Complete Game Notes (PDF)
 
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The 11th-ranked Slippery Rock University football team will close the regular season at home Saturday with a 1 p.m. televised game against Bloomsburg where The Rock will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the back-to-back-to-back PSAC champion teams from 1972-74.
 
Below you will find all pertinent information regarding tickets, parking, tailgating and live coverage, along with information about the 50th anniversary celebration of the 1972-74 PSAC championship teams and complete game notes.
 

Week 11: Bloomsburg at Slippery Rock
The Rock (8-1)	Bloomsburg "Huskies" (6-4)
Complete Game Notes (PDF)	-
Depth Chart	Depth Chart
Roster	Roster
Schedule	Schedule
Statistics	Statistics
Coach: Shawn Lutz	Coach: Frank Sheptock
Program Records	Program Records
PSAC Standings  |  PSAC Stats Leaders  |  PSAC Schedule
Mihalik-Thompson Stadium  |  SRU Campus Map  |  Football Parking Map

 
50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
SRU will recognize the 1972, 1973 and 1974 football teams that won three straight PSAC titles during the game this week. The group will gather Saturday morning for a private reception on campus and will be recognized between the first and second quarters during the game. Those teams, coached by Bob DiSpirito, posted an overall record of 25-5-2 over three seasons with three straight PSAC West titles and three straight PSAC Championship game wins, all coming against West Chester. The 1974 team was also the first to play a game in Mihalik-Thompson Stadium when the inaugural game took place Oct. 19, 1974 against Waynesburg.

FREE RALLY TOWELS
The SGA Bookstore will hand out free rally towels to the first 1,000 fans that enter the game Saturday.

WKBN-TV BROADCAST
• This game will air live on the following TV channels for viewers in the Youngstown, Ohio market:
           • Digital over the air at 33.2 or 62.2 (HD)
           • Armstrong Cable Channel 13 and 108
           • Comcast Cable Channel 3
           • Direct TV Channel 15
           • Spectrum Channel 997 or 1008
           • Hulu TV, YouTube TV and Fubo TV in Youngstown markets
• The broadcast will also be available on the WKBN app and WKBN website.
• The Slippery Rock Athletic Communication Office will also simulcast the WKBN-TV broadcast on the Rock Athletics Digital Network and PSAC Sports Digital Network, so viewers can watch in their normal locations if they are outside of the Youngstown TV market.

LIVE INTERNET COVERAGE
• Live Stats  |  Provided by SRU Athletic Communication.
• Live Streaming Video  |  Provided by WKBN-TV and SRU Athletic Communication.
• Live Audio (Online and Radio)  |  Provided by The Rock Station 97.7 FM (Butler County).
• X (formerly Twitter)  |  In-game updates and highlights.
 
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 10 regular season SRU football games will be available on the app.
 
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.
 
CASHLESS TRANSACTIONS THIS YEAR
As part of the University's attempt to move to cashless events, SRU Athletics plans to operate cashless for football this year. All parking lots, tickets and concessions will be card only. Please plan accordingly. Fans can save time and help speed up the entry process by purchasing tickets and Lot A parking in advance.
 
TICKETS
All fans are encouraged to help speed up the entry process by purchasing tickets online in advance and using the mobile QR code for entry on game day. Visit the links below to purchase tickets in advance. There will be lines for entry. Skip the lines and get in quicker by buying your ticket online in advance!
 
• Purchase Single-Game Tickets
• Stadium gates will open at 11:30 a.m.
• Chair-Back Reserved Seat - $15
• Reserved Bench Seat - $15
• Adult General Admission - $10
• Students Ages 6-High School – $5
• Children Ages 6 and Under – FREE
• SRU Students – FREE with valid student ID
• Students from Other Colleges - $5 with valid student ID
 
SRU FAN PARKING  |  Parking Map and Prices (PDF)
• Lot A Reserved Tailgate Parking is PRESALE ONLY - PURCHASE HERE
• Lots open at 9 a.m.
• Free Parking Available in other campus lots
• Shuttles will circle the paid parking lots to assist with transportation to the gates
• Campus Map  |  Stadium is #56 on Map
 
BLOOMSBURG FAN PARKING
• Parking Map (PDF)
• Visiting fans can park together and tailgate in Lot E ($10).
• Lot opens at 9 a.m.
• GPS Address: 246 Harmony Road, Slippery Rock, PA
• Visiting fans can enter the game through gate six, located at the field hockey/lacrosse building, which provides direct access to the visiting bleachers.
• Campus Map  |  Visitor parking is above building #61. Entry gate is at building #61.
 
TAILGATING
• Tailgating is allowed in paid lots four hours before kickoff (lots open at 9 a.m.)
• No Tailgating at halftime
• All Tailgaters must enter game at kickoff
• Tailgaters must vacate the lots 90 minutes after the game ends
• No hard liquor or glass bottles
• Adhere to all campus tailgating rules found HERE.
 
STUDENT GATE PROCEDURES
Students should still bring their valid ID to enter the game through the student gate, but will also need to use the CORE application on their cell phones. Login to your CORE account to access the event QR code that will be scanned at the gate. Only CURRENT students will be allowed to enter through the student gate. To speed up entry into the game, students should add the event in advance and be prepared to scan their code at the entry gate.
 

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THE GAME
No. 11 Slippery Rock (8-1) welcomes Bloomsburg (6-4) for a 1 p.m. PSAC crossover game to close the regular season.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES  |  Game-by-Game Scores
Bloomsburg owns an 11-4 advantage in the all-time series that began in 1934. This marks the first meeting between the teams since they met in back-to-back PSAC Championship games in 2013 and 2014 with Bloomsburg winning the PSAC title in 2013 (42-38) and unranked SRU upsetting No. 5 Bloomsburg to win the 2014 title (28-26). This will mark the first regular season meeting between the teams since Nov. 10, 2012. Nine of the 15 meetings have been decided by one possession scores.
 
• First Meeting: 1934 (BU won 18-12)
• Last Meeting: 2014 (SRU won 28-26)
• Current Streak: Slippery Rock +1
• at BU: BU leads 7-1
• at SRU: BU leads 4-3
• Most Points Scored (BU): 49 (2012)
• Biggest Win Margin (BU): 28 (2001)
• Most Points Scored (SRU): 41 (2012)
• Biggest Win Margin (SRU): 15 (1935)
• Last BU Win: 2013 at BU (42-38)
 
COACHING MATCHUP
Slippery Rock head coach Shawn Lutz is in his 29th overall year at The Rock and his ninth year (eighth season) as head coach, where he owns a 78-20 record with five PSAC West titles and five trips to the NCAA playoffs. Lutz was the PSAC West Coach of the Year in 2018, 2019 and 2023 and was the Don Hansen Football Gazette Division II National Coach of the Year in 2019. The 78 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.
 
Frank Sheptock is in his fourth season as the head coach at Bloomsburg, where he owns a record of 16-27. He won three games in his first year in 2021 and has doubled that to six wins so far this fall. A 1986 alumnus of Bloomsburg, Sheptock also spent 18 seasons as the head coach at Division III Wilkes, where he posted a record of 106-81 from 1996-2013. He also had stints as a defensive line coach at Bloomsburg and as a defensive coordinator at Misericordia.
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Slippery Rock slid one spot to No. 11 in the AFCA Division II national rankings this week. The Rock also held steady at No. 13 in the D2football.com media poll this week. Both national polls are available on page nine of the PDF notes linked above.
 
BLOOMSBURG QUICK HITS
• Bloomsburg has won three straight games to get to 6-4 and guarantee the program's first winning record since a 6-5 mark in 2018.
• The Huskies have already doubled their win total from a 3-8 mark in 2023 and can win seven games in a season for the first time since 2017 with a victory this week.
• Two of Bloomsburg's four losses came against teams projected to make the playoffs this year in 10-0 Kutztown and 9-1 East Stroudsburg. The other two losses were by one-point to Seton Hill in week two and by three points at Lock Haven Oct. 19.
• BU scores 22.8 points and averages 349.0 yards of total offense per game with 223.6 passing yards and 125.4 rushing yards per game. Opponents are scoring 23.6 points while putting up 355.0 yards of total offense with 236.2 passing yards and 118.8 rushing yards per game.
• The offense goes as QB KJ Riley goes. He is the team's leading rusher with 284 yards and four TD on a team-high 78 carries while also completing 62% of his passes for 1,891 yards with 16 TD and seven INT.
• Riley is also the only player on the roster to make a field goal this year and the only player on the roster to hit a punt. He is 2-for-5 on FG attempts, 14-of-16 on PAT attempts and has punted 44 times for an average of 37.4 yards per punt.
• Riley's top target is Jerry Griffen-Batchler, who has nearly twice as many catches and yards as any other player on the roster with 46 grabs for 816 yards and eight TD.
• BU runs a variation of the "Wing T" option offense and has had 15 different players carry the ball this year.
• Ryan D'Ambra leads the defense with 86 tackles. Brady Thompson has 73 stops and a team-high 8.5 tackles for loss.
 
MILESTONE GAMES
The Rock are coming up on a couple milestones and enter this week with 649 wins, needing one more win to reach 650 wins in program history after playing the 1,100th game in SRU history two weeks ago. This week's game also marks the 99th game for Shawn Lutz as SRU head coach with Lutz now being two games away from coaching his 100th game.
 
LUTZ CLOSING IN ON ELITE COMPANY
Shawn Lutz enters this week with 78 wins in 98 games as head coach. He is just one win shy of tying Bob DiSpirito for No. 3 all-time at SRU (79). When he reaches that mark, only two men will have more wins in SRU football history and those two men have their names on the stadium – George Mihalik (197) and N. Kerr Thompson (126). With one more win, Lutz will move up to No. 14 all-time in PSAC history with his 79th career victory.
 
SRU IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
SRU has been ranked in every national poll since the final poll of the 2018 season was released. This week's game will be the 63rd straight game SRU plays as a ranked team. The Rock have appeared in the top 10 in the national rankings for at least one week in each of the last five seasons and have earned a top 10 ranking in seven of the last eight complete seasons.
 
UNBEATEN AT HOME IN 50TH SEASON
Slippery Rock improved to 4-0 at home this season with a win over Seton Hill last week. The Rock are looking to stay unbeaten at home in the 50th anniversary of Mihalik-Thompson Stadium, which opened in 1974. SRU teams are 193-70 all-time in the stadium.
 
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Rock football teams have compiled a 193-70 (.734) record in the 50 seasons (including this one) in games played at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium (formerly known as N. Kerr Thompson Stadium). The Rock own a 93-25 (.788) home record since artificial turf was installed in the summer of 2003 and are 89-19 (.824) in home games since 2005. The numbers get even better in recent years, as The Rock are 71-10 (.877) at home since the beginning of the 2010 season and 59-7 (.894) since the beginning of the 2013 season.
 
SECOND PLACE FINISH IN PSAC WEST
Slippery Rock took second in the PSAC West standings this year, which marked the first time since 2017 and just the third time since 2013 that SRU did not win at least a share of the division title.
 
BEST OF THE WEST FOR A LONG TIME
The Rock have lost just three divisional games since Oct. 21, 2017, going 40-3 against the Division since then, including 38-3 since the beginning of 2018. The Rock have won or at least shared nine of the 13 PSAC West titles dating back to 2011, easily leading all programs in the Division.
 
REGIONAL RANKINGS
The final public set of numerical regional rankings came out this week from the NCAA Division II Football Committee. The top seven in each super region at the end of the season will qualify for the NCAA Playoffs with the No. 1 seed earning a bye and seeds 2-4 earning a home game in round one. Super Region One is listed below.
 

Rank	Team	Conf	Record	SOS*	Vs. >.500	PI^
1	Charleston	MEC	10-0	.498	6-0	29.100
2	Kutztown	PSAC	10-0	.490	3-0	28.600
3	California (Pa.)	PSAC	8-1	.538	2-1	27.667
4	SLIPPERY ROCK	PSAC	8-1	.506	2-1	27.000
5	Findlay	GMAC	9-1	.470	1-1	26.500
6	East Stroudsburg	PSAC	9-1	.461	1-1	25.900
7	New Haven	NE10	7-2	.513	2-2	25.556
8	Ashland	GMAC	7-3	.558	2-2	25.600
9	Assumption	NE10	6-3	.525	2-2	23.778
10	Bentley	NE10	7-2	.476	1-2	24.667

* Weighted strength of schedule combines opponents' winning percentage and the winning percentage of each school's opponents' opponents.
^ NCAA Performance Indicator – a scale that weights the quality of wins and losses for each team to generate a "performance indicator score."
 
PLAYOFF PICTURE
With Slippery Rock's current record, strength of schedule and other metrics, the playoff picture is fairly clear. If The Rock win this week, they are guaranteed to be headed to the NCAA Playoffs for the sixth straight season and more than likely will earn a home game in the opening round. A loss this week would not eliminate SRU, but it would put The Rock on the bubble and almost certainly guarantee no home games in the playoffs. 
 
SELECTION SUNDAY
The NCAA Division II Football Committee will announce the playoff fields during a live video selection show Sunday evening at 6 p.m. The show will air online at NCAA.com.
 
SENIOR CLASS SUCCESS
The four-year members of the SRU senior class enter this week with a career record of 39-9 with three PSAC West titles and three trips to the NCAA Playoffs. The five-year members of this senior class own a career record of 52-10 with four PSAC West titles and four trips to the NCAA Playoffs. If SRU qualifies for the postseason again this year, the senior class will depart having played in the NCAA Playoffs in every year of their career.
 
LAST MEETING WITH BLOOMSBURG – NOV. 15, 2014
Saturday will be 10 years and one day since the teams last met when No. 5 Bloomsburg lost 28-26 at unranked Slippery Rock in the 2014 PSAC Championship game. The Rock got some revenge for the 2013 PSAC title game, where Bloomsburg scored a late touchdown to defeat SRU 42-38. Slippery Rock fought off five offensive turnovers to win that game after coming up with a defensive stand late in the game. Bloomsburg had a first down at the SRU 36-yard line needing a field goal to win the game, but threw four straight incomplete passes, all of which were broken up by SRU defenders. SRU running back Shamar Greene then sealed the win with a 17-yard carry for a first down the put the game away.
 
CLOSE GAMES IS THE THEME OF THE SERIES
This will mark just the 16th meeting in a series that began in 1934. Of the first 15 meetings, nine of them have been decided by one possession scores, including each of the last three games and both the 2013 and 2014 PSAC title games. The last time these teams met in a game that wasn't close was a 40-24 Bloomsburg win back in 2005. SRU won three straight games to take a 3-1 series lead in 1983 before Bloomsburg won the next 10 straight games in the series. The PSAC title win by SRU in 2014 snapped that 10-game streak.
 
LAST WEEK FOR BLOOMSBURG
Bloomsburg won its third straight game with a 35-27 home victory over winless Millersville last week. The Huskies trailed 16-14 at halftime before outscoring the Marauders 21-0 in the third quarter to pull away. Millersville tallied 10 fourth quarter points, including a touchdown with just 10 seconds left. Bloomsburg posted a 467-394 edge in total offense with 321 passing yards and 146 rushing yards. KJ Riley was named the PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week after passing for 321 yards with two TD and one INT and rushing for 87 yards and three TD on 20 carries. Jerry Griffen-Batchler caught six passes for 209 yards and two TD with both touchdowns coming on 50+ yard plays.
 
LAST WEEK FOR SLIPPERY ROCK
No. 10 Slippery Rock scored 28 points in the second half to pull away for a 38-20 win over Seton Hill. Kylon Wilson took the opening kickoff of the second half 97 yards for a touchdown and SRU used a 21-0 run that began late in the third quarter to put the game away. The Rock had a balanced offensive attack with 248 passing yards and a season-high 238 rushing yards. Chris D'Or ran for 107 yards and one TD on 10 carries. Brayden Long threw for 248 yards with two TD, two INT and also had one rushing TD. Logan Ramper (87 yards, 1 TD) and Mike Solomon (97 yards, 1 TD) led the receivers. Tyree Johnson paced the defense with 10 tackles.
 
WILSON NAMED ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
WR Kylon Wilson was named the PSAC West Special Teams Athlete of the Week after his 97-yard kickoff return TD last week. It marked the second kickoff return TD of was his third career kick return that went 88 yards or longer. Wilson now ranks first in the PSAC and 17th in Division II this season in average kick return yardage at 28.5 yards per return. His 598 kick return yards this year rank No. 7 in SRU single-season history, trailing his own SRU record 793 yards from the 2023 season by 195 yards. In less than two full seasons, Wilson is up to No. 4 all-time at SRU with 1,391 career kick return yards.
 
FIRST 200-YARD RUSHING GAME
Slippery Rock ran for 238 yards against Seton Hill last week, which marked the first 200+ yard rushing performance this season and the first for The Rock since topping the 200-yard mark in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs at Tiffin in 2023. Chris D'Or (107), Idris Lawrence (93), Quentin Harrison (23) and JayJay Jordan (21) all averaged 4.6 yards per carry or better during the game.
 
YOHN STAYS PERFECT IN KICKING GAME
Mason Yohn has been the punter in every game this year but had not done any placekicking this season before two weeks ago when he stepped into the role against Clarion. Since then, Yohn is a perfect 10-for-10 on PAT kicks and 2-for-2 on field goals, including a career-best 41-yarder last week against Seton Hill. That kick was the first 40+ yard made field goal by an SRU kicker since DJ Opsatnik made a 42-yarder against Lock Haven, Sept. 18, 2021. Yohn is now 4-for-4 on field goal kicks and 24-for-24 on PAT kicks in his career.
 
WINNING WITH LOWER SCORES
SRU's 38 points the last two weeks marked its highest scoring outputs of the season as The Rock have yet to reach 40 points in a game this fall. SRU had 10 games with at least 40 points in 2023 and have at least one 40-point game in each of the last 19 seasons. The last season SRU failed to score 40 points in a single game was 2003 during a 4-7 campaign.
 
AMONG BEST IN NATION AT LIMITING NEGATIVE PLAYS
Slippery Rock enters this week ranked No. 8 in Division II in fewest sacks allowed and No. 7 in fewest tackles for loss allowed. The Rock also rank No. 13 in the nation in fewest interceptions thrown and No. 15 in the nation in fewest turnovers lost. SRU has thrown just four interceptions and lost five fumbles through nine games. The Rock have also allowed only six total sacks with two each against Shippensburg, California (Pa.) and Seton Hill and none in any of the other six games. SRU is allowing 0.67 sacks and 3.56 tackles for loss per game.
 
OFFENSIVE LINE GETTING THE JOB DONE
The new-look offensive line was the biggest question mark entering this year with four new starters and only LT Joe Cooper returning from 2023. That group, which includes Cooper (LT) and new starters Marshall Futrell (LG), Cade Cameron (C), Luke Pugliese (RG) and Nathan Waltman (RT) has answered the call in a big way, allowing just four total sacks through eight games.
 
RAMPING UP THE OFFENSE
WR Logan Ramper was expected to be among the top targets this year after starting 11 games last fall, but he missed most of the season with an injury. He's back to full health and made his first start of the season two weeks ago at Clarion, where he finished with six catches for a career-high 88 yards. He then went for 87 yards and a TD last week against Seton Hill. In the last four games, Ramper has 14 catches for 253 yards and two TDs and is averaging 63.25 yards per game over that stretch.
 
SOLOMON GRABS ANOTHER TD
WR Mike Solomon caught his team-leading seventh TD pass last week against Gannon and finished with an SRU career-high 97 yards, topping his previous high of 85 yards from two weeks ago at Clarion. Over the last three weeks, Solomon has upped his SRU career-high and gone for 64, 85 and 97 yards. His seven TD catches rank second in the PSAC West this year behind the eight for IUP's Division I transfer Maurice Massey.
 
LONG HITTING HIS MARK
QB Brayden Long ranks first in SRU program history in completion percentage at 66.9 percent, completing 522-of-780 passes for 6,276 yards with 55 TD and just 10 INT. He also ranks No. 2 among every current active QB in Division II with only 2023 Harlon Hill Trophy winner Zach Zebrowski from Central Missouri owning a higher career completion percentage (68.3%).
 
LONG AS A STARTER
Brayden Long is 20-4 as the SRU starting QB with three of those losses coming in week 11 or later. His only loss in the regular season was a road loss at Cal (Pa.) earlier this year. 
 
LONG MOVING UP SRU CAREER LISTS
Brayden Long ranks No. 1 at SRU in completion percentage (66.9%), No. 3 in completions (522), No. 4 in passing TD (55), No. 4 in passing yards (6,276), No. 4 in passing attempts (780) and No. 4 in total offense (6,372), despite only playing two seasons (2023 and 2024) as the starting QB.
 
RUNNING BACK TANDEM
Slippery Rock's running back duo of Chris D'Or and Idris Lawrence have combined for 1,172 rushing yards and 366 receiving yards through the first nine games, accounting for 170.9 yards of offense per game. Lawrence is averaging 5.7 yards per carry on 100 touches with D'Or averaging 5.7 yards per carry on 106 touches. They both rank in the top seven in the PSAC in total rushing yards this year and they rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the PSAC West in average yards per carry. They have combined for 6,095 career rushing yards at the Division II level.
 
LAWRENCE SIXTH AMONG ALL D2 BACKS
RB Idris Lawrence enters this game with 3,630 career rushing yards, which ranks sixth among all active players in Division II and first among all active players in the PSAC. Lawrence is averaging 93.1 rushing yards per game over 39 career games, which ranks sixth among all players in Division II.  His 5.8 yards per carry over 626 rushes ranks 13th best in Division II.
 
D'OR CLOSING IN ON 2,500/3,500 CLUB
RB Chris D'Or comes into this week with 2,465 rushing yards and 3,697 career all-purpose yards. He needs 206 more rushing yards to crack the all-time top 10 at SRU and currently sits at No. 10 all-time at SRU in all-purpose yards. D'Or can become the eighth player in SRU history with 2,500 rushing yards and 3,500 all-purpose yards with 35 more rushing yards.
 
KRUZELYAK PASS CATCHING STREAK
TE Kam Kruzelyak has caught at least one pass in 21 straight games. He ranked third on the team in catches with 46 grabs for 465 yards in 2023 and is second on the team with 30 catches for 256 yards and three scores this year.
 
MUNCHIE CLOSING IN ON 50 STARTS
Munchie Johnson's 48 consecutive starts are the most by any player currently playing in the PSAC and are the 10th most by any active player in Division II. His 48 games played are fourth most by any active defensive linemen in Division II with three linemen entering this week with 49 career games played. Johnson enters this week ranked No. 10 all-time at SRU with 38.0 career tackles for loss.
 
HILL RANKED SECOND IN PSAC
DE Todd Hill enters this week ranked No. 2 in the PSAC in tackles for loss. His 12.5 tackles for loss (1.4 per game) are just 0.5 off the PSAC leader (13.0). Hill also ranks fifth in the PSAC in sacks with 6.0 on the season.  
 
INSIDE-OUTSIDE COMBO ON DEFENSIVE LINE
The duo of DE Todd Hill and DT Munchie Johnson have combined for 93 tackles, 23.0 TFL, 9.5 sacks and 14 QB hurries through nine games. Hill and Johnson rank No. 2 and No. 6 in the PSAC in tackles for loss per game at 1.4 and 1.2 per game, respectively.
 
DEFENSE RAVAGED BY INJURIES
Slippery Rock played last week's game without six of its seven experienced linebackers, including the three players that logged the most minutes at the position this year. The Rock also played the second half without their top defensive player Todd Hill, who was the third starting defensive lineman to leave a game with an injury this year. SRU expects to get some injured players back, but finished the second half last week without linemen Todd Hill, Daniel Tooson and Brian Young Jr. and linebackers Teddy Gregory Jr., Jacob Snow, Max Heckert, Andrew Vince and Jake Miller.
 
JOHNSON STEPS UP
With all of the injuries at the linebacker position, Tyree Johnson was given the opportunity to make his first career start last week against Seton Hill. All he did with that opportunity was lead SRU with a career-high 10 total tackles to go along with a half-tackle for loss. Johnson's career-high for tackles entering last week's game was two. He is expected to get his second straight start this week.
 
STOKES MAKING PLAYS
Cornerback Josh Stokes recovered a fumble and a blocked field goal attempt last week while also making four tackles and recording a pass breakup. He enters this week ranked 10th all-time at SRU with five fumble recoveries and 11th all-time at The Rock with 30 passes defended. He can crack the all-time top 10 at SRU with one more pass defense. Stokes' three fumble recoveries this year are tied for the most among all players in Division II this season.
 
FAULKNER PLAYS EVERYWHERE
With all the injuries at linebacker last week, Eddie Faulkner IV volunteered to move from his nickel position to the linebacker spot, where he made four stops in an uncomfortable position. Faulkner is likely to move back to his safety spot this week and enters the game with stats in just about every category, including 37 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 1.5 sacks, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries on the year.
 
FASTEST MAN IN THE PSAC
Cornerback Kanye Thompson has started each of the last two weeks for his first career starts in his first season with an increased role on the football roster. He was dominant on the track in 2024 when he won PSAC titles indoor in the 60-meter dash and outdoor in the 100-meter dash, setting a new SRU record with a time of 10.27 seconds in the 100m. That time is the second-fastest 100m time in PSAC history and the fastest time run by a PSAC athlete in nearly three decades.
 
FRESHMAN TRACKER
Slippery Rock rarely plays true freshmen during their first year on the roster. This year, Division II allows freshmen to play in three games without using a year of eligibility. SRU has played six freshmen defensive players in DE Jett Franz (2 games), DT Amare Harper (1 game), DT Sincere Shannon (2 games), DB Gavin Lutz (2 games), DB/LB Carmen Metcalfe (1 game) and DB/LB Kwalil Shepperson (4 games) while playing one offensive freshman in TE Lou Swartz (1 game). So far, only Shepperson has used a season of eligibility.
 
LONG NAMED FINALIST FOR CAMPBELL TROPHY
SRU QB Brayden Long is one of 16 national finalists from all levels of college football for the 2024 William V. Campbell Trophy, which is the premier scholar-athlete award in collegiate football. Long is the only Division II player to be a finalist for this year's award. He will be recognized on stage at the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Annual Awards Dinner Dec. 10 in Las Vegas. He will also receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2024 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class.
 
SRU NOW 2ND IN DII IN CAMPBELL TROPHY FINALISTS
Brayden Long becomes the third Campbell Trophy finalist from SRU since 2017, joining Marcus Martin (2017) and Henry Litwin (2021). The Rock are the only school in the PSAC to ever have a finalist and now rank second among all active Division II programs for the most finalists, trailing only the four for Colorado School of Mines.
 
WE'VE PLAYED A LOT OF FOOTBALL
Slippery Rock has played 76 games since the beginning of the 2018 season, which is the most games played among all Super Region One schools. The Rock are averaging an impressive 11.0 wins per year over the last five full seasons.
 
CAPTAINS
SRU has named six captains for the 2024 season with two on offense, three on defense and one on special teams. The offensive captains are QB Brayden Long and TE Kam Kruzelyak. The defensive captains are DT Munchie Johnson, DB Eddie Faulkner IV and DB Josh Stokes. The special teams captain is LS Josh George. Long, Kruzelyak and Johnson are all two-time captains after serving as captains in 2022 as well.
 
PLAYOFF STAPLES
Slippery Rock has reached the NCAA Division II Playoffs in each of the last five seasons and has made a playoff appearance in eight of the last 10 seasons. The Rock reached the NCAA quarterfinals in 2018, made the national semifinals in 2019, reached the first round in 2021, made the second round in 2022 and reached the quarterfinals in 2023. Slippery Rock's current streak of five straight trips to the playoffs is tied with Colorado School of Mines for the second-longest active streak among all Division II programs, trailing only Ferris State (9) for the longest active playoff streak in the country.
 
WINNING SEASONS STREAK
Slippery Rock has put together a winning season in each of the last 15 years, which ranks ninth among all Division II programs for the longest active winning seasons streak in the country. The only other program in the PSAC with more consecutive winning seasons currently is California (Pa.), which has strung together 20 winning seasons after extending their streak this year as well.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock will find out its postseason fate Sunday during the NCAA Selection Show which is set to air at 6 p.m. on NCAA.com.




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