2014 PSAC Football Championship: Slippery Rock Claims Hardware
Slippery Rock Claims PSAC Title
Courtesy of Slippery Rock Sports Information
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock football team claimed its 10th PSAC championship and its first since 2000 with a 28-26 victory over previously undefeated and fifth ranked Bloomsburg Saturday at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
Bloomsburg entered the game unbeaten at 10-0 and ranked fifth in the nation by the American Football Coaches Association and sixth by D2football.com. Slippery Rock entered the game at 8-2 overall and was not receiving votes in the national poll.
The game was the third time in as many years that Slippery Rock and Bloomsburg met in the final game of the regular season. All three have been decided by one possession. Last season, the same teams met in the PSAC title game at Bloomsburg and the Huskies came away with a 42-38 win after a touchdown with 27 seconds left.
The game was the seventh PSAC title game since it was reinstated by the conference in 2008 and continued the trend of home teams winning as the hosts are now 7-0. The Western Division champion improved to 4-3 in title games since 2008. The championship was the 10th outright league title for Slippery Rock, the fifth for head coach
George Mihalik and the fifth in a PSAC Championship game. The last title won by an SRU team in the league championship game was in 1974.
Slippery Rock found success Saturday in ways that no other opponent on Bloomsburg's schedule could, posting a total of 508 yards of offense and 233 rushing yards. The previous highs allowed by Bloomsburg, which had the No. 5 defense in the country entering the game, was 459 total yards against Shippensburg and 151 rushing yards against Mercyhurst. The Huskies entered the game having not allowed more than 13 points in their last six games and Slippery Rock topped that with 14 points in the first quarter.
The Rock posted a 508-437 edge in total yardage, adding 275 passing yards to the 233 on the ground. Bloomsburg was held to its second lowest rushing yardage output of the season with 144 yards and added 293 through the air.
Slippery Rock lost three fumbles and threw two interceptions, but Bloomsburg couldn't convert those turnovers into touchdowns. Bloomsburg recorded just one turnover, an interception deep in SRU territory that The Rock was able to turn into an offensive touchdown.
Jared Buck was named the game's Most Valuable Player after leading the SRU offense for most of the first three quarters before he left the game after taking a hit. He finished with 17 completions for 256 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for 59 yards and one touchdown on just five carries and wasn't sacked once.
Shamar Greene ran for more yards than any other running back has against Bloomsburg this year, finishing with 116 yards and 21 carries. He increased his single-season total to 1,459 yards and moved up to No. 2 all-time at SRU in single-season rushing yards. He is currently 142 yards behind the school record of 1,601, set by LaMonte Coleman in 1994.
Teddy Blakeman ran for 39 yards and one touchdown, his 22nd career rushing score in just two years at SRU
. Jaimire Dutrieuille caught a team-high seven passes for 75 yards and
Melvin German caught five passes for 94 yards and a touchdown, which was a career-high 74-yarder.
Leroy McClain added three catches for 26 yards and one touchdown.
The Rock defense was paced by
Austin Miele and
Isaiah Coleman with 12 tackles each. Miele added 3.0 tackles for loss, two pass breakups and one quarterback hurry. Coleman chipped in one tackle for loss and had a key pass breakup late in the fourth quarter.
Bob Vernick added seven tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss and
Derrick Fulmore recorded his team-leading sixth interception of the year.
Bloomsburg was led by quarterback
Tim Kelly, who threw for 293 yards with one interception and one touchdown on 42 attempts.
Lawrence Elliot caught five passes for 102 yards and
Chad Hoffman caught six passes for 84 yards. The lone receiving TD of the game belonged to
Aaron Allison for Bloomsburg.
Dai'Shon Munger rushed for 46 yards on 16 carries and
Joe Parsnik added 35 yards and one touchdown on nine carries. Kelly also rushed for a touchdown on a one-yard keeper.
Braden Drexler made two field goals for Bloomsburg, hitting from 25 and 44 yards, but missed a crucial 40-yard try that would have given the Huskies the lead late in the game.
Justin Shirk led the Bloomsburg defense with 14 total tackles and one tackle for loss.
The NCAA playoff field will be announced Sunday night in a live webcast at www.ncaa.com at 5 p.m.
Boxscore
Complete Slippery Rock Story
Bloomsburg Story
PSAC CHAMPIONSHP PREVIEW
Series: Bloomsburg leads the all-time series 11-3 against Slippery Rock and has won the last ten meetings....The teams last met in the 2013 PSAC Championship....Bloomsburg defeated The Rock 42-38..Slippery Rock last defeated Bloomsburg in 1983 (18-7).
BLOOMSBURG - Game Notes
Players to Watch
RB Eddie Mateo - 2014: 23TDs - 3rd in D-II, 113.9ypg, 6.4yds/carry
LB Justin Shirk - 2014: 2.06TFL/game - 2nd in PSAC, 18.5TFL, 83 tackles (41 solo), 9.2 tackles/game - 5th in PSAC, 1INT-41yds, 2FF
WR DJ McFadden - 2014: 23 catches for 425yds, 18.5yds/catch, 4TDs, 42.5ypg
PK Braden Drexler - 2014: 12-of-17 FG attempts, 1.2 FG/game
RB Lawrence Elliott Jr. - 2014: 15.4yds/punt return - 1st in PSAC
Defense - 2014: 19INT-323yds - 1st in PSAC, 6.0TFL/game, 17FF
Game Notes
• Bloomsburg is seeking its second straight PSAC Championship title for the first time in program history. The Huskies would be the first team since the Championship game reinstatement in 2008 to win back-to-back titles.
• The Huskies have not lost to a PSAC Western Division opponent outside of the NCAA Tournament since falling to Mercyhurst in the PSAC Championship game in 2010.
• The Bloomsburg defense enters the weekend first in the PSAC and fifth in Division II in scoring defense (12.6ppg). The Huskies are also atop the league and fifth in D-II in total defense (274.4ypg).
| Offense - PSAC Rank |
|
Defense - PSAC Rank |
| 35.2 ppg – 6th |
Scoring |
12.6 ppg – 1st |
| 237.2 ypg – 2nd |
Rushing |
88.6 ypg – 4th |
| 146.8 ypg – 14th |
Passing |
185.8 ypg – 2nd |
| 384.0 ypg – 10th |
Total |
274.4 ypg - 1st |
|
|
|
| Time of Possession |
32:28 – 3rd |
| 3rd Down Conversions |
38.6% - 8th |
| Turnover Margin |
+24 – 1st* |
| *Leads Division II |
|
SLIPPERY ROCK - Game Notes
Players to Watch
RB Shamar Greene - 2014: 209 carries for 1343yds - 7th in D-II, 134.3ypg - 2nd in PSAC, 10TDs, 6.4yds/carry
RB Teddy Blakeman - 2014: 96 carries for 407yds, 45.2ypg, 7TDs
DE Marcus Martin - 2014: 64 tackles (28 solo), 22.5TFL & 16 sacks - 1st in PSAC, 2.3TFL/game - 4th in D-II, 1FF
WR Jaimire Dutrieuille - 2014: 42 catches for 472yds, 4TDs, 47.2ypg
LB Austin Miele - 2014: 74 tackles (34 solo), 8TFL-20yds, 3INT, 9PD
DB Derrick Fulmore - 2014: 52 tackles (32 solo), 5INT-68yds, 10PD
Game Notes
• Slippery Rock is seeking its first conference championship since 1974 and has played for the title three times in the last four seasons.
• The Rock’s rushing defense is fifth in Division II and allowing just 81.5ypg on the ground. Over the last three weeks, Slippery Rock has not allowed more than 55 rushing yards, including a season-low 26yds against IUP.
• Conversely, The Rock’s rushing offense is averaging 231ypg, ranking first in the Western Division and 22nd in Division II. Over the last three weeks, Slippery Rock has eclipsed 200yds on the ground each game.
| Slippery Rock |
| Offense - PSAC Rank |
|
Defense - PSAC Rank |
| 38.7 ppg – 3rd |
Scoring |
24.3 ppg – 6th |
| 231.0 ypg – 3rd |
Rushing |
81.5 ypg – 2nd |
| 255.3 ypg – 8th |
Passing |
298.7 ypg – 14th |
| 486.3 ypg – 3rd |
Total |
380.2 – 7th |
|
|
|
| Time of Possession |
28:25 – 11th |
| 3rd Down Conversions |
40.7% - 7th |
| Turnover Margin |
-1 – T 6th |
|
|
PSAC CHAMPIONSHIP TO BE AIRED LIVE ON PCN
Lock Haven, Pa - Slippery Rock clinched the No. 1 Western Division seed and will host Bloomsburg for the 2014 PSAC Football Championship on Saturday, November 16. The two teams met last year in the championship game, with Bloomsburg defeating The Rock 42-38.
The title game will kickoff at 12:30 p.m. at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium on Saturday, November 15, and will be aired live on PCN-TV. Please click here to determine the channel designation of PCN-TV in your area.
Fans can watch live online with a PCN Select ‘Super Sports Weekend Pass,’ available for $15.99. Daily and annual subscription passes are also available for $7.99 and $24.99, respectively. Subscribers can download the free PCN Select mobile application and watch live anytime, anywhere.
The game is scheduled to re-air on PCN on Sunday, November 16, at 12:30 a.m. and Monday, November 17 at 6:00 p.m.
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