Complete Game Notes (PDF)  

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THE GAME
No. 5 Slippery Rock can improve to 10-0 for the second time in the last four seasons and close out the PSAC Western Division schedule with a perfect record with a victory on the road at Edinboro Saturday in the final week of divisional play.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES  |  Game-by-Game Scores
Slippery Rock owns a 60-28-7 advantage in the all-time series that dates all the way back to 1913 when Slippery Rock posted a 101-0 win. The Rock have won each of the last four meetings and 10 of the last 12 games. This will mark the fourth straight year SRU is ranked at the time of the meeting and the sixth time SRU is ranked in the top 10 at the time of the meeting. SRU is 5-0 when playing Edinboro as a top-10 ranked team.
 
• First Meeting: 1913 (SRU won 101-0)
• Last Meeting: 2022 (SRU won 28-21)
• Current Streak: Slippery Rock +4
• at BORO: SRU leads 24-17-3
• at SRU: SRU leads 36-11-4
• Most Points Scored (BORO): 62 (1989)
• Biggest Win Margin (BORO): 55 (1989)
• Most Points Scored (SRU): 101 (1913)
• Biggest Win Margin (SRU): 101 (1913)
• Last BORO Win: 2017 at BORO (49-39)
 
COACHING MATCHUP
Slippery Rock head coach Shawn Lutz is in his 28th overall year at The Rock and his eighth year (seventh season) as head coach, where he owns a 67-17 record with five 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 67 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 13 of SRU's 20 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.
 
Jake Nulph is in his fourth year (third season) at Edinboro after taking over in 2020 during the COVID year. He owns an overall record of 11-19 entering this week. The 2005 Robert Morris alumnus spent one season as a defensive backs coach at Indiana (Pa.) before accepting the job at Edinboro. Prior to that, he had stints as a defensive coach at Duquesne, Westminster, Allegheny, St. Francis and Robert Morris. In total, Nulph has coached at seven different western Pennsylvania colleges spanning all three NCAA divisions.
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Slippery Rock moved up one spot No. 5 in the AFCA rankings and stayed put at No. 6 in the D2football.com rankings this week. SRU has been ranked in every AFCA national poll since the final poll of 2018. Both updated polls are available on page nine of the PDF notes linked above.
 
LAST MEETING – NOV. 5, 2022  |  Box Score
Slippery Rock escaped with a 28-21 win over Edinboro after the Scots tied the game at 21-21 with a pick six heading into the fourth quarter last fall. The Rock scored the game-winning TD midway through the fourth and limited Edinboro to 16 total yards with two turnovers to close out the game. Edinboro scored two touchdowns off interceptions with one being returned for a TD and another being returned to the eight-yard line, giving the offense 14 points on eight total yards of offensive output. SRU posted a 353-194 edge in total offense and forced five Edinboro turnovers, but only mustered 28 points on 20 first downs. SRU ran for 224 yards and threw for 129 yards. Edinboro threw for 148 yards and ran for 46 yards. The game featured four thrown interceptions by Edinboro, two by SRU and a lost fumble by each team. Chris D'Or rushed for 103 yards and two TD to lead SRU. Kyle Sheets caught six passes for 58 yards and one score. Edinboro got 148 passing yards from Isaac Bernard and 40 receiving yards and one TD from Thaddeus Standfield. Toby Cline recorded a 45-yard interception return TD for the Scots.
 
LAST WEEK FOR SRU
Slippery Rock opened the game with 35 straight points to cruise to a 42-14 win over Clarion. The Rock put up 510 yards of offense with 394 passing yards and 116 rushing yards while limiting Clarion to 267 total yards on 183 passing yards and 84 rushing yards. Brayden Long threw for 363 yards with four TD and also rushed for a TD. Kyle Sheets caught nine passes for 106 yards and two TD and Cohen Russell had six catches for 135 yards. It marked the first time since Nov. 6, 2021 against Cal (Pa.) that SRU had two receivers with more than 100 yards in the same game.

 

LONG EARNS THIRD PSAC WEEKLY HONOR
Junior QB Brayden Long was named the PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Week for the third time this season after throwing for 363 yards with four TD and no INT while also rushing for a fifth score last week against Clarion.
 
LAST WEEK FOR EDINBORO
Seton Hill broke open a 7-7 tie with a 17-0 run on the way to a 38-28 win over Edinboro last week. SHU posted a 496-309 advantage in total offense with 175 passing yards and 321 rushing yards. Edinboro ran for 37 yards and threw for 272 yards. Isaac Bernard threw for 272 yards and three TD with one INT on 39 attempts. Amani Bailey caught six passes for 114 yards and one score and Thaddeus Standfield had two catches for 75 yards and one score. Brian Trobel ran for 41 yards and one TD.
 
REGIONAL RANKINGS
Slippery Rock was ranked No. 1 in the first set of Super Region One rankings released this week by the NCAA. The regional rankings will determine which seven teams from Super Region One make the NCAA Playoffs. The Rock own the highest "NCAA performance indicator" score and the highest winning percentage plus strength of schedule score in the region.
 

Rank	School	Conf.	DII W-L	W% + SOS
1	SLIPPERY ROCK	PSAC	9-0	1.508
2	Tiffin	GMAC	9-0	1.473
3	Charleston	MEC	7-1	1.422
4	East Stroudsburg	PSAC	8-1	1.373
5	Frostburg State	MEC	6-2	1.323
6	California (Pa.)	PSAC	6-2	1.286
7	Kutztown	PSAC	7-2	1.304
8	Fairmont State	MEC	7-2	1.273
9	Shepherd	PSAC	7-2	1.256
10	New Haven	NE10	5-2	1.226

PSAC WEST CHAMPS AGAIN
Slippery Rock has locked up the PSAC West regardless of what happens in this week's games. The title marks the fifth straight season SRU has at least finished with a share of the Western Division title and the ninth time in the last 12 seasons that SRU has finished atop the standings.
 
HEADED BACK TO PSAC TITLE GAME
Slippery Rock will represent the PSAC West in the PSAC title game for the eighth time since the game was reinstated in 2008. The Rock's eight appearances in the title game are more than any other program in the PSAC since the title game returned. Kutztown will be making its fifth appearance. No other program in the league has made more than three trips to the title game since 2008. Slippery Rock and Indiana (Pa.) lead the league with three titles each since 2008, followed by Kutztown and California (Pa.) with two titles each. State Game appearances since 2008: SRU (8), Kutztown (5), Cal (3), West Chester (3), IUP (3), Shippensburg (3), Bloomsburg (1), Shepherd (1).
 
KINGS OF THE WEST
Slippery Rock has lost just two PSAC Western Division games since Oct. 21, 2017 and is 34-2 against the Division since then, including 32-2 since the beginning of 2018 with five straight PSAC West titles. The last time SRU didn't claim at least a share of the PSAC West title was 2017. The Rock have won or at least shared nine of the 12 PSAC West titles dating back to 2011, easily leading all programs in the Division. SRU head coach Shawn Lutz is 37-4 against the PSAC West in the last six seasons and is 40-8 against the Division in his career as head coach.
 
8 UNDEFEATED TEAMS LEFT IN DIVISION II
Slippery Rock is one of just eight undefeated teams remaining in Division II. The Rock are the only unbeaten team in the PSAC and one of just two unbeaten teams in Super Region One, joining Tiffin (9-0) of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
 
49TH STRAIGHT RANKED GAME
Slippery Rock will play its 49th consecutive game as a ranked team this week. The Rock have appeared in every AFCA national poll since the final poll of the 2018 season. The last poll released that did not include SRU in the top 25 was Nov. 13, 2018.
 
BACK IN THE TOP FIVE
Slippery Rock owns a single-digit ranking for the fourth straight year and the seventh time in the last eight seasons. The No. 5 mark is the highest since a preseason No. 5 ranking entering the 2021 season. The highest all-time ranking for The Rock football program was a No. 2 ranking in 1999, which is the last time SRU was ranked inside the top five this deep into a season. The Rock have been ranked in the single digits in 14 different seasons since 1962.
 
SRU AS A TOP FIVE RANKED TEAM
Slippery Rock is 17-3 all-time when ranked in the top five. Two of those three losses came in the NCAA Division II Playoffs in 1998 and 1999 and the third loss came against Division I Youngstown State in the 1999 season opener.
 
LOOKING FOR SECOND 10-0 START
Slippery Rock is looking for its second 10-0 start in program history with the first coming in 2019. The Rock won their first 13 games in 2019 to set the program's single-season winning streak record. Prior to that, SRU's best start to a season was a 9-0 final record in 1924 and an 8-0 mark in 1939, both coming before the team played more than 10 games in a season. SRU's dominant teams of the late 90s never played undefeated seasons because they opened the year with Division I games, often losing those before winning out the rest of the regular season.
 
NO CLOSE GAMES
Slippery Rock has won every game this season by more than one possession and has won each of the last eight games by at least 21 points. The closest final score all year was the opener against Wayne State, which SRU won 28-17. That also marked a season-low in scoring for The Rock. SRU has scored at least 42 points in each of the last five weeks and has scored 42 or more points in seven of nine games this season.
 
THIRD QUARTER DOMINANCE
Slippery Rock is outscoring opponents 118-13 in the third quarter this year, scoring an average of 13.1 points in the third while allowing just 1.4 points in the third.
 
MIDDLE OF GAMES BELONG TO SRU
Slippery Rock is outscoring opponents 126-51 in the second quarter and 118-13 in the third quarter for a combined advantage of 244-64 over the second and third quarters this season.  
 
ROCK PUTTING GAMES AWAY WITH BIG SCORING RUNS
Slippery Rock has gone on runs of at least 25-0 in each of its last seven games, using huge runs to put games out of reach early or to put them away late. Last week, SRU went on a 35-0 run to open the game against Clarion. The week before that, SRU went on a 35-0 run after Cal took a 13-7 lead. The week before that, SRU closed the game on a 25-0 run after Gannon led 24-21 in the third. Before that, SRU went on a 40-0 run at Mercyhurst that began with a 34-0 third quarter. A week before that, The Rock opened the game against IUP on a 28-0 run in the first half. One week before that, SRU went on a 28-0 run at Seton Hill after the game was tied 7-7 and way back in week three, SRU closed the game on a 35-0 run against Millersville after the Marauders led 21-7 in the first half.
 
STILL NO FIELD GOALS
SRU has attempted only three field goals this season with one of those missing and two being blocked. The Rock are one of just three teams in Division II that have failed to convert a single field goal this season. The other two teams (American International and Shaw) are both 2-7 for a combined record of 4-14 on the year.
 
BEST TURNOVER MARGIN IN THE NATION
Slippery Rock leads all teams in Division II in turnover margin, averaging +1.89 turnovers per game. SRU ranks first in the PSAC and fifth nationally in turnovers lost (6) and first in the PSAC and fourth nationally in turnovers gained (23). The Rock also lead the PSAC and rank fifth nationally in interceptions with 16 picks.
 
THIRD DOWN OFFENSE
Slippery Rock enters this week ranked No. 3 in all of Division II in terms of third down offense, converting on 56.6 percent of its third down attempts on the season. The Rock are 60-of-106 on third down this year. SRU also ranks first in the PSAC and eighth nationally in total first downs with 214.
 
MOST BALANCED OFFENSE IN THE PSAC
Slippery Rock ranks No. 1 in the PSAC in passing offense (283.2 yards per game) and No. 2 in rushing offense (177.8 yards per game) while ranking first in scoring offense (44.9 points per game) and first in total offense (461.0 yards per game). The Rock have scored 29 rushing touchdowns and 28 passing touchdowns, highlighting the most balanced offense in the PSAC.
 
ROCK OFFENSE IN THE NATIONAL RANKS
Slippery Rock enters this week with one of the highest-ranked offensive units in the nation. The Rock rank third in Division II in third down conversions (57%), third in fewest interceptions thrown (2), fourth in completion percentage (68.8%), fourth in passing efficiency (173.8), fifth in turnovers lost (5), sixth in scoring (44.9 points per game), eighth in first downs (214), eighth in fewest tackles for loss allowed (3.9 per game), ninth in passing (283.2 yards per game) and 10th in total offense (461.0 yards per game).
 
PASS COVERAGE AMONG NATION'S BEST
Slippery Rock enters this week ranked 12th in Division II in passing defense, allowing just 143.4 passing yards per game. Opponents have a QB efficiency rating of 92.52, which ranks as the eighth lowest among all defenses in Division II. SRU also ranks fifth in interceptions with 16 and fourth in total turnovers gained with 23. Opponents have thrown just five total TD passes against the SRU defense through the first nine weeks.
 
RUSHING DEFENSE SHUTS DOWN CLARION
Slippery Rock held Clarion to just 84 rushing yards last week after the Golden Eagles entered the game ranked No. 1 in the PSAC West in rushing, averaging more than 185 yards per game. It marked the first time this season SRU has limited a team to under 100 yards rushing. In the last two weeks, SRU has limited teams to its lowest and third lowest (Cal – 124 yards) rushing outputs of the season after giving up more than 200 rushing yards in three straight weeks to IUP (217), Mercyhurst (221) and Gannon (224).
 
SHEETS AMONG BEST RECEIVERS IN NATION
WR Kyle Sheets was injured on the third play in week one and did not return, finishing with no catches and missing the entire game. He returned the next week and since then has caught 55 passes for 893 yards and 13 touchdowns in eight games. His 13 TD catches are the most among all players in Division II. Sheets is averaging 111.6 yards per game over the last eight weeks. Despite missing that first game, he still ranks first in the nation in TD catches (13), sixth in receiving yards (893) and seventh in receiving yards per game (99.2). If his per-game averages were not impacted by the first game, his 111.6 yards per game would be No. 2 in Division II, trailing only John Jiles from West Florida (113.0).
 
SHEETS CLIMBING SRU RECORD BOOKS
Kyle Sheets became the 11th player in SRU history to top the 2,000 receiving yard mark two weeks ago. He enters this week ranked fifth all-time at SRU in touchdown catches (25), eighth in receptions (133) and 10th in receiving yards (2,147). His numbers this fall, all of which came in the last eight games, already rank No. 5 in single-season history at SRU in TD catches (13) and No. 12 in yards (893).
 
RUSSELL WITH CATCHES IN 22 STRAIGHT GAMES
Slot receiver Cohen Russell has at least one catch in every game since the opener in 2022 for a streak of 22 straight games with a catch entering this week. Russell has at least 50 receiving yards in each of the last eight weeks and is coming off a career-high 135 receiving yards last week against Clarion.
 
LONG AMONG BEST QUARTERBACKS IN NATION
QB Brayden Long leads the PSAC in every notable passing category and ranks among the national leaders in Division II in several passing categories. He ranks fourth in Division II in passing efficiency (172.7), fifth in passing touchdowns (27), sixth in completion percentage (68.3%), sixth in points responsible for (192), seventh in passing yards (2,479) and 11th in total offense (280.4 yards per game). His two interceptions thrown on 281 attempts are also the fewest INT thrown by any QB in the nation with 150 or more attempts.
 
LONG MOVING UP SINGLE-SEASON RECORD BOOK
Brayden Long has put together one of the best single-seasons by a QB in SRU history and enters this week ranked fifth on the single-season ledger at The Rock in yards per game (275.4), sixth in TD passes (27), eighth in completions (192), ninth in passing yards (2,479) and 11th in passing attempts (281). 
 
LONG IN CAREER RECORD BOOK ALREADY
Brayden Long has only started 10 games at SRU and already has his sights set on the career top 10 lists at SRU. He enters this week ranked 12th all-time at The Rock in passing yards (2,728) and 12th in passing touchdowns (28). Long is also the most accurate passer in SRU history among any players with at least 10 starts at the QB position, completing 66.9 percent (218-of-326) of his passes with just two interceptions on 326 career attempts.
 
THREE-HEADED MONSTER IN BACKFIELD
Slippery Rock has the deepest running back stable in the region with Khalid Dorsey, Chris D'Or and Isaiah Edwards. The three running backs all rank in the top 12 in the entire PSAC in average yards per carry with all three averaging at least 5.5 yards per carry. Dorsey has 653 yards and averages 6.7 yards per touch, while Edwards has 355 yards and averages 6.5 yards per touch and D'Or has 448 yards and averages 5.5 yards per touch. The trio have combined for 1,456 rushing yards and 25 total touchdowns this fall. Perhaps more importantly, all three are likely among the freshest backs in the league nearing the postseason as none of the three has reached 100 carries yet.
 
BALL HAWKS IN SECONDARY
The Rock defense has come down with 16 interceptions to rank first in the PSAC and fifth in Division II this fall. Josh Stokes leads the way with five picks to rank 14th in single-season history at SRU, while Eddie Faulkner IV is second on the team with four, Ali Abdul-Hakim has two and Selvin Haynes, Max Heckert, Savion Harrison, Jalen Dangerfield and Munchie Johnson each have one. In addition to the 16 picks, The Rock have recorded 26 pass breakups for a total of 42 passes defended.
 
MUNCHIE GETS A PICK
DT Munchie Johnson pulled down a one-handed interception last week on a batted pass to mark his first career interception in his 34th career game at SRU. Johnson has already set career-highs this season with 43 total tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss, one interception and one fumble recovery.
 
DANGEROUS RETURN MAN
Freshman Kylon Wilson enters this week ranked No. 1 in the PSAC and No. 4 in Division II in kickoff returns, averaging 29.6 yards per return.
 
SCORING DRIVE FACTS AND FIGURES
The Rock have scored 28 touchdowns this season on drives that lasted 2:04 or less, including 21 touchdown drives that took 80 seconds or less. SRU has scored touchdowns on 23 different drives that were at least 75 yards and four different drives that went more than 90 yards.
 
WE'VE PLAYED A LOT OF FOOTBALL
Slippery Rock has played 62 games since the start of the 2018 season, which is tied with Notre Dame (Ohio) and Shepherd for the most games played among all Super Region One schools. The Rock are averaging an impressive 10.75 wins per year over the last four complete seasons, all of which have resulted in trips to the NCAA Playoffs.
 
WINNING SEASONS STREAK
Slippery Rock has put together a winning season in each of the last 13 years, which ranked ninth among all Division II programs for the longest active winning seasons streak in the country entering this fall. The Rock are already guaranteed to extend that streak to 14 years. California (19 after this year) is the only PSAC team with a longer active streak.

UP NEXT
Slippery Rock will travel to Kutztown next Saturday, Nov. 11, for the PSAC Championship game. Kickoff is set for noon. The Rock will then find out their playoff fate with the NCAA Selection Show next Sunday, Nov. 12.




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