District College Football Recap – 11/06/2011

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, November 6, 2011 | 3:37 AM

Upsets and history this week in the district college football slate. Slippery Rock is headed to the PSAC State Title Game but lost in Erie and PAC champion Thomas More saw their long regular season streak come to an end.

History was made as two local schools try for win number 500. Here are recaps of all the games, including two heard right here on the Network:

Gannon 33  –  Slippery Rock 27
One week before the PSAC State Title Game, the Rock was upset in Erie on Saturday. The loss also hurts the #14 Rock’s chances of making the NCAA Division II playoffs. Slippery Rock committed five turnovers, the Rock led 20-7 at the half.

Slippery Rock shares the PSAC West title with Cal, who held on to defeat Edinboro 34-28, the Rock’s win over the Vulcans, gives SRU the West berth in the championship game next Saturday at #13 Kutztown, a 55-14 winner over #12 Bloomsburg. Bloomsburg entered the week fourth in the Super Region One poll, the Rock was sixth, Cal eighth and Kutztown ninth, the top six teams in the region advance to the NCAA playoffs. It’s the first West Division title for the Rock since 2000

SRU led 7-0 on their second drive of the game, Cody Endres hit Devin Goda with a 15 yard touchdown, set up by a Brandon Watters interception. The Rock had a chance to add to the lead, but Kurt Brackman’s 30 yard field goal attempt was blocked.

Jimmy Zubik, filling in once again for Akeem Satterfield, scored on the second play of the second quarter, his two yard run gave SRU a 14-0 lead. Brackman added a 24 yard field goal with 9:35 to go in the half. Daniel Tapscott went to Lawrence Coleman for an eleven yard touchdown to put the Golden Knights on the board. Tapscott was picked off by Anthony Saunders on the next drive, allowing Brackman to kick a 31 yard field goal on the final play of the half.

Gannon went 79 yards in ten plays to open the second half, Tapscott to Coleman for a six yard touchdown to make the score 20-14. Tapscott was able to tie the game on the next drive, with an eleven yard pass to Evan Twombly, the Golden Knights weren’t able to convert the extra point. Slippery Rock turned the ball over twice in the final seven minutes of the half, Endres was intercepted and Jimmy Zubik fumbled a punt, giving Gannon the ball at the Rock 25.

Matt Szczupakowski kicked a 25 yard field goal with 13:21 remaining in regulation to put Gannon up 23-20. Endres was picked off three plays later by Errick Clark. Szcupakowski kicked a 24 yard field goal for a 26-20 advantage. The Rock fumbled one play later, Zubik with his second fumble of the half, setting up Tapscott to Coleman for their third touchdown of the game.

The Rock was able to score on the next drive, Derick Durand with the 13 yard touchdown pass from Endres at 5:52 remaining to cut the difference to 33-27. SRU was able to get two more possessions but turned it over on downs at their own 37 and Endres threw his third pick of the day with twelve seconds remaining.

Tapscott was 13 of 33 for 188 yards and the four touchdown passes, he was picked twice. Coleman had six catches for 92 yards. Jansen Jones ran 29 times for 128 yards for the Golden Knights, now 4-6 overall and 3-4 in the West Division.

Endres was 22 of 49 for 272 yards, Goda had nine catches for 131 yards. Slippery Rock is 8-2 overall and finishes 6-1 in the West.

W & J 21  –  Thiel 7
The Presidents handed the Tomcats their 21st straight loss. W & J has beaten Thiel now in six straight seasons and 29 of the last 30 meetings. Tim McNerney ran for 89 yards and a touchdown as the Presidents move to 5-4 overall.

W & J had the first scoring opportunity of the game, but Matt Bliss fumbled on the Thiel 15 to end the drive. Bliss made up for the miscue, hitting Alex Baroffio for a six yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter to put the Presidents in the lead. W & J missed on a chance to add to the lead after a B.J. Monacelli interception with just under six minutes left in the half. Taylor Hockman was at quarterback, after Bliss left with an injury on the previous drive, he could not pick up a first down and the Presidents turned the ball over on downs.

The Presidents added to the lead on their first possession of the third quarter, starting on the W & J 21. Keeping the ball mostly on the ground, W & J was able take off almost seven minutes off the clock, McNerney scored on a three yard run for a 14-0 lead. The score went to 21-0 in the last minute of the quarter, Hockman hit Brandon Trefelner for a ten yard touchdown.

Thiel got their touchdown on the next drive, Jared Soell finding Nathan Blazevich for a three yard touchdown. Neither team threatened for the remainder of the game, the Presidents are now 4-3 in the PAC.

Bliss was 8 of 12 for 108 yards before the injury, Hockman was 13 of 18 for 94 yards. Baroffio had seven catches for 67 yards. The W & J defense held Thiel to 40 yards rushing. Soell was 16 of 45 for only 135 yards, with one pick, Soell was sacked twice.

Carnegie Mellon 28  –  Chicago 13
The Tartans go to 5-4 overall and pick up their first UAA win of the year. CMU also gathers the 500th win in program history. Patrick Blanks staked Carnegie Mellon to a 14-3 first quarter lead on touchdown runs of 27 and 11 yards. Kevin Shelton scored on a two yard run, Jeff Sauer kicked his second field goal of the day on the final play of the half, the Maroons trailed by one at the break.

It was all CMU in the second half, Chris Garcia scored on a yard run in the third, Blanks added his third touchdown run in the fourth. Blanks finished with 16 carries for 171 yards, Garcia ran for 90 yards. Chicago is 5-4 overall and 0-2 in the conference.

IUP 56 –  Lock Haven 6
IUP picked up the program’s 500th win, and handed Lock Haven their 41st consecutive loss. IUP becomes the 17th Division II school with 500 or more wins.

James Johnson ran for four touchdowns and Pat Brewer had 204 receiving yards as IUP breezed to the road win. Pat Smith hit Brewer for a 69 yard touchdown for the opening score. Johnson followed with touchdown runs of 14, 37 and six yards. Harvie Tuck tucked in an eight yard run and Johnson scored from 18 out to put IUP up 42-0 at the half.

Marvens Tousaint returned an interception 29 yards for a touchdown, Smith to Brewer for a 31 yard score came in the third quarter. The IUP defense was just seconds away from a shutout, but Jarrett Kratzer hit Jay Hartman for a 24 yard touchdown with 58 seconds remaining.

Johnson had six carries for 97 yards to go with his four scores. Smith was 7 of 9 for 241, Brewer had five catches, he averaged over forty yards per catch. IUP is now 6-3 overall, they finish divisional play with a 5-2 mark. The defense picked off five passes, Lock Haven is 0-9.

Central Connecticut State 31  –  Robert Morris 24
The Blue Devils ended a six game losing streak. Gunnar Jespersen threw two touchdown passes and Brian Fowler ran for 91 yards and two scores. Chris Tolbert ran 29 times for 162 yards, the Blue Devils are now 2-7 overall and 2-5 in the NEC.

Matt Layman came on for an injured Jeff Sinclair in the second quarter, he threw for 163 yards and a pair of scores. Sinclair did score on a seven yard run in the first. Deontae Howard ran for 86 yards for the Colonials, Shadrae King did catch two passes, he has caught at least one pass in 28 straight games.  Robert Morris is now 2-7 overall and losers of four straight, the Colonials are 2-4 in conference.

Monmouth 48  –  Saint Francis 45
Julian Hayes scored four touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 7:25 remaining to give the Hawks the win in Loretto. Monmouth was able to block a field goal and pick off a John Kelly pass to end scoring threats. Hayes had 128 yards on 26 carries, Craig Peterson was 20 of 29 for 316 and two scores. The Hawks are 5-4 overall and 4-2 in the NEC.

Kyle Harbridge ran for 197 yards and three touchdowns for the Red Flash, now 2-8 overall and 1-6 in conference.

Northern Iowa 21  –  Youngstown State 17
David Johnson scored with 1:59 left to give the Panthers the lead for good and preserve their MVC title hopes at 6-1. Jared Lanpher threw two touchdown passes to Terrell Sinkfield, the Panthers are 7-2 overall.

Jamaine Cook ran for 90 yards and a score. Kurt Hess connected with Will Shaw for a touchdown. The Penguins are 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the conference.

California 34  –  Edinboro 28
The win gives the Vulcans a share of their seventh straight West Division title with a 6-1 record. Cal scored 24 points in the second quarter, then held on for the win at Adamson Stadium. Peter Lalich threw for 289 yards and three scores. The Cal defense allowed just 37 rushing yards and sacked Cody Harris five times.

After a scoreless first quarter, Jeff Knox put Cal on the board with a five yard run. Lalich threw touchdown passes to Thomas Mayo and Mario Washington for a 21-0 advantage. Edinboro scored with 35 seconds left in the half, Harris to Nick Marino for a twelve yard touchdown, but Cal got a Cody Nuzzo 33 yard field goal to end the half, up 24-7.

Lalich and Mayo connected for a 36 yard score, Edinboro answered with a Harris-Marcus Johnson connection for 26 yards and a score. Nuzzo kicked a 30 yard field goal to make it 34-14 after three. James Jackson returned a blocked field goal 70 yards for a touchdown and Harris hooked up with David Bostic for a 26 yard touchdown with 1:17 left. Cal recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.

Lamont Smith had 18 carries for 129 yards for Cal, Blake Williamson had seven catches for 106 yards. Cal is 8-2 overall. Harris was 23 of 31 for 288, Marino had ten catches for 71 yards, Bostic made just four grabbes, but picked up 107 yards. Edinboro is now 7-3 overall, but finished 4-3 in the West.

Mercyhurst 42  –  Clarion 38
Clarion led 38-14 on Chris Wilson’s 99 yard interception return just over the midway point of the third quarter, but the Golden Eagles did not score again as the Lakers rallied for the win at Memorial Stadium.

Richie Sanders staked Mercyhurst to a lead on a three yard run, Patrick Graham-Murphy countered that with a two yard run. A Tyler Ruark field goal gave the Golden Eagles a 10-7 lead after one. Sanders scored again from three out to put the Lakers on top in the second, but Graham-Murphy scored from 16 and 6 yards to put Clarion up 24-14 at the break.

Mercyhurst fumbled the second half kickoff, Graham-Murphy was cruising in for his fourth touchdown, but fumbled at the goal line, Jon Reid recovered in the end zone for a Clarion touchdown. Wilson added his Pick 6 and the Golden Eagles were in control, or so they thought.

Anthony Vendemia hit R.J. Miller in the final minute of the third for a 17 yard touchdown, Allen Jones scored on a four yard run, Vendemia to Jeff Groene for a seven yard score, put Mercyhurst within three with 8:28 to play.

Mercyhurst got the ball back with 4:31 to play at their own six. Behind the running of Sanders and the throwing of Vendemia, the Lakers moved down the field in eleven plays, with Sanders getting the game winner. Sanders ran for 125 yards, Vendemia threw for 352. Trevor Kennedy had ten catches for 166 yards, the Lakers are 4-6 overall and end divisional play at 2-5. Graham Murphy ran for 107 yards, the Golden Eagles are 2-8 and finish at 2-5 in the division.

Urbana 40  –  Seton Hill 21
The Griffins got on the board first when Ryan Morris hooked up with Chris Galadyk for a nine-yard strike and a 7-0 advantage. However, Urbana reeled off 40 consecutive points for the non-conference win.

In the fourth, Tyler McIntosh hauled in a 26-yard pass from Morris, capping an eight-play, 66-yard drive. With just 1:25 remaining, David Miller rushed for a two-yard strike.

Morris completed 25 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. Miller had a team-best 35 yards on the ground for SHU. McIntosh’s 57 yards receiving were the most among the team while Zach Delo caught a team-high six passes. Seton Hill falls to 1-9.

Urbana is now 7-3 and has won the GLFC championship, the Blue Knights set a school record for most wins in a season.

Waynesburg 26  –  Thomas More 23
The Yellow Jackets knocked off the 6th ranked Saints at Bank of Kentucky Field, the loss is the first of the season for Thomas More and will likely cost the Saints home field in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Chris Marini kicked the go-ahead field goal with 2:39 remaining, the 24 yarder was Marini’s second of the game. Waynesburg led 14-0 in the first quarter on a Josh Graham three yard pass to Adam Moses and Pat Depizzo’s 40 yard return of a blocked punt. Kendall Owens put Thomas More on the board with 13 seconds left in the half, scoring on a 16 yard pass from Robert Kues.

Waynesburg went up 23-7 in the third, Marini kicked a 26 yard field goal and Graham hit Mike Ferraro for a 69 yard touchdown. Adam Rauch scored on a 39 yard run to cut the lead to eight at the end of three.

Domonique Hayden scored on a two yard run, Thomas More got the two-pointer to tie the game at 23 with 10:41 remaining. Graham was able to lead the Yellow Jackets on a ten play drive and took almost five minutes off the clock, setting up Marini’s kick. The Saints could not get out of their own territory on the final two drives as the Yellow Jackets held on for the win.

Graham was 27 of 51 for 250 yards with the two scores. Moses had nine catches, Christian Jackson added seven. Waynesburg is now 5-3 overall and 5-2 in the PAC. Thomas More turned the ball over three times, the Saints had a 29 game regular season winning streak snapped, Thomas More had also won 26 consecutive PAC games. The Saints will still be in the NCAA playoffs, they clinched the PAC title last week. Thomas More travels across the Ohio River to meet Mount Saint Joseph next week in a non-conference matchup, know locally as the Bridge Bowl. The Saints are 8-1 overall and close out the PAC at 7-1. 

Saint Vincent 21  –  Westminster 9
The Bearcats led 21-7 at the half, and held the Titans offense off the board in the second half to pick up their fifth win of the season. Saint Vincent is guaranteed a .500 season for the first time since 1960, both teams are 5-4 overall and 4-3 in the PAC.

Aaron Smetanka scored on a six yard run and hit Ricky Douglas for a two yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead after one. Shawn Lehocky found Gino Pasquinelli, the ten yard touchdown, capped a 15 play 65 yard drive, but Smetanka connected with Christian Sutton on a 14 yard scoring strike with 1:47 left in the half and extended the lead.

The only score of the second half came when Andrew Clark pinned the Bearcats down at their own one, Huey Ehredt was downed in the end zone for a safety with 3:45 left in the third. The Titans got the ball on the free kick at the Saint Vincent 25, but Lehocky lost 16 yards on a sack and fumble and were forced to punt.

In the fourth quarter, Tommy Turnbull came in at quarterback and hooked up with Gino Pasquinelli for 41 yards to the nine, but Westminster turned the ball over on downs and did not get another scoring opportunity.

Saint Vincent got 225 yards passing from Smetanka, on 22 of 33. The Bearcat defense held the Titans to eight first downs and 153 yards of total offense. 

Bethany 33  –  Grove City 14
After a scoreless first half, the Bison got back on the winning track, scoring 19 points in the final quarter for the home win. Matt Grimard and Nico Irizary scored on a pair of one yard runs to put Bethany up 14-0. Brian Pell capped off an eleven play drive with a 14 yard touchdown run.

Grimard put the game away in the fourth with a pair of touchdown passes, two yards to Gabe Lotozo and Johnathan Foster for 26 yards and a 27-7 lead. Pell hit Anthony Reda for a four yard touchdown for the Wolverines, Eric Walker added a late touchdown for the Bison to close the scoring.

Grimard was 16 of 25 for 209 yards, he also carried twenty times for sixty yards. Bethany is 4-4 overall and 3-4 in the PAC. Pell was only 14 of 36 for 147 yards, he was picked off twice. The Wolverines fall to 2-7 overall and 2-5 in the conference.

Allegheny 44  –  Hiram 14
Jordan Fowler was 17 of 25 for 234 yards and threw for three touchdowns as the Gators go to 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the NCAC. .Ben Perko ran 15 times for 96 yards, Brian Tamburlin ran for two scores, Matt Griffith caught two touchdown passes and Ryan Zipf kicked three field goals.

Brandon Hanna ran for a score and threw for another, the Terriers were outgained 473 to 167. Hiram is 1-8 overall and 1-4 in conference.

Tags: Slippery Rock, Washington