SLIPPERY ROCK — Slippery Rock University and Tiffin have a combined 22-1 record entering Saturday’s Division II football playoff clash at Frost-Kalnow Stadium for a reason.

Both make impact plays on both sides of the ball.

Often.

“I do think we’re mirror images of each other in that respect,” SRU coach Shawn Lutz said.

“This is playoff football. It’s not complicated,” Tiffin coach Cris Reisert said. “We have to win the line of scrimmage. Whichever team wins the battle in the trenches is gonna win this game.”

If their statistics are any indication, the Dragons (11-0) win the battle in the trenches often. Tiffin averages 264 yards per game on the ground — No. 5 in NCAA Division II in that category — and uses four running backs to get that done. Ronald Blackman, Devin Nelson, Tyrese Banks-Dorn and Carson Gresock have combined to rush for over 2,700 yards and 34 touchdowns this season.

By comparison, SRU’s Khalid Dorsey, Chris D’Or and Isaiah Edwards have combined for over 1,900 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Conversely, The Rock (10-1) ranks only 111th nationally in run defense, allowing 166.2 yards on the ground. SRU did stifle East Stroudsburg’s strong ground game last week in a 45-14 playoff win.

“It’s no secret what those guys are going to try to do,” Lutz said. “It’s up to us to not allow them to control the game that way. And when we have the ball, we need to go up-tempo on them.”

Tiffin starting quarterback Kason Martin went down with an injury in the ninth game of the season, Keegan Ray has stepped in to complete 50 of 76 passes for 731 yards, six touchdowns and only one interception. The Dragons have thrown only five picks all year and lead the nation in takeaway-turnover ratio.

The Dragons have three receivers with between 23 and 42 receptions on the year.

“We like to involve a lot of people in our offense, spread the ball around,” Reisert said. “Slippery Rock does the same thing. That makes you harder to defend.”

Tiffin is allowing only 13.6 points per game. The Dragons have allowed 32 total points in the last five games.

The Rock ranks 10th nationally in passing offense at 281.5 yards per game Tiffin ranks eighth in passing defense, allowing only 142.8 yards per game.

The teams average 44.5 (Tiffin) and 42.7 (SRU), points per game, respectively. They’ve also combined for 35 interceptions, 18 of those belonging to Tiffin, and 140 total touchdowns.

The Dragons are hosting their first playoff game since 1994. A former NAIA program, Tiffin is in the Division II playoffs for the second time. The team lost to Kutztown in the first round in 2018.

Tiffin was 6-5 last season. Reisert is 40-10 in his coaching career there.

“We have a fairly young team,” Reisert said. “We lost five games by a combined 13 points last season. These guys have had to learn how to win.”

The Rock and Tiffin have met on the football field once before. SRU defeated the Dragons 45-13 in 2001, three days before the world-altering events of Sept. 11 of that year.

Kickoff is at noon.