SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — In a cold and rainy PSAC championship game at Slippery Rock, a series of splash plays gave The Rock an early advantage, as they stayed out in front to beat ESU 44-14.
While the weather didn't decide the game, it played a factor throughout the day, with both teams having trouble hanging on to passes and finishing tackles. Evidently, ESU finished 3-of-24 passing for 66 yards, and No. 5 Slippery Rock was 13-of-32 for 153 yards.
The Warriors' defense had a strong start to the game, forcing a punt on The Rock's opening series, holding them to a field goal after a fumbled handoff by ESU, and getting another stop on third down after Slippery Rock was pinned deep in its own territory by punter
Adam Noll. A three-play sequence resulted in The Rock landing the first blow of the game: a dropped interception, a penalty giving them a new set of downs, and an 89-yard quarterback run by DaOne Owens.
After looking like the Warriors would be getting the ball back trailing by three after three stops, they found themselves in a 10-0 hole six minutes into the game. ESU came up with another third-down denial, stuffing JayJay Jordan on a run on The Rock's 39. The Harlon Hill Trophy candidate had a quiet day for his standards on the ground, being held to 66 yards on 25 carries, though he did add 64 yards on five receptions and played a role on special teams. Slippery Rock kept the offense on the field after a timeout, and Owens, again, broke free up the middle and ran 61 yards to make it 17-0.
ESU's first three drives went nine plays and picked up 16 yards, resulting in a fumble lost and two punts. The second punt was returned 73 yards by Jordan, giving The Rock a commanding 24-0 lead with 4:03 left in the first quarter on the back of three splash plays.
The Warriors got on the board halfway through the second quarter, putting together a promising 14-play, 75-yard drive that ate up almost six minutes of game clock. QB
Matt Machalik and WR
Elijah Ford picked up first downs to move the chains down the field, with QB
Harrison Susi coming in to finish off the drive. His first rush went for 12 yards to get ESU in the red zone for the first time in the game, and he kept the ball again on a 3
rd and 9 for a 14-yard rushing touchdown, making it 27-7.
Getting the ball back after the Warriors' came up with their fourth stop of the half, ESU started a drive down 20 just north of the two-minute timeout. With a timeout in their pocket as well, the Warriors had a chance to double up since they were starting the second half on offense. However, Evan Harper picked off his PSAC-leading fifth pass of the year, setting up another field goal for The Rock's Connor Macek right before the break.
Coming out of halftime, ESU went four-and-out, turning the ball over on downs on its own 33-yard line. Slippery Rock played aggressively by going for it on 4
th and 1 in the Warriors' red zone, but LB
Camerin Gross and
Matthew Smith broke through the line to stop Jordan for a loss of two yards. Needing points, ESU was unable to string together positive plays, turning the ball over on downs again in The Rock's territory as they cashed in on the advantageous field position the next time to go up by 30 with 3:34 left in the third quarter.
Both teams scored rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter, only changing the final score but not the margin, as The Rock defeated ESU for the PSAC Championship 44-14.
UP NEXT
Coming into the game, the Warriors were ranked second in the NCAA Power Index (NPI) Super Region 1 rankings. They'll find out their final seeding before entering the NCAA Tournament during the selection show tomorrow night, which can be watched
HERE.
