SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — It is always good to have a little luck on your side. It is even better to have Aden Shay.

A game that looked like it may be a slow burn on offense from both sides several drives into the first quarter ended up seeing Shay haul in a ricochet off a defender’s helmet and take it 87 yards to the house. The score provided the final touch on Slippery Rock football’s 47-14 takedown of Titusville on Friday night at Troy-Alan Stadium.

“Honestly, I just had turned my head. I thought it was a completed pass, but when I saw the ricochet, I'm like, ‘Hey, God's with us tonight,’” Slippery Rock head coach Steve Monteleone said.

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Shay rounded out the night with over 300 total yards and four touchdowns.

After a promising first Slippery Rock (2-1) drive ended with an interception, neither side could get much going offensively. Titusville’s second drive started similarly before Chase Harrison found a gap in coverage to reel in a 44-yard touchdown.

Slippery Rock would not take long to respond. It proceeded to amass three touchdowns of at least 70 yards between their next five offensive plays.

The first score came when Peyton Reich took a short pass down the middle of the field 71 yards into the end zone. The next two scores consisted of 167 Shay rushing yards on two carries, giving Slippery Rock a 21-7 lead with just over six minutes left in the half.

While much credit needs to go toward Shay’s heroics, it was due in no small part to Slippery Rock quarterback Jon Petras’ immediate recovery from thrown interception.

“Jonny is very calm, very poised, and that's good for a quarterback,” Monteleone said. “He bounced back, and it's a credit to him. And, you know, he's like a quarterback. And like I said, he has a demeanor because he's real calm.”

Despite the slow start, Petras went on to throw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns.

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The Slippery Rock defensive line was able to generate pressure consistently throughout the night, not giving Titusville (1-2) quarterback Hunter Martin much time to operate.

“They did a pretty good job, but at the same time, we were sloppy at times and missed our assignments,” Monteleone said. “We have to go back and work on that, but our defensive line played really well.”

Martin was able to pull off a few well-thrown deep balls, but even then, the SR secondary was usually there to make a play on the ball.

After a Logan Schlobohm receiving touchdown and another ground score by Shay, Petras ripped off his best throw of the night. The junior quarterback spotted Schlobohm in a tight window up the field and laced a bullet perfectly in between two defenders for a 71-yard touchdown, bringing the score to 40-14 with 8:42 left in the third quarter.

All that was left was Shay’s aforementioned ricochet score to add an exclamation point to the performance.

The senior running back was in a spot he is used to: 1-on-1 downfield with just one defensive back to beat. The difference this time was that he had to catch the ball too. His concentration and hands proved to be more than enough.

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“I see the ball hit off this helmet and I did not expect the ball to come to me,” Shay said. “The ball just fell right in my hands, like a little present, and I took it to the end zone.”

Of course, the only thought going through Shay’s mind when he peers forward and sees just one defensive back to beat is pure confidence.

“(I’m just thinking) I'm gonna beat him,” Shay said.

Titusville 7 0 7 0 — 14

Slippery Rock 7 27 13 0 — 47

1st Quarter

T — Chase Harrison 44 pass from Hunter Martin (Martin kick)

SR — Peyton Reich 71 pass from Jon Petras (Zack Lasko kick)

2nd Quarter

SR — Aden Shay 70 run (kick blocked)

SR — Shay 97 run (Petras run)

SR — Logan Schlobohm 24 pass from Petras (kick blocked)

SR — Shay 5 run (Lasko kick)

3rd Quarter

T — Martin 5 run (Martin kick)

SR — Schlobohm 71 pass from Petras (kick blocked)

SR — Shay 87 pass from Petras (Lasko kick)

Individual Statistics

RUSHING: Slippery Rock, Shay 11-193, Petras 6-36, Derek Coyle 4-8, Carter Rudish 3-13, Reich 3-15, Dom Erdos 3-18. Titusville, Hunter Martin 17-62, Adam Reynolds 4-14, Axel Brooks 4-9, Weston Wakefield 15-33, Dalton Knapp 3-(-1), TEAM 1-(-4).

PASSING: Slippery Rock, 8-12-303-1. Titusville, Hunter Martin 9-25-145-2.

RECEIVING: Slippery Rock, Schlobohm 3-100-2 Tds, Shay 2-119-1 TD, Dom Mineo 1-6, Reich 2-78-1 TD. Titusville, Chase Harrison 4-74-1 TD, Reynolds 2-42, Wakefield 1-18, Knapp 2-11.