SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio — Three times in the fourth quarter, trailing by four points, Slippery Rock University ventured into Notre Dame (Ohio) territory.

The Rock was stopped on all three occasions, resulting in a 21-17 loss to the Falcons in their NCAA Division II football quarterfinal Saturday at Mueller Field.

“We had our chances. We just couldn't get over the hump,” SRU coach Shawn Lutz said.

The final chance ran out with 19 seconds left as Rock quarterback Roland Rivers III tried scrambling for a first down on fourth-and-4 from the Notre Dame 31. He barely got across the line of scrimmage before being brought to the turf.

“I was trying to make a play with my feet,” Rivers said. “Somebody grabbed my leg and I lunged ... just couldn't get there.”

His voice trailed off as he spoke.

It was that kind of a day for The Rock.

SRU (11-3) had pulled within 14-10 late in the first half, Jermaine Wynn Jr. pulling in a 9-yard touchdown pass from Rivers with 2:06 left before intermission.

But with 22 seconds left, Notre Dame quarterback Chris Brimm barely eluded a sack, scrambled to his right and found his leading receiver, Marvelle Ross, alone, deep down the right sideline. Brimm found him for a 52-yard score and a 21-10 halftime lead.

“We're taught that if our quarterback is in trouble and starts scrambling, run deep,” Ross said. “That kept going through my mind as that play developed.”

A big play, to be certain, but not a game-changer in Lutz's mind.

“We still felt OK at halftime. We felt like we were going to come back and win,” the coach said. “It was a big play for them, but it didn't decide the game.”

A stiff wind and steady rain blew in at halftime and stuck around for the entire second half. The Falcons (13-0) put together a 14-play drive — including a 19-yard run on a fake punt by punter Tanner Harding — and appeared ready to put the game away.

The drive stalled inside The Rock 10, however, and Harding's 23-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.

Notre Dame did not score in the second half.

“As a defense, we re-focused at halftime,” Butler graduate and middle linebacker Tim Vernick said. “We knew we couldn't give up anything else.

“We were focused at the start of the game, but we knew if they got another touchdown, the game might get away from us.”

SRU drove 80 yards in six plays following the missed field goal. Wes Hills scored on a 19-yard run to cut the gap to 21-17 with 3:05 to go in the third quarter.

Hills wound up with 154 yards on 19 carries against a defense that led the nation this season in run defense, allowing just 62 yards per game.

“He is a big, physical back,” Notre Dame coach Mike Jacobs said of Hills. “He averaged 8.1 yards per carry against us. That shows what kind of talent he is.”

Hills broke The Rock's single-season rushing record on a 53-yard run in the first half. He ran for 1,714 yards despite missing three games this season. The previous record was 1,601 yards rushing, set by LaMonte Coleman in 1994.

“Breaking that record is a major accomplishment and I don't want to downplay that, but I didn't come here to break the record,” Hills said. “I came here to win and advance to the semifinals with my teammates.

“We came close, but that didn't happen.”

Trailing 21-17, The Rock drove from its own 3 to the Notre Dame 41, but punted from there with 6:40 left. The Jake Chapla punt pinned the Falcons on their own 6-yard line.

A third-down Brimm pass was deflected and nearly intercepted inside the 5-yard line by a diving Vernick. Following a short punt, SRU took possession at the Notre Dame 38 with 5:38 left.

Rivers was sacked by Sha-haun Williams on first down. Rivers fumbled on the next play, Vincent Ellis recovering for Notre Dame at the ND 46.

Again, the Rock defense held. SRU regained possession at its 13 with 2:30 to go, only to have its final drive stall at the Falcons 31.

“Our defense shut them out in the second half and gave us a chance to win,” Lutz said. “I'm proud of our team. I have no regrets at all.

“They made one or two more plays than we did. That was the difference. I wish Notre Dame well in the semifinals.”

Notre Dame won its eighth game this year by the margin of one score, its fifth by five points or fewer.

“I had no problem putting the game in the hands of our defense,” Jacobs said. “When they needed to make a play, they did.”

Williams had three sacks, setting a Notre Dame school record of 19.5 this season. Jaleel McLaughlin had 36 carries for 172 yards, giving him a Division II freshman record 2,246 yards on the year.

Ross had four catches for 112 yards for the Falcons. McLaughlin and Ross have combined for 4,314 all-purpose yards this season, a Division II record for teammates.

Notre Dame travels to Valdosta State (Ga.) in the semifinals this Saturday.

Notes: Kyle Hall had an interception and forced fumble for SRU. He also had a career-high 14 tackles in his final game at The Rock. ...Vernick had 10 tackles, three for loss, and a fumble recovery. ... Rivers threw for 2,721 yards and 29 TDs this season, both figures fourth on SRU's single-season list.... Chapla scored 116 points this year, third-most by a Rock player in one season. ... SRU's four-year seniors were 38-12 in their careers.

Slippery Rock 3 7 7 0 — 17

Notre Dame (O) 7 14 0 0 — 21

First Quarter

SRU — Jake Chapla 37 field goal, 4:02

ND — Jaleel McLaughlin 22 run (Tanner Harding kick), 1:28

Second Quarter

ND — Andrew Turski 5 pass from Chris Brimm (Harding kick), 11:20

SRU — Jermaine Wynn Jr. 9 pass from Roland Rivers III (Chapla kick), 2:06

ND — Marvelle Ross 52 pass from Brimm (Harding kick), :22

Third Quarter

SRU — Wes Hills 19 run (Chapla kick), 3:05

Individual Statistics

Rushing: SRU, Wes Hills 19-154, Roland Rivers III 15-61. Notre Dame, Jalewel McLaughlin 36-172. Chris Brimm 4-30, Tanner Harding 1-19, Marvelle Ross 1-13, Vasean Davis 3-2, TEAM 1-(-1), Markus Hood 1-(-6).

Passing: SRU, Roland Rivers III 18-30-177-1. Chris Brimm 13-21-206-1.

Receiving: SRU, Henry Litwin 7-55, Mike Merhaut 3-44, Jermaine Wynn Jr. 3-42,.Wes Hills 3-21, Austin Scott 1-11, Dakota Clanagan 1-4. Notre Dame, Marvelle Ross 4-112, Markus Hood 4-30, Zaire Mitchell 2-30, Conner Henry 2-29, Andrew Turski 1-5.