Gannon hampers Slippery Rock football’s NCAA Division II playoff hopes in PSAC upset
The previously winless Golden Knights may have turned Slippery Rock University’s football season upside down in the process.
Gannon trailed 28-14 after SRU’s JayJay Jordan scored his third touchdown on a 10-yard run with 11:24 left in the first half. But the Golden Knights put together scoring drives of 75, 51, 80 yards — the middle drive set up by a successful onside kick — to take a seven-point lead into halftime.
The Golden Knights held on for a 38-35 upset victory over No. 14 SRU (3-2, 0-2 PSAC West) Saturday afternoon at McConnell Family Stadium, handing The Rock consecutive regular season losses for the first time since 2017.
The loss forces The Rock to win their final five regular season games to be considered for the Division II playoffs.
“Another bad one,” SRU coach Shawn Lutz said. “Too many mistakes. You’re just not going to beat anybody making the mistakes we’re making right now. I’m not even thinking about that (playoff) stuff. We have to get things right.”
Gannon (1-4, 1-0) returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown in the first half. The Golden Knights also converted a fake punt play, extending a key possession in the second half.
“All three of those special teams plays hurt us today,” Lutz said.
Gannon’s Bryson Costa booted a 42-yard field goal for a 10-point lead early in the fourth.
SRU had taken the second-half kickoff and ate nearly 11 minutes off the clock on an 18-play drive. On fourth down from inside the Gannon 10, however, SRU turned the ball over on downs.
“You know me, I like to go for it,” Lutz said about not opting for a field goal try. “Besides, it was a high-scoring game at that point, and I felt like we needed all the points we could get.”
DaOne Owens connected with Slippery Rock High School graduate John Sabo for a 29-yard touchdown pass with 12:41 left to pull SRU within three on the scoreboard. The Rock offense got two more opportunities but turned the ball over on downs at the Gannon 35. Owens threw an interception with less than two minutes to go.
“DaOne threw two picks today, and they were freshman mistakes,” Lutz said. “We just have to live with those. There’s a growth period he’s still going through here.”
SRU racked up 539 yards of offense on the day, including 374 rushing. Jordan rushed for 247 yards, becoming the first Rock running back since Wes Hills (2018) to rush for 200 yards in a game.
“Losing with those kinds of numbers ... it hurts. But we deserved it,” Lutz said.
Injuries depleted SRU’s lineup Saturday as linebackers Jacob Snow and Teddy Gregory Jr., along with defensive end Brett Kwoka, did not play. At one point, eight Rock starters were on the sidelines.
SRU stays on the road next week, traveling to Seton Hill for a noon kickoff Saturday. The Griffins upset California (Pa.) 16-7 Saturday.
Slippery Rock 21 7 0 7 — 35
Gannon 14 21 0 3 — 38
First Quarter
G — Anthony Harris 1 run (Bryson Costa kick), 11:54
SRU — JayJay Jordan 1 run (Kevin Roberts kick), 9:31
SRU — Jordan 20 run (Roberts kick), 7:33
G — Damario Moore 89 kick return (Justin Novotney kick), 7:20
SRU — Quentin Harrison 57 run (Roberts kick), 6:34
Second Quarter
SRU — Jordan 10 run (Roberts kick), 11:24
G — Ty Hurst 1 run (Costa kick), 5:34
G — Moore 38 pass from Hurst (Novotney kick), 3:32
G — James Faulkner 15 pass from Hurst (Costa kick), 1:04
Fourth Quarter
G — Costa 42 field goal, 14:55
SRU — John Sabo 29 pass from DaOne Owens (Roberts kick), 12:41
Individual Statistics
Passing: SRU, DaOne Owens 12-21-165-2. Gannon, Ty Hurst 13-19-209-0, Anthony Harris 2-4-45-1.
Rushing: SRU, JayJay Jordan 21-247, Quentin Harrison 4-76, DaOne Owens 8-42, Xander McClure 1-9. Gannon, Tristen Kenan 19-83, Ty Hurst 18-66, Damario Moore 4-28, Anthony Harris 2-9. TEAM 1-(-2).
Receiving: SRU, Joe White 5-72, John Sabo 3-51, Xander McClure 2-23, JayJay Jordan 2-19. Gannon, Z. Crawford-Patterson 4-72, James Faulkner 3-55, Damario Moore 3-46, Chazz Corley 2-35, Chase Holmes 1-25, Tristen Kenan 1-17, Matt Cannone 1-4.
