SLIPPERY ROCK — Just as Rockets Nation finally has something to get giddy about after upending Oil City, another juggernaut appears on the schedule.

The Slippery Rock High football team will host Titusville at 7 p.m. Friday night on homecoming. All Titusville has done the last three weeks is outscore its opponents 91-0.

If SlipperyRock (1-5 overall, 1-1 in Region 5) should happen to pull of another upset, it will be right in the thick of the playoff race.

Yes, after an 0-5 start, the Rockets could be thinking playoffs.

Playoffs?

"I'm not thinking about that right now," said Slippery Rock coach Clyde Conti. "I don't want our kids to feel any major pressure. We're facing a major hurdle and it's all about how you perceive it. Do you look at it as an obstacle or a test of how high you can really jump?"

Conti hopes it is the latter, but Titusville might be more of a pole vault than a hurdle this week. Titusville, also nicknamed the Rockets, has outscored its opponents 126-21. Its lone loss came in the season opener againstCorry, 7-6.

Since then, Titusville's offense has hit its stride and its defense has been as staunch as ever.

"We have an athletic defense and we play team defense," said Titusville coach Scott Salvo. "We don't do many stunts up front. We just like to pressure people."

Titusville recorded shutouts in four of its six games. Oil City is the only other team to score against its defense when the Rockets won 28-14 in Week 3.

OilCity couldn't do much against Slippery Rock's defense last week, thanks to an infusion of young blood.

Slippery Rock inserted freshman Arik Gallagher on defense and he excelled, giving the Oilers' running game fits with his speed. Doug Orloski filled in for injured Jesse Kniess and had an interception and a fumble recovery to thwart Oil City drives.

RyanFerguson came up big against Oil City when the SlipperyRock junior carried the ball 30 times for 122 yards and two short scoring runs.

The Slippery Rock offense has been one of a bunch of small plays and not a lot of big ones. That's something that concerns Salvo.

"They don't get big chunks of yardage — they don't get many big plays," Salvo said. "But they are content to get first downs and drive the ball down the field."

Titusville's offense also has had an infusion of youth.

Running backDave Stewart didn't play a down of varsity football last season, but he rushed for 130 yards on 11 carries last week against Redbank Valley.

Quarterback Derek Carr has been steady at quarterback. But Titusville makes no mistake about what it wants to do on offense. It wants to run and run right at the opposing defense.

Coming into the season, the expectations were not high for Titusville, except in its own locker room.

"I knew we were going to be a lot better," Salvo said. "Not many people outside thought we would, but that's OK. That's where we want to be."