SLIPPERY ROCK— The great unknown awaits Slippery Rock University's football team Saturday night when The Rock (2-1) plays host to Gannon (2-1) in their PSAC West opener at 7 p.m.

"It's tough for us to really get a gauge on this team,"SRU coach George Mihalik admitted. "It's been so long since we've played, we don't know what they're about."

Gannon joins Mercyhurst and C.W. Post as conference newcomers this season. The Knights haven't played Slippery Rock since 2003, when Gannon posted a 20-18 victory on its way to a 9-1 season.

Since that year, the Knights have won 11 of 46 games. Last week's 40-18 win over Cheyney was Gannon's first game against a PSACopponent since that 2003 win over Slippery Rock.

Jim Kiernan is in his second year as head coach at Gannon and is coming off a 1-10 season.

"The program fell off there for a while, but the administration is giving us all the support needed for us to build it back up,"Kiernan said. "We started 14 freshmen last year.

"Now we're dealing with 19-year-olds instead of 18-year-olds. There's experience there, but we're still young."

Gannon won its season opener at Lake Erie College, which was playing its first football game ever. The Knights followed up with a 23-10 loss in driving rain at East Stroudsburg before scoring a 40-18 triumph over a long-suffering Cheyney program.

""We just don't know much about this team,"Mihalik said. "That makes you nervous.

"We do know they have the full complement of 36 scholarships, so we know they have talent. Within a couple of years, Gannon and Mercyhurst may be dominant in this conference."

The Rock doesn't even know if Gannon's leading rusher, Jon Richardson, will be playing Saturday. Richardson has 283 yards in two games, averaging 6.7 yards per carry, but he missed the Cheyney game with an injury.

The Knights employ a two-quarterback system that involves sophomores Bob Bartley and Zach Boedicker. Bartley, a Hampton product, has completed 56 percent of his passes and Boedicker is averaging 7.1 yards per run.

"Both of those guys are good athletes with different skills," Kiernan said. "We've been rotating them and it's been effective for us so far."

Gannon starts seven freshmen or sophomores on defense. Two area players are on the Knights' roster, junior defensive back Jake Scott of Freeport and redshirt freshman tight end Destin Demarion of Grove City, though neither starts.

The Rock will get running back Corey Manfull back Saturday. Two weeks ahead of schedule in recovering from a knee and ankle sprain, Manfull returns to the lineup this week.

How much he'll play remains in question.

"We'll see what kind of condition he's in and how much he can go,"Mihalik said. "Ideally, we'll get into a rotation with Corey and Ryan Lehmeier.

"(Demarcus) Cleckley needs to get on the field, too. We need all of those running backs involved in the game."

Lehmeier has rushed for 321 yards and five touchdowns on the year.

Gannon and SRU rank in the bottom half of the PSAC in pass production, averaging 169 and 145 yards per game, respectively. Rock quarterback Brandon Frohnapple has completed just 47 percent of his passes, but has five TDtosses and only one interception.

"I'm pleased with Brandon's progression to this point,"Mihalik said.

"Slippery Rock has a great program with a lot of tradition,"Kiernan said. "We're excited just to be playing a game in Western Pennsylvania again.

"This is one of the reasons our school joined this league. We don't have to stray far from home."