years coaching as a Division I assistant, including serving as the offensive coordinator at Wisconsin from 1995-03. He played running back at Akron, graduating in 1980.
 
COACHING STAFF CHANGES
Slippery Rock had a few coaching changes during the offseason with Jared Buck, Darrin Walls and Jake Reed all departing. A trio of newcomers with Division I coaching experience have joined the staff to replace those three. Joe Marella replaced Buck and will coach the receivers, Anthony Cicione II replaced Walls and will coach the defensive backs and Nick Fiacable replaced Reed as the graduate assistant that will work with running backs and tight ends.
 
LAST MEETING  |  Box Score
Slippery Rock scored 35 points in the first 22 minutes of the game and went on to post a 62-37 win on the road at Wayne State to open the 2019 season. The Rock, who were ranked 10th in the preseason poll in 2019, scored touchdowns on each of the first eight offensive possessions to lead 56-14 just 23 seconds into the third quarter. Wayne State rallied late, scoring 37 points after trailing 35-0, but could never get back into the game. SRU posted 522 yards of offense with 407 passing yards and 115 rushing yards. The Warriors went for 509 yards with 248 rushing yards and 261 passing yards. Roland Rivers III was unstoppable for SRU, completing 23-of-30 passes for 405 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions while also rushing for 67 yards and one score. Jermaine Wynn Jr. caught eight passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns, Henry Litwin caught seven passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns and Cinque Sweeting caught five passes for 86 yards and two scores. Wayne State got 138 rushing yards and three touchdowns from James Hill, while Dakota Cupp threw for 149 yards and two touchdowns.
 
NATIONALLY RANKED AGAIN
Slippery Rock opens the 2021 season ranked fifth in the AFCA Division II national poll, marking the seventh straight season The Rock are listed in the AFCA preseason rankings. SRU has been ranked in the top 10 nationally for at least one week in five of the last six seasons and is coming off a 2019 season in which the program finished the year ranked sixth in the final national poll. The Rock were also ranked fifth this summer in the Lindy's Sports College Football Preview Magazine and fourth in the College Football America Yearbook rankings.
 
11 STRAIGHT SEASON OPENING WINS
Slippery Rock is looking to lock up a season-opening win for the 12th consecutive season. The last time SRU failed to win its first game of the season was all the way back in 2008 on the road at Seton Hill. The Rock are 5-0 on the road and 6-0 at home over the last 11 season openers. SRU hasn't lost a home opener since 2005, winning their first home game of the season in each of the last 13 seasons.
 
QUICK 2019 RECAP FOR SRU
Slippery Rock went 11-0 in the regular season to win the PSAC West title for the second year in a row and knocked off undefeated Kutztown on the road to win the outright PSAC title. SRU then reeled off wins over Shepherd in the second round of the NCAA playoffs and defeated defending regional champion Notre Dame in the quarterfinals to win the Super Region One title. The Rock bowed out of the NCAA playoffs with a home loss to Minnesota State in the national semifinals, finishing the year with a 13-1 overall record for the best mark in program history while tying the deepest postseason run in program history.
 
QUICK 2019 RECAP FOR WSU
Wayne State went 2-9 in 2018 but drastically turned things around in 2019 by posting an 8-3 overall record that included wins over Ashland and Grand Valley State. The 8-3 mark was the second best in program history. After dropping the opener to Slippery Rock, the Warriors went 8-2 the rest of the way and finished with their only losses coming to teams that combined to go 30-2 in the regular season. Two of those three losses came to national semifinalists in SRU and Ferris State.
 
KINGS OF THE PSAC WEST
Slippery Rock has gone unbeaten in the PSAC West in each of the last two seasons and has won 16 straight PSAC Western Division games dating back to Oct. 21, 2017. The Rock are 20-2 against the PSAC West in their last 22 divisional games and have won six of the nine PSAC West titles dating back to 2011.
 
DEFENDING PSAC CHAMPIONS
Slippery Rock is the reigning PSAC champion after defeating Kutztown in a battle of 10-0 teams in the 2019 PSAC title game played at Kutztown. That title marked the 12th overall PSAC championship for SRU and its third since 2014.
 
PLAYOFF STAPLES
Slippery Rock has reached at least the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Playoffs in each of the last two seasons with a trip to the Super Region One final in 2018 and a Super Region title and a trip to the NCAA semifinals in 2019. The Rock have reached the NCAA Playoffs in five of the seven seasons dating back to 2013.
 
WINNING SEASONS STREAK
Slippery Rock has put together a winning season in each of the last 11 years, which ranks tied for the ninth best active streak in Division II. The only other program in the PSAC with more consecutive winning seasons (not counting teams that played 4-5 games in 2020) currently is Cal U, which has strung together 16 winning seasons entering 2021.
 
17 STARTERS RETURNING
Slippery Rock returns 17 players that saw significant starting action during the 2019 season, including eight offensive starters, eight defensive starters and one special team starter.
 
WE LOVE NIGHT GAMES
Slippery Rock will play its first five games of the 2021 season under the lights as the first five weeks are all scheduled for 6 p.m. kickoffs, which is just fine with The Rock. SRU has won its last 20 consecutive games that started at 4 p.m. or later. The Rock have not lost an evening game since Sept. 29, 2012. SRU will open the year Thursday Sept. 2 at 6 p.m. at Wayne State before hosting East Stroudsburg (Sept. 11) and Lock Haven (Sept. 18) in back-to-back weeks at 6 p.m. The Rock then travel to Seton Hill Sept. 25 for a 6 p.m. game and host Clarion Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. SRU will not play a day game until Oct. 9 with a 2 p.m. game at Edinboro.
 
CAPTAINS
Slippery Rock named its four team captains for the 2021 season back in April after the conclusion on spring practices. Receiver Henry Litwin and center Austin Wayt will represent the offense as captains, while linebacker Tim Vernick and defensive end Chad Kuhn will be the defensive captains.
 
YOU DON'T REPLACE A ROLAND RIVERS III
The biggest question entering the 2021 season for Slippery Rock comes at the quarterback position after the departure of 2019 Harlon Hill Trophy winner Roland Rivers III. Rivers shattered SRU and NCAA records on his way to a consensus All-America season in 2019 that saw him named the National Player of the Year and the first SRU player to ever win the Harlon Hill Trophy. He threw for 4,460 yards with 52 touchdowns and just seven interceptions while completing 66.9 percent of his passes. Rivers also ran for 700 yards and nine touchdowns.
 
KOESTER GETS THE NOD
After a preseason camp competition, Slippery Rock named redshirt senior Andrew Koester the starting quarterback heading into week one. Koester was the backup to Rivers in 2019 and has been with the program for four years. He opened the 2018 season as the starting QB, but was injured in week two and replaced by Rivers, who started every game of the rest of 2018 and every game of 2019. Koester has appeared in 13 games over three seasons and has thrown for 610 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. North Dakota transfer Noah Grover will be listed as the No. 2 quarterback on the week one depth chart.
 
NOT HIS FIRST TIME AS THE STARTER
Andrew Koester won the starting job entering the 2018 season at SRU. He opened the year by throwing for 272 yards with three touchdowns and one interception while also rushing for 87 yards and one score to lead SRU to a win over Kentucky State. He then threw for 122 yards in the first half against Shippensburg in week two before suffering a season-ending injury. Roland Rivers III took over in week three and started every game the rest of the way in 2018 and 2019. This week will mark Koester's first start since Sept. 8, 2018.
 
OTHER KEY LOSSES
In addition to Rivers, Slippery Rock will also be without two more first team All-Americans in left tackle Chris Larsen and linebacker Brad Zaffram, who both graduated. Larsen was a finalist for the Upshaw Award as the DII Lineman of the Year and Zaffram posted 19.5 tackles for loss to lead all linebackers in the nation in 2019. SRU will also need to replace kicker Jake Chapla, who had one of the best four-year careers in program history and left SRU after the 2019 season with more points than any other player to wear a Rock uniform. He shattered the all-time scoring record at SRU and set the PSAC record for points by a kicker, tallying 390 career points and averaging 7.8 points per game over 50 games.
 
RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
Slippery Rock returns two first team All-Americans from 2019 in receiver Henry Litwin and defensive end Chad Kuhn. Both are expected to be among the best in the nation again at their position in 2021. Litwin already owns the SRU career record for touchdown catches with 29 in just two seasons as a starter. He broke SRU single-season records with 103 catches for 1,509 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2019. Kuhn had a breakout junior season in which he racked up 17.0 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks to go along with 58 total tackles in 2019.
 
TWO MORE ALL-AMERICA CANDIDATES
Slippery Rock has at least two more players garnering preseason attention as potential All-Americans in slot receiver Jermaine Wynn Jr. and right tackle Jake Tecak. Wynn is coming off a stellar season in 2019 that was among the best in the nation for a receiver and ranked just below Litwin on multiple single-season lists at SRU. He grabbed 95 passes for 1,339 yards and 15 touchdowns while leading the team with 1,541 all-purpose yards. Tecak earned All-PSAC honors and started all 14 games at the right tackle spot, helping to block for the best offensive attack in the nation.
 
RETURNING ALL-PSAC PLAYERS
Slippery Rock returns six players that earned All-PSAC honors in 2019, headlined by Litwin and Kuhn. The Rock also return two-time first team All-PSAC selection Jeff Marx at the defensive tackle position. Marx is among the best interior linemen in Division II and serves as the primary run stuffer in the middle of The Rock defense. SRU also returns second team All-PSAC honorees in Wynn Jr., who made the team as a receiver and as a punt returner, Tecak on the offensive line and cornerback Khadir Roberts.
 
A LOT OF NEW FACES
Despite a total of 16 offensive and defensive starters returning, Slippery Rock welcomes back just 34 total letterwinners from the 2019 team, which means nearly 70 players on the roster either redshirted in 2019 and haven't played a game since 2018, are freshmen that joined the team for 2020 and haven't played since 2019 or are incoming 2021 freshmen or transfers that have not played at The Rock yet.
 
WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE
SRU ranked eighth in the nation in 2019 in turnovers gained with 30, which included ranking 13th in the nation in interceptions with 17. On the offensive side, SRU turned the ball over just 15 times in 14 games with only seven interceptions in 501 passing attempts.
 
TOP OFFENSE IN 2019
Slippery Rock had one of the best offenses in the nation in 2019, ranking third in Division II in scoring offense (46.2 points per game), fifth in passing offense (329.9 yards per game), second in total first downs (356), fifth in completion percentage (66.7), ninth in total offense (501.7 yards per game), seventh in fourth down conversions (69.6 percent) and 19th in third down conversions (47.6 percent).
 
TEAM RECORDS FALL
Slippery Rock set a number of team records in 2019, including in some major statistical categories. The Rock established new program highs for passing attempts (501), passing completions (334), passing yards (4,618), passing touchdowns (54), extra points made (79) and total offensive yards (7,024).
 
BEST RECEIVERS IN THE NATION
All four of Slippery Rock's starting receivers from 2019 – Henry Litwin, Jermaine Wynn Jr., Cinque Sweeting and Qaadir Dixon – will return this fall. Litwin ranked second in Division II with 1,509 yards in 2019, while Wynn Jr. was just behind him and ranked fifth in the nation with 1,339 yards. Sweeting also went for 839 yards giving SRU the best trio in the nation by a wide margin. Add in Dixon's 421 yards and the foursome combined for 285 catches for 4,108 yards and 48 touchdowns.
 
LITWIN BY THE NUMBERS
Henry Litwin played primarily on special teams in his freshman season in 2017, finishing the year with no catches. After moving into a starting role in 2018, Litwin has racked up 154 catches for 2,350 yards with 29 touchdowns over his last 28 games. His 29 TD grabs are already a career record at SRU. He set single-season records at SRU last fall for catches (103), yards (1,509), touchdowns (21) and scoring (128 points) and enters his senior year needing 62 catches and 1,033 yards to break Greg Hopkins' career records at The Rock.
 
HE'S AN ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN TOO
Litwin is also one of only four players in Division II to be named a first team CoSIDA Academic All-American in each of the last two years. He is SRU's nominee for the 2021 Campbell Trophy, known in college football as the Academic Heisman.
 
WYNN BY THE NUMBERS
In 28 games in the SRU lineup, Jermaine Wynn Jr. has pulled down 146 passes for 2,084 yards and 24 touchdowns. He enters the year needing 70 catches to break Greg Hopkins' SRU career record. Wynn grabbed 95 passes for 1,339 yards and 15 touchdowns last year, ranking him second behind only Litwin on the SRU single-season ledger in catches and touchdowns and third in yards. He also caught 26 passes for 562 yards and six touchdowns as a freshman at Alderson Broaddus in 2017 to bring his collegiate career totals to 172 catches for 2,646 yards and 30 touchdowns at the Division II level.
 
LIT-WYNN COMBINED
Through 28 games in the same lineup, Henry Litwin and Jermaine Wynn Jr. have put up almost identical numbers. They have combined for 300 catches for 4,434 yards and 53 touchdowns. Since they stepped on the field together for the first time in 2018, the duo are collectively averaging 10.7 catches for 158.4 yards and 1.90 touchdowns per game. They are on pace to become the second and third SRU players to ever top 2,500 receiving yards in a career and already are the first SRU teammates to ever top 2,000 yards during the same seasons.
 
KUHN BY THE NUMBERS
Chad Kuhn racked up 11.5 sacks to lead The Rock's defensive line in 2019 and bring his career total to 20.0 sacks, moving him up to 10th all-time at SRU. He is 12.0 sacks shy of second on the all-time list and is just 6.5 sacks shy of moving up to third all-time at SRU. Kuhn also has 34.0 career tackles for loss and is poised to climb well into the top 10 on that career ledger this fall.
 
FIRST ZERO IN PROGRAM HISTORY
Middle linebacker and team captain Tim Vernick will be wearing the number zero on his jersey this year to become the first SRU player to ever wear the zero in an NCAA competition. The number was not previously allowed as a jersey number in football, but the NCAA changed that rule this year and will now allow the number zero.
 
2021 MARKS THE END OF THE VERNICK ERA
Linebacker and team captain Tim Vernick enters the season as the most experienced player on the SRU roster with 35 career starts over the previous three seasons. This fall will mark his final season at SRU and with that the end of a streak of eight consecutive years where a member of the Vernick family has been the middle linebacker at SRU. Tim's older brother, Bob, was an All-Region selection and also served as team captain while playing from 2013-16.
 
FEATURED EVENTS ON THE SCHEDULE
Slippery Rock will host five home games during the regular season in 2021 and all of those dates will feature special events or be part of larger campus and community events. The opener Sept. 11 against East Stroudsburg will be the annual Hall of Fame game with the Rock Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2021 being inducted in a ceremony before kickoff. The Sept. 18 game against Lock Haven will be the cap to the annual Slippery Rock VillageFest and will be part of Friends and Family Weekend at SRU. The Oct. 2 game against Clarion will be the annual Salute to Military and First Responders game. The Oct. 16 game against Indiana (Pa.) will be the annual Homecoming game and the Nov. 6 game against Cal U will serve as The Rock's Senior Day game.
 
GRADUATES PLAYING THEIR FINAL YEAR
With the 2020 season being canceled and players retaining their eligibility, this fall will see a large number of student-athletes that have already graduated playing collegiate football. Slippery Rock is no exception, as a total of 13 of The Rock's players have already earned their undergraduate degrees: D.J. Adediwura, Kyle Butts, Garrett de Bien, Andrew Koester, Chad Kuhn, Henry Litwin, Trysten McDonald, Hunter Merritt, Cinque Sweeting, Jake Tecak, Tim Vernick, Austin Wayt, Jahmal Wynter.
 
THE ROCK AGAINST THEIR 2021 OPPONENTS
Slippery Rock has an overall combined record of 294-167-16 (.633) all-time against its 2021 scheduled opponents. The largest win streak in a series belongs to SRU over Lock Haven at 26 straight games dating back to a tie in 1988. SRU is 33-0-1 in its last 34 games against LHU. SRU's only non-PSAC opponent this year is Wayne State. The two programs have met just four times since 1981 and are an even 2-2 in the series. SRU is .500 or better against 10 of its 11 scheduled opponents and has won its most recent meeting against all 11 opponents on the schedule.
 
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Six of Slippery Rock's opponents this fall won at least six games and finished with a winning record in 2019 (IUP, Shepherd, Wayne State, Cal U, Mercyhurst, East Stroudsburg), while four opponents won at least seven games, three won at least eight games (IUP, Shepherd, Wayne State) and two won 10 games and made NCAA playoff appearances (IUP, Shepherd). However, after those six teams with winning records, The Rock's other remaining five opponents in 2021 combined to win a total of just 12 games in 2019 (Edinboro, Clarion, Seton Hill, Gannon, Lock Haven). The Rock's 11 schedule opponents combined to go 59-64 (.480) in 2019
 
RIVERS GETS NFL SHOT – HILLS SIGNS IN CFL
Harlon Hill Trophy winning SRU quarterback Roland Rivers III was brought in to be the Rookie Minicamp quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers last spring. Rivers had an excellent camp, not throwing a single interception, but was ultimately not signed by the Steelers as they already had four rostered quarterbacks under contract. Running back Wes Hills, who broke the SRU single-season rushing record in leading SRU to the 2018 NCAA quarterfinals, signed this offseason with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL.
 
SRU STARTERS NOTES (15 PLAYERS WITH 10+ STARTS)
The Rock defense boasts 11 players that have started at least one game and five players with at least 28 career starts at SRU. Tim Vernick leads all players on the roster with 35 starts, including 28 straight. Chad Kuhn and Khadir Roberts have each started 34 career games, while Trysten McDonald has started 29 and Jeff Marx has started the last 28 consecutive games. Dalton Holt (22), Garrett de Bien (17) and Selvin Haynes (11) give SRU eight players on defense that have started double-digit games.
 
The offensive side of the ball is less experienced, but still has seven players with double-digit starts, led by center Austin Wayt, who has started 28 straight games. Henry Litwin has started 26 games as the only other offense player with 20+ starts. Jermaine Wynn Jr., Jake Tecak and Matt Carr started all 14 games in 2019, while Qaadir Dixon and Cinque Sweeting started 12 games in 2019.
 
WAYNE STATE QUICK HITS
Wayne State opened the 2019 season with a loss to SRU before going 8-2 the rest of the way to finish with an 8-3 overall record to mark the second best in program history. That marked a significant improvement from the 2018 team that went 2-9. The three losses in 2019 came to teams that went a combined 30-2 in the regular season and included two teams that reached the national semifinals in SRU and Ferris State. The Warriors return nine starters and 33 letterwinners from that squad. Out of the 116 athletes on the roster, a total of 80 have never played a down of college football.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock returns home next Saturday, Sept. 11, to welcome East Stroudsburg in a PSAC crossover game set for 6 p.m. The game will be the annual Hall of Fame game, with The Rock's Hall of Fame class of 2021 being inducted earlier in the day and being recognized at halftime during the game.
 
 

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