SLIPPERY ROCK — Forrest Christmann sums up the mentality of the Slippery Rock defense succinctly.

“We want to break people,” Christmann says, smirking. “We want to break them physically and break their will.”

It wasn't long ago when the Rockets' will was broken on the football field.

Slippery Rock was 0-10 in 2010. Its losing streak reached 15 before a win in the second week of 2011 launched it to a 7-3 record and a playoff berth.

This season, behind an aggressive and unrelenting defense and a triple-option offense, the Rockets are off to a 6-0 start heading into a rivalry game against nearby neighbor Grove City.

Those dark days of 2010 are well behind this group.

“It's a distant memory,” said senior quarterback Ryan Currie. “You still look back and think about it sometimes. It's a little bit of a motivator, I guess. We've abandoned most of the ways of that year.”

This group has confidence in all three phases of the game.

The offense, with Currie at the helm, put up nine touchdowns combined in the first half of the last two games. The special teams produced a long field goal and a 93-yard kickoff return last week.

And the defense. Well, Currie has a front-row seat to what they have been able to do to other quarterbacks.

“If I had to get hit by (Slippery Rock senior linebacker) Dylan Neal every week, I don't know if I'd survive,” Currie said. “Some of the quarterbacks we've played, they get hit over and over again by all these guys. I can't imagine what they feel like on a Saturday morning.

“I think it was after the Bradford game when that kid (Owls' quarterback Matt Yurkewicz) ran the ball almost every play that I said, 'I wonder what he will feel like the next day.'”

To Slippery Rock coach Brendan Hathaway, who was in his first season when the Rockets went 0-10, he doesn't have the luxury to laud the defense or pat himself on the back for the perfect start.

There's always another week and another game.

“Every week you're 0-0,” the coach said. “You have to go at it again. That's what this game is all about, especially when you are playing a good, disciplined team like Grove City.”

Hathaway is happy with the way his defense is performing. Slippery Rock has been especially staunch against the run, allowing a mere 123 yards on the ground in the last two weeks.

Like any coach worth his whistle, Hathaway said there is always work to be done.

“That's the way we try to teach football,” Hathaway said. “That's the way we want our players to play for our program. It's good for them to have a little bit of confidence and a little bit of notoriety, but we're not there yet. We need to improve. We still need to get better.”

Hathaway said the same about his offense, even with that unit's success this season.

Currie, who has studied and piloted the offense since that dreadful 2010 campaign, has a full grasp of the attack now and has freedom to check out of any play at the line.”

“Oh, it's so much fun,” Currie said. “It's so much fun to play this kind of football. I couldn't imagine playing any other style.”

Currie leads the Rockets with 540 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns this season.

“He sees things very, very well,” Hathaway said. “He's like having a coach on the field out there.”

Even though the Rockets are 6-0 for the first time since 1984, Currie said they really haven't accomplished anything ... yet.

“It feels great to be 6-0, definitely,” he said. “It's special. We knew we had a chance to do something special. Let's hope we can continue to build something.”