ERIE — Slippery Rock University is back in the PSAC West football championship hunt — barely.

DJ Opsatnik booted a 30-yard field goal with 1:24 remaining Saturday at Saxon Stadium to give The Rock a 20-17 victory over Mercyhurst in a mistake-filled game. The teams combined for seven turnovers and 18 penalties on a rainy afternoon.

“We have to play better ... simple as that,” SRU coach Shawn Lutz said.

The Rock (7-1, 4-1) controls its own destiny again in the PSAC West, thanks to a rally that saw California (Pa.) score two touchdowns in the final 1:40 for a 38-34 win at Indiana (Pa.). If SRU wins at Gannon Saturday, then defeats California at home the following week, it will win the Western Division.

That opportunity — and a realistic shot at an NCAA Division II playoff berth — came dangerously close to being washed away in the rain at Mercyhurst (2-6, 1-4).

The Lakers put together a 14-play, 68-yard drive that ate nine minutes off the clock in the fourth period. Trailing 17-14, Mercyhurst had a first-and-goal at the SRU 6-yard line. A procedure penalty and illegal substitution flag — joined by Jevon Lang's tackle of Chawntez Moss for a 2-yard loss — forced the Lakers to settle for a game-tying Brian Alsobrooks field goal with 5:11 to play.

“We are very young on offense,” Mercyhurst coach Marty Schaetzle said. “There's four freshmen starting out there and those (penalties) were young mistakes.

“I feel like we had it. We should have won this game.”

The Rock had fumbled away a handoff at its own 14 late in the third quarter. The defense stiffened, however, and Alsobrooks' 32-yard field goal try sailed wide left.

Needing points following the Lakers' game-tying kick, Lutz replaced Andrew Koester at quarterback with Noah Grover.

“I wanted to stay loyal to Andrew, him being a senior and waiting so long to be our starter,” Lutz said. “But we had receivers open in this game. I probably should have made the move sooner.

“I was afraid I had made it too late.”

He didn't.

Grover connected with tight end Max Maciejewski on a 21-yard pass over the middle, Evyn Holtz had six carries for 31 yards on the drive as SRU marched 52 yards in nine plays. The drive ended with Opsatnik's go-ahead field goal.

The game ended when Isaiah Manning intercepted Laker quarterback Joe Carter near midfield with 54 seconds left. Dalton Holt and De'Vijan Franklin picked off Carter passes earlier in the game.

Holtz had been sidelined by a nagging hamstring injury all season, except for one carry against Lock Haven. He had 12 carries for 73 yards on the day.

“It just felt good to contribute,” Holtz said. “I wanted to get on the field and bring some energy to our backfield.

“We didn't play our best, but we found a way to win. It's nice to know we can win a close one like this.”

Mercyhurst entered the game averaging 13.1 points per game. But the Lakers used a 70-yard return of the opening kickoff by David Alize to set up a short 15-yard drive for the game's first score. The hosts also scored on a 30-yard fumble return by Jehrod Gregory as SRU's Cinque Sweeting lost the handle on a lateral.

None ... none, whatsover,” Lutz responded when asked if the rain had any affect on his team's play Saturday.

Koester was sacked three times and threw an interception of his own. He did find Henry Litwin for a 42-yard touchdown toss in the third quarter, giving The Rock a 17-14 lead.

The play marked Litwin's 37th career TD catch at SRU and put him over the 3,000-yard mark in career receiving yardage. Greg Hopkins (3,382) is the only other Rock receiver to go over 3,000 yards.

“It's a pretty cool thing, I guess, but it means nothing if we don't win,” Litwin said. “I know people keep track of that stuff and the numbers are interesting, but all I care about is winning games.”

Notes: Peyton Remish led SRU with nine tackles. ... Seneca Valley graduate and Mercyhurst linebacker Jacob Holl had 19 tackles and two sacks for the Lakers. ... Chad Kuhn had two QB sacks for The Rock, giving him 27 for his career, third on SRU's all-time list. His 42 tackles for loss rank fifth. ... SRU defeated Mercyhurst for the sixth straight time and won its 10th straight road game. The Rock is 20-4 in its last 24 road contests. ... Kickoff Saturday at Gannon is at noon.

Slippery Rock 0 10 7 3 — 20

Mercyhurst 7 7 0 3 — 17

First Quarter

M — Jack Armstrong 9 pass from Joe Carter (Brian Alsobrooks kick), 13:21

Second Quarter

SRU — Chris D'Or 5 run (DJ Opsatnik kick), 14:23

M — Jehrod Gregory 30 fumble return (Alsobrooks kick), 10:33

SRU — Opsatnik 30 field goal, :26

Third Quarter

SRU — Henry Litwin 42 pass from Andrew Koester (Opsatnik kick), 9:25

Fourth Quarter

M — Alsobrooks 21 field goal, 5:11

SRU — Opsatnik 30 field goal, 1:24

Individual Statistics

Rushing: SRU, Evyn Holtz 12-73, Chris D'Or 5-19, Cinque Sweeting 2-7, Jermaine Wynn Jr. 1-2, Reis Watkins 1-(-1), Andrew Koester 8-(-2), Tim Smith 5-(-3), TEAM 5-(-4). Mercyhurst, David Alize 12-55, Chawntez Moss 4-21, TEAM 4-15, Dustin Shoaf 6-13, Joe Carter 5-6, Fred Pantaleon 1-1.

Passing: SRU, Andrew Koester 19-32-227-1, Noah Grover 1-2-21-0. Mercyhurst, Joe Carter 15-29-111-3.

Receiving: SRU, Jermaine Wynn Jr. 6-58, Cinque Sweeting 4-15, Henry Litwin 2-53, Max Maciejewski 2-45, Gavyn Barnes 2-21, Kyle Sheets 1-32, Tim Smith 1-11, Evyn Holtz 1-8, Chris D'Or 1-5. Mercyhurst, Jason Armstrong 6-32, Cameron Barmore 3-24, Rylan Davison 2-33, Justin Hill 2-18, Dustin Shoaf 1-3, David Alize 1-4.