Complete Game Notes (PDF)

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The 16th ranked Slippery Rock University football team will travel to No. 13 Indiana University (Pa.) Saturday for a crucial Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division game. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. from George P. Miller Stadium.
 
Below you will find all pertinent information regarding live streaming coverage options, ticket information, parking, tailgating and complete game notes. Information can also be found about student fan buses that will travel from SRU to Indiana Saturday.
 
LIVE INTERNET COVERAGE
• Live Stats  |  Provided by Indiana sports information
• Live Streaming Video  |  Youtube Channel: IUP Webcast
• Live Audio (Online and Radio)  |  Provided by The Rock Station 97.7 FM (Butler).
• Twitter  |  All scoring information and in-game updates.

LOCATION
• George P. Miller Stadium  |  Facility Website
• GPS Address: 694 South 11th Street, Indiana, PA

TICKETS
• Tickets can be purchased on game day.
• General Admission Tickets - $11 (includes adults, children and students)
• Online tickets are available, but IUP charges surcharge fees that up the cost per GA ticket to $16.31 each online.
 
PARKING
• Parking is available in the lots surrounding the stadium
• Parking spaces are $5 per space in all lots.
• Parking Info
 
TAILGATING
• Tailgating is allowed in paid lots four hours before kickoff.
• No alcoholic beverages are permitted.
• Tailgaters must vacate the lots two hours after the game ends.
• Adhere to Indiana campus tailgating rules found HERE.
 
STUDENT FAN BUS TRIP
• The SRU Student Government will send two student fan buses to the game.
• Students can sign up at the SGA Bookstore.
• Students that ride the bus will be admitted for a discounted rate of $8, due when signing up.
 

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THE GAME
No. 16 Slippery Rock (5-1, 2-1 PSAC) visits No. 13 Indiana (4-1, 2-1 PSAC) to renew one of the best rivalries in Division II football. Adding to the storylines for this year's meeting is that this is the only game in the country this week that features two nationally ranked teams facing each other.
 


ALL-TIME SERIES
Indiana owns a 49-39-2 edge in the all-time series dating back to 1907, but Slippery Rock has held the advantage lately with wins in each of the last three years. The Rock have won four of the last five meetings and five of the last seven games. SRU's only loss in the last five years was on the road at Indiana in 2012.
 
First Meeting: 1907 (SRU won 44-0)
Last Meeting: 2015 (SRU won 40-39)
Current Streak: Slippery Rock +3
at Indiana (since '59): IUP leads 15-12
at SRU (since '59): IUP leads 17-14-1
Most Points Scored (IUP): 62 ('90, '94)
Biggest Win Margin (IUP): 54-0 (1912)
Most Points Scored (SRU): 52 (1999)
Biggest Win Margin (SRU): 44-0 (1907)
Last SRU Win: 2015 at SRU (40-39)
 
Notes: Last year's 40-39 victory for Slippery Rock marked the first time in the last six meetings in the series that the game was settled by a one-possession score. The five meetings prior to that had an average margin of victory of 16.8 points. The last time the two teams played an overtime game was a 34-28 win for Indiana at SRU in 2002.

SENIORS LOOKING FOR RARE SWEEP
A Rock win this weekend would give the four-year seniors on the team a career sweep over Indiana with four straight wins. The last senior class in program history that can claim a four-year sweep over their biggest rivals was the class of 1948. Before that, the senior classes of 1929-32 were the only classes to sweep Indiana with four straight wins.
 
COACHING MATCHUP
Slippery Rock head coach Shawn Lutz is off to a 5-1 start in his first season at the helm of the program. Lutz is in his 20th season at The Rock, having spent the last four as the associate head coach and the last eight as the defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. Lutz has been a member of the coaching staff for eight of SRU's PSAC West titles.
 
Curt Cignetti is in his sixth season as the head coach of the Crimson Hawks, where he has posted a record of 47-16 overall and has led the team to a pair of NCAA playoff appearances in 2012 and 2015. Since taking over at Indiana, Cignetti is 1-4 head-to-head against Slippery Rock. He is the son of longtime Indiana head coach Frank Cignetti, who ranks fifth in PSAC history with 182 career victories.
 
NATIONALLY RANKED
Slippery Rock has been ranked in the AFCA Division II poll for 14 straight weeks dating back to midway through last season. The Rock have been ranked or listed as receiving votes in 22 straight polls dating back to week 10 of the 2014 season. SRU moved up three spots to No. 16 in this week's AFCA poll. Indiana dropped from No. 6 to No. 13 this week after the 31-28 loss at California last week.  Complete polls can be found on page 10 of the PDF notes linked above.
 
LAST MEETING WITH INDIANA   |  Box Score
No. 15 Slippery Rock and Indiana combined for 1,061 yards of total offense and 79 points last fall, with The Rock coming out on top by a 40-39 final score.
 
SRU forced five Indiana fumbles and recovered four of them to win the turnover battle 4-1 to provide one of the keys to victory. The Rock also got stellar special teams play with Andrew Huska going a perfect 5-5 on PAT kicks and booting one field goal. The Crimson Hawks missed three extra points, including the potential tying point in the fourth quarter, and also missed a short field goal.
 
The game featured big swings in momentum both ways. SRU jumped out to a 9-0 lead less than five minutes in after scoring on the first series of the game and recording a safety on Indiana's first possession. The Crimson Hawks responded with 20 unanswered points to lead 20-9 at the end of the first quarter.
 
Shamar Greene broke off a 46-yard TD run early in the second quarter and The Rock outscored Indiana 21-6 in the period to take a 30-26 lead into the break.
 
Indiana regained the lead early in the second half with a TD run from Chris Temple, but The Rock responded with a field goal from Huska and took the lead for good early in the fourth quarter with a TD run from Julian Durden.
 
Indiana looked to tie the game when Lenny Williams broke free from 45 yards less than one minute after the SRU score, but the PAT was missed, leaving SRU up 40-39 with 10:56 to play. From there, the defenses took over and didn't allow a point the rest of the way.
 
SRU rushed for 269 yards and threw for 242 in the win. Greene was a monster, carrying the ball a career-high 40 times and rushing for 192 yards. Durden added 30 yards and two scores and QB Dante Nania ran for 32 yards and one TD to go along with 242 passing yards and one score. Taishan Tucker caught seven passes for 93 yards and Marcus Carter caught three passes for 72 yards and one TD.
 
Indiana threw for 364 yards and ran for 186. Williams had the breakout game of his year, throwing for 364 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He also rushed for 140 yards and one score, but did lose two fumbles in the game. Walt Pegues caught 14 passes for 233 yards and one touchdown to lead the receivers. He finished with a game-high 289 all-purpose yards. Temple rushed for 54 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries, an average of 3.2 yards per carry.
 
LAST WEEK FOR SLIPPERY ROCK  |  Box Score
Slippery Rock jumped out to a 31-9 halftime lead and held off a pesky Mercyhurst team for a 37-25 win that ran the nation's longest home winning streak to 20 straight games.
 
The Rock had to battle significant injuries and played the majority of the game without seven starters, including two on offense and five on defense.
 
SRU went for 411 yards with 310 through the air and 101 on the ground. Mercyhurst managed 208 passing yards and 112 rushing yards.
 
Don King III completed 29-of-38 passes for 310 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions to lead the offense. True freshman Dontez Rash made his first career start at running back and rushed for 102 yards and two scores on 21 carries. Cornelius Raye caught nine passes for 126 yards and one score and Drew Scales pulled down eight passes for 72 yards.
 
Marcus Martin broke the all-time career tackles for loss record at SRU with 2.0 TFL to bring his career total to 61.0.
 
LAST WEEK FOR INDIANA  |  Box Score
Like Slippery Rock the week before, a nationally ranked Indiana team went on the road to California (Pa.) last Saturday and saw their unbeaten season end with a 31-28 loss to the Vulcans.
 
The winning field goal came with 55 seconds to play and proved to be the deciding points in an otherwise tightly contested game. Indiana moved the ball and was nearing field goal territory in the final minute, but couldn't get out of bounds and wasn't able to save a timeout to set up a potential game-tying field goal.
 
Cal put up a 481-412 edge in total yardage with 308 passing yards and 173 rushing yards. Indiana threw for just 177 yards, but rushed for 235 against what was the nation's best rush defense entering the game.
 
Lenny Williams found great success in the ground game, rushing for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. He completed 12-of-24 passes for 162 yards with one touchdown and one interception before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with an injury.
 
Samir Bullock rushed for 33 yards on five carries, but did not play the majority of the second half. Chris Temple rushed for 33 yards on 12 carries. Allen Wright caught seven passes for 97 yards and JoJo Gause caught two passes for 38 yards and one touchdown.
 

INJURY QUESTION MARKS
Unfortunately, there is a good chance neither team will be firing on all cylinders this weekend as both Slippery Rock and Indiana have been battling injuries to significant players. The most dynamic offensive player for both teams and two of the best offensive players in the entire country may not even be suiting up. Running back Shamar Greene from Slippery Rock is not expected to play and quarterback Lenny Williams from Indiana left last week's game in the fourth quarter after a hit to the head and did not return. Those two missing the game would be a loss of more than 600 total yards of offense from last year's meeting.
 
Other key players on the SRU roster that have missed time with injuries in the last two weeks include preseason All-American center Joe LoSchiavo, All-Region linebacker Bob Vernick, leading tackler Anthony Zappone, linebackers Cody Allen and John Conglose and corner back Titus Howard.
 
Indiana has seen its share of injuries too. Joining Williams in missing time in the early part of this season include linebacker Kevin Clarke, running backs Chris Temple, Samir Bullock and Luigi Lista-Brinza and slot receiver Walt Pegues.
 
We may not know how the actual depth chart for either team looks until game time as both rosters are dealing with the injury bug.
 
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Slippery Rock currently has the 10th best strength of schedule in the country when comparing all 11 scheduled opponents' records. Eight of The Rock's 11 opponents this year are at least .500 right now, while five opponents have at least four wins and no more than two losses (New Haven, California, Indiana, Edinboro, Seton Hill).
 
EARLY SEASON STUMBLES HAVEN'T BEEN A­­LL BAD
The SRU loss two weeks ago at California marked the third straight year in which Slippery Rock has dropped its first game of the season in either week four or week five. In each of the last two years, the team has rebounded and gone on to win the PSAC West title and the overall PSAC Championship. Last year, it was a week four upset loss to Seton Hill that sparked a run of nine straight wins and an appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals.
 
RASH MAKES MOST OF OPPORTUNITY
True freshman Dontez Rash made his first career start for the injured Shamar Greene last week. He rushed for 41 yards and a TD on the first series of the game and finished with 102 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. He has earned the starting role and will start this week.
 
OFFENSE UP AND DOWN
Slippery Rock ran more plays than any team in the country in 2015, averaging just over 86 plays per game. The Rock also had the nation's top scoring offense. The team opened this year with four new starters on the offensive line, a new QB and a new offensive coordinator. That led to an average of 72.5 plays per game and less than 400 yards of offense the first two weeks. Things improved in weeks three and four when SRU averaged 103.5 plays and 573 yards of offense per game, but things have slowed again in weeks five and six. The Rock ran 68 plays at California and 76 last week against Mercyhurst for an average of 72 plays and 353.5 yards per game the last two weeks. On the year, SRU is averaging 82.7 plays and 431 yards per game.
 
STRONG START - NOT SO STRONG THIRD
Slippery Rock has scored 70 points in the first quarter so far this season and is outscoring opponents 70-23 in the first 15 minutes of games. The Rock are outscoring their opponents in every quarter on the year except the third quarter, with opponents posting a 42-31 edge and SRU scoring a total of 39 less points in the third quarter than the first.
 
TOUGH TO RUN ON
Slippery Rock had the second best run defense in the country last year and The Rock are right back up there again, currently sitting at No. 6 in the nation and allowing just 78.4 rushing yards per game. That equals out to just 2.4 yards per carry through five games.
 
STRENGTH VS. STRENGTH
This week's game will feature the top ranked rushing offense in the PSAC in Indiana against the top ranked rush defense in the conference in Slippery Rock. The Crimson Hawks rank sixth in the nation and are averaging 281.8 rushing yards per game. They have scored 24 rushing touchdowns in just five games, averaging nearly five rushing TDs per game. Slippery Rock ranks sixth in the nation against the run and is allowing 78.4 rushing yards per game. The Rock have allowed just six rushing scores in six games for an average of one rushing TD per game.
 
ZAPPONE LEADING THE DEFENSE
Linebacker Anthony Zappone transferred to SRU for his senior year from Eastern Michigan and like Teven Williams last year, has made an immediate impact and looked like he's been here all along. Last season, Williams came in from Youngstown State and ended up leading SRU in tackles and earning All-America honors. This fall, Zappone is the leading tackler for SRU through six weeks with 51 total tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He also has two interceptions and a team-high 22 solo tackles on the year.
 
TOP TARGETS IN THE PASSING GAME
Quarterback Don King III is finding chemistry with two targets in particular in outside receiver Marcus Johnson and slot man Cornelius Raye. Raye leads the team with 36 catches for 442 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 73.7 yards per game. Johnson has 26 catches for 365 yards with four scores and is averaging 60.8 yards per game.
 
CLOSING IN ON 100 CATCHES
Slot receivers Drew Scales and Cornelius Raye are closing in on becoming the 11th and 12th players in SRU history to record 100 career catches. Scales enters this week with 98 career grabs, while Raye enters the game with 97 career catches. Raye's TD grab last week moved him up to No. 11 on the all-time list in TD catches with 13. He can move into the top 10 with one more TD catch.
 
CONWAY NEARING TOP 10
Defensive end Cody Conway is closing in on cracking the all-time top 10 list at SRU in career sacks. He currently has 16.5 career sacks, needing just 1.0 to move into a tie for 10th on the all-time ledger with Mike Welhorsky (1996-99).
 
DK3 ABOUT TO HIT RECORD BOOKS
Just six games into his career at SRU, Don King III is closing in on multiple top 10 lists for single-season records. His line of 138-of-232 for 1,540 yards and 12 touchdowns leaves him needing 28 attempts, five completions, three touchdowns and 355 yards to crack the top 10 in each of those categories in the SRU single-season ledger.
 
BIG LEG FROM CHAPLA
True freshman Jake Chapla was named the PSAC West Special Teams Athlete of the Week this week after booting a pair of field goals from 44 yards or beyond last week. He connected from 44 and 51 yards, which was the first 50+ yard field goal for an SRU kicker since 2003 and is the second longest field goal in school history. It is also the first kick of more than 50 yards by any kicker in the PSAC since the 2012 season. Chapla has four field goals of 44 or more yards already this year.
 
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Slippery Rock has a balanced roster with many upperclassmen starting on both sides of the ball, but this year is also notable for how young The Rock are. This week's depth chart features 23 players listed as projected starters or backups that are sophomores or freshmen in eligibility.
 
HOWARD NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Titus Howard has quietly been having a strong season from his cornerback position. Last week he was recognized for his efforts as the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week. Howard recorded a sack for a safety, another key sack late in the fourth quarter and one interception in the win over Mercyhurst last week. He has six pass breakups on the year and 2.5 tackles for loss.
 


MARTIN INCREASES SRU/PSAC SACK RECORD
Just six games into his junior season, Marcus Martin has recorded more career sacks than any player in PSAC football history. His one sack last week brings his career total to 38.5, the eighth most in Division II history. In six games this year, despite seeing double teams and facing two All-American offensive tackles so far, he has recorded 42 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks.
 
MARTIN BEST AT ANY LEVEL OF NCAA
Marcus Martin's 38.5 career sacks are the third most of all active football players in the country and are 10.5 better than any other junior at any level of college football. His 1.20 sack per game average ranks first among all players in the nation regardless of level. A chart featuring the top five college football players in sacks per game can be found in the notes linked above.

MARTIN MOVING UP NATIONAL RECORD BOOK
Marcus Martin currently ranks eighth all-time in NCAA history in terms of total sacks by a Division II player after just two years and six games. He has his sights set on becoming the all-time Division II record holder (46.0). He has averaged nearly 16.0 sacks per season over his first two years, a number that could make him the record holder this year if he were able to repeat. He has a realistic chance with two years left to play of becoming the all-time sack leader in NCAA history, regardless of division. The career record holder for each NCAA Division can be found below. A chart featuring the top 10 players in Division II history in career sacks can be found in the notes linked above.
 
D1 (FBS): Terrell Suggs, Arizona State (44.0)
D1 (FCS): Chris Gocong, Cal Poly (42.0)
D2: Marc Schiechl, Colorado Mines (46.0)
D3: Mike Czerwien, Waynesburg (53.5)*
 
*All-time NCAA career sack record

WHO WILL GET THERE FIRST?
This season in Division II football brings an interesting race as both Lucky Baar from McKendree and Marcus Martin are rapidly moving up the all-time career sack list in Division II. They are the only two active players with more than 30 career sacks. Martin has the edge in the race for the top spot, however, as Baar is a senior this season and Martin has another year of eligibility.
 
CAREER TACKLES FOR LOSS RECORD
Marcus Martin is also on pace to become the all-time leader in NCAA history in career tackles for loss. He has 61.0 through two years and six games (on pace for at least 88) and the Division II record is 77.0, set by Andre Bernardi from North Greenville. Last week, Martin became the all-time leader in SRU history in tackles for loss, topping Matt Kinsinger's former record of 60.0.
 
SCALES AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
Drew Scales ranks seventh among all active players in Division II in career kick return average at 28.6 yards per return. The national leader is Tyree Davis of Azusa Pacific at 31.0 yards per return. Scales ranks third in total career kick return yards in SRU history with 1,460 and his 28.6 yard per return average is the third best in school history. A chart featuring the top eight active return men in Division II can be found in the complete game notes linked above.
 
GREENE INCREASES SRU RECORD, CLIMBS PSAC LIST
Shamar Greene rushed for 74 yards two weeks ago before leaving with an injury in the second quarter, increasing his SRU program record to 4,275 yards. He also moved up to No. 10 on the all-time PSAC ledger with that total. Greene is one of only two running backs in the country with more than 4,000 career rushing yards at the Division II level. The top 16 rushers in PSAC history can be seen in a chart in the complete notes linked above.
 
GREENE SECOND IN D2 IN RUSHING
Shamar Greene ranks second in career rushing yards among all active rushers in Division II with 4,275 yards. He is one of only five active running backs in the nation with more than 3,500 career yards and is one of only two with more than 4,000 yards. A chart featuring the top five active rushers in Division II can be found in the notes linked above.
 
GREENE TOP 8 IN ALL OF NCAA
Shamar Greene currently ranks eighth among all active rushers at any level of NCAA football. He is second on the Division II list, but would rank in the top four on both the FBS and FCS lists as well. A chart of the top eight active rushers in all of college football can be found in the notes linked above.

ALL-PURPOSE YARDAGE
Shamar Greene also ranks fourth among all active Division II players in career all-purpose yardage with 4,736 yards. He is one of only seven active players in the country with at least 4,500 all-purpose yards. A chart of the top five active players in Division II (two from PSAC) in all-purpose yards can be found in the notes linked above.
 


STARTERS AND STARS FROM WEST MIFFLIN
Slippery Rock starts four players that all graduated from West Mifflin High School, three of which have earned at least All-Region honors during their careers at SRU in Shamar Greene, Marcus Martin and Derrick Fulmore. Jim Popa also moved into a starting role on the offensive line to begin the 2016 season. Greene and Martin have been teammates for most of their football playing careers and are rewriting record books together each week on opposite sides of the ball.
 
STARTERS NOTES
Shamar Greene has started more games than anyone on the team with 36 career starts but is not expected to play this week for the second week in a row. Joe LoSchiavo is a close second with 33 starts, including a team-high 32 straight for the offense, but he only played one series last week against Mercyhurst. Dontez Rash made his first career start at running back last week for the injured Greene.
 
Marcus Martin leads the defense with 31 straight starts, having never missed a start in his career. Bob Vernick had started 29 career games, but missed the last two. Cody Conway has started 30 career games, but missed last week. Alfon Cook has started 20 straight games. Joe Phillips has 27 career starts. Anthony Zappone started 18 games at Eastern Michigan before transferring. Patrick Minenok, Erik Johnson and Tony Twillie II all made their first career starts for injured players last week.
 
INDIANA QUICK HITS
• Indiana was picked to win the PSAC West in the preseason coaches poll.
• The Crimson Hawks have the fourth best total offense in the nation at 532.0 yards per game. They rank second in scoring offense at 51.8 points per game, sixth in rushing offense at 281.8 yards per game and third in passing efficiency.
•  Indiana also ranks first in the country in third down conversion percentage, converting on 64.8 percent of its third downs.
• The offense has proved to be one of the best in the nation, but the defense is ranked 103rd in the nation in total yardage, allowing 402.4 yards per game. They rank 93rd in scoring defense, allowing 28.0 points per game.
• QB Lenny Williams, Jr. is the second most efficient passer in the nation. He is throwing for 222 yards per game and also averages 69.4 yards per game rushing the ball. He has eight rushing TDs on the year.
• True freshman RB Samir Bullock has carried the bulk of the load early in the year and was averaging well over 100 yards per game before leaving the Cal game last week after just five carries for 33 yards. He is still averaging 101.6 yards per game and has seven TDs on the year. RB Chris Temple was injured in the early part of the year but is back now, giving Indiana one of the best 1-2 RB combos in the league when healthy.
• WR Walt Pegues has proved to be one of the best slot receivers in the league, but missed last week with an injury. He is averaging 104.8 receiving yards per game.
• Takhi Turner leads the team in tackles with 36 and has one INT. Kevin Clarke is one of the best linebackers in the league and has 31 tackles in just three games after missing the first two weeks with an injury. Jordan Diven (2.0 sacks) is the only player on the team with more than 1.5 sacks as the team has recorded nine sacks on the year. Nine different players have at least one interception with Ackeno Robertson and Jay Watkins both having two picks.
• The offensive line is one of the best in the league, led by preseason All-American tackle Ethan Cooper. They have allowed only seven sacks through five games so far this year.