SRU finds ground game in 49-14 victory

By JOHN ENRIETTO Eagle Sports Editor

October 13, 2008 Last Updated: October 14, 2008 10:36 AM College

Lehmeier

Rock gets 3 100-yard games from RBs in easy triumph

CLARION — A long-lost friend was found Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

Slippery Rock University's running game.

The Rock's once-lethal ground attack has struggled in recent weeks, but exploded for 451 yards and six touchdowns in a 49-14 college football victory over Clarion.

Three SRUrunning backs — Sayquan-Scott Mitchell with 179 yards, Corey Manfull and Ryan Lehmeier 129 each — rushed for more than 100 yards. Each scored two touchdowns.

"That's what we've been looking for,"SRUcoach George Mihalik said of his running game. "We've struggled in that area in our first six games. We've been trying to get untracked."

SRU(4-3, 2-2) got on track Saturday and rolled over a seemingly helpless Clarion defense.

"Their running game was a big concern of mine entering this game,"Golden Eagles' coach Jay Foster said. "Manfull was getting healthy, Lehmeier's good and, historically, Slippery Rock can run the football.

"We're so young on defense. We rotate a lot of guys in and out. We weren't tired. We just couldn't stop them."

By the end of the third quarter, The Rock had a 35-0 lead and Manfull and Lehmeier were done for the day.

Scott-Mitchell didn't enter the game until the final play of the third quarter and wound up its leading rusher.

The red-shirt freshman had 16 carries for 179 yards, including touchdown runs of 39 and 69 yards.

"(SRU athnletic trainer)Scott Zema told me before the game I'd run for 100 yards and score a touchdown today,"Scott-Mitchell said. "I laughed at him.

"When it was 35-0, I figured I might get a chance to play a little bit. Having this happen is the greatest feeling of my life."

Manfull felt pretty good himself. Hampered by knee and ankle injuries, he entered the game with just 57 yards rushing on 17carries this fall after running for more than 1,300 yards last year.

"This is an awesome feeling. It's what I've been waiting for,"Manfull said. "It felt great just to get on the field and run a little bit. Our offensive line was unbelievable tonight."

The Rock totaled 365 yards rushing in its previous four games

combined before Saturday.It all came together today,"Lehmeier said. "The line opened holes and the backs were hitting them hard, then making the right reads."SRU's first possession resulted in a 14-play, 99-yard scoring drive that ate 7:08 off the clock.

"That 99-yard drive set the tone for the whole game,"Mihalik said.Leading 14-0 at halftime, The Rock quickly put the game away early in the third quarter. Justin Guadagni returned a short second-half kickoff 36 yards to the Clarion 30-yard line. Manfull scored on a 13-yard run three plays later.Clarion (1-6, 0-4) fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Knoch graduate Bill Elliott recovered for SRUat the Eagles' 27-yard line. Brandon Frohnapple's 3-yard TDpass to Terry Grossetti six plays later gave SRUa 28-0 lead less than four minutes into the quarter.The Rock forced four turnovers, including three interceptions. Jon Farrell, Sam Morant and Zach Sheridan picked off Tyler Huether passes, two off deflections."Their line dominated both sides of the ball,"Foster said. "They deflected or batted away a lot of our passes. We couldn't run the ball and we had to get rid of the ball (passing) quickly."We were limited in what we could do."Huether, coming off a leg injury, threw for 224 yards — including a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to Jaques Robinson — and rushed for 93 yards.Clarion's running backs combined to gain seven yards on 12 carries.SRUhosts Edinboro for homecoming this Saturday. Kickoff is 2 p.m.SRU 49, Clarion 14Slippery Rock 7 7 21 14—49Clarion 0 0 0 14—14SRU C24 First Downs 1950-451 Rushes-Yards 25-10052 Passing Yards 2297-12-0 Passes (Comp.-Att.-Int.) 27-47-3503 Total Yards 3292-1 Fumbles/Lost 1-110-81 Penalties-Yards 11-124First QuarterSRU— Corey Manfull 1 run (C.J. Bahr kick), 4:30Second QuarterSRU— Ryan Lehmeier 13 run (Bahr kick), 13:47Third QuarterSRU— Manfull 13 run (Bahr kick), 13:47SRU — Terry Grossetti 3 pass from Brandon Frohnapple (Bahr kick), 11:37SRU — Lehmeier 58 run (Bahr kick), 1:59Fourth QuarterC — Jaques Robinson 14 pass from Tyler Huether (Robert Mamula kick), 9:48SRU — Sayquan Scott-Mitchell 39 run (Bahr kick), 5:39C — Robinson 3 pass from Huether (Mamula kick), 2:19SRU — Scott-Mitchell 69 run (Bahr kick), 1:21Individual StatisticsPassing: SRU, Brandon Frohnapple 7-11-52-0, Brad Galvan 0-1-0-0. Clarion, Tyler Huether 250-346-224-3, Eric Coxon 1-2-5-0.Rushing: SRU, Sayquan Scott-Mitchell 16-179, Ryan Lehmeier 13-129, Corey Manfull 16-129, Brandon Frohnapple 5-14. Clarion, Tyler Huether 12-93, Nick Sipes 3-9, Eddie Emmanuel 6-5, Alfonso Hoggard 3-(-1), Eric Coxon 1-(-6).Receiving: SRU, Terry Grossetti 3-22, Josh Prigorac 2-21, Corey Manfull 1-10, Jermale Cromerdie 1-(-1). Clarion, Jaques Robinson 8-78, Alfonso Hoggard 6-51, Matt Ward 5-33, Matt Foradora 3-25, Nate Pagan 2-24, Eddie Emmanuel 2-13, Nick Sipes 1-5.