No. 9 Slippery Rock football returns to the home turf of their biggest rival for a mid-season checkup despite outwardly showing good health so far.
SRU players refer to the game as a checkpoint of sorts. The result of the annual IUP matchup will tell the White and Green a lot about themselves. Tomorrow, we catch a glimpse of who The Rock could be for the rest of the season, especially in their most contested games.
The last time The Rock faced No. 21 Indiana University (Pa.) in Crimson Hawk territory, IUP came away with a 20-12 victory. The Crimson Hawks won the turnover battle by two and fought off a late comeback effort by The Rock to secure the one-score win.
Outside of rivalry storylines, the matchup is set to be one of the most intriguing games for The Rock this season from a competition standpoint.
IUP is the only team on Slippery Rock’s schedule currently ranked on the American Football Coaches’ Association DII poll. The Rock and the Crimson Hawks are two of three currently ranked Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference teams, the third being No. 8 Kutztown University (Pa.).
Slippery Rock’s perennially elite offensive line will face a large challenge and be part of potentially the most interesting matchup to watch on the field today.
IUP is allowing a PSAC-low 58.5 rushing yards per game while the White and Green are rushing for 161 yards per game.
Running back Idris Lawrence is coming off the best game of his career up to this point, a 119-yard performance on 15 attempts highlighted by a 54-yard run.
Lawrence leads the team in rushing yards with 328, but Chris D’Or is not far behind at 276. The steady duo will also be put to the test against the Crimson Hawk linebackers. Noah Johnston is third in the PSAC in solo tackles and Charles Ingram is sixth.
The Rock returns home after the IUP game for a 1:00 p.m. tilt against Gannon University at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium next Saturday.
