Slippery Rock 42, #7 IUP 16
SLIPPERY ROCK, PA – The top-ranked IUP defense gave up 676 total yards to Slippery Rock as the seventh-ranked Crimson Hawks dropped a 42-16 decision to their rival on Saturday afternoon at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
The loss was the first for IUP, which falls to 5-1 overall on the season and 2-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division. Slippery Rock improves to an identical 5-1, 2-1 record.
Slippery Rock got out to a 28-3 first half lead, scoring three touchdowns in the second quarter alone. Former IUP running back Teddy Blakeman scored two of those touchdowns on runs of two and three yards, respectively.
Nigel Barksdale finished 27-of-38, two touchdowns and 425 yards, the second most yards an IUP defense has ever given up. He added 55 yards and two scores on the ground. Schademan had six receptions for 170 yards and two touchdowns while Shamar Greene paced the Slippery Rock run game with 101 yards on 17 carries.
Box finished 18-of-41 for 278 yards and a touchdown. Barnes caught nine passes for 160 yards and a score while Drew Carswell (Pittsburgh/Sto-Rox) had a career-high seven grabs for 103 yards.
IUP was limited to just 59 rushing yards on 28 attempts. Williams ran 13 times for 34 yards.
Cal U 35, Clarion 7
CALIFORNIA (Oct. 12) – The Vulcans posted a season-high 474 yards of total offense and scored 21 points in the fourth quarter on Saturday afternoon en route to claiming a 35-7 victory on Homecoming against Clarion in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.
The Vulcans rushed for a season-high 230 yards and three touchdowns on 43 attempts.
Sophomore quarterback James Harris (Woodstock, Ga./Etowah) finished with 214 passing yards and completed 14-of-25 attempts with one touchdown and one interception. Senior wide receiver Mike Williams (Hershey, Pa./Milton Hershey) recorded his seventh career 100-yard game, posting 118 yards and one score on seven receptions.
The Vulcans took a 7-0 lead midway through the first half when Knox scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. The drive started with a 61-yard scamper by Johnson on a reverse and Harris completed a six-yard pass inside the red zone on a four-and-three. Early in the second quarter, Harris connected with Williams for a 52-yard touchdown down the sideline with 13:06 left in the first half. The Golden Eagles moved inside the red zone midway through the second quarter before the Vulcans forced a turnover on downs at the 14-yard line. Cal U looked to add its lead on the ensuing drive, moving inside the red zone behind back-to-back, 20-yard plays before Harris was intercepted in the end zone with just over three minutes left in the second quarter.
Gannon 55, Edinboro 14
ERIE, Pa. (Oct. 12, 2013) – Sunshine bathed the Gannon University Field on Saturday afternoon, but it turned out to be a gloomy day for Edinboro. The Golden Knights scored the final 41 points of the game to claim their first-ever win against the Fighting Scots, claiming a 55-14 win. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for Edinboro as the Scots are now 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the PSAC West. The Golden Knights, 4-2 overall, take over sole possession of first place in the Western Division at 3-0 following IUP’s loss at Slippery Rock.
Edinboro had won the previous seven meetings between the two teams, and the day got off to a promising start. Redshirt freshman Jon Girvin guided the Fighting Scots on a six-play, 75-yard drive on the game’s opening possession. His 61-yard connection with Marcus Johnson on a 3rd-and-4 play gave the Fighting Scots a 1st-and-goal at the eight. Three plays later Girvin scored on a one-yard run. Mike Simon’s extra point gave the Scots a 7-0 lead with 13:16 still remaining in the first quarter.
The Boro defense responded with a three-and-out, but little did they know it would be one of only two times they would do so all day. Edinboro was unable to pick up a first down on its possession, and Brad West’s 13-yard punt gave the Golden Knights the ball at the Edinboro 31.
Girvin would complete 9 of 32 passes for a season-high 192 yards. He was victimized by numerous dropped passes. Johnson was the lone Fighting Scot with more than one catch, hauling in the two long receptions for 101 yards. Donaldson accounted for most of Edinboro’s 66 yards on the ground with 54 yards on 16 carries.
Nadler and Jones both had monster days for Gannon. Nadler completed 26 of 38 passes for 350 yards while adding 31 yards rushing on 14 carries with 3 TDs. Jones ran for 209 yards and 4 TDs on 35 carries, along with catching four passes for 36 yards.
Mercyhurst 50, Seton Hill 19
GREENSBURG, Pa. – For the second consecutive week, the Mercyhurst University football team dropped at least 50 points on its opponent and the Lakers got back to the .500 mark with a 50-19 victory at Seton Hill on Saturday afternoon from Offutt Field. It was Mercyhurst’s first conference win of the season as the Lakers improved to 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the PSAC Western Division. The Griffins dropped to 0-6 overall and 0-3 in their first season in the PSAC.
Starting in place of an injured Anthony Vendemia for the first time in his career, redshirt junior quarterback Alec Swartz completed 12-of-16 passes for 168 yards and three touchdowns. Swartz got help from redshirt sophomore Brandon Brown-Dukes out of the backfield. Brown-Dukes, coming off of a career-low four yards on eight carries last Saturday, had his fourth 100-yard game of the season, and 10th of his career, finishing with 127 yards on just 13 carrries.
Swartz, who threw his first collegiate touchdown pass last Saturday against Cheyney, hooked up with junior transfer Marcus Snipes on a 36-yard touchdown pass with 11:11 left in the opening quarter to start the scoring. The one-play drive was set up when redshirt junior Michael Foster partially blocked a Seton Hill punt. Senior placekickerSteven Wakefield, who tied the school record with nine PATs last Saturday, added the point after for a 7-0 lead. They were the first of 17 points Mercyhurst would score in the opening quarter.
Brown-Dukes finished with 127 yards on just 13 carries. Robinson added a career-best 88 yards on six totes, while Jones II finished with 82 yards on 14 carries. Swartz, who threw for 168 yards and three touchdowns, gave way to redshirt freshman Zach Emerick in the fourth quarter. Emerick went 2-for-4 for 41 yards. Sophomore Jaquan Williams led the Lakers with four catches, while Snipes had the most receiving yards with 59.
** This info came from team’s official websites**
Photo Credit: Slippery Rock Athletics
