No. 8/8 Slippery Rock Wins Thrilling PSAC Football Title Against No. 13/15 Kutztown, 37-35
BOX SCORE
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME RECAP
KUTZTOWN, Pa. --- Slippery Rock senior Roland Rivers III threw for 302 yards and four touchdowns to the lead No. 8/8 Slippery Rock to a thrilling 37-35 victory against No. 13/15 Kutztown in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Football Championship Game Saturday afternoon at Andre Reed Field in Kutztown, Pa.
The Rock improved to 11-0 while Rivers was named Most Valuable Player. It marks the 12th PSAC crown for Slippery Rock and first since 2015.
MVP: Roland Rivers III, Slippery Rock
Slippery Rock virtually locked up the No. 1 seed in Super Region I and will likely receive a first-round bye in the upcoming NCAA DII Football Championship.
The Golden Bears fell to 10-1 despite 146 rushing yards from senior Abdul-Hassan Neblett.
The contest was entertaining to say the least while the team exchanged scores throughout the first half.
Kutztown opened scoring when senior Collin DiGalbo found senior Jack Pilkerton on an eight-yard pass with 3:13 remaining in the opening frame.
Rivers III registered his first touchdown of the game on a 22-yard pitch-and-catch to junior Henry Litwin with less than a minute left in the first.
Neblett pushed the Golden Bears out to a 14-7 advantage following a two-yard plunge with 13:39 left in the second.
Once again, The Rock responded after Rivers and Litwin hooked up once again, this time for a 12-yard score.
Neblett tallied his second TD of the game with 6:30 remaining in the half before Rivers found junior Jermaine Wynn on a seven-yard TD pass five minutes later.
The Golden Bears took a 28-21 lead into halftime following a quick score from DiGalbo to Pilkerton.
Both defenses settled in the third while DiGalbo’s three-yard TD run with 8:20 in the third was the lone scoring in the quarter, 35-21.
The Rock mounted an impressive comeback after scoring 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Rivers continued to roll with a two-yard TD pass to DeSean Dinkins to cut the deficit to 35-28.
The highest-scoring kicker in league history, The Rock senior Jake Chapla, made it 35-31 with a 31-yard field goal.
The Rock used nearly every second of the clock before senior Charles Snorweah scored on an 8-yard rushing touchdown with 25 seconds remaining.
Kutztown’s attempt at a game-winning 51-yard field goal as time expired fell short.
The NCAA DII Football Championship Selection Show is set for Sunday, Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. The top seven teams in Super Region I will advance to the field of 28.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PREVIEW
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- No. 9/9 Slippery Rock will travel to No. 15/17 Kutztown to participate in the 2019 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Football Championship Game Saturday, Nov. 16 at Andre Reed Stadium in Kutztown, Pa.
Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. (ET).
Both teams enter the contest with flawless 10-0 records.
It will mark the second time the squads will battle for the PSAC Championship. Kutztown took the lone encounter in 2011, 21-14.
Slippery Rock will participate in its second consecutive title game and sixth of the decade.
Kutztown is playing in its third title game and first since 2016.
Slippery Rock’s offense paces the league while averaging 47.9 points per contest. Coach Shawn Lutz’s squad will be tested while Kutztown’s defense allows only 15.7 points per game; which is second in the PSAC.
Slippery Rock senior Roland Rivers III paces the PSAC in touchdowns (36) and completion percentage (72.6). He is second in passing yards (3,107) and passing yards per game (310.7).
The Rock boasts a duo of wide receivers that lead the league in yards per game. Henry Litwin (96.3) and Jermaine Wynn (91.9) are first and second, respectively, in the category.
Slippery Rock has scored at least 41 points in all but one game this season.
Defensively, the Rock’s Brad Zaffram leads the league in tackles-for-loss with 18.0.
Kutztown’s Ahkee Cox-Cowan has pestered quarterbacks throughout the season while leading the league in passes defended (11). The Golden Bears defense has allowed only two opponents to score more than 20 points in a contest.
Kutztown senior Collin DiGalbo is third in the league in total yards per game (296.4).
As a team, Kutztown leads the league in kickoff returns (25.9 yards/return).
The contest will air on PCN and on the PSAC Digital Network.
Tickets can be purchased by clicking HERE.
| PSAC Rankings |
| SLIPPERY ROCK |
|
KUTZTOWN |
| Offense |
|
Defense |
|
Offense |
|
Defense |
| 47.9 ppg – 1st |
Scoring |
19.7 – 5th |
|
37.7 ppg – 3rd |
Scoring |
15.7 ppg – 2nd |
| 175.7 ypg – 3rd |
Rushing |
92.7 ypg – 3rd |
|
187.8 ypg – 2nd |
Rushing |
91.5 ypg – 2nd |
| 323.3 ypg – 2nd |
Passing |
195.1 ypg – 3rd |
|
257.4 ypg – 5th |
Passing |
199.6 ypg – 5th |
| 499.0 ypg – 1st |
Total |
287.8 ypg –2nd |
|
445.2 ypg – 4th |
Total |
291.1 – 3rd |
| Time of Possession |
30:19 – 7th |
|
Time of Possession |
30:51 – 5th |
| 3rd Down Conversions |
51.6% – 2nd (64-124) |
|
3rd Down Conversions |
54.0% – 2nd (68-126) |
PSAC Championship Game
This is the 40th PSAC Football Championship Game matching the top representative from the Eastern and Western Division. The game was annually played from 1960 through 1987 one week after the end of the regular season. At that time, there became additional Division II playoff opportunities and the league voted to eliminate the game as to not interfere with those opportunities. The PSAC reinstated the game in 2008, this time matching the Divisional representatives in the last game of the regular season.
PSAC Championship Game Tidbit
This year marks the second time that Slippery Rock and Kutztown will meet in the PSAC Championship Game. Kutztown won the lone meeting, 21-14, in 2011.
2011: Kutztown 21, Slippery Rock 14
School by School Breakdown of PSAC Football Champions (Including Co-Champions)
| West Chester – 19 |
California – 9 |
Mansfield - 2 |
| IUP –18 |
Millersville – 8 |
Kutztown - 1 |
| Bloomsburg – 17 |
Clarion – 6 |
Mercyhurst - 1 |
| East Stroudsburg – 12 |
Edinboro – 6 |
|
| Slippery Rock – 11 |
Lock Haven - 4 |
|
Championship Game Results
Slippery Rock
2018 lost to West Chester, 33-10
2015 defeated West Chester, 61-12
2014 defeated Bloomsburg, 28-26
2013 lost to Bloomsburg, 42-38
2011 lost to Kutztown, 21-14
1974 defeated West Chester, 20-7
1973 defeated West Chester 28-14
1972 defeated West Chester 28-27
1963 lost to West Chester 36-7
1962 defeated East Stroudsburg 13-6
1961 lost to West Chester, 21-0
|
Kutztown
2016 lost to Cal U, 49-7
2011 defeated Slippery Rock, 21-14 |
Since reinstating the game in 2008, there have been eight different champions. Until 2015 when Slippery Rock won at West Chester, the home team had won every game. The Western Division representative has won the title in four of the last five years.
(West) 2008 California 47, West Chester 36
(East) 2009 Shippensburg 42, California 35
(West) 2010 Mercyhurst 56, Bloomsburg 37
(East) 2011 Kutztown 21, Slippery Rock 14
(West) 2012 IUP 41, Shippensburg 10
(East) 2013 Bloomsburg 42, Slippery Rock 38
(West) 2014 Slippery Rock 28, Bloomsburg 26
(West) 2015 Slippery Rock 61, West Chester 12
(West) 2016 California 49, Kutztown 7
(West) 2017 IUP 24, West Chester 7
(East) 2018 West Chester 33, Slippery Rock 10