SLIPPERY ROCK — Slippery Rock University's football colors are Green and White.

Especially green, when it comes to defense.

Coming off a 7-4 season, The Rock opens the 2017 season at 1:30 p.m. Saturday when it takes on Kentucky State of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) in Frankfort, Ky. The Thorobreds are coming off a 4-7 season, but played in the CIAC championship game.

SRU will take the field Saturday with five freshmen and a sophomore starting on defense.

“I've never coached a defense this young before,” second-year Rock head coach Shawn Lutz said. He served as defensive coordinator at SRU for 10 years before taking over as head coach. He has been on The Rock coaching staff more than 20 years.

Senior defensive end Marcus Martin — 13 sacks away from becoming college football's all-time leader in that category — and safety Kyle Hall are the only starters on SRU's defense who have started a game in college at all. Hall started three games last year.

All three starting linebackers — Trysten McDonald and Dylan Whiteman on the outside, Butler graduate Tim Vernick in the middle — are freshmen.

“I never would have guessed Tim Vernick would be starting in the middle for us as a red-shirt freshman,” Lutz said. “But the middle linebacker calls the plays on defense. He has to be a smart, intelligent player and Tim is that guy.

“He's not as big, physical or athletic as his brother Bob was here. But he'd kill himself on the field to make a play. He'll make the open-field tackle and he'll give everything he's got to give. That's the type of player our program is based on.”

Pat Minenok started a couple of games at linebacker last year for SRU, but he is out for the season with a spiral fracture in a finger.

Freshman Chad Kuhn is starting at defensive end and freshman De'Vijan Franklin is starting at a corner.

Offensively, SRU will be led by senior Tanner Garry, a Fort Cherry graduate who was previously enrolled at Bowling Green and Youngstown State. Saturday will mark his first career collegiate start.

Garry appeared in 17 games at Youngstown State, all in a reserve role.

“Tanner won a very close competition for our starting spot,” Lutz said. “He has a gunslinger mentality and he's a great leader. He knows how to extend a play.”

Garry's last official start came as a senior at Fort Cherry. He set career school passing records of 4,502 yards and 50 touchdowns.

He beat out St. Francis University transfer Andrew Koester and returnee Augustus Necastro for the starting job.

“Honestly, I feel like we have three good quarterbacks there,” Lutz said.

Chacar Berry and Isiah Neely will divide time in the backfield — “hopefully they'll get 20 carries each,” Lutz said, behind an experienced offensive line.

Outside receiver MarcusJohnson and slot receiver Cornelius “Milly” Raye both caught more than 50 passes last year.

“We want to pound it at them Saturday, wear them down,” Lutz said. “Hopefully, Tanner will hit the throws in play-action.”

Kentucky State is coached by John L. Smith, a longtime Division I coach in his second year at the school. Smith has served as head coach at Louisville — guiding that team to five straight bowl games — Michigan State, Arkansas, Utah State and Idaho. He is a former Big Ten Coach of the Year.

The Thorobreds have a junior college transfer, 6-foot-3 Paul Campbell, starting at quarterback. Kentucky State managed just 111 yards passing per game last year, ranking 163rd out of 170 Division II teams.

Demetrius Anderson returns as the team's leading receiver, making 43 catches for 577 yards a year ago. Defensive lineman Rodriguez Jones had 75 tackles, including 11.5 for loss last year.

“We have no idea what to expect from them,” Lutz said. “They may have a bunch of transfers in their lineup and we've never played them before.”

The game will be played on natural grass — SRU's first game on natural turf in four years — with rain in the forecast.

“All I know is their coach (Smith) has a lot more experience than I do,” Lutz said.

Smith could not be reached for comment.