No. 11 Slippery Rock football took down Bloomsburg University and was subsequently awarded the No. 4 seed in NCAA Division II Playoffs last weekend.
Defeating the Huskies
The Rock football took control in all three phases on the way to a 27-7 victory over Bloomsburg University at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium Saturday.
Outside of a first-quarter, 37-yard score, The Rock’s defense stifled the Huskies entirely while the White and Green offense operated effectively across 60 minutes.
Fittingly, the first score of the afternoon came on defense. SRU’s Jacob Snow grabbed a KJ Riley pass intended for a receiver in the flat and took it 23 yards to the house.
The Huskies bounced back shortly after, recovering their own punt after it bounced off SRU’s Kylon Wilson. After a combined sack from Todd Hill and Trever Valenti on first down, Riley found Owen Anderson on a dig 10 yards down field that he took in for a score.
While Slippery Rock narrowly missed out on a shutout because of the touchdown, Michael Henwood narrowly missed out on one of the more impressive defensive plays of the season during the play. Henwood tracked down Anderson and jarred the ball loose at the goal line, but it was ruled that Anderson maintained possession long enough to break the plane.
The setback was only minor for SRU though. They would go 42 yards on eight plays on the ensuing drive to take the lead back with a field goal just after the outset of the second quarter.
Before half, The Rock scored one more time on a 13-play drive that masterfully killed the clock and resulted in seven points. The drive culminated in an Idris Lawrence two-yard ground score and a Mason Yohn extra point. The White and Green took a 17-7 advantage into the break.
The second half was much of the same, though The Rock were able to keep Bloomsburg off the scoreboard completely.
Yohn made a 40-yard field goal on the opening drive of the third quarter following a 12-play drive that exhibited eight rushes, including a 17-yard carry by Wilson.
“Mason Yohn was a dude today, kicking field goals and punting,” head coach Shawn Lutz said.
Any confidence remaining on the Huskies’ sideline after going down 20-7 was likely depleted on the ensuing drive. Munchie Johnson fulfilled every defensive lineman’s dream, snatching a Riley pass out of the air after it passed just over the heads of Bloomsburg’s offensive line.
“There is not a better player right now, as hot as Munchie Marcus Johnson is playing,” Lutz said.
SRU scored their final touchdown of the game with another run-heavy drive to score off the turnover. Brayden Long tallied the ground score with just over two minutes left in the third quarter after two straight one-yard rushes from the Huskies two-yard line.
The Rock dominated possession in the fourth quarter with over two-thirds of the 15-minute period being drained on another clock-killing masterclass. The White and Green orchestrated a 12-play drive that saw no incompletions and swallowed the entirety of the last 10:12 on the clock.
“I really thought, minus some of the penalties, we played like a championship football team today,” Lutz said.
Slippery Rock finished with 191 rushing yards on 47 attempts, maintaining control of the line of scrimmage throughout. They nearly doubled the Huskies’ total plays on offense, running 70 to Bloomsburg’s 39.
Time of possession was heavily in The Rocks favor, as they covered 39:36 of the 60 minutes with the ball.
Lawrence passed the century mark rushing, accruing 11 yards on 20 attempts. D’Or had 54 yards on 16 rushes.
Mike Solomon was the leading receiver with 73 yards on five catches. Both Wilson and Kam Kruzelyak were second on the team with four receptions.
Henwood found a turnover after his earlier attempt, grabbing an interception near the end of the third quarter.
Playoff bound
The win all but secured a sixth straight Division II Playoff berth for The Rock, which was confirmed when they were tabbed as the No. 4 seed in Super Region One.
No. 3 Kutztown University earned the first seed in the division, No. 6 Charleston University the second and No. 20 California (Pa.) University the third.
Slippery Rock’s home playoff game will take place this Saturday at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium against the unseeded University of New Haven. The last time the teams played, SRU’s season opener on Sept. 7, the White and Green came out on top 22-7.
“Our home record speaks for itself,” Lutz said. “We won them all this year.”
The Rock has not lost a home game since facing Kutztown at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium last season.
The round one victor will head to Kutztown on Nov. 30 for a 1 p.m. matchup, setting up a chance for The Rock to claim revenge against their biggest rival from a year ago.
