Highlights  |  Postgame Interview

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The ninth-ranked Slippery Rock University football team took over at its own one-yard line and erased the final 9:18 of the game clock with an 88-yard game-sealing drive to hold off a second half rally and defeat Edinboro 28-23 Saturday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division action from a packed Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
 
The Rock (4-0, 1-0 PSAC) never trailed in the game and looked like they would run away with a win after jumping out to a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter, but Edinboro (1-4, 0-1 PSAC) took advantage of numerous SRU miscues and won the special teams battle to claw all the way back and have a shot at the win.
 
After Slippery Rock took a 28-0 lead in the second quarter, Edinboro got on the board with its first sustained drive of the game when wildcat QB Bo Swartz rushed in from the two-yard line to cap a 54-yard drive that made it 28-7 with 4:47 to play in the first half.
 
The Scots added more points before the break after Slippery Rock fumbled the ball away inside its own territory later in the quarter. The Rock defense held in the red zone and Edinboro settled for a 26-yard field goal to send it to the break with SRU leading 28-10.
 
Edinboro continued its rally with its best drive of the game to start the third quarter. The Scots went 72 yards in 15 plays and burned 8:34 off the clock before scoring with another two-yard run from Swartz to make it 28-16 after the two-point try failed. It looked as if SRU had stopped the drive with a blocked field goal, but it was ruled that an SRU player's helmet came off during the play and the resulting personal foul gave Edinboro a first down at the two-yard line, negating the blocked field goal and setting up the touchdown.
 
Slippery Rock turned the ball over again early in the fourth quarter with a muffed punt that was recovered at the SRU seven-yard line by the Fighting Scots, setting up a touchdown on the next play to make it 28-23 with 12:40 to play.
 
After the teams traded punts, Edinboro All-American punter Reed Martin boomed a 62-yard punt that was downed at the SRU one-yard line with 9:18 to play.
 
Edinboro needed to make one stop to get the ball back and have a chance at a game-winning drive, but the SRU offense wouldn't allow it. The Rock put together an 88-yard drive that erased all 9:18 off the clock before kneeling out the win in the red zone. The drive included numerous big runs from Idris Lawrence and Chris D'Or and two key throws from Brayden Long. On a third and long that would have been a punting situation, he escaped pressure and fired a deep ball to Kylon Wilson for a first down. Later in the drive, after an SRU personal foul penalty set up a fourth and 18, Long hit Xander McClure down the right sideline and McClure made a man miss to pick up the first down and seal the game.
 
Slippery Rock finished the night with a 379-208 advantage in total offense. The Rock averaged 7.0 yards per play while rushing for 167 yards and passing for 212 yards. Edinboro managed 3.6 yards per play and finished with 91 rushing yards and 117 passing yards.
 
Long completed 15-of-23 passes for 212 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions while also rushing for a touchdown.
 
Lawrence had his first 100-yard game at SRU and led all players in the game with 119 rushing yards on 15 carries for an average of 7.9 yards per carry. D'Or rushed for 51 yards and one touchdown and averaged 4.6 yards per carry.
 
Wilson led the receivers with six catches for 92 yards. Kam Kruzelyak added four catches for 57 yards and one touchdown. Mike Solomon had one 26-yard catch. McClure had one catch for 20 yards and Connor Chrisman had one catch for a one-yard touchdown, which was the first touchdown of his career.
 
Jacob Snow led the defense with eight tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and one interception. Ali Abdul-Hakim added seven stops and one forced fumble, which was recovered by Munchie Johnson. Johnson had seven tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack. Trever Valenti also added seven tackles and Todd Hill tallied five stops and two QB hurries. Eddie Faulkner IV and Andrew Vince each had one tackle for loss.
 
Edinboro QB Isaac Bernard completed 16-of-27 passes for 117 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Swartz rushed for two touchdowns as the wildcat QB and Caron Robinson ran for 52 yards and one touchdown. Martin averaged 49.2 yards per punt with three punts inside the 20 and a long of 62 yards.
 
Slippery Rock will now shift its focus to one of the biggest games in Division II next week with a road trip to No. 25 Indiana (Pa.). Both teams will enter the game undefeated and nationally ranked. Kickoff from the IUP Homecoming game is set for 2 p.m.
 
GAME NOTES: Slippery Rock improved to 18-0 all-time when playing a game on the same date as the annual Slippery Rock VillageFest … SRU won its PSAC West opener for the eighth straight year … SRU won its 16th straight White Out game … SRU won its 33rd consecutive game that started at 3 p.m. or later … SRU won its 27th straight home night game and improved to 35-1 in home night games since 2010 … SRU won its sixth straight game against Edinboro … Shawn Lutz improved to 74-19 as SRU head coach … Connor Chrisman caught his second career pass and his first career TD … Idris Lawrence had his first 100-yard rushing game at SRU … Brayden Long had his fourth straight game this season without an interception … he became the fourth player in SRU history with more than 400 career completions … Kam Kruzelyak extended his pass-catching streak to 16 games.




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