Complete Game Notes (PDF)
 
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The 11th-ranked Slippery Rock University football team will open the NCAA Division II Playoffs at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium 1 p.m. Saturday with a first round game against the University of New Haven.
 
Below you will find all pertinent information regarding tickets, parking, tailgating and live coverage, along with the playoff bracket and complete game notes.

NCAA Round 1: New Haven at Slippery Rock
The Rock (9-1)	New Haven "Chargers" (8-2)
Complete Game Notes (PDF)	-
Depth Chart	Depth Chart
Roster	Roster
Schedule	Schedule
Statistics	Statistics
Coach: Shawn Lutz	Coach: Chris Pincince
Program Records	Program Records
NCAA Playoff Bracket  |  Selection Show Video
Mihalik-Thompson Stadium  |  SRU Campus Map  |  Football Parking Map

LIVE INTERNET COVERAGE
• Live Stats  |  Provided by SRU Athletic Communication.
• Live Streaming Video  |  ESPN+ Subscription Required
• Live Audio (Online and Radio)  |  Provided by The Rock Station 97.7 FM (Butler County).
• X (formerly Twitter)  |  In-game updates and highlights.
 
PLAYOFF GAMES WILL BE BROADCAST ON ESPN+
All preliminary round games of this year's tournament will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+. You must have an ESPN subscription or have access to ESPN+ to watch the games. There will be no streaming allowed by schools and no local TV coverage allowed by local TV stations. None of the playoff games will be available on the Rock Athletics Digital Network due to the exclusivity agreement between the NCAA and ESPN. SRU will still be required to produce and deliver the broadcast to ESPN and has partnered with the TV crew from WKBN-TV to produce the opening round game for ESPN.
 
FREE STATS AND AUDIO AVAILABLE
The SRU Athletic Communication Office will provide free live statistics and our home radio crew of Bob Cupp and Glenn Thompson from The Rock Station will call the game on 97.7 FM in Butler County and on the web at 977rocks.com to give fans an option to follow the game without an ESPN+ subscription.
 
SRU STUDENT TICKETS
The SRU Student Government Association (SGA) is covering the cost of admission for the first 500 current SRU students through the gate Saturday. Students should bring their valid ID to the student entry gate. Once the 500th student enters the game, additional students will be asked to pay the $5 admission cost as the NCAA does not permit any free tickets for championship events.
 
TICKET INFORMATION AND LINKS
• Click Here to Purchase Tickets - General Public
• Click Here for Rock Athletic Club Members
• SRU Season Ticket Holders have until Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 8 a.m. to reserve their same seats. Those seats will be released to the public at 8 a.m. Wednesday if not purchased. Log in to the ticket site to see your available tickets.
• Rock Athletics Club ($50) and SRU Letterman's Club ($50) will have to purchase tickets via the links above for this game. Log in to your account on the ticket site to see available ticket options.
• There are no complimentary tickets allowed for NCAA games.
• Questions? Call the Athletics office at 724.738.4117.

TICKET PRICES
• Chair-Back Reserved Seat (Home Stands) - $15
• Reserved Bench Seat (Home Stands) - $15
• Adult General Admission (Home and Visitor) - $10
• College Students - $5
• Students Ages 6-High School – $5
• Children under 6 – FREE
 
SRU FAN PARKING  |  Parking Map and Prices (PDF)
• Click Here to Purchase Lot A Parking Spaces
• SRU Season Ticket Holders have until Wednesday,. Nov. 20 at 8 a.m. to reserve their same parking space. Those spaces will be released to the public at 8 a.m. Wednesday if not purchased. Log in to the ticket site to see your available tickets.
• Lot A Reserved Tailgate Parking is PRESALE ONLY.
• Lots open at 9 a.m.
• Free parking available in non-tailgate lots on campus.
• Shuttles will circle the paid parking lots to assist with transportation to the gates
• Campus Map  |  Stadium is #56 on Map
 
NEW HAVEN 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.

CASHLESS TRANSACTIONS
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.
 

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THE GAME
No. 11 Slippery Rock opens its sixth straight appearance in the NCAA Division II Playoffs at home with a rematch from the season opener against Northeast 10 Conference champion New Haven.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES (Game-by-game scores on page six of PDF linked above)
Slippery Rock and New Haven will meet for the eighth time in a series that began in 1986. SRU owns a 4-3 edge in the series with New Haven winning the first three meetings and Slippery Rock winning the most recent four, including the opener this fall. New Haven's last win in the series came in the 1997 NCAA Playoffs. The most recent meeting prior to week one this year was the second round of the 2018 NCAA Playoffs, where SRU went to New Haven and came away with a 59-20 victory.
 
• First Meeting: 1986 (UNH won 10-0)
• Last Meeting: 2024 (SRU won 22-7)
• Current Streak: Slippery Rock +4
• at UNH: Tied 2-2
• at SRU: SRU leads 2-1
• Most Points Scored (UNH): 49 (1997)
• Biggest Win Margin (UNH): 28 (1997)
• Most Points Scored (SRU): 59 (2018)
• Biggest Win Margin (SRU): 39 (2018)
• Last UNH Win: 1997 at UNH (49-21)
 
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 79-20 record with five PSAC West titles and six 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 79 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.
 
Chris Pincince is in his 11th year and 10th season in charge of the New Haven program. He is the all-time wins leader at UNH and owns a career record of 76-33. Pincince has led the team to 10 straight winning seasons and hasn't lost more than three games in a season since 2017. He has taken UNH to the NCAA Playoffs five times, including each of the last four years. Pincince earned his bachelor's degree from Boston University in 1994.
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Slippery Rock closed the regular season ranked No. 11 in the AFCA Division II national rankings and No. 12 in the D2football.com media poll. New Haven is receiving votes in the final AFCA poll. Both national polls are available on page nine of the PDF notes linked above.
 
NEW HAVEN QUICK HITS
• New Haven repeated as champions of the NE10 Conference and is back in the playoffs for the fourth straight year, tied for the third longest active streak in the country behind Ferris State (10) and Slippery Rock (6).
• New Haven enters this game ranked either first or second in Division II in team sacks (42 total), fewest sacks allowed (4 total), fewest tackles for loss allowed (25 total), rushing defense (65.0 yards per game) and kick returns (29.6 yards per return).
• The Chargers have allowed just four sacks all year with one of those coming against SRU in the opener and just 25 tackles for loss all year with six of those coming against SRU.
• Slippery Rock is the only team to run for more than 95 yards against UNH this year. The Chargers gave up 155 rushing yards to SRU week one, but less than 500 yards total the rest of the year. Only two opponents managed to get to 75 rushing yards (Bentley – 75, Assumption – 95).
• UNH averages 34.1 points per game and 396.6 total yards of offense with 238.1 rushing yards and 158.5 passing yards per game. Opponents are scoring just 15.9 points per game and putting up 279.7 yards of offense with 214.5 passing yards and 65.2 rushing yards per game.
• Christopher Ais (1,031), Zaon Laney (750) and Justin Fielder (412) have combined for 2,193 rushing yards this year.
• QB Daelen Menard is completing 51% of his passes for 1,546 yards with 16 TD and seven INT. Mikey Caines leads the receivers with 25 catches for 450 yards and eight TD. Josh Zamot is the only other player with more than one TD catch (2).
• Seven different defensive players have at least 7.0 TFL for a defense that has 77 tackles for loss and 42 sacks. Davon Colon (10.0 TFL, 6.5 sacks) and Jack Quander (8.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks) are among the defensive leaders. Safety Giye Jenkins was an All-American in 2023.
• Kha-lil Eason leads the nation in kick returns (40.6 yards per return) and kick return TDs (3). UNH is 3-for-6 on field goal attempts this season with a long of 25 yards.
 
BACK IN THE PLAYOFFS
Slippery Rock will be making its 12th overall appearance in the Division II Playoffs, its sixth straight appearance and its ninth trip to the national playoffs in the last 11 seasons. The Rock reached the NCAA quarterfinals last year as the No. 4 seed after defeating East Stroudsburg in the opening round and winning on the road at No. 1 seed Tiffin in the second round before falling to Kutztown in the quarterfinals.
 
PLAYOFF STREAKS FOR BOTH TEAMS
Slippery Rock's six straight trips to the playoffs rank as the second longest active streak among all Division II teams, trailing only the 10 straight appearances by Ferris State. New Haven is making its fourth straight playoff appearance, which is tied with Grand Valley State and Bemidji State for the third longest active streak in the nation.
 
SUPER REGION ONE FIELD
Kutztown (11-0) earned the No. 1 seed and the first round bye. Charleston (11-0) is the No. 2 seed. California (8-2) is the No. 3 seed and Slippery Rock is the No. 4 seed (9-1). The unseeded teams are New Haven (8-2), East Stroudsburg (10-1) and Ashland (8-3). The winner of the New Haven and SRU game will travel to Kutztown in round two. East Stroudsburg visits Cal (Pa.) in round one and Ashland visits Charleston in round one. The winners of those two games will meet at the highest seed in round two.
 
SRU VS NEW HAVEN IN PLAYOFFS
This will be the second NCAA Playoff meeting between the teams. The Chargers won the first meeting 49-21 in the 1997 quarterfinals and SRU posted a 59-20 win in the second round of the 2018 playoffs. Both of those games were played at New Haven.  
 
SRU AGAINST THE NORTHEAST 10
Slippery Rock has won its last eight games against teams from the Northeast 10 and hasn't lost to a team from the NE10 since a 49-21 loss to No. 2 New Haven in the NCAA Playoffs in 1997. The Rock defeated Merrimack (former NE10 team that is now an FCS school) in 2010, New Haven in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2024, LIU Post (former NE10 team that is now FCS) in 2018 and Assumption in 2015 and 2022 in their last eight games against the NE10. This will mark the first season SRU has played two games against NE10 teams since facing LIU Post and New Haven in the 2018 playoffs.
 
PLAYOFF GAMES AGAINST THE NE10
Slippery Rock is 4-1 all-time in the NCAA Playoffs against NE10 teams with the lone loss coming in the quarterfinals in 1997 to No. 2 New Haven. Since then, SRU is 4-0 against NE10 teams in the postseason with two wins over Assumption and wins over New Haven and LIU Post in 2018.
 
HOME PLAYOFF GAMES
This will mark SRU's 12th home NCAA Division II playoff game. The Rock are 8-3 in the previous 11 home playoff games and have won at least one home playoff game in each of the last three seasons in which SRU was awarded a home game. The Rock were 1-1 at home in 2023, 2-1 in 2019 and 2-0 in 2015.

NEW HAVEN AMONG NATION'S BEST
New Haven enters this game ranked either first or second in Division II in team sacks (42 total), fewest sacks allowed (4 total), fewest TFL allowed (25 total), rushing defense (65.0 yards per game) and kick returns (29.6 yards per return). The Chargers have allowed just four sacks all year with one of those coming against SRU in the opener and just 25 tackles for loss all year with six of those coming against SRU.
 
EXPLOSIVE RETURN MEN
Two of the best return specialists in the country will be on display in this game. New Haven kick returner Kha-lil Eason leads all players in the country with three kickoff return TDs and an average of 40.6 yards per return. Slippery Rock's Kylon Wilson set the single-season record for kickoff return yards as a freshman last year and currently ranks No. 14 in the country this year at 28.5 yards per return with one return TD.
 
SRU AGAINST NEW HAVEN'S RUSH DEFENSE
SRU ran for 155 yards against New Haven in the opener. The UNH defense has only allowed a total of 497 rushing yards over the nine games since then with opponents rushing for 652 total yards this season. The Rock's 155 yards in week one account for 24 percent of the total rushing yards allowed by UNH all fall.
 
BRAYDEN LONG IN THE PLAYOFFS
In three playoff games last year, SRU QB Brayden Long completed 70 percent, 70 percent and 77 percent of his passes. In his first postseason as the starting QB, Long went 70-of-96 (73%) for 747 yards with one TD pass and one INT over three postseason games in 2023.
 
LONG CLOSING IN ON ANOTHER RECORD
Despite only being the starting QB for two seasons, Brayden Long enters this game needing 19 completions to tie the all-time SRU career record of 558 that is currently owned by Nate Crookshank (2004-07). Long is already the SRU career record holder in completion percentage (67.1%), ranks second in completions (539), fourth in attempts (803), fourth in TD passes (55), fourth in passing yards (6,417) and fourth in total offense (6,526). Long is 21-4 as the SRU starting QB, including a 19-2 record in regular season games.
 
650TH WIN IN PROGRAM HISTORY
Last week's win over Bloomsburg marked the 650th win in SRU program history for a program that dates back to 1898. The Rock played their 1100th game a few weeks ago and enter this week with an all-time record of 650-410-42 for a .609 winning percentage.
 
100TH GAME AS HEAD COACH FOR LUTZ
Saturday will mark the 100th game for SRU head coach Shawn Lutz, who enters this week with a career record of 79-20. The win last week moved Lutz into a tie for third all-time at SRU and 14th all-time in PSAC history, matching former SRU coach Bob DiSpirito with 79 wins. Only two men 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).
 
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 64th 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 5-0 at home this season with a win over Bloomsburg 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 194-70 all-time in the stadium.
 
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Rock football teams have compiled a 194-70 (.735) record in 50 seasons at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium (formerly known as N. Kerr Thompson Stadium). The Rock own a 94-25 (.790) home record since artificial turf was installed in the summer of 2003 and are 90-19 (.826) in home games since 2005. The numbers get even better in recent years, as The Rock are 72-10 (.878) at home since the beginning of the 2010 season and 60-7 (.896) since the beginning of the 2013 season.
 
SENIOR CLASS SUCCESS
The four-year members of the SRU senior class enter this week with a career record of 40-9 with three PSAC West titles and four trips to the NCAA Playoffs. The five-year members of this senior class own a career record of 53-10 with four PSAC West titles and five trips to the NCAA Playoffs. The senior class will depart SRU having played in the NCAA Playoffs in every year of their career. They are the only senior class in program history to be able to make that claim.
 
LAST MEETING WITH NEW HAVEN – SEPT. 7, 2024
No. 11 Slippery Rock jumped out to a 19-0 lead and held New Haven off the scoreboard in the second half on the way to a 22-7 victory in the season opener back in September. The Rock posted a 284-276 edge in total offense with 155 rushing yards and 129 passing yards. New Haven threw for 150 yards and ran for 126 yards. The game featured 22 penalties for 195 total yards with SRU being flagged 13 times for 118 yards in a game where both teams struggled to find rhythm. UNH turned the ball over three times with two interceptions and one fumble, while SRU lost one fumble. Brayden Long went 17-of-28 for 129 yards with two TD and no INT. Chris D'Or rushed for 83 yards and Idris Lawrence ran for 55 yards. Kam Kruzelyak and Mike Solomon caught TD passes and Michael Henwood had two interceptions to lead the defense. New Haven QB Daelen Menard was 16-of-40 for 150 yards with one TD and two INT. Mikey Caines caught the TD pass and Christopher Ais rushed for 64 yards.
 
NEW HAVEN SINCE THEN
After scoring just seven points at SRU in the opener, New Haven's offense exploded with more than 45 points in its next four games and has put up 40 or more points in six of the nine games since. The Chargers had some special teams miscues and dropped a 19-14 decision to Assumption, but bounced back to win the NE10 title with a 7-1 record in league games. UNH's defense was far and away the best in the NE10 and ranks as one of the best in the nation against the run and in pressuring the QB. The team averages 34.1 points per game with 396.6 yards of offense, including 238.1 rushing yards per game. The defense leads the nation with 42 sacks and is averaging 4.7 sacks per game since coming up with none against SRU.
 
LAST WEEK FOR SLIPPERY ROCK
No. 11 Slippery Rock locked up a home playoff game with a convincing 27-7 win over Bloomsburg. The Rock held the ball for just shy of 40 minutes and limited Bloomsburg to just 39 total offensive plays. SRU ran for 191 yards and threw for 141 yards on offense and came up with three interceptions on defense with Michael Henwood, Munchie Johnson and Jacob Snow all grabbing one. Snow's accounted for the opening score when he returned it 23 yards for a TD. Idris Lawrence had his second 100-yard game this season and ran for 111 yards and one TD.
 
HILL NAMED PSAC WEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
DE Todd Hill was named Wednesday as the PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year, marking the first SRU player to win the top defensive award in the division since Marcus Martin won it three straight years from 2015-17. Hill led the division with 11 solo tackles for loss and finished the regular season with 13.0 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 10 QB hurries and one safety. He also ranks second on the SRU roster in total tackles with 56.

ALL-PSAC TEAMS  |  Full Details Here
Slippery Rock landed 11 players in 12 spots on the All-PSAC team announced this week. The Rock's first team honorees are LT Joe Cooper, TE Kam Kruzelyak, RB Chris D'Or, DE Todd Hill, DT Munchie Johnson and return specialist Kylon Wilson. Wilson is also a second team selection at WR. The rest of the second team honorees include QB Brayden Long, RB Idris Lawrence, DB Eddie Faulkner IV, DB Josh Stokes and LB Jacob Snow. Cooper, Johnson, Faulkner, Long and Kruzelyak are all two-time honorees.
 
RUNNING GAME LAST TWO WEEKS
Slippery Rock has rushed for 429 yards combined the last two weeks in wins over Seton Hill and Bloomsburg, marking the two highest rushing outputs of the season. The Rock had two different backs top 100 yards in those games with Chris D'Or rushing for 107 yards against Seton Hill and Idris Lawrence rushing for 111 yards against Bloomsburg.
 
RUNNING BACK TANDEM
Slippery Rock's running back duo of Chris D'Or and Idris Lawrence have combined for 1,341 rushing yards and 369 receiving yards through the first 10 games, accounting for 171.0 yards of offense per game. Lawrence is averaging 5.7 yards per carry on 120 touches with D'Or averaging 5.4 yards per carry on 122 touches. More importantly, they're both fresh and healthy thanks to splitting the role nearly dead even this year. They have combined for 6,258 career rushing yards at the Division II level.
 
LAWRENCE SIXTH AMONG ALL D2 BACKS
RB Idris Lawrence enters this game with 3,741 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 93.5 rushing yards per game over 40 career games, which ranks eighth among all players in Division II.  His 5.8 yards per carry over 646 rushes ranks 12th best in Division II.
 
D'OR JOINS SRU 2,500/3,500 CLUB
RB Chris D'Or comes into this week with 2,517 rushing yards and 3,749 career all-purpose yards. He needs 154 more rushing yards to crack the all-time top 10 at SRU and currently sits at No. 9 all-time at SRU in all-purpose yards. Last week, D'Or became the eighth player in SRU history to reach 2,500 rushing yards and 3,500 all-purpose yards in a career.
 
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 three weeks ago when he stepped into the role against Clarion. Since then, Yohn is a perfect 13-for-13 on PAT kicks and 4-for-4 on field goals, including a career-best 41-yarder against Seton Hill and a 40-yarder against Bloomsburg. Before that, the last 40+ yard made field goal by an SRU kicker was DJ Opsatnik's 42-yarder against Lock Haven, Sept. 18, 2021. Yohn is now 6-for-6 on field goal kicks and 27-for-27 on PAT kicks in his career.
 
WINNING WITH LOWER SCORES
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. 5 in Division II in fewest sacks allowed and fewest tackles for loss allowed. The Rock have allowed only six total sacks with two each against Shippensburg, California (Pa.) and Seton Hill and none in any of the other seven games. SRU is allowing 0.60 sacks and 3.40 tackles for loss per game. The Rock also rank No. 11 in the nation in fewest interceptions thrown (4) and No. 17 in the nation in fewest turnovers lost (11).
 
KRUZELYAK PASS CATCHING STREAK
TE Kam Kruzelyak has caught at least one pass in 22 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 34 catches for 281 yards and three scores this year.
 
SOLOMON AND RAMPER ON THE OUTSIDE
WR Mike Solomon has a team-high seven TD catches this year and has played his best football over the last month. Solomon has at least four catches and at least 64 yards in each of the last four games. Over the last four games, he has 18 catches for 319 yards with two touchdowns. That surge could be in part due to the return of Logan Ramper, who missed most of the year with an injury. In the last four games since returning to the lineup, Ramper has 12 catches for 218 yards and one TD. The Rock's two outside receivers have combined for 30 grabs and 537 yards over the last four weeks.
 
MUNCHIE SET TO MAKE 50TH CAREER START
DT Munchie Johnson's 49 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. He trails only Wesley Coleman from Harding (will be 51 this week) for the most games played by active defensive linemen in Division II. Johnson enters this week ranked No. 8 all-time at SRU with 40.5 career tackles for loss, becoming the fourth player in program history to reach 40.0 TFL. Johnson grabbed his second career interception last week.
 
INSIDE-OUTSIDE COMBO ON DEFENSIVE LINE
The duo of DE Todd Hill and DT Munchie Johnson have combined for 104 tackles, 26.0 TFL, 10.0 sacks and 14 QB hurries through 10 games. Hill and Johnson rank tied for fourth in the PSAC in tackles for loss (13.0 each).
 
HENWOOD GRABS ANOTHER PICK
Safety Michael Henwood opened the year with two interceptions against New Haven. He added a third one with a pick last week against Bloomsburg. Henwood, who played QB in high school, is quietly having a breakout year for SRU and enters this week ranked third on the team in tackles with 50 while leading The Rock with three interceptions.
 
FIRST PICK SIX THIS YEAR
LB Jacob Snow returned an interception 23 yards for a TD last week against Bloomsburg to mark the first pick six of the year for the SRU defense and the first for The Rock since Jalen Dangerfield had one against Cal (Pa.) last fall. The Rock defense has now scored with a fumble return TD (Eddie Faulkner IV), a pick six (Jacob Snow) and a safety (Todd Hill) this season.
 
STOKES CLOSING IN ON TOP 10 LIST
Cornerback Josh Stokes enters this week with 30 career 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.
 
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 (2 games) 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 77 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.
 
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
The winner of this week's game will travel to No. 1 seed Kutztown next Saturday, Nov. 30, for the second round.




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