STORYLINES
FLIPPING THE SCRIPT
When the Warriors and The Rock have played, games have historically gone Slippery Rock’s way. ESU is just 3-16 against its cross-divisional foe, including only one win at Eiler-Martin Stadium. Their last home win in the series was also their last victory overall, coming out on top, 54-28, back in 2009. Since then, They’ve played four times, all at Slippery Rock, with The Rock taking each game. HC Jimmy Terwilliger has coached directly against Slippery Rock’s HC Shawn Lutz twice, with The Rock winning 22-7 in 2021 and 31-16 in 2023. The latter was played in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
TALE OF TWO GAMES
The ESU offense went from methodically plodding its way down the field, chewing time and wearing down the defense, against Seton Hill in Week Zero, to exploiting mistakes by Pace’s defense for chunk plays in Week 1. ESU averaged 9.4 yards per play, scoring two 70-plus-yard touchdowns while totaling 37 points. While the offense moved at an uber-efficient pace, the success was sort of a double-edged sword. ESU only had possession for 19:14, which was 21:32 less than Pace. That gap was the largest in a Warriors’ win in 12 years.
AIRING IT OUT
After relying heavily on the run to beat Seton Hill, ESU was able to bounce back and forth between keeping the ball on the ground and attacking through the air in its win over Pace. Senior QB Harrison Susi connected more frequently on shots downfield, most notably hitting fifth-year WR Elijah Ford for a 72-yard touchdown. Between giving his receivers chances on the outside, moving the pocket and rolling out, and hitting quick throws, Susi threw for a career-high 154 yards last week and still contributed with 43 rushing yards.
RUSHING DOMINANCE
Dating back to the final two games of 2025, the Warriors accomplished a feat for the first time in program history last Friday. Recording 252 rushing yards, ESU has now surpassed the 250-yard mark in rushing for four straight games. Junior RB Cade Sawyer, senior RB Ajani Walker, and fifth-year RB Deante Crawford combined for 213 of them, with all of them averaging at least 6.0 YPC. Sawyer and Walker both ripped off explosive runs, with Sawyer scoring a 70-yard touchdown and Walker going for 43 yards, while Crawford scored on a 24-yard touchdown. On the season, ESU is averaging 5.9 YPC, which is 14th in Division II among teams that have played two games.
THIRD DOWN TROUBLES
Despite ESU scoring 37 against Pace and Slipper Rock putting up 45 points in each of their most recent wins, they shared a common theme. Neither team converted a third down. The Warriors went 0-for-5, and The Rock was 0-for-10. For ESU, it was the first time they won a game without converting a third down since 2004. Another similarity between the two games was the time-of-possession battle. While the difference between The Rock and Minnesota-Duluth wasn’t as stark as ESU’s -21:32, Slippery Rock only possessed the ball for 21:26.
TURNOVER BATTLE
ESU has won the turnover battle in both of its games so far, and The Rock came away with a 3-0 advantage as well. The Rock picked off two passes and forced three fumbles, coming away with one and running it back for a late game-tying 65-yard touchdown. ESU has forced four fumbles and recovered two, with both recoveries coming against Seton Hill on kick returns, while junior DB Armonie Torres and senior DB Taquan Brittingham have picked off throws.
DOWN BUT NOT OUT
Both ESU and Slippery Rock were trailing at halftime in their last game, coming out on top with second-half surges. The Warriors were trading touchdowns throughout the first half, repeatedly taking the lead and falling behind since Pace’s kicker missed an early PAT that prevented the score from being tied. The Warriors took the lead for good on their first drive of the third quarter, eventually pushing and holding onto a double-digit advantage. Slippery Rock pulled off a much more dramatic comeback, trailing 30-14 after Minnesota-Duluth went up 30-14 with 12:46 remaining in regulation. The Rock scored 16 points from 6:20 to 20 seconds left to play, with QB DaOne Owens leading two scoring drives and DB Aaron Scales Jr. returning a fumble for a 65-yard touchdown. In overtime, The Rock used both of its QBs, with Brad Hoffman throwing a touchdown to TE Vincent Berardi, and Owens scoring the game-winning two-point conversion after RB JayJay Jordan scored from seven yards out.
QB BATTLE
The Rock used both Hoffman and Owens in their win over Minnesota-Duluth, starting with Hoffman. This week, Owens has supplanted Hoffman at the top of the depth chart, as he’s projected to start for The Rock as its signal caller. Owens finished with a line of 7-13 with 150 yards and a touchdown through the air, running for 23 yards on eight attempts. Hoffman finished with slightly more yards, going 11-19 for 154 yards while connecting for three touchdowns and running for 42 yards on 11 rushes.
BREAKOUT DUE
The Warriors’ defensive line entered the season as arguably one of its deepest and most experienced groups returning in 2026. Through two games, they’ve recorded five tackles for loss in each contest, combined for five sacks, and forced one turnover. They’ll need big performances from veterans like senior DL Ashton Blose, junior DL Ryan Epps, and fifth-year DL Jake Williamson, all of whom were All-PSAC East honorees last year.
TEST ON THE OUTSIDE
Though The Rock has only played one game, their output of 304 passing yards per game ranks 12th in Division II. Slippery Rock had three receivers rack up over 50 receiving yards, led by Berardi. He caught four receptions for 95 yards and a pair of touchdowns, leading all pass catchers in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. The senior tight end had a breakout game after only totaling four catches for 32 yards last year. Slipper Rock’s other two standout receivers, graduate student Reggie Fleurima and senior Ethan Trettel, also had over 50 yards through the air each, combining for 115.
AUTOMATIC
Senior K Ty Quintois has been one of, if not the best, kickers in Division II. Making five field goals, he’s tied for the most while being the only one to have a perfect percentage, going 5-for-5.
RANKINGS TALK
The Warriors are searching for their second win against a ranked opponent under Terwilliger, with their first one coming at Indiana (Pa.) at this point in the season in 2023. ESU took down the No. 12 Crimson Hawks as an unranked team, which helped the Warriors make the NCAA postseason that year for the first time in 13 seasons.
