Complete Game Notes (28-page PDF)
 
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The 17th-ranked Slippery Rock University football team will travel to California (Pa.) Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division game at Adamson Stadium.
 
Below you will find all pertinent information regarding tickets, parking, tailgating and live coverage, along with complete game notes.
 
LIVE INTERNET COVERAGE
• Live Stats  |  Provided by Cal Sports Information.
• Live Streaming Video  |  Provided by Cal TV.
• Live Audio (Online and Radio)  |  Provided by The Rock Station 97.7 FM (Butler County).
• Twitter  |  All scoring information and in-game updates.
 
WATCH ON YOUR TV
• Fans can watch the game live and on-demand for free on the Rock Athletics Digital Network, created and operated by the SRU Athletic Communication Office.
 • Search for "Rock Athletics Digital Network" in the app stores on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku and Android TV devices to download the app. All 11 regular season SRU football games will be available on the app.
* This game will be produced by PennWest California's campus TV station.
 
MOBILE APP
• Fans can also watch all PSAC football games on the PSAC Sports Digital Network mobile app that is available for free in the app stores on Apple and Android devices.
 
TICKETS
• No advance ticket sales available
• Adults - $10
• Students - $5
• Children 12 and Under - FREE
 
PARKING AT ADAMSON STADIUM
• GPS Address: 170 California Road, Brownsville, PA, 15417
• $5 per Parking Spot
• Tailgating Permitted in Paid Lots
 

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GAME PROGRAM INFO
You can access all of the information found in traditional printed game programs, including rosters, schedules, stats, depth charts and more, via the links in this table.
 

Week 8: Slippery Rock at California (Pa.)
The Rock (6-1, 3-1)	California Vulcans (4-3, 3-1)
Game Notes	Game Notes
Depth Chart	Depth Chart
Roster	Roster
Schedule	Schedule
Statistics	Statistics
Coach: Shawn Lutz	Coach: Gary Dunn
Program Records	Program Records
PSAC Standings
PSAC Stats Leaders
PSAC Composite Schedule
Adamson Stadium

 THE GAME
No. 17 Slippery Rock will look to play spoiler for California (Pa.) in the Vulcans' annual Homecoming game and will look to pick up a fifth straight win in the series Saturday when the teams meet at 3:30 p.m. at Adamson Stadium.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES  |  Game-by-Game Scores
Slippery Rock owns a 50-33-3 advantage in the all-time series that dates all the way back to 1905. The Rock have won four straight games in the series and are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings. This will mark the third straight year and the 13th time in the last 15 meetings that at least one of the two teams is nationally ranked at the time of this game. SRU has lost just once against an unranked Cal team since 2006 with a 48-26 loss on the road in 2014.
 
• First Meeting: 1905 (Cal won 53-0)
• Last Meeting: 2021 (SRU won 38-26)
• Current Streak: Slippery Rock +4
• at CAL: Tied 20-20-2
• at SRU: SRU leads 30-13-1
• Most Points Scored (CAL): 53 ( 1905)
• Biggest Win Margin (CAL): 53 (1905)
• Most Points Scored (SRU): 81 (1915)
• Biggest Win Margin (SRU): 81 (1915)
• Last CAL Win: 2016 at CAL (52-26)
 
COACHING MATCHUP
Slippery Rock head coach Shawn Lutz is in his 27th overall year at The Rock and his seventh year (sixth season) as head coach, where he owns a 54-15 record with three PSAC West titles and three trips to the NCAA playoffs. 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 53 wins are the most among all PSAC head coaches since the 2016 season. Lutz was an assistant at SRU for 20 years before taking over the program in 2016. He has been a member of the coaching staff for 11 of SRU's PSAC West titles. Lutz played tight end at West Virginia University, graduating in 1996, and earned a master's degree in sport management from SRU in 2003.
 
Gary Dunn is in his seventh year (sixth season) as the head coach at his Alma Mater, where he owns an impressive 47-16 record. Dunn, who played for the Vulcans from 1991-94 before embarking on his coaching career, led the team to the NCAA playoffs in each of his first two seasons and narrowly missed out on an NCAA appearance in 2021 with a 9-1 record. Prior to returning to Cal, he spent six seasons as the offensive coordinator at Duquesne and served as the offensive coordinator for 11 years at Morehead State at the FCS level.
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Slippery Rock moved up one place to No. 17 in this week's AFCA Division II national rankings. The Rock also moved up four spots to No. 15 in this week's D2football.com poll. Both polls are available on page 9 of the PDF notes linked above.
 
CALIFORNIA QUICK HITS
• California enters the game with a 4-3 overall record and a 3-1 mark in PSAC West games, but the record is a bit misleading. Cal is just a few plays away from being an undefeated top five ranked team. The Vulcans' three losses were by just nine combined points and came on the road at No. 3 Shepherd (26-23 in OT), on the road at defending PSAC champion Kutztown (29-24) and at home against No. 13 IUP (22-21).
• California averages 32.4 points per game on offense and 376.1 yards per game with 241.4 passing yards and 134.7 rushing yards per game.
• On defense, the Vulcans allow 17.4 points per game and 301.3 yards per game. Opponents are passing for 232.4 yards per game, but rushing for only 68.9 yards per game.
• QB Noah Mitchell will be making his 40th career start Saturday. This fall, Mitchell is completing 61.8 percent of his passes for 1,621 yards with 15 TDs and just three INTs.
• Mitchell's top target is JaQuae Jackson, who has more than twice as many catches as any other player on the roster with 50 grabs for 788 yards and a PSAC-leading nine TDs. He averages 112.6 yards per game. Cam Tarrant has 23 catches, Eric Willis III has 12 and Malik Langley has 11 as the only four players with 10 or more catches.
• Eric McKan III leads the ground game with 467 yards and seven TDs, averaging 4.5 yards per carry and 66.7 yards per game.
• LB Noah Dillow leads the defense with 51 tackles and two INTs. Fellow LB Matt Tobey has 42 stops and a team-high 7.5 tackles for loss. Josh Miller leads the team in sacks with 4.0.
 
LAST MEETING WITH CALIFORNIA – NOV. 6, 2021  |  Box Score
No. 15 Slippery Rock jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back on the way to a 38-26 upset win over No. 3 Cal U in week 10 last year, handing the Vulcans their only loss of the year and locking up a third straight PSAC West title for SRU. The Rock posted a 552-313 advantage in total offense with 466 passing yards and 86 rushing yards. Cal threw for 230 yards and ran for 83 yards. Noah Grover threw for 466 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions to lead SRU. The nation-leading trio of senior receivers Jermaine Wynn Jr., Cinque Sweeting and Henry Litwin combined for 22 catches for 420 yards and four TDs. Cal QB Noah Mitchell went 19-of-41 for 230 yards with two TDs and no INT. He subbed out for one play, an INT thrown by Wyatt Hirt. The Vulcans receivers were led by Derek Lockhart, who now plays for IUP, with five catches for 106 yards and two TDs.
 
LAST WEEK FOR SLIPPERY ROCK
Slippery Rock scored the first 24 points of the game and was never threatened in a convincing 40-14 Homecoming win over Gannon, which entered the game with a 5-1 overall record and a 3-0 mark in PSAC West games. Chris D'Or ran for 105 yards and one TD on just 14 carries and added 30 receiving yards. Tim Smith and Isaiah Edwards also ran for one TD each. Noah Grover threw for 202 yards with two touchdowns, which went to Bryce Profitt and Max Maciejewski. The SRU defense tallied six sacks, 11 tackles for loss, two interceptions, seven pass breakups and six QB hurries. D.J. Adediwura led the way with 3.0 solo sacks and 4.0 tackles for loss, while Munchie Johnson and Jeff Marx both had 1.5 sacks. Jalen Dangerfield and Josh Stokes both had an interception.

 

LAST WEEK FOR CALIFORNIA
The Vulcans escaped winless Seton Hill with a 21-14 win on the road last Saturday night. Cal jumped out to a 21-0 lead after three quarters, but saw the Griffins score 14 points in the fourth quarter before the comeback attempt fell short. Cal posted a 297-267 edge in total offense with 239 passing yards and 58 rushing yards. Seton Hill threw for 160 yards and ran for 107 yards. QB Noah Mitchell completed 15-of-30 passes for 239 yards with two TDs and no INT. JaQuae Jackson caught five passes for 138 yards and one TD and Cam Tarrant also pulled down one TD. Eric McKan III led the ground game with 22 yards and one touchdown on nine carries. Linebacker Noah Dillow tallied 14 tackles and 1.0 TFL, while John Hutchinson added 11 tackles and 2.0 TFL.
 
ANOTHER HOMECOMING GAME
Saturday's game will be Homecoming for California. The Rock are coming off their own Homecoming game last week and also played at Indiana (Pa.) on Homecoming in week five, making this the third Homecoming game for SRU in the last four weeks.
 
MUST-WIN GAME FOR BOTH TEAMS
Both teams enter this game feeling like it is a "must-win" situation. Cal already has three losses, and even though those were by a combined nine points against Shepherd, IUP and defending PSAC champion Kutztown, the Vulcans know they need to win out and likely get help if there is any chance at a playoff berth. The saving grace for Cal may be that it has one of the toughest strengths of schedule (.585) in the region so far. The opposite is true for SRU, which has a poor strength of schedule (.463) with multiple opponents owning two or fewer wins through seven weeks. A second loss by SRU, combined with the strength of schedule, would put The Rock in an uncomfortable position when it comes to the playoff picture.
 
BEST OF THE WEST
SRU has only lost two PSAC West games since October of 2017 and is 25-2 against the PSAC West over its last 27 divisional games, with both losses coming to IUP the last two seasons. The Rock have won three straight PSAC West titles and seven of the last 10 divisional crowns to easily distance themselves as the best in the West over the last decade.
 
THREE STRAIGHT GAMES AGAINST PENNWEST
The 2022-23 academic year marks the first year of the merged Pennsylvania Western University (PennWest), which includes the campuses of California (Pa.), Clarion and Edinboro. It just so happens that Slippery Rock will play all three PennWest schools in back-to-back-to-back weeks beginning this weekend at California (Pa.). While the campuses are all officially part of one larger entity now, all three have kept their former branding, colors and mascots for their respective Athletics Departments, meaning there is little to no change in terms of PSAC competition.
 
MITCHELL SET FOR RARE FOURTH START AGAINST SRU
Cal QB Noah Mitchell, who was named the 2021 PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Year, will be starting his fourth career game against SRU, a rarity for a QB at this level in this era of college football. Mitchell will be making his 40th college start Saturday and owns a record of 27-12 entering this week. For his career, he is completing 59.1 percent of his passes for 9,781 yards (250.8 per game) with 84 touchdowns (2.15 per game) and 31 interceptions (0.8 per game). SRU is perhaps the only team in the PSAC that has had success in slowing down the Cal passing attack all three years with Mitchell at the helm. In three starts against The Rock, Mitchell is 52-of-118 (44.1%) for 545 yards (181.7 per game) with two TDs (0.67 per game), three INTs (1.0 per game) and six sacks (2.0 per game). Slowing Mitchell down a fourth year in a row may be a tall task, as the senior is completing 62 percent of his passes for 1,621 yards with 15 TDs and just three INTs through seven weeks this year.
 
RED ZONE STRENGTHS
One area to keep an eye on Saturday will be when Cal reaches the red zone. The Vulcans rank seventh in DII in red zone offense, scoring on 92.3 percent of their trips to the red zone. The Rock defense ranks 24th in DII in the red zone, allowing opponents to score on 66.7 percent of trips to the red zone. 
 
TWO BEST RUN DEFENSES
Slippery Rock and California are among the best rushing defenses in the country and enter this game with nearly identical numbers. The Rock rank first in the PSAC and sixth in DII against the run, allowing just 67.3 rushing yards per game and only three rushing touchdowns all year. California ranks third in the PSAC and eighth in DII, allowing 68.9 rushing yards per game and five rushing TDs all year.
 
ADEDIWURA EARNS PSAC WEEKLY AWARD
SRU defensive end D.J. Adediwura was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week this week after tallying three sacks, four tackles for loss and one QB hurry in the win over Gannon last week. One of his sacks also came in the end zone for a safety, marking the first defensive points for SRU this season.
 
ADEDIWURA AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
With his 3.0 sacks last week, D.J. Adediwura now has 8.5 sacks on the year and sits atop the PSAC leaderboard with the next closest player in the league having 6.5 sacks. His 8.5 sacks and 1.21 sacks per game both rank eighth among all players in Division II entering week eight. Adediwura is also tied for the PSAC West lead in tackles for loss with 11.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage this fall.
 
SRU OWNS THE BEST DEFENSE IN THE PSAC
Slippery Rock enters this week ranked first in the PSAC in just about every defensive statistic that matters. The Rock lead the PSAC in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense, pass efficiency defense, tackles for loss and sacks. SRU ranks 10th nationally in total defense, allowing just 249.4 yards per game. SRU ranks eighth in DII in scoring defense, allowing only 13.0 points per game. The Rock rank sixth in DII against the run, allowing 67.3 yards per game, while ranking 13th in DII in both sacks (3.43 per game) and tackles for loss (8.6 per game). SRU also ranks 18th nationally in pass efficiency defense (103.5).
 
RUSHING DEFENSE
The Rock have allowed just three rushing touchdowns total through seven weeks of the season and are allowing only 2.2 yards per carry on 215 attempts and 67.3 rushing yards per game by opponents. No team has managed to have an individual top the 100-yard mark against the SRU defense through seven weeks. Only one individual has managed more than 62 rushing yards against SRU and that was IUP's Dayjure Stewart, who needed 30 carries to get to 92 yards.
 
DEFENSIVE LINE CAUSING PROBLEMS
The Rock's defensive line has caused problems for opposing offenses in all seven games. The starting rotation of D.J. Adediwura (8.5 sacks, 11.5 TFL), Jeff Marx (6.5 sacks, 8.0 TFL), Munchie Johnson (2.0 sacks, 6.5 TFL), Cottrell Hatchett (2.5 sacks, 5.0 TFL) and Daniel Tooson (1.0 TFL) have combined for 19.5 sacks and 32.0 tackles for loss while helping The Rock to PSAC-leading totals of 24 sacks and 60 tackles for loss.
 
DANGERFIELD PICKS ANOTHER
Rock safety Jalen Dangerfield has pulled down one interception in each of the last two weeks and now has a team-high three interceptions on the season.
 
BISCHOF GETTING COMFORTABLE
LB Brandon Bischof led SRU with 10 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss last week, marking his first double-digit total for tackles at SRU. Bischof has been getting better every week and is up to second on the team with 38 total tackles to go along with 3.0 TFL.
 
TUCK-HAYDEN LEADS DEFENSE
Wayne State transfer LB Brandon Tuck-Hayden leads SRU with 56 total tackles to go along with 9.5 TFL, one sack, one interception, four pass breakups and one forced fumble. Tuck-Hayden has been the top tackler in six of the seven games this fall, including a win over his former teammates in week one.
 
NO TURNOVERS LAST WEEK
Slippery Rock played its first turnover-free game last week against Gannon after struggling with ball control over the first six weeks of the season. The Rock turned it over 12 times over the first six games, averaging two giveaways per game and ranking near the bottom of DII in turnover margin. SRU flipped that script last week, forcing two turnovers and playing a clean game offensively.
 
INJURY BUG
SRU played without three starters last week as the injury bug made its first serious impact on the season. The Rock were without wideouts Jacob Odom and Jawon Hall and defensive captain and safety Selvin Haynes. Odom was injured in the first half at IUP in week five and has not played since. Hall had four total touchdowns in weeks five and six before missing last week's game. Odom is expected to return to the starting lineup this week. Hall and Haynes were still listed as questionable to begin this week.
 
PROFITT STEPS UP
Sophomore WR Bryce Profitt saw his first meaningful action last week with Odom and Hall out of the lineup. He made it count, catching a 21-yard TD pass in the first half for his first career catch at SRU.
 
MACIEJEWSKI LEADS DII TIGHT ENDS IN TDS
Rock TE Max Maciejewski also found the end zone again last week for his fourth touchdown of the season. Maciejewski is tied with Luke Bodine (Mary) and Kevin Foelsch (New Haven) for the most TD catches by a tight end in DII so far this year.
 
ANOTHER 100-YARD GAME FOR D'Or
RB Chris D'Or rushed for 105 yards and one TD on just 14 carries last week, which included a career-long 61-yard TD on the first play of the third quarter. D'Or has four games over 100 yards this fall and is the first SRU running back with at least four 100-yard games in a single-season since Wes Hills had eight 100-yard games in 2018. Hills is the current starting running back for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL.
 
RUNNING BACK COMMITTEE
Slippery Rock got rushing TDs from Tim Smith and Isaiah Edwards last week and now has six different players with rushing scores on the year, led by Edwards with four. Chris D'Or (3), Noah Grover (3), Chris Wells (3), Tim Smith (1) and Cohen Russell (1) have all found the end zone on the ground. SRU is averaging 4.5 yards per carry on 269 total rushes this fall.
 
GROVER'S CAREER NUMBERS
Last week marked just the 11th career start at SRU for QB Noah Grover. In 11 starts, Grover has thrown for 3,290 yards and 31 touchdowns while leading SRU to an 8-3 record. He is averaging 299.1 passing yards and 2.8 passing touchdowns per game in those 11 starts, three of which came against teams ranked in the top 16 nationally. All three of his losses have come on the road by one-possession scores against teams that were either ranked or receiving votes in the national poll.
 
GROVER ON CAREER LISTS ALREADY
In just 11 starts, Noah Grover has already climbed to No. 7 on the all-time career TD passing list at SRU with 34 TD passes. He also ranks eighth all-time in completions (274) and 10th all-time in passing yards (3,511). Grover's 64.2 completion percentage is the highest in SRU history among all QBs with at least 10 starts and his 234.1 yards per game average ranks fifth.
 
GROVER NAMED CAMPBELL TROPHY SEMIFINALIST
Noah Grover is one of just 13 Division II players to be named as a national semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, known as the Academic Heisman. Slippery Rock has had two finalists in the last five years (Marcus Martin - 2017, Henry Litwin - 2021), is the only PSAC school to ever have a finalist for the award and is one of just eight Division II teams to ever have multiple finalists. Grover graduated in May with a 3.85 GPA and a degree in industrial and systems engineering. The 12-14 total finalists from all levels of college football will be announced Oct. 26.
 
ROCK MOVES UP TO NO. 1 IN KICK RETURNS
Slippery Rock leads all programs in Division II in kickoff return average with an average return of 29.8 yards. That number is bolstered by the 97-yard TD from Jawon Hall against Mercyhurst in week six. Cohen Russell ranks 19th in DII and second in the PSAC with an average return of 27.7 yards per kickoff.
 
RUSSELL DOES IT ALL
Slot receiver Cohen Russell leads SRU with 110.7 all-purpose yards per game. He has 55 rushing yards, 304 receiving yards, 111 punt return yards and 305 kick return yards for a total of 775 all-purpose yards through seven weeks.
 
OPSATNIK PERFECT IN THE WIND
Kicker DJ Opsatnik was perfect in tough, windy conditions last week, booting a 20-yard field goal and making all five of his extra points. He is now 4-for-8 on field goal attempts, but is 29-of-30 on PATs and is up to No. 10 all-time at SRU with 81 made career PATs since 2021.
 
BUTTS HAS BEST OUTING OF SEASON
Punter Kyle Butts also had his best game of the season last week, averaging 42.4 yards per punt on five punts, pinning Gannon inside the 20 twice and landing one kick in the end zone for a touchback. Butts is now averaging 37.6 yards per punt for his career at SRU, which ranks seventh among all kickers with at least 40 punt attempts.
 
OFFENSIVE LINE NEEDS SOME LOVE
The Rock offense ranks first in the PSAC and 14th in DII for the fewest number of tackles for loss allowed per game at 4.14, with much of that credit going to the offensive line unit of Yuriy Hryckowian, Colton Rossi, Sawyer Morgan, Nick Stazer and Anthony Rebar. The same five linemen have started all seven games so far this fall. SRU ranks second in the PSAC and 21st nationally in sacks allowed at 1.1 per game.
 
17 PLAYERS HAVE MADE FIRST SRU STARTS
Exactly half of The Rock's 22 starters in week one made their first SRU starts. Six more players have joined that list since week one for a total of 17 players that have made their first start at The Rock this fall. That number is a bit misleading though, as most of the new defensive starters are experienced transfers, including former All-Conference selections D.J. Adediwura (DE, Fairmont State), Kevin Hyde (DB, Tiffin), Jacob Williams (DB, Ashland) and Dez Johnson (DE, Clarion), along with linebackers Brandon Bischof (Akron) and Brandon Tuck-Hayden (Wayne State), who both have more than 30 games of collegiate experience. Linebacker Jake Miller (Akron), WR Jawon Hall and DE Cottrell Hatchett (Lackawanna) also have previous experience. Other first-time SRU starters include WR transfer Jacob Odom (North Dakota) and SRU returners Chris D'Or (RB), Sawyer Morgan (C), Kenyon Johnson (WR), Nathan Waltman (TE), Ali Abdul-Hakim (CB) and Eddie Faulkner IV (DB). Daniel Tooson is the only true freshman to make a start this year.
 
WINNING SEASONS STREAK
Slippery Rock's win last week guaranteed the program of a 13th straight winning season. The Rock ranked ninth among all Division II programs for the longest active winning seasons streak in the country entering the 2022 season. The only other program in the PSAC with more consecutive winning seasons entering 2022 was California (Pa.), which had strung together 17 winning seasons entering 2022. California needs two more wins to extend that streak to 18 winning seasons.
 
SIX CAPTAINS FOR 2022
Slippery Rock has six captains for the 2022 season: QB Noah Grover, OL Colton Rossi, DE D.J. Adediwura, DB Selvin Haynes, DB Kevin Hyde and DT Jeff Marx.
 
HEAVY ON THE TRANSFER PORTAL
SRU looks vastly different in 2022 than it did in 2021 with the departure of a highly decorated senior class. To fill most of those voids, Slippery Rock went heavy on the transfer portal and added 19 transfer students, many of which have slid immediately into starting roles. In total, Slippery Rock has 30 players on the current roster that also played at another college.
 
LUTZ FASTEST TO 50 WINS IN SRU HISTORY
SRU head coach Shawn Lutz won his 50th career game in week two this fall, becoming the fastest head coach to 50 wins in SRU program history by reaching the milestone in just 64 games. Lutz is already No. 4 on the all-time head coaching wins ledger at SRU.
 
FEATURED EVENTS ON THE SCHEDULE
Slippery Rock will host two more home games during the regular season in 2022 and both of those dates will feature special events or be part of larger campus and community events. The Nov. 5 game against Edinboro will be the annual Salute to Military and First Responders game and the Nov. 12 game against Kutztown will be the annual Senior Day game.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock will travel to Clarion next Saturday for a noon kickoff before returning home for the final two weeks of the regular season, hosting Edinboro Nov. 5 at 1 p.m. and Kutztown Nov. 12 at 1 p.m.
 

 
 
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