SLIPPERY ROCK— Everything was going according to plan.

Tie game. Taking possession at your own 31-yard line with 7:33 left. Run the ball. Run the clock. Kick the game-winning field goal with seconds remaining.

"That's the way we envisioned it,"Slippery Rock University football coach George Mihalik said.

Only SRU was derailed on a fourth-and-1 play as Damarcus Cleckley was nailed for a two-yard loss with 4:27 remaining. Indiana (Pa.) marched 46 yards on 10 plays the other way.

The Crimson Hawks (4-0) scored a 34-31 victory over The Rock when Matt McNelis booted a 28-yard field goal on the game's final play Saturday night at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium.

Mihalik used all three of his timeouts to try to freeze the sophomore kicker, but to no avail.

"I like when teams do that,"McNelis said of the timeouts. "It gives me time to relax out there on the field."

"The timeouts were there. We had to use them,"Mihalik said. "Whether we use them there or on defense, it doesn't matter. You have to play the game out.

"They were getting a lot of yards on first down. There wasn't much chance for us to use them on defense."

Both teams netted more than 400 yards offensively in a game that involved two of the top ranked defenses — and offenses — in the PSAC.

"Two great offenses moving the ball up and down the field,"Mihalik said. "It shaped up as one of those games where the last team that had the ball ..."

Only Mihalik figured that would be his team.

SRU(4-1) rushed for 202 yards against an IUPdefense that was allowing a conference-low 51 rushing yards per game. Corey Manfull had 18 carries for 99 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone, but bruised his shoulder late in the half and did not return.

The Rock lost yardage on one rushing play all night — the ill-fated fourth-and-1 play.

"He tripped,"SRUquarterback Nate Crookshank said of Cleckley on that play. "He tripped over my leg, actually. We got crossed up on that play."

The play was designed to go outside, but never got the chance.

"That play was all heart for us,"IUPdefensive back Quinton Cobb said. "They ran on us all night. We had to rise up and stop them there.

"It was our last chance. The game was on the line. That's when you have to step up and make the play."

IUPsophomore quarterback and North Allegheny product Andrew Krewatch made plays all night. He completed 11 of 12 passes for 150 yards and three touchdowns in the first quarter alone.

Krewatch threw for 310 yards on the night, including a 16-yard completion to Ken Witter on a third-and-7 play to keep the game-winning drive alive.

"The middle of the field was open all night," Witter said.

IUPthrew 40 passes in the game, including 25 in the first half.

"We came in wanting to be more balanced offensively,"IUPCoach Loiu Tepper said. "But we just couldn't run the ball very well."

The Crimson Hawks turned the ball over three times in the first half. A.J. Saunders recovered a fumble near midfield. Sam Morant and Anthony Walls intercepted passes deep in Rock territory.

"They weren't really stopping us,"Krewatch said. "We were stopping ourselves."

Paul Favers caught two deep passes against double-coverage for SRUin the first half — the first resulting in a 58-yard touchdown — to keep The Rock in the game early.

"Throw him the ball in coverage and he'll go up and come down with it,"Mihalik said. "Those were two great catches.

"I was pleased the way we fought back after falling behind 21-7. This was a great college football game between two proud programs. It's a shame we had to come out on the short end of it."

Notes:Jake Barzen led The Rock with 12 tackles, including a quarterback sack. It was only the second time Krewatch has been sacked all year. ... Mihalik is 4-17 in his career vs. IUP. ... IUPis 122-16-1 in PSACWest play since 1984. ... The Crimson Hawks won their 25th consecutive PSAC West opener.

<B>Indiana (Pa.) 21 0 7 6—34Slippery Rock 7 14 3 7—31IUP SRU</B>25 First Downs 1635-101 Rushes-Yards 38-202310 Passing Yards 20627-40-2 Passes (Comp.-Att.-Int.) 10-19-2411 Total Yards 4082-1 Fumbles/Lost 0-05-26 Penalties-Yards 5-50<B>First Quarter</B>IUP— Ken Witter 16 pass from Andrew Krewatch (Craig Burgess kick), 6:35SRU— Paul Favers 58 pass from Nate Crookshank (C.J. Bahr kick), 5:19IUP— Garrett Lestochi 10 pass from Krewatch (Matt McNelis kick), 1:22IUP— Mychal Skinner 50 pass from Krewatch (Burgess kick), :09<B>Second Quarter</B>SRU— Corey Manfull 1 run (Bahr kick), 11:58SRU — Manfull 2 run (Bahr kick), 8:00<B>Third Quarter</B>IUP — Anthony Guerra 1 run (McNelis kick), 11:04SRU — Bahr 29 field goal, 7:23<B>Fourth Quarter</B>IUP— McNelis 42 field goal, 13:10SRU — Ryan Lehmeier 37 run (Bahr kick), 8:46IUP — McNelis 28 field goal, :00<B>Individual Statistics</B><B>Passing:</B> IUP, Andrew Krewatch 27-40-310-2. SRU, Nate Crookshank 10-19-206-2.<B>Rushing:</B> IUP, Poohbear McNeal 18-55, Kareem Dutrieuille 11-44, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah 2-6, Garrett Lestochi 1-1, Anthony Guerra 1-1, Anthony Rodriguez 1-1, Andrew Krewatch 1-(-7). SRU, Corey Manfull 18-99, Ryan Lehmeier 5-49, Damarcus Cleckley 11-41, Nate Crookshank 3-11, Paul Favers 1-2.<B>Receiving:</B> IUP, Anthony Cellitti 7-62, Dan Pickens 6-66, Ken Witter 6-63, Mychal Skinner 30-64, Garrett Lestochi 3-26, Poohbear McNeal 1-15, Kareem Dutrieuille 1-4. SRU, Terry Grossetti 3-57, Paul Favers 2-100, Frank Cremonese 2-19, Colin Golden 2-7, Josh Prigorac 1-23.