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Complete
Box Score
SLIPPERY ROCK, PA – Slippery Rock’s
Ryan Daniel booted a 41-yard field goal in overtime to hand
Edinboro a 24-21 defeat. It marked the second overtime defeat for
the Fighting Scots this season. Indiana(Pa.) earlier won by a
23-20 margin in overtime. The game started off in the rain, then
featured a hail storm and extremely high winds in the second half.
Edinboro has now lost four of its last five
games and is 4-5 overall and 1-3 in PSAC West action. Slippery
Rock improved to 6-3 and 3-2, respectively.
Slippery Rock had the ball first in overtime,
and the Boro defense gave up just one yard in three plays. Daniel
stepped in and was true from 41 yards out in the windy conditions.
Edinboro took over at the 25 and on first down
had a short pass dropped. Following an incomplete pass on second
down, Trevor Harris was sacked on third down and fumbled, with
Slippery Rock recovering to end the game.
The fumble spoiled an otherwise brilliant
afternoon by redshirt freshman, particularly in the second half
when Edinboro gave up on the running game. Harris ended the
afternoon completing 20 of 29 passes for 258 yards with 3 TDs and
no interceptions. He also had no fewer than four passes dropped.
After going 2 of 5 for 71 yards in the first half, Harris was 18
of 24 for 187 yards the rest of the way. He moved into tenth place
in season passing yards with 1,757.
Harris directed the Fighting Scots to the
game-tying touchdown in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
Edinboro forced a Slippery Rock punt and took over at its own 39
with 4:22 to play. After an incompletion, Harris proceeded to
complete five straight passes taking the Fighting Scots down to
the SRU 8. That included a crucial third-down hookup to Ryan
Valasek for 14 yards into SRU territory.
Houston Brown gained one yard on a run down to
the seven, and following an incomplete pass, Harris found tight
end Kyle Witucki in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard
touchdown pass. It was Witucki’s lone reception. Kody
Robertson, who earlier in the day set the school record for career
extra points attempted, added the extra point to tie the game at
21-21 with 57 seconds remaining.
Edinboro jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead on its
first possession. Following an SRU punt, the Fighting Scots needed
just three plays to cover 81 yards. Brown broke off a 21-yard run
on the first play, and after a three-yard run, Harris found
Valasek behind The Rock secondary for a 57-yard touchdown strike
with 9:36 left in the first quarter.
The Fighting Scots were poised to boost that
lead after a bad punt snap gave them the ball at the SRU 27 on the
next series. Brown put the ball down to the 18 with a nine-yard
run, but Edinboro then gave the ball right back when Harris was
hit by a pulling linemen as he pulled away from center and lost
the ball on a fumble.
Slippery Rock scored a pair of touchdowns in
the second quarter to go up 14-7 at the half. Paul Favers hauled
in a 42-yard pass from Nate Crookshank with 12:14 left in the
second quarter to tie the game.
Edinboro moved to the SRU 37 on its next
possession, but Harris was sacked for a nine-yard loss on
4th-and-4 to turn the ball over. Slippery Rock then took advantage
of three Edinboro penalties for a total of 35 yards, putting the
ball on the Boro eight. Travis Sarver carried three straight
times, the last for a three-yard touchdown.
The Fighting Scots knotted the score at 14-14
following a Slippery Rock turnover in the third quarter. Facing
4th-and-12 at the Edinboro 35, Crookshank was intercepted by Dave
Jazenski. The Boro linebacker returned the pickoff 15 yards to the
30. The Fighting Scots needed just five plays to cover the
remaining 70 yards, with Rich Cerro doing the honors. The
sophomore wide receiver hauled in a short pass over the middle
from Harris at the SRU 35, then eluded several tacklers to the
sideline and went down the right sideline to complete a 40-yard
scoring play. Robertson’s extra point not only tied the game
at 14-14, but gave the senior the career record for extra points
attempted with 149. Cerro caught 4 passes for 56 yards.
The Rock answered with a score of its own,
taking the ensuing kickoff and marching 74 yards in eight plays
for a 21-14 lead. Sarver scored his second touchdown on a two-yard
run with 2:13 left in the third quarter. The score marked the
first points allowed by Edinboro in the third quarter this season.
Edinboro ended the day with 309 yards, while
Slippery Rock had 267 yards. Both teams struggled to establish a
running game. The Fighting Scots managed just 51 yards, while SRU
had 53 yards. After rushing for 157 yards on 34 carries a week ago
at Clarion, Brown totaled 74 yards on 18 rushes this week.
However, he carried just five times for nine yards after halftime.
Sarver carried 29 times for 72 yards for The Rock.
Valasek enjoyed another outstanding day as he
continues his assault on the Edinboro record books. The diminutive
senior matched a career-high with 7 receptions, good for 142
yards, That represented his third 100-yard game of the season. He
has caught at least one pass in 24 straight games. Valasek moved
into third place in career receiving yards with 1,990, and is tied
for fifth in career receptions (115). In addition, he now has 47
receptions, tied for fourth and just six shy of the season record,
for 757 yards, a figure which ranks eighth.
Jim Soltis enjoyed a career-day defensively,
finishing with a career-high 16 tackles, with a pair for losses
and a sack.
Edinboro will play its final home game next
Saturday, November 4, hosting Shippensburg. Ten seniors will be
honored before the game. Kickoff at Sox Harrison Stadium is 1:00
p.m. |
