Complete Game Notes (PDF)
 
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The eighth-ranked Slippery Rock University football team returns home to Mihalik-Thompson Stadium Saturday night for a 6 p.m. kickoff against Gannon University in the "Tackle Hunger" game.
 
Below you will find all pertinent information regarding tickets, parking, tailgating and live coverage, along with complete game notes. SRU does not print physical copies of game programs. This page will serve as a digital game program with links to rosters, schedules, stats, live coverage and complete game notes.
 

Game 5: Gannon at Slippery Rock
The Rock (4-0, 1-0)	Gannon Golden Knights (0-4, 0-1)
Game Notes (PDF)	-
Depth Chart	Depth Chart
Roster	Roster
Schedule	Schedule
Statistics	Statistics
Coach: Shawn Lutz	Coach: Erik Raeburn
Program Records	Program Records
PSAC Standings  |  PSAC Stats Leaders  |  PSAC Schedule
Mihalik-Thompson Stadium  |  SRU Campus Map  |  Parking Map

 
TACKLE HUNGER GAME
Slippery Rock will be accepting items for the Rock Pantry+ at the entry gates this week. More info and a full list of in-demand products is available HERE.

LIVE INTERNET COVERAGE
• Live Stats  |  Provided by SRU Athletic Communication.
• Live Streaming Video  |  Provided by 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 11 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 AT SRU
SRU Athletics will continue 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.
 
• Purchase Tickets for This Game Only  |  Ticket Homepage
• Stadium gates will open at 4:30 p.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 Parking is SOLD OUT for this game  |  Limited RV Spaces Available
• Lots open at 2 p.m.
• Shuttles will circle the paid parking lots to assist with transportation to the gates.
• Free parking is available in other campus lots not marked on the map above.
• Campus Map  |  Stadium is #56 on Map
 
GANNON FAN PARKING
• Parking Map and Prices (PDF)
• Visiting fans can park together and tailgate in Lot E ($15 / CARD ONLY).
• Lot opens at 2 p.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 2 p.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 bring their valid ID to enter the game through the student gate. Students can also show their CORE app at the gate. Only CURRENT students will be allowed to enter through the student gate. To speed up entry into the game, students should make sure to have their ID ready before getting to the gate.
 
BEER GARDEN WILL BE OPEN
Slippery Rock will partner with the North Country Brewing Company to operate a beer garden inside the stadium this year for home SRU football games. The beer garden will be located on the runoff of the track opposite the scoreboard end of the stadium. All patrons must be 21+ to enter the beer garden and all alcoholic beverages must be purchased and consumed in the beer garden. Sales will begin when stadium gates open at 4:30 p.m. and conclude at the kickoff of the third quarter. 
 

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THE GAME
No. 8 Slippery Rock returns home for the first time since Aug. 27 to face Gannon University and looks to avenge an upset loss on the road last year in Erie.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES  |  Game-by-Game Scores
Slippery Rock owns a 13-7 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1949. The Rock had a 10-game winning streak snapped in the series last fall when Gannon shocked SRU with a 38-35 win in Erie for what would be the Knights' only win of the year and still their most recent win. Slippery Rock is 7-3 at home all-time against Gannon and has not lost at home in the series since 2010. The Rock have scored at least 35 points in each of the last 10 meetings against Gannon.
 
• First Meeting: 1949 (GU won 15-0)
• Last Meeting: 2025 (GU won 38-35)
• Current Streak: GU +1
• at GU: SRU leads 6-4
• at SRU: SRU leads 7-3
• Most Points Scored (GU): 51 (2009)
• Biggest Win Margin (GU): 15 (1949)
• Most Points Scored (SRU): 63 (2021)
• Biggest Win Margin (SRU): 49 (2019)
• Last SRU Win: 2024 at SRU (35-17)
 
COACHING MATCHUP
Slippery Rock head coach Shawn Lutz is in his 31st overall year at The Rock and his 11th year (10th season) as head coach, where he owns a 92-25 record with nine straight winning seasons, 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 92 wins are the most among all PSAC West 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 from SRU in 2003.
 
Erik Raeburn is in his seventh season as head coach at Gannon and his 26th season as a collegiate head coach. He owns a 23-39 record at Gannon that included an 8-3 campaign in 2022. Raeburn served as the offensive coordinator at Gannon in 2019 before taking over as head coach in 2020. He spent three seasons as head coach at FCS Savannah State (2-23 record) and 16 total seasons as a Division III head coach at Coe (57-26) and Wabash (78-13). He owns a career record of 160-101 as a collegiate head coach. Raeburn is a 1994 Mount Union alumnus.
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Slippery Rock climbed two spots to No. 8 in the AFCA Division II national poll and moved up two spots to No. 9 in the D2football.com poll this week. Gannon is unranked. Both national polls are available on page nine of the PDF notes linked above.
 
LUTZ UP TO 12TH ON PSAC WINS LIST
SRU head coach Shawn Lutz won his 92nd game at The Rock last week, which moves him up to No. 12 on the all-time PSAC head football coaching wins ledger. Lutz is five wins shy of moving up to No. 11 and 10 wins shy of cracking the PSAC all-time top 10 wins list, which includes just 10 men to ever record 100 wins in the conference.
 
BACK IN THE TOP 10
Slippery Rock owns a No. 8 ranking this week and is ranked inside the top 10 for the seventh straight year and the 10th time in the last 11 seasons.  
 
STREAKING IN THE POLLS
Slippery Rock has been ranked or at least receiving votes in every AFCA national poll released since Oct. 8, 2018, a streak of more than 2,900 straight days.
 
LAST WEEK FOR SLIPPERY ROCK
California (Pa.) jumped out to a 13-0 lead in early in the second quarter before Slippery Rock went on a 41-6 run to pull away for an eventual 41-26 win on the road last week. DaOne Owens overcame two early interceptions to finish with 245 passing yards and two TDs and 116 rushing yards and two scores. JayJay Jordan put up 124 total yards of offense with one TD and Luke McCoy rushed for 35 yards and one score. Hamilton Gates and Vincent Berardi each caught one TD and John Sabo finished with 80 receiving yards. Teddy Gregory Jr. and JuJu Johnson each had eight tackles and one interception to lead the defense.
 
LAST WEEK FOR GANNON
Lock Haven outscored Gannon 14-7 in the second half to pull away for a 24-14 win in Erie last week. LHU posted a 318-293 advantage in total offense with Gannon rushing for 215 yards and throwing for 78 yards. LHU ran for 134 yards and threw for 184 yards. Freshman Andre Underwood started at QB and ran for 79 yards while also completing 5-of-11 passes for 78 yards with one score. NaSean Hill ran for 96 yards and one TD and Chazz Corley caught one TD pass.
 
LAST MEETING WITH GANNON  |  Box Score
Gannon turned three huge special teams plays into points and shocked No. 14 Slippery Rock with a 38-35 win last year in Erie in what would end up being the only win of the season for the Golden Knights. That win is also the most recent win for the program, which has lost 10 straight games since Oct. 4 last year. SRU turned the ball over three times in the game, including once on the Gannon goal line and once deep in Gannon territory in the final minutes. Gannon also scored on a kick return, recovered an onside kick that caught SRU sleeping and turned a successful fake punt into a scoring drive. SRU finished with a 539-438 advantage in total offense with 374 rushing yards and 165 passing yards. Gannon ran for 184 yards and threw for 254 yards. JayJay Jordan ran for a career-high 247 yards and three TD on 21 carries for 11.8 yards per carry. DaOne Owens was 12-of-21 for 165 yards with one TD and two INT. Gannon was led by QB Ty Hurst, who was 13-of-19 for 209 yards and two TD in the passing game and ran for 66 yards and one TD on the ground.
 
GANNON QUICK HITS
• Gannon enters the game with an 0-4 record and riding a 10-game losing skid dating back to the win over SRU last October.
• The Knights have been in all four games this season before eventually falling to Davenport (32-20), Shepherd (45-28), Bloomsburg (33-27 in OT) and Lock Haven (24-14).
• The offense topped 500 yards in each of the first two games before cooling off last week without starting QB Ty Hurst, who missed the game against Lock Haven.
• Hurst is a dynamic player who is completing 67.6% of his passes for 658 yards with seven TD and three INT while also rushing for 58 yards and two TD.
• Freshman Andre Underwood made his first career start last week and was 5-of-11 for 78 yards and one TD while rushing for 79 yards on 18 carries.
• NaSean Hill leads the ground game with 230 yards and two TD while Tank Mason leads the receivers with 16 catches for 265 yards and four TD.
• Keoke Toomer paces the defense with 28 tackles and 1.5 TFL.
 
ROCK GOES 3-0 ON ROAD SWING
Slippery Rock returns home this week for the first time since Aug. 27 after playing no home games in the month of September. The Rock are coming off three straight weeks on the road with overnight trips to East Stroudsburg and Millersville and a short trip to California (Pa.). It marked the first time since 1995 that SRU played three consecutive regular season road games.
 
HOME FOR FIVE OF SEVEN
With the early road swing out of the way, SRU will now host five home games in the final seven weeks of the regular season, beginning with back-to-back night games this week against Gannon and next week against Seton Hill.
 
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Rock football teams have compiled a 200-71 (.738) record in 51+ seasons at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium (formerly known as N. Kerr Thompson Stadium). The Rock own a 100-26 (.794) home record since artificial turf was installed in the summer of 2003 and are 96-20 (.828) in home games since 2005. The numbers get even better in recent years, as The Rock are 78-11 (.876) at home since the beginning of the 2010 season and 66-8 (.892) since the beginning of the 2013 season. SRU is 48-8 (.857) at home under Shawn Lutz and has never lost more than one home game in a season under Lutz.
 
TURN THE LIGHTS ON
Slippery Rock will play five games start at 4 p.m. or later this fall, including four that start at 6 p.m. or later. Four of those will be home games (Aug. 27, Oct. 3, Oct. 10, Nov. 7) and one will be on the road (Sept. 12). SRU had a streak of 37 straight night game wins snapped with a loss to California (Pa.) last year, but maintains an incredible record when the lights are on. The Rock are 39-1 in their last 40 games that started at 4 p.m. or later, including 2-0 this year. SRU is 49-10 all-time at home since lights were installed at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium in 2003.
 
OWENS EARNS PSAC WEEKLY HONOR
QB DaOne Owens was named the PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Week this week for his efforts at Cal. He ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns with TD runs of 45 and 53 yards to become the first QB at SRU to run for 100+ yards since Roland Rivers III did it against Cal in 2019. Owens also bounce back from a 1-for-6 start with two INT in the passing game to complete 13 of his last 19 pass attempts for 245 yards and two TD, accounting for 361 yards of total offense and four TD.
 
FIRST DRIVE TD STREAK SNAPPED
Slippery Rock failed to score on its opening possession last week at Cal to snap a streak of three straight games with touchdowns on the first possession. The Rock scored on a 54-yard pass on their first play in the opener against Minnesota Duluth. SRU then went 71 yards in five plays and scored in 1:43 against East Stroudsburg and went 63 yards in nine plays and scored in 3:32 at Millersville.
 
SCORING ON CONSECUTIVE DRIVES
Slippery Rock scored points on seven straight drives in the win at East Stroudsburg before taking a knee to end the game. The Rock then scored touchdowns on 10 straight drives against Millersville. SRU put together three straight TD drives to end both halves last week at Cal, tallying 21 points in the final nine minutes of the first half and 20 points in a 9-minute stretch in the fourth quarter.
 
TOP SCORING OFFENSE IN DIVISION II
Slippery Rock enters this week with the No. 1 scoring offense in the country at 53.75 points per game. The Rock are one of just two teams in Division II averaging more than 50 points per game, joining Grand Valley State (52.5).
 
SRU IN GOOD COMPANY
Slippery Rock is one of only five total NCAA programs across the Division I and Division II levels that are averaging more than 50 points per game this season. From the FBS, the only programs over 50 points are power conference schools Georgia (54.8), Florida (53.5) and Miami (51.8). No FCS teams are averaging 50 points and only Slippery Rock and Grand Valley State are over 50 points per game in Division II.
 
ROCK AMONG NATION'S BEST OFFENSES
Slippery Rock ranks No. 1 nationally in scoring offense (53.8 ppg), No. 2 in fewest sacks allowed (0.25 per game), No. 3 in total offense (545.5 yards per game), No. 4 in total turnovers lost (4), No. 6 in fewest tackles for loss allowed (3.00 per game), No. 8 in total first downs (113), No. 11 in rushing offense (255.0 yards per game), No. 12 in passing offense (290.5 yards per game) and No. 16 in completion percentage (65.3%).
 
FIRST TURNOVERS
Slippery Rock did not turn the ball over a single time in the first three games of the season before throwing two first half interceptions last week at Cal. The Rock rank first in the PSAC and fourth in the nation for the fewest turnovers lost this season (2), while ranking 21st nationally in turnover margin at +1.00 per game.  
 
TAKEAWAYS
SRU has recorded takeaways in three of four games this year, including three against Minnesota Duluth in the opener, one against Millersville and two last week against California. The Rock have four interceptions and two recovered fumbles on the year with one of those fumbles being returned 65 yards for a touchdown by Aaron Scales Jr.
 
ONE SACK ALLOWED IN THREE GAMES
SRU ranks second nationally in fewest sacks allowed per game (0.25) after allowing just one sack through four games. The Rock also rank sixth nationally in fewest tackles for loss allowed per game at 3.00.
 
NOT BAD FOR AN O-LINE WITH LIMITED EXPERIENCE
Slippery Rock rolled out an entirely new starting offensive line in the opener. The combined total of starts at SRU for all five players on the line was just three and all three of those belonged to center Mohamed Aly, who has since missed three straight weeks with an injury. Right tackle Jake Jonassen, right guard Christian Werling, left guard Brian Frasco and left tackle Varrius Farrell all made their first start at SRU in the opener and center Soren Stoltzfus made his first start at ESU in week two. That unit continues to improve weekly and has powered an SRU offense that ranks 11th in the nation in rushing, 12th in passing and third in total yardage.
 
OWENS IN THE RUN GAME
QB DaOne Owens had his first career 100+ yard rushing game last week and has three runs of 45 yards or longer in the last two games. He had a 50-yard rush against Millersville and scored on touchdown runs of 45 and 53 yards at Cal. Owens is averaging 10.5 yards per carry, 57.5 yards per game and has 230 total yards and two TD on the ground.
 
OWENS THROUGH THE AIR
QB DaOne Owens is completing 68.8% of his passes (64-of-93) for 952 yards with nine TD and two INT. He is averaging 238.0 yards per game through the air. Owens ranks 10th nationally in completion percentage, eighth nationally in passing efficiency rating (182.4), eighth nationally in yards per pass attempt (10.24) and 13th nationally in total offense (295.5 yards per game).
 
JAYJAY SCORES AGAIN
RB JayJay Jordan scored his 10th rushing TD of the season last week at Cal and has now scored at least one TD in 10 straight games.
 
JORDAN AMONG NATION'S LEADERS
RB JayJay Jordan ranks No. 1 nationally in scoring (16.5 points per game) and rushing touchdowns (10), No. 2 in total points scored (66) and No. 7 in all-purpose yardage (156.25 yards per game). He ranks 12th in rushing yards per game (114.8) and 18th in rushing yards per carry (6.65). Jordan has rushed for 459 yards and 10 touchdowns while also grabbing 10 passes for 109 yards with one TD.
 
McCOY SCORES IN THIRD STRAIGHT
RB Luke McCoy has one rushing TD in each of the last three games and at least 35 rushing yards in all three of those games. He has rushed for 147 yards and three TD, averaging 9.8 yards per carry over the last three weeks on just 15 carries. McCoy, JayJay Jordan and DaOne Owens have combined for 15 rushing TD and all three of them are averaging over 6.7 yards per carry.
 
GATES WITH ANOTHER TD
WR Hamilton Gates made his first career start at Millersville two weeks ago and caught two TD passes in that game. He followed that up with another TD grab at Cal last week and now leads all players on the SRU roster with 241 receiving yards and three TD. Gates is averaging 60.25 yards per game and a team-best 20.1 yards per catch.
 
SABO AND BERARDI LEADING RECEIVERS
WR John Sabo went for 80 yards last week and enters this week with a team-high 17 catches for 236 yards and three TD, averaging 59.0 yards per game. TE Vincent Berardi found the end zone again last week and has matched Gates and Sabo for team-high honors with three TD grabs to go along with 221 yards, averaging 55.25 yards per game. Gates, Sabo and Berardi are combining for 174.5 receiving yards per game with nine TD grabs between them.
 
SINGLE-GAME STREAKS
John Sabo has now caught at least one pass in 13 straight games. JayJay Jordan has at least one touchdown in 10 straight games.
 
SNOW MISSES CAL GAME, GREGORY STEPS UP
LB Jacob Snow was the top tackler on the team entering last week, but missed the Cal game with an injury. He is expected to be back in action this week. In his absence, fellow LB Teddy Gregory Jr. stepped up and led the defense with eight total tackles, one TFL and a huge interception that he returned 61 yards to flip the momentum in the second quarter. Gregory now leads SRU with 25 total tackles, 2.5 TFL, one INT and one forced fumble. Snow (18 tackles, 2.0 TFL) and Gregory have combined for 43 total tackles on the year.
 
GREGORY NAMED CAMPBELL TROPHY SEMIFINALIST
LB Teddy Gregory Jr. was named as one of just 19 total players from Division II schools on the national semifinalist list for the 2026 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. Known as the "Academic Heisman," the honor requires senior student-athletes to own at least a 3.2 GPA, have significant athletic credentials and strong leadership and community service efforts. Gregory owns above a 3.6 GPA while majoring in mechanical engineering in addition to being the top tackler on the SRU defense and a 2025 All-PSAC selection.
 
JOHNSON AND SCALES GROWING UP FAST
True freshmen defensive backs JuJu Johnson and Aaron Scales Jr. have played like anything but first-year college players. Johnson, who just moved to defense two weeks ago, has led SRU in tackles in each of his first two games on that side of the ball. Last week at Cal, he had eight total tackles and came down with a highlight-reel interception for his first career pick. Scales, who has started all four games, already has a 65-yard fumble return TD to his name and currently ranks second on the team with 19 total tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss.
 
DEFENSIVE LINE BACK TO FULL STRENGTH
Slippery Rock enters this week with all of its defensive linemen healthy for the first time since the opener. All-PSAC tackle Trever Valenti missed two games, All-PSAC end Brett Kwoka missed one game and end Jett Franz missed two games. The only linemen to start all four games so far this season are Brian Young Jr. and Daniel Tooson, who both rank in the top five on the team in total tackles. Young has 19 stops, 2.0 TFL, 1.5 sacks and a team-high four QB hurries, while Tooson has 18 tackles and one sack. Kwoka (3.0 TFL, 1.5 sacks), Elijah Halley (4.0 TFL, 1.0 sack), Jason Gillespie (2.5 TFL, 1.0 sack), Luke Gerovac (1.0 TFL), Valenti (1.0 TFL), Nick Frisco (0.5 TFL) and DeLathian Boanes (0.5 TFL) have combined for 16.5 TFL with the defensive line averaging just over 4.0 TFL per game.
 
WINNING SEASONS STREAK
Slippery Rock has put together a winning season in each of the last 16 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 21 winning seasons entering 2026.
 
TEAM CAPTAINS
After voting by the players, SRU named six captains for the 2026 season with three on offense and three on defense. The offensive captains include running back JayJay Jordan, quarterback Brad Hoffman and tight end Vincent Berardi. The defensive captains include defensive end Brian Young Jr. and linebackers Jacob Snow and Teddy Gregory Jr.
 
JORDAN NAMED TO ALLSTATE AFCA GOOD WORKS TEAM
RB JayJay Jordan is one of only 22 players from all levels of college football to be named to this year's Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, recognizing his good works off the field and his commitment to community service. Jordan is active in numerous charitable and community service projects, which included traveling to Puerto Rico to help recovery from hurricanes and numerous projects that serve both the SRU community and his hometown community of Reading, Pennsylvania. Jordan is one of only three players from Division II to be named to this year's team and is one of just 11 non-FBS players from all levels to be honored. He will be recognized on the field at the Allstate Sugar Bowl and CFP National Semifinal Jan. 15 at the Superdome in New Orleans.
 
JORDAN NAMED TO D2FOOTBALL ELITE 100 WATCHLIST
SRU running back JayJay Jordan was one of four total running backs in the nation to be named to first or second team honors on the D2football.com Elite 100 Watchlist entering this season, which replaced the preseason All-America team.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock returns will stay home next week and host Seton Hill Saturday night at 6 p.m. in the Hall of Fame Game. The Rock Athletics Hall of Fame induction class of 2026 will be recognized at halftime. Former football players Jack Muller and Shamar Greene will be inducted  in this year's class.




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