ROCK FOOTBALL 2004 Week #7: The Rock (3-3, 1-1) vs. Indiana, Pa. (3-2, 1-0) October 9, 2004 6 p.m. Bob DiSpirito Field at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium, Slippery Rock, Pa. Rock schedule Aug. 27 BLOOMSBURG... L, 20-17 Sept. 2 at Youngstown St.... L, 35-13 Sept. 11 at Shepherd... W, 30-27 Sept. 18 FAIRMONT ST.... W, 49-14 Sept. 25 at Lock Haven... W, 31-3 Oct. 2 * at California, Pa.... L, 34-31 Oct. 9 * INDIANA, PA... 6 p.m. Oct. 16 at Millersville... 1 p.m. Oct. 23 * EDINBORO (HC)... 2 p.m. Oct. 30 * at Shippensburg... 1 p.m. Nov. 6 * CLARION... 1 p.m. * PSAC-Western Division games Rock football staff Head coach... Dr. George Mihalik Offensive coord.... Vic Campagna Defensive coord....jay Foster Running backs... Bill Horsman Wide receivers... Paul Giesey Tight ends... Harry Jones Defensive line... Shawn Lutz Linebackers... Dwayne Martin Offensive line... Joe Walton Trainer... Scott Zema Equipment coordinator... Ron Steele Manager... Rocco Cremonese Manager... J.J. Milanovich Manager... Travis Pickens Manager... Travis Sharbaugh Sports Promo. & Info. Director... Bob McComas Office telephone... (724) 738-2777 Home telephone... (724) 794-3698 Cell phone... (724) 421-5658 Email... robert.mccomas@sru.edu Graduate assistant... Ben Fairclough Office telephone... (724) 738-4830 Secretary... Lisa Gray Office telephone... (724) 738-4981 Facsimile machine... (724) 738-4761 Rock Sports Hotline... (724) 738-2962 Web Site... www.rockathletics.com The Rock seeks to return to the winning side of the ledger and stay in the hunt for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference- Western Division championship and an NCAA Division II playoff berth when it takes on its archrivals, the Indians of Indiana U. of Pa. The Rock saw its three-game win streak end last Saturday with a 34-31 loss at division rival California U. of Pa. Indiana, meanwhile, snapped a two-game win streak with a 17-0 shutout of previously unbeaten Shippensburg. When the smoke cleared last Saturday night, Indiana stood alone atop the PSAC-West standings with a 1-0 division mark. The Rock, California, Clarion, Edinboro and Shippensburg are all tied for second place at 1-1 while Lock Haven is 0-1 in the PSAC-West. SPECIAL CEREMONY: Prior to today s game, The Rock will retire football jersey #82, which was worn by the late Jim McElhaney. Mac was an All-America wide receiver for The Rock in 1963 and served 14 seasons (1988-2002) as SRU s wide receivers coach. He died suddenly in July 2003. LAST MEETING: Kevin Weidl was 15-of-22 passing for 264 yards and two TDs to lead Indiana to a 27-14 win in Indiana s George P. Miller Stadium on Nov. 6, 2003. Chris Morgan rushed for 117 yards for the Indians, while Joe Slappy caught four passes for 66 yards and two TDs. Brandon Markus rushed for 101 yards and one TD to lead The Rock effort. Indiana outgained The Rock by a 471-275 margin in total offense. THE ROCK-INDIANA SERIES: The Indians have won five straight against SRU and lead the series by a 43-33-2 margin. The last Rock win over Indiana came in 1999, when SRU humbled the hosts by a 52-14 margin in Indiana s homecoming game. That victory was The Rock s third straight over the Indians. The following is a game-by-game recap of the series since 1988, when Dr. George Mihalik became The Rock s head coach: 2003: @ Indiana 27, The Rock 14 2002: Indiana 34, @ The Rock 28 (ot) 2001: Indiana 23, @ The Rock 7 2000: @ Indiana 24, The Rock 20 1999: Indiana 27, @ The Rock 20 (NCAA playoffs) 1999: The Rock 52, @ Indiana 14 1998: @ The Rock 27, Indiana 21 1997: The Rock 16, @ Indiana 9 1996: Indiana 32, @ The Rock 31 1995: @ Indiana 41, The Rock 7 1994: Indiana 62, @ The Rock 14 1993: @ Indiana 45, The Rock 24 1992: Indiana 34, @ The Rock 17 1991: @ Indiana 38, The Rock 0 1990: Indiana 62, @ The Rock 13 1989: @ Indiana 52, The Rock 7 1988: Indiana 38, @ The Rock 0
Rock Football Game Notes: Week 7 vs. Indiana, Pa. Page 2 THE COACHES: Dr. George Mihalik has compiled a career record of 114-64-4 record in 17 seasons as The Rock s head coach. He needs only 13 wins to become the winningest coach in SRU history. Mihalik began the season ranked 16th among active NCAA Division II head coaches in career wins and 21st in winning percentage. Mihalik is 3-14 against Indiana. Frank Cignetti has a 190-71-1 career record in 22 seasons as a collegiate head coach and a 173-44-1 record in 19 seasons at Indiana. He ranks fourth among active Division II head coaches in total wins and 10th in winning percentage. Cignetti is 16-3 against The Rock. KNIESS NUMBERS: The Rock offensive attack is paced by redshirt junior running back Josh Kniess, who has had the four best rushing efforts of his collegiate career this fall. Kniess has rushed for 100 or more yards seven times in his three-year collegiate career. He finished one yard shy of an eighth 100-yard game last week. Kniess 100-yard rushing games include: 176 yards vs. Bloomsburg, 2004 142 yards at Shepherd, 2004 139 yards at Lock Haven, 2004 134 yards at Youngstown State, 2004 127 yards at California, 2003 118 yards vs. Edinboro, 2002 112 yards at Lock Haven, 2002 Kniess leads the PSAC in punt returns with a 15.5 yards per return average. He is second in all-purpose yards (172.5 per game), third in scoring (11.0 points per game) and fourth in rushing (118.5 ypg). He has scored a career-best 11 TDs this fall (9 rushing, 1 pass receiving, 1 punt return) and rushed for a career-best 736 yards this fall. He needs 264 yards to become the 20th player in Rock football history to rush for 1,000 or more yards in a single season and 345 yards to break into the top 10 in career rushing. Kniess is currently ninth on SRU s career touchdowns list with 24 and 13th on the career scoring list with 144 points. He needs three TDs to move into a tie for eighth place (Scott Opalsky, 1987-90) and four TDs to move into a tie for seventh place (Greg Hopkins, 1991-94) on the career TDs list and 18 points to move into a tie for 12th place on the career scoring list (Opalsky, 1987-90). NCAA Division II Northeast Regional Rankings October 4, 2004 1. E. Stroudsburg (5-0/5-0 region) 2. C.W. Post (4-1/4-1) 3. Bentley (4-1/4-1) 4. Shippensburg (5-1/5-1) 5. West Chester (4-2/4-1) 6. Bloomsburg (3-2/3-2) 7. Indiana (Pa.) (3-2/3-1) 8. Edinboro (3-2/3-2) 9. California (Pa.) (4-1/4-1) 10. West Virginia Wesleyan (4-2/4-2) 11. Southern Connecticut St. (4-1/3-1) 12. Merrimack (4-1/4-1) 2004 Rock foes in italics KNIESS-GLENN-COLEMAN COMPARISON The following is a game-by-game comparison between Josh Kniess and Dorrian Glenn, the last Rock player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season and the No. 2 single-season rusher in school history (1,448 in 2001), and Lamonte Coleman, the school record-holder in single-season rushing yards (1,601 in 1994): JOSH KNIESS (2004) Opponent Att Yds TDs Bloomsburg 30 176 1 Youngstown St. 26 134 0 Shepherd 32 142 3 Fairmont State 14 46 2 Lock Haven 20 139 3 California, Pa. 27 99 0 6-game totals 149 736 9 Indiana, Pa. Millersville Edinboro Shippensburg Clarion DORRIAN GLENN (2001) Opponent Att Yds TDs Fla. Atlantic 28 172 2 Tiffin 20 238 3 Edinboro 17 60 1 Indiana, Pa. 3 4 0 Shippensburg 27 98 2 California, Pa. 38 335 4 6-game totals 131 907 12 Clarion 28 200 3 Lock Haven 32 153 1 Millersville 26 137 2 Bloomsburg 21 51 1 10-game totals 240 1448 19 LAMONTE COLEMAN (1994) Opponent Att Yds TDs South Dakota St. 23 191 2 W. Va. Wesleyan 40 241 2 Youngstown St. 23 87 2 California, Pa. 27 147 2 E. Stroudsburg 31 126 1 Indiana, Pa. 16 62 1 6-game totals 162 853 10 Edinboro 26 265 3 Clarion 22 130 2 Lock Haven 28 209 2 Shippensburg 28 144 4 10-game totals 264 1601 21
Rock Football Game Notes: Week 7 vs. Indiana, Pa. Page 3 CONFERENCE CHARTS: In addition to Kniess, The Rock has the following players listed among the conference s statistical leaders this week: Redshirt sophomore kicking specialist Ryan Daniel is second in field goals per game (1.0) and third in kick scoring (6.5 points/game)...senior DE Jesse Kelley is tied for second in fumble recoveries (2) and tied for ninth in quarterback sacks (0.42/game)... True freshman DB/RS Paul Favers is third in kickoff returns (26.2 yards/return)... Redshirt sophomore Ray Rotell is seventh in punting (35.5 yards/punt)... Redshirt freshman QB Nate Crookshank is eighth in yards passing per game (138.2), total offense (164.2 yards/game) and passing efficiency (110.0). SCOUTING REPORT: Indiana ranks fifth in the PSAC in passing offense (187.8 yards/game), eighth in rushing offense (150.8 yards/game) and ninth in scoring offense (25.8 points/game), scoring defense (25.2 points/game), pass defense (194.4 yards/game) and rushing defense (163.6 yards/game). A list of The Rock and Indiana s statistical rankings can be found elsewhere in these game notes. The Indians Mike Jemison ranks fifth in the PSAC in rushing (114.0 yards/game), but he sustained a P.S.A.C. STANDINGS Western Division Team Over. PSAC-W Indiana, Pa.... 3-2...1-0 Slippery Rock... 3-3... 1-1 California, Pa.... 4-1...1-1 Clarion... 3-3...1-1 Edinboro... 3-2...1-1 Shippensburg... 5-1...1-1 Lock Haven... 2-4...0-1 Eastern Division Team Over. PSAC-E East Stroudsburg... 5-0...2-0 West Chester... 4-2...2-0 Kutztown... 3-2...1-1 Millerville... 2-3...1-1 Bloomsburg... 3-2...0-1 Mansfield... 0-5...0-1 Cheyney... 1-5...0-2 This week s Games *Mansfield at Cheyney, 1 p.m. *Lock Haven at Shippensburg, 1 p.m. *Bloomsburg at Kutztown, 1:05 p.m. *Clarion at East Stroudsburg, 1:05 p.m. *Millersville at West Chester, 2 p.m. *California at Edinboro, 2 p.m. *Indiana at Slippery Rock, 6 p.m. broken leg in Indiana s loss to Bloomsburg and will miss the rest of the season. Chris Morgan stepped into the featured back role last week vs. Shippensburg and rushed for a careerhigh 177 yards. He has rushed for 100 or more yards in all three of his collegiate starts, including a 117-yard effort last year against The Rock. Indiana s passing game features quarterback Kevin Weidl (187.8 yards/game, 9 TDs, 8 INTs) and wide receivers Joe Slappy (23 catches, 335 yards, 3 TDs) and Leron McCoy (21 catches, 354 yards, 5 TDs), both of whom rank in the top 10 in the PSAC. ROCKIN THE CONFERENCE: The Rock s team rankings in the PSAC are: Scoring offense... 5th (28.5 points/game) Scoring defense... 6th (22.2 points/game) Passing offense... 10th (140.3 yards/game) Pass defense... 3rd (152.0 yards/game) Rushing offense... 3rd (211.7 yards/game) Rushing defense... 7th (137.2 yards/game) Total offense... 7th (352.0 yards/game) Total defense... 4th (289.2 yards/game) Kickoff returns... 5th (22.8 yards/return) Punt returns... 2nd (17.2 yards/return) Punting...14th (25.5 yards net/punt) Turnover margin... Tie 5th (+2.0; 14 gained, 12 lost) Sacks recorded... 1st (19 for 115 yards) Sacks allowed... 9th (12 for 33 yards) THE OPPONENTS: Indiana s team rankings are: Scoring offense... 9th (25.8 points/game) Scoring defense... 9th (25.2 points/game) Passing offense... 5th (187.8 yards/game) Pass defense... 9th (194.4 yards/game) Rushing offense... 8th (150.8 yards/game) Rushing defense... 9th (163.6) yards/game) Total offense... 9th (338.6 yards/game) Total defense... 9th (358.0 yards/game) Kickoff returns... 10th (19.1 yards/return) Punt returns... 10th (7.1 yards/return) Punting... 4th (34.1 yards net/punt) Turnover margin... Tie 5th (+2.0; 12 gained, 10 lost) Sacks recorded... 6th (13 for 55 yards) Sacks allowed... 10th (12 for 62 yards) RICHARDSON S RETURN: Senior H-back Brandon Richardson had a career-best 122 yards on six receptions last week at California in his second game back after missing two games with a high ankle sprain sustained in the Sept. 2 loss at Youngstown State. He has made nine catches for 156 yards and one TD since his return and leads the team with 19 catches for 251 yards this season. Richardson caught a career-high seven passes for 67 yards at Youngstown State before being injured.
Rock Football Game Notes: Week 7 vs. Indiana, Pa. Page 4 WET AND WONDERFUL: Redshirted sophomore wide receiver Luke Wetzel caught his second collegiate TD pass Sept. 18 vs. Fairmont State, a career-best 67-yarder. His first collegiate TD catch came at Fairmont State, a 65-yarder last year. Wetzel had a career-best game in the season opener against Bloomsburg when he caught four passes for 94 yards and one touchdown. FISHER AND FULLERTON HAVE FINEST HOURS: Senior H-back Justin Fisher, who assumed a starting role in Richardson s absence vs. Shepherd and Fairmont State, had a team-high 45 yards on three receptions in a backup role at Lock Haven. That was Fisher s career-best effort. Senior tight end Steve Fullerton set career-best marks last week at California when he caught three passes for 34 yards. OTHER CAREER-BEST EFFORTS Pass receiving John Benca... 8-81 yards vs. Bloomsburg 2003 Matt Tack... 3-45 at Millersville, 2003 Tackles Brian Godfrey... 10 (8+2) at Indiana, Pa., 2003 Kevin Johnston... 9 (5+4) at Indiana, Pa., 2003 Mike Jennings... 8 (2+6) at Indiana, Pa., 2003 Justin Poorbaugh... 7 (5+2) at Shepherd, 2004 Jesse Kelley... 6 on four occasions, 2003 Asaad Allen... 5 on three occasions Greg Baker... 5 on three occasions Robert Minnie... 5 (4+1) at Fairmont State, 2003 BAKER S BEST: Senior linebacker Greg Baker recorded an interception in back-to-back games vs. Fairmont State and Lock Haven after having no pickoffs in his first three collegiate campaigns. CROOK S COOKIN : Redshirt freshman QB Nate Crookshank has had his best two passing efforts of the season in the past two weeks. He completed 14 of 19 attempts for 160 yards at Lock Haven and one TD and completed 12 of 34 passes for 225 yards and three TDs last Saturday at California. INJURY REPORT: Sophomore LB Seth Randall is expected to return to action this week after undergoing surgery on his meniscus. He sat out the last three games... Senior LB Justin Poorbaugh is not expected to return to action this fall after he re-injured a surgically repaired ACL at Lock Haven... Redshirt freshman LB Bill Lamb sustained a concussion last week and is questionable for this week s game. INDIVIDUAL HONORS: Kniess all-around effort vs. Bloomsburg in Week 1 earned him Don Hansen Football Gazette all-purpose Player of the Week honors... Senior NG Brian Godfrey was named to preseason All-America honors by both The Football Gazette (first team) and D2football.com (2nd team). STREAK CONTINUES: The Rock s Sept. 18 victory over Fairmont State extended SRU s win streak against WVIAC teams to 15 games. The last WVIAC team to beat SRU was West Virginia Wesleyan, which recorded a 20-16 victory in Week 2 of the 1995 season in Buckhannon, W. Va. Since 1988, when Dr. George Mihalik assumed The Rock s head coaching reins, SRU owns a 20-2 mark against WVIAC foes. The Rock is 33-8-1 all-time against West Virginia rivals. HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The 2004 season marks the 31st season that The Rock has played its home games at Thompson Stadium. Since rolling to a 41-3 win over Waynesburg in the first-ever game at the stadium on Oct. 19, 1974, The Rock has compiled a 106-49 record in home games. SRU is 60-27 at home under Coach Mihalik, 55-21 in home games since 1990 and 32-9 in home games the last eight seasons. FAMILIAR TURF: Tonight s game is the fifth of seven The Rock will play on artificial turf this fall. The only games The Rock will not play on artificial turf this fall are the Sept. 11 game at Shepherd, last week s game at California, the Oct. 16 game at Millerville and the Oct. 30 game at Shippensburg. Prior to last fall, The Rock played 29 seasons on a natural grass playing surface at Thompson Stadium. ROAD WARRIORS: The Rock has compiled a 54-37-4 record in road games under Coach Mihalik. ALL IN THE FAMILY: Senior WR Matt Tack and freshman LB Patrick Braun are sons of Rock football alumni. Bill Tack earned letters during the 1970-72 seasons and a member of the 1972 state championship team.tim Braun lettered during the 1972-74 campaigns and was part of three state title-winning teams (1972-74) before culminating his college career by earning All-America honors as a tight end during his senior season. Rock head coach Dr. George Mihalik played on the 1970-73 squads and was a teammate of both Bill Tack and Tim Braun... Freshman WR Calvin Carter is the nephew of SRU Athletic Hall of Famer inductee Tom Stabile, a former Rock baseball standout who is now in his 10th season as a National Football League and also works as a college and high school basketball official... Redshirt freshman WR Lamarr Jackson is the cousin of former Rock standout running back Dorrian Glenn... Freshman QB Luke Westerman is the brother of former Rock All-America track and field hurdler Linsey Westerman... The Rock s brother tandem of Josh and Jarrett Zeisloft are nephews of Bloomsburg defensive line coach Bill Perkins, who lettered four seasons (1986-89) as a defensive lineman for The Rock. Josh Zeisloft is a redshirted junior DE; Jarrett is a redshirted freshman WR.
Rock Football Game Notes: Week 7 vs. Indiana, Pa. Page 5 McKAVISH-CROOKSHANK COMPARISON Even before he took his first collegiate snap from center vs. Bloomsburg, redshirt freshman quarterback Nate Crookshank was being compared to another former Cambria County product, Rock record-setting QB Randy McKavish. Here s how Crookshank, a Bishop Carroll High School graduate, stacks up against McKavish, a Central Cambria High School product, in terms of redshirt freshman season statistics: RANDY McKAVISH (1997) Rushing Opponent Att. Yds. TDs Youngstown State 5 15 0 West Virginia Wesleyan 4 22 0 Fairmont State 7 85 0 East Stroudsburg 11 65 1 West Chester 9 100 0 Indiana, Pa. 14 79 0 6-game totals 50 366 1 Edinboro 9 33 1 Clarion 9 62 0 Lock Haven 8 7 1 Shippensburg 13 113 0 California, Pa. 12 16 0 11-game totals 104 573 3 Passing Opponent Comp Att Yds Int TDs Youngstown State 5 28 75 1 0 West Virginia Wesleyan 10 21 189 2 2 Fairmont State 7 21 85 0 1 East Stroudsburg 12 18 190 1 2 West Chester 9 21 190 2 3 Indiana, Pa. 7 18 181 1 0 6-game totals 50 127 920 7 8 Edinboro 13 23 176 1 0 Clarion 7 17 132 1 0 Lock Haven 7 15 124 0 1 Shippensburg 7 11 109 2 1 California, Pa. 4 10 49 1 0 11-game totals 90 210 1530 12 10 NATE CROOKSHANK (2004) Rushing Opponent Att. Yds. TDs Bloomsburg 13 6 0 Youngstown State 8 2 0 Shepherd 7 52 0 Fairmont State 7 27 0 Lock Haven 4 18 0 California, Pa. 11 51 1 6-game totals 50 156 1 Indiana, Pa. Millersville Edinboro Shippensburg Clarion Passing Opponent Comp Att Yds Int TDs Bloomsburg 11 19 151 3 1 Youngstown State 13 30 116 2 0 Shepherd 8 16 52 3 1 Fairmont State 6 13 125 0 2 Lock Haven 14 19 160 0 1 California, Pa. 12 34 225 0 3 6-game totals 64 131 829 8 8 Indiana, Pa. Millersville Edinboro Shippensburg Clarion Call The Rock Sports Hotline at (724) 738-2962 Your Internet source: www.rockathletics.com
Rock Football Game Notes: Week 7 vs. Indiana, Pa. Page 6 ROCK DRESS ROSTER: Oct. 9 vs. Indiana, Pa. 1... Lamarr Jackson... RB 2... Ray Rotell... P 3... Brandon Rakszawski... DB 4... Ryan Daniel... K 5... Matt Tack...WR 6... Ray Campbell... DB 7... Larvon Hines... RB 9... Luke Wetzel...WR 10... Jonathan Molnar... QB 12... A.J. Ruperto... QB 14... Nate Crookshank... QB 15... James Rockymore... DB 17... Shawn Besong... QB 18... John Benca...WR 20... Kevin Johnston... DB 21... Andy Valentine... DB 22... Asaad Allen... DB 23... Colin Golden...WR 24... Josh Kniess... RB 25... Paul Favers... DB 26... Corey Manfull... RB 27... Willie Murel... DB 30... Valdez Hails... TE 32... Matt Fontana... S 33... Bill Lamb... LB 36... Akeem Etheridge... RB 38... Aaron Berarducci... DB 41... Mark Drango... LB 42... Jared Palmer... LB 44... Ron Miller... LB 45... Greg Baker... LB 46... Jim D Amico... DB 50... Josh Zeisloft... DL 51... Jesse Kelley... LB 55... Dave Mulvihill... OL 56... Pat Oster... OL 58... Mike Jennings... LB 59... Noah Richards... OL 61... Andrew Sharp... DL 66... Ryan Travis... OL 67... Robert Minnie... DL 68... Myles Arnold... OL 69... Justin Burgh... OL 70... Joe Klipa... OL 71... Don Harbison... OL 72... Bron Clouser... OL 74... Nate Morris... DL 76... Mike Butterworth... OL 78... Don Potts... DL 81... Nick Carimi...WR 83... Justin Fisher...WR 84... Jared Zeisloft...WR 85... Shane Jakubovic...WR 86... Steve Fullerton... TE 88... Brandon Richardson... HB 89... Frank Cremonese... TE 90... Greg Ames... DL 95... Richard Ferguson... DL 96... Clinton Forsha... DL 97... Ned Reid...WR 98... Brian Godfrey... NG 99... Justin Hoppe... DL