Complete Game Notes (30-page PDF)
 
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The 20th-ranked Slippery Rock University football team will travel to 11th-ranked Shepherd University for a noon kickoff Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs from Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
 
Below you will find all pertinent information regarding the game, including tickets, parking, tailgating and live coverage, along with complete game notes.
 
GAME INFO
• Kickoff Time: Noon
• Stadium: Ram Stadium at Shepherd University
• Seating Capacity: 5,000
• Location: Shepherdstown, West Virginia
• Stadium Address: Ram Stadium, WV-480, Shepherdstown, WV 25443
 
TICKETS
• Advance tickets can be purchased HERE.
• Tickets will also be available at the gates beginning at 10:30 a.m.
• Adults - $15
• Students - $5
• Children 5 and Under - FREE
 
PARKING
• Tailgating is allowed  |  Shepherd Tailgating Rules
• Limited first-come, first-serve parking available in Lot B ($10 cash only).
• Free parking in Lot F and other lots on west side of campus.
• Stadium Parking Map

LIVE INTERNET COVERAGE
• Live Stats
• Live Streaming Video
• Live Audio (Online and Radio 97.7 FM in Butler County)
• Twitter
 
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.
* This week's game will be produced by Shepherd University's TV production crew and simulcast on the Rock Athletics Digital Network.
 
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.
 
NCAA PLAYOFF INFO
• 2022 Bracket
 
SRU PLAYOFF HISTORY
• 10th DII Playoff Appearance (11th all-time NCAA Playoff Appearance)
• Fourth Straight Appearance
• Seventh Appearance in Last Nine Seasons
• Five-Time Quarterfinalists: 1997, 1998, 2015, 2018, 2019
• Two-Time Semifinalists: 1998, 2019
• All-Time DII Playoff Record: 10-9
• SRU Playoff Record Book
 

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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 13: Slippery Rock at Shepherd
The Rock (10-2)	Shepherd Rams (11-1)
Game Notes	Game Notes
Depth Chart	Depth Chart
Roster	Roster
Schedule	Schedule
Statistics	Statistics
Coach: Shawn Lutz	Coach: Ernie McCook
Program Records	Program Records
NCAA Playoff Bracket
PSAC Stats Leaders
NCAA Division II Stats Leaders
Ram Stadium  |  Shepherd Campus Map  |  Directions

 
THE GAME
No. 20 Slippery Rock and No. 11 Shepherd will meet in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs in a matchup of the last two Super Region One champions with a trip to the NCAA quarterfinals and a shot at another regional title on the line.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES  |  Game-by-Game Scores
Slippery Rock owns a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1960. The Rock are 2-1 at home and 2-1 on the road and own a 2-1 record against Shepherd in NCAA Playoff games. The teams met in the postseason in 1998 (SRU won 31-20 at home), 2015 (Shepherd won 28-16 at home) and 2019 (SRU won 51-30 at home). The home team has won all three playoff meetings in the series. Slippery Rock is 1-0 against Shepherd since the Rams joined the PSAC in 2019.
 
• First Meeting: 1960 (SRU won 19-7)
• Last Meeting: 2019 (SRU won 51-30)
• Current Streak: Slippery Rock +1
• at SU: SRU leads 2-1
• at SRU: SRU leads 2-1
• Most Points Scored (SU): 30 (2019)
• Biggest Win Margin (SU): 17 (2005)
• Most Points Scored (SRU): 51 (2019)
• Biggest Win Margin (SRU): 21(2019)
• Playoff Series Record: SRU leads 2-1
 
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 58-16 record with four PSAC West titles and four 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 58 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 12 of SRU's 19 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.
 
Ernie McCook is in his fifth year and fourth season as head coach at Shepherd, where he has racked up an overall record of 42-9 and led Shepherd to the NCAA Playoffs in each of the last three seasons, which included winning a regional title and making an appearance in the national semifinals in 2021. McCook, like Lutz, was a longtime assistant at Shepherd before taking over as head coach after his mentor retired. He spent a total of 19 seasons as an assistant, including nine as the offensive coordinator. McCook is a 1992 graduate from Wesley.
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Shepherd and Slippery Rock are the only two teams in Super Region One to be ranked in every AFCA poll of the 2022 season and are two of just 12 total teams in all of Division II to be listed in every poll this fall. The Rock entered the playoffs ranked No. 20, while Shepherd entered the postseason ranked No. 11. Both DII national polls are available on page nine of the PDF notes linked above.
 
SHEPHERD QUICK HITS
• Shepherd enters the second round with an 11-1 overall record with the only blemish on the 2022 schedule coming on the road at Indiana (Pa.) in week 11 when the Crimson Hawks won the PSAC title with a 24-21 win at home.
• The Rams are the reigning Super Region One champions after claiming the regional crown in 2021 and have posted a combined record of 24-3 over the last two seasons. Shepherd is making its third straight trip to the postseason and is 34-6 overall since the beginning of the 2019 season.
• Shepherd is led by the best statistical QB in NCAA Division II history in senior Tyson Bagent. The 2021 Harlon Hill Trophy winner has started 50 games at Shepherd and has thrown for Division II records of 16,266 yards and 153 touchdowns while completing 69 percent of his passes. He is averaging an astounding 325.3 passing yards per game for his entire career. This fall, Bagent is completing a career-high 72 percent of his throws for 3,812 yards with 35 touchdowns and only six interceptions on 465 pass attempts. He has already been invited to the Reese's Senior Bowl, which is the premier all-star game in the country, and he currently carries a draftable grade from most NFL scouts who project him to be a third day selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.
• Shepherd ranks second in the nation in total offense averaging 506.2 yards per game while ranking fourth in the nation in passing at 326.7 yards per game and sixth in scoring at 40.8 points per game. The Rams also rush for 179.5 yards per game. About the only offensive area they don't rank among the national leaders in is red zone offense, where they rank 109th in DII by converting on 75.4 percent of red zone trips.
• Shepherd's defense is also among the best in the nation. The Rams rank 12th in the country in scoring defense at 15.3 points per game and 25th in total defense at 285.4 yards per game. Shepherd has scored five defensive touchdowns on the year, the second most among all teams in DII. The Rams are 16th in rushing defense (82.3 yards per game) and allow 202.1 passing yards per game.
• When the offense isn't racking up yards from the arm of Bagent, it's running back Ronnie Brown that is doing most of the damage. Brown has rushed for 1,348 yards and 15 touchdowns on the year and is averaging 8.7 yards per carry and 112.3 rushing yards per game. He also has 48 receptions for 478 yards and another three scores and is averaging 188.4 all-purpose yards per game with 19 total touchdowns.
• WR Marlon Cook is the top pass catcher at 67 receptions for 1,016 yards and eight TDs.
• DE Kyle Smith leads the defense with 11.0 sacks and 17.0 tackles for loss and enters this week with the most sacks in Super Region One. Dewayne Grantham leads the team with 86 total tackles and four interceptions. Klayton Batten and Donte Harrison each have three INTs and Harrison has three defensive touchdowns on the year.
 
BACK IN THE PLAYOFFS  |  SRU Playoff Record Book
Slippery Rock is making its fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Playoffs and its seventh trip to the postseason in the last nine seasons. The Rock are making their 10th overall trip to the Division II Playoffs and their 11th overall trip to an NCAA Playoff after also reaching the DIII Playoffs once in 1974.
 
ACTIVE PLAYOFF STREAK
Slippery Rock entered the playoffs with the third-longest active playoff streak among all Division II programs. The Rock are making their fourth straight appearance, trailing only the 18 straight trips for Northwest Missouri State and the eight consecutive appearances for Ferris State. Colorado School of Mines and Notre Dame (Ohio) join SRU in making their fourth straight trip this fall.
 
SUPER REGION ONE PLAYOFFS
Slippery Rock is the only "unseeded" team in Super Region One to get through the opening round and win a road game last week. The Rock are one of only three unseeded teams in the entire bracket to get through the opening round. The winner of Slippery Rock and No. 2 seed Shepherd will face the winner of No. 1 seed Indiana (Pa.) and No. 4 seed Ashland in next week's regional final at the highest remaining seed.
 
PSAC WEST CHAMPS AGAIN
Slippery Rock clinched a share of the PSAC West title this fall with a 6-1 record in divisional play, marking a fourth straight PSAC West title and The Rock's eighth division title in the last 11 seasons. SRU has only lost two PSAC West games since October of 2017 and is 28-2 against the PSAC West over its last 30 divisional games.
 
WE'VE PLAYED A LOT OF FOOTBALL
Slippery Rock will play its 53rd game of the last four seasons this week, tied with Notre Dame (Ohio) for the most among all programs in Super Region One. Shepherd isn't far behind as the Rams will be playing their 51st game of the last four fall seasons this weekend.
 
LAST TWO REGIONAL CHAMPIONS
This week's game features the last two Super Region One champions with 2019 champion Slippery Rock and 2021 champion Shepherd. One of the two teams will advance to their second quarterfinal in the last three seasons.

LAST TWO HARLON HILL WINNERS
This week's game also features the teams with the two most recent Harlon Hill Trophy winners. Former Slippery Rock QB Roland Rivers III won the award in 2019, while current Shepherd QB Tyson Bagent was the 2021 winner and is expected to be a finalist again this fall.
 
LAST MEETING WITH SHEPHERD – NOV. 30, 2019  |  Box Score
The last two Harlon Hill winners put on a show in the second round of the 2019 Playoffs before No. 8 Slippery Rock pulled away in the second half for a 51-30 win at home. The Rock tallied 36 total first downs and put up 652 yards of offense, while Shepherd managed 24 first downs and 528 yards of offense. Roland Rivers III won the battle of the best two QBs Super Region One has seen in the last decade. He completed 31 passes for 416 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions while also rushing for 33 yards and one score. Tyson Bagent completed 30 passes for 413 yards with four TDs and two interceptions. Slippery Rock also ran the ball for 236 yards, which was the difference in the game as Shepherd rushed for 115 yards. Charles Snorweah ran for 163 yards and two TDs and also caught a TD pass and Jermaine Wynn Jr. set the NCAA DII Playoff record for receptions with 18 catches for 229 yards and two TDs to lead SRU. Devin Phelps caught four passes for 143 yards and three TDs for Shepherd. SRU jumped out to a 20-0 lead, but Shepherd rallied to tie the game at 23-23 with 4:13 to play in the third. The Rock dominated the final 18 minutes, scoring four TDs and pulling away for a 51-30 win.
 


LAST WEEK FOR SLIPPERY ROCK
Slippery Rock traveled 530 miles to Massachusetts and knocked off No. 3 seed Assumption, the Northeast 10 champions, with a 17-14 win in the opening round. SRU scored on all three possessions in the first half and led 17-7 at the break. The Greyhounds got on the board in the third quarter after a shanked punt by SRU gave them a short field, but the SRU defense shut the door from there, including coming up with two crucial fourth down stops when Assumption only needed one yard to keep a drive alive. Both teams finished with under 300 yards of offense in a game that featured two of the best statistical defenses in the nation in terms of total yardage and points allowed. Noah Grover threw for 188 yards and one TD with no INTs and Cohen Russell caught seven passes for 98 yards and one TD. D.J. Adediwura and Cottrell Hatchett each had 2.0 TFL and Jeff Marx had 1.0 TFL.
 
LAST WEEK FOR SHEPHERD
No. 2 seed Shepherd escaped unseeded New Haven, the runner-up in the Northeast 10 Conference, with a 16-13 win at home in the opening round. The Chargers scored on their opening drive to take a 6-0 lead after the missed PAT, but Shepherd reeled off 16 unanswered points. New Haven added a late touchdown with 2:15 to play to cut it to 16-13, but Shepherd was able to put the game away on offense and preserve the 3-point win. The Rams posted a large advantage in total offense at 471-265, but struggled in the red zone, converting on just one of three trips. Shepherd threw for 235 yards and ran for 236 yards in the game, marking the second time all season in which the Rams had more rushing yards than passing. Ronnie Brown ran for 228 yards and two TDs on 21 carries for 10.9 yards per carry. Tyson Bagent completed 28-of-39 passes for 235 yards with no TD and no INT, snapping a 33-game streak with at least one TD pass.  
 
UNDEFEATED WHEN…
Slippery Rock is 8-0 on the season when scoring first and 10-0 this fall when leading at halftime. The Rock are 10-0 on days without precipitation and 0-2 in games played in the rain. SRU is 9-0 when allowing less than 300 yards of total offense and 8-0 when allowing less than 20 points.   
 
ROAD WARRIORS
Slippery Rock had the longest road trip in Super Region One last week and one of the longest trips in the entire first round of the playoffs. The Rock traveled 1,060 miles round trip to Worcester, Massachusetts and played their first game in the state since playing at Fenway Park in 1937. SRU will now travel a much shorter distance at 235 miles to Shepherd, but The Rock will also be staying just over an hour from campus due to hotel shortages on the holiday weekend. With the back-and-forth from the hotel and the round trip, SRU will add another 573 miles in the bus this week for a total of 1,633 miles in a bus over a stretch of nine days.
 
FIRST WIN WITH LESS THAN 20 POINTS SINCE 2011
Slippery Rock's 17 points in a winning effort last week marked the first time The Rock have won a game in which they scored less than 20 points since Oct. 15, 2011 when SRU beat California (Pa.) 17-3 on Homecoming. Prior to last week, Slippery Rock had lost 10 consecutive games in an 11-year period when they failed to score at least 20 points.
 
UNDER 300 YARDS AGAIN
Injuries to multiple key players on the offensive side of the ball and facing two of the top defenses in Super Region One in the last two weeks have kept The Rock under 300 yards of offense in back-to-back games after SRU went nearly four calendar years without dipping under 300 yards in a single-game. The last time SRU failed to reach 300 yards of offense before the last two weeks was back in week 11 of the 2018 season against No. 9 West Chester in the PSAC title game. If you want to look for the last time SRU was held under 300 yards of offense in back-to-back games, you have to go all the way back to Oct. 2, 2010.
 
LAST WIN WITH UNDER 300 YARDS OF OFFENSE
Slippery Rock's win last week marked its first win with less than 300 yards of offense since a 24-9 win over Clarion back on Oct. 28, 2017 when SRU put up just 223 total yards on the way to a 24-9 win.
 
NO TURNOVERS IN QUICK GAME
Last week's opening round game at Assumption featured no turnovers from either team in what was the fastest game played in the opening round. It took two hours and 21 minutes from start to finish in a game that had no turnovers and only eight enforced penalties for a combined total of 60 yards between the two teams.
 
GROVER CLOSING IN ON 3,000 YARDS
Rock QB Noah Grover enters this week needing 195 passing yards to become just the fifth QB in SRU history to reach 3,000 yards in a single-season. Grover, who missed week 11 but returned last week at Assumption, has thrown for 2,805 yards with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 11 games this fall.
 
GROVER AMONG DII LEADERS
QB Noah Grover enters this week ranked 14th in Division II in passing yards with 2,805 yards, despite missing week 11. He ranks 19th in passing yards per game (255.0), 20th in passing efficiency (153.3), 21st in total offense (261.5) and 21st in total points responsible for (168).
 
GROVER'S CAREER NUMBERS
Last week marked just the 15th career start at SRU for QB Noah Grover. In those 15 starts, Grover has thrown for 4,344 yards and 40 touchdowns while leading SRU to an 12-3 record. He is averaging 289.6 passing yards and 2.7 passing touchdowns per game in those 15 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 SRU CAREER LISTS ALREADY
In just 15 starts plus a few relief appearances, Noah Grover has already climbed to No. 5 on the all-time career passing TD list at SRU with 43 TD passes. He also ranks fifth all-time in completions (350) and seventh in passing yards (4,565). Grover's 64.6 completion percentage is the highest in SRU history among all QBs with at least 10 starts and his 240.3 yards per game average ranks fifth. His 4,662 total yards of offense are No. 6 all-time at SRU.
 
INJURIES RIP THROUGH SRU OFFENSE
Slippery Rock played its week 11 game without starting QB Noah Grover, starting RB Chris D'Or, leading wide receiver Kyle Sheets and backup RB Chris Wells, along with starting WR Jacob Odom, who all missed the game with injury. SRU then lost first team All-PSAC tight end Max Maciejewski to injury in that week 11 game. That group of players makes up nearly all of the offensive production for SRU this fall. Grover returned last week and played the full game at Assumption. Sheets tried to go, but left the game in the first quarter to rest another week. D'Or looked great early in the game, but also had to leave the game in the first quarter with a different injury. Maciejewski did not dress and Odom has been ruled out for the season.
 
GAME-TIME DECISIONS
All of the above listed players, except for Jacob Odom, are practicing this week and expected to dress for the game.
 
RUSSELL BECOMES GO-TO RECEIVER
With all of the injuries and lineup changes with the offense the last two weeks, slot receiver Cohen Russell has stepped up in a big way with back-to-back games with a career-high number of catches. He caught six passes for 74 yards and one TD against Kutztown and topped that with seven receptions for 98 yards and another TD last week at Assumption. In the last two weeks, Russell has 13 catches for 172 yards and two touchdowns. Russell has caught at least one pass in all 12 games this year and now sits second on the SRU roster with 45 catches for 575 yards and five TDs.
 
MACIEJEWSKI AMONG TOP TIGHT ENDS IN DII
Max Maciejewski ranks third on the SRU roster this fall in total catches with 31 grabs for 365 yards and five touchdowns. His five TD catches rank tied for third among all Division II tight ends this year, trailing only the seven by Pittsburg State's Devon Garrison and the six by Shorter's Kyle Morlock. Maciejewski is hoping to return to the lineup this week after missing the opening round last week.  
 
SMITH GETTING KEY CARRIES
With Chris D'Or and Chris Wells both sidelined most of the last two weeks, RB Tim Smith made his first start of the 2022 season against Kutztown and got the bulk of the carries against Assumption as well. Smith was the starting tailback for SRU in 2021 and earned All-Conference honors. He dealt with some minor injuries early in the season and found himself in a crowded backfield. Over the last two weeks, Smith has carried the ball 26 times for 94 yards with one touchdown.
 
D'OR A GAME-CHANGER WHEN HEALTHY
Rock RB Chris D'Or has rushed for more than 100 yards in five games this fall, which is the most 100-yard games by an SRU running back since Wes Hills topped the century mark eight times on his way to setting the SRU single-season rushing record back in 2018. The five 100-yard games are the sixth most in a career by any SRU running back in the last 20 seasons dating back to 2002. D'Or leads SRU this fall with 748 rushing yards and eight TDs on just 133 carries, averaging 5.6 yards per carry and 68.0 yards per game.
 
SHEETS HOPING TO MAKE FULL RETURN THIS WEEK
Slippery Rock graduated the best 1-2-3 receiver combo in the country last year in All-Americans Henry Litwin and Jermaine Wynn Jr. and current XFL pro Cinque Sweeting. Those three combined for more than 7,800 receiving yards and 98 touchdowns over the last three seasons. SRU needed a new WR1 this year and Kyle Sheets, who was actually Litwin's quarterback in high school, has stepped up. Sheets leads SRU with 51 catches for 828 yards and eight TDs, averaging 16.2 yards per catch and 75.3 yards per game this fall. He was really hitting his stride late in the season before suffering an injury in the third quarter of week 10. He caught 13 passes for a combined 321 yards and three touchdowns in week eight at California and week nine at Clarion.
 
DEFENSIVE RANKS
Slippery Rock enters round two of the playoffs ranked ninth among all DII teams in scoring defense with opponents averaging just 14.4 points per game. The Rock rank sixth in the country in interceptions with 17, rank 10th nationally in total defense with opponents averaging 260.5 yards per game and rank 13th nationally in rushing defense with opponents rushing for 80.7 yards per game. The Rock also rank 16th nationally in kickoff return defense with opponents averaging 16.3 yards per kickoff return.
 
RUN DEFENSE MAKING TEAMS ONE-DIMENSIONAL
The Rock have allowed just seven rushing touchdowns total through 12 weeks of the season and are allowing only 2.5 yards per carry on 382 attempts and 80.8 rushing yards per game by opponents. No team has managed to have an individual top the 100-yard mark against the SRU defense through 12 weeks. That stingy run defense has forced teams to the air, where SRU has limited opponents to 179.8 passing yards per game and has come up with 17 interceptions and 32 sacks.
 
DEFENSIVE LINE DOMINATING GAMES
The Rock's defensive line has caused problems for opposing offenses all fall and has done so a great deal of snaps by rushing just four players. The starting rotation of D.J. Adediwura (10.5 sacks, 18.5 TFL), Jeff Marx (8.5 sacks, 13.0 TFL), Munchie Johnson (3.0 sacks, 10.0 TFL), Cottrell Hatchett (3.5 sacks, 8.5 TFL) and Daniel Tooson (2.5 TFL) have combined for 25.5 sacks and 52.5 tackles for loss while helping The Rock to totals of 32 sacks and 98 tackles for loss. 
 
TWO OF THE BEST DEFENSIVE LINEMEN IN THE NATION
Slippery Rock boasts one of the best defensive ends in the country in D.J. Adediwura and one of the best interior linemen in the country in preseason All-American Jeff Marx. Adediwura ranks second in Super Region One by a half-sack and ranks 11th in the nation in sacks with 10.5 to go along with 18.5 tackles for loss. Marx ranks 23rd among all players in the country in sacks with 8.5, an incredible number for a defensive tackle that plays in the interior of the line. Those two have combined for 19.0 sacks and 31.5 tackles for loss this fall.
 
ADEDIWURA ON HARLON HILL BALLOT
Slippery Rock defensive end D.J. Adediwura was the SRU nominee for the Harlon Hill Trophy this year, becoming the first defensive player at SRU since Marcus Martin in 2017 to be nominated for the top Division II player honor. No defensive player has ever won the Harlon Hill and Martin is the only defensive player in the award's history to even finish in the top three in the voting when he took third in the national vote in 2017.
 
ADEDIWURA NOMINATED FOR COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR
D.J. Adediwura's perseverance has paid big dividends for Slippery Rock this year. Adediwura transferred to Slippery Rock after the 2020 season was canceled by the pandemic, but then he suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice, forcing him to miss the entire 2021 season. After a year of rehab, he is back on the field this year for the first time since 2019 and is having the best season by any defensive lineman in the region with 10.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss on top of 15 additional QB hurries in 12 games. He has been nominated for the College Football Comeback Player of the Year award for his perseverance.
 
ADEDIWURA AMONG DII CAREER LEADERS
D.J. Adediwura ranks fourth among all active players in Division II in career tackles for loss with 54.0 TFL over his four-year career.
 
MARX HAVING CAREER YEAR
Jeff Marx also returned from a season-ending injury this year and is having his best career season. Marx has rarely shown up in box scores in his career as a run-stuffing interior lineman, but his prowess is well-recognized by opposing coaches. He is a three-time first team All-PSAC selection and was a preseason All-American entering this fall. Marx has made the most of his final season and has career-highs of 13.0 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks to go along with his first career interception.
 
TUCK-HAYDEN RECORDS 300TH CAREER TACKLE
Wayne State transfer LB Brandon Tuck-Hayden leads SRU with 88 total tackles to go along with 12.5 TFL, one sack, one interception, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Counting his time at Wayne State, Tuck-Hayden now has 306 career tackles and ranks 10th among all active players in the country in total career tackles.
 
BALL HAWKS
Slippery Rock ranks first in the PSAC and sixth among all Division II teams this fall in interceptions with 17. Brandon Bischof, Jalen Dangerfield, Jacob Williams and Ali Abdul-Hakim all have three picks on the year, while Brandon Tuck-Hayden, Jeff Marx, Eddie Faulkner IV, Josh Stokes and Selvin Haynes all have one. Williams leads The Rock secondary with eight pass breakups to go along with his three picks.
 
ROCK RANKS FIRST IN KICKOFF RETURNS
Slippery Rock leads all Division II teams in kickoff return average at 28.2 yards per return. Cohen Russell averages 27.7 yards per return and Jawon Hall is averaging 36.5 yards per return with one 97-yard return touchdown. That duo has combined for 524 kickoff return yards on just 17 returns. Opposing teams have only kicked the ball deep to SRU twice in the last four weeks combined.
 
STRONG STARTS
Slippery Rock shut Assumption out in the first quarter last week to mark the seventh time this season the opposition has failed to score in the opening quarter. SRU have allowed offensive points in just four games this year in the first quarter and have allowed only three total first quarter touchdowns. The Rock are outscoring opponents 94-29 in the first quarter and 215-77 in the first half of games. SRU averages 17.9 points in the first half while allowing 6.4 points. 
 
21 PLAYERS HAVE MADE FIRST SRU STARTS
Exactly half of The Rock's 22 starters in week one made their first SRU starts. 10 more players have joined that list since week one for a total of 21 players that have made their first start at The Rock this fall. That number is a bit misleading though, as most of the new starters are experienced transfers, including former All-Conference selections D.J. Adediwura (DE, Fairmont State), Kevin Hyde (DB, Tiffin), Jacob Williams (DB, Ashland), Dez Johnson (DE, Clarion) and Kam Kruzelyak (TE, West Liberty), 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, DE Cottrell Hatchett (Lackawanna), WR Bryce Profitt (Akron) and OL Jeff Burkhart (Lock Haven) 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), Eddie Faulkner IV (DB) and Josh Stokes (DB). Daniel Tooson is the only true freshman to make a start this year.
 
WINNING SEASONS STREAK
Slippery Rock is already guaranteed to have 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 narrowly preserved that streak with a win last week to get to 6-5.
 
SIX CAPTAINS FOR 2022
SRU has six captains this season: QB Noah Grover, OL Colton Rossi, DE D.J. Adediwura, DB Selvin Haynes, DB Kevin Hyde and DT Jeff Marx.
 
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.
 
UP NEXT
The winner of the Slippery Rock and Shepherd game will advance to the regional final to face the winner of the Ashland and Indiana (Pa.) game next Saturday, Dec. 3, at the highest remaining seed.





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