The film doesn't lie.

Neither does the videotape.

Every error, every missed tackle, every bad angle and every breakdown is shown for everyone to see.

There is no hiding from it for the Slippery Rock High School football team as they watched the game film from a 28-21 loss to Greenville in a game that featured a slew of missed tackles that yielded three long rushing touchdowns and a disheartening loss.

It was like watching the movie "Gigli" over and over and over again.

"Watching the tape didn't make me feel a whole lot better," Conti said.

Tackling will be a main subject of emphasis for the Rockets when they host an improving Mercer team for homecoming at 7 p.m. Friday.

Not all was bad though - every bad film has it moments.

"What you could see on the film was the effort was there," Conti said.

But then there were the missed tackles. Conti, though, believes that can be corrected.

"Hopefully, they will see the things they did wrong. It's important for the kids to see that," Conti said. "We did some things technique-wise and tackling-wise that played into their long gainers."

The Rockets (2-3 overall, 1-3 in Region 3, Class AA) played well enough to beat undefeated Greenville. Slippery Rock led 21-7 at halftime, but let the game slip away.

"Our technique was not good by a number of kids," Conti said. "That's been hurting us."

The offense has also struggled of late.

Sean Ray, who was ill all week, rushed for just 12 yards. Trevor Gallo had a strong game, rushing for 74 yards, but most of it came in the first half.

"Sean shouldn't have even played," Conti said.

Now Mercer (1-4, 1-3) comes to town feeling good after an upset win against Reynolds.

In that game, Mustangs' coach Gary Krenzer switched from Zach Wasser to younger brother Devin Wasser at quarterback.

"We made the switch because we were struggling at that position," Krenzer said. "We already had four turnovers from that position."

But Mercer is built around a running-back-by-committee approach.

The central figure is fullback Travis Bell. The 5-foot-9, 210 pound back has gained just 114 yards this season, but he is a punishing running that helps open things up for the more shifty elements of the Mustangs' running attack.

One of those small, shifty backs is 5-8, 150-pound junior Jay McNulty, who leads the team with 145 yards on just 27 carries.

Mercer can also turn to 5-9, 165-pound Alex Jack, who scored on a 5-yard run to cap the win over Reynolds.

"The spirits of the kids is high right now," Krenzer said.

That's not always been the case for a team and a program that has struggled.

Mercer showed signs of a resurgence last season, going 3-6, but struggled out of the gate this season, dropping its first four games and scoring just 12 points in the process.

Conti, though, is not fooled.

"It's going to be another tough game for us," Conti said. "We're going to be an underdog in every game for the rest of the season. I told the kids they are facing a team that beat Reynolds who beat us by two touchdowns."

Slippery Rock has lost two straight for the first time since the first two games under Conti in 2002.

Mercer would like to make that three in a row.

But the Mustangs must deal with a still-dangerous Slippery Rock offense.

"Every team has weapons," Krenzer said. "Otherwise, no one would win any football games. We have to take away what Slippery Rock does the best."