Offense weighs down SR in loss
SLIPPERY ROCK — Meat Loaf was wrong.
Sometimes, two out of three
is bad.The Slippery Rock High football team was dominant on defense and on special teams against Hickory Friday night, but the offense struggled mightily in a 24-14 home loss.The Rockets managed just 106 total yards and seven first downs, including 53 yards and four first downs on a frantic final drive. Slippery Rock also was 1-of-10 on third-down conversions.The offensive woes put a damper on a standout defensive effort by the Rockets."Woulda, coulda, shoulda, you know?" said Slippery Rock coach Glenn Hazlet. "The kids played hard."Hickory had the decided speed advantage, but Slippery Rock was able to neutralize it with sure open-field tackling.The Hornets gained only 234 total yards as speedsters Elrico Jones, Ryan Hayes and Andrew Smith were bottled up for most of the contest.Hayes led Hickory with 87 yards on 18 carries before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent knee injury.Jones, a lightning quick receiver, caught three passes for 26 yards, lost four yards on his only carry and was ineffective on a drive when he ran Hickory's version of the Wildcat.Hickory led 7-0 at halftime, thanks to a 7-yard scoring run by Sam Hosey.Slippery Rock fumbled on its first offensive play of the second half, and, three plays later, Hosey scored again on a 3-yard run to give the Hornets a 14-0 lead.That advantage was short-lived.The Rockets' Ryan Gordon read a quick out pattern perfectly, stepping in front of a pass from Hickory quarterback Tyler Gargano and racing 70 yards untouched for a Slippery Rock touchdown.Hickory punter Matt Durisko, fearing a second blocked punt of the game, tucked the ball away and was tackled on his own 10.On the first offensive play for the Rockets, Justin Angerett took a pitch from Ayron Gallagher and weaved his way into the end zone to tie the score at 14.Gallagher, who had struggled in the passing game during the first two weeks, was 7-of-20 for 56 yards and two interceptions against Hickory.He hooked up with Gordon four times for 26 yards and looked poised when he had time in the pocket.Unfortunately, that wasn't very often. Gallagher was sacked four times in the game."It's a confidence thing," Hazlet said. "Right now, he doesn't have a whole lot of confidence."Gallagher played quarterback for only two quarters last season when Jono Powell was injured. Most of the time, he was a fullback.This year, Gallagher was thrust into a position he hadn't played full time since junior high."It's coming. He's getting better," Hazlet said. "Offense just takes so much more time to put everything together."Because of the sacks, Gallagher managed only 27 yards rushing.Angerett gained 21 yards on nine carries for the Rockets, who have played well in three games but don't have a victory to show for it."Nobody would like to win a game more than me," Hazlet said. "I'm seeing improvement. I'm seeing us getting better."
