Mercyhurst 34, Slippery Rock 10.

The score was eye-popping enough. Slippery Rock University's football team had not been beaten that badly by a Division IIopponent in more than a decade.

The manner in which The Rock lost that game was even more disturbing. SRU was manhandled up front on both sides of the ball.

Mercyhurst possessed the ball for 38 minutes and ran 25 more offensive plays than The Rock.

In fact, SRU has been outgained by more than 200 yards the past two weeks. Those two opponents? Gannon and Mercyhurst, the two newcomers to the PSACWest.

Do these facts indicate trouble for The Rock?

Indeed.

Games like last Saturday's at Mercyhurst might become more commonplace for a Rock football program that has endured only two losing seasons since 1991.

It all comes down to money and financial commitment.

Like other PSAC schools, Slippery Rock is faced with a difficult choice:Up the ante in terms of available football scholarships or settle for having a noncontending football program.

Since the PSACexpanded its previous football scholarship limit of 25 to the national limit of 36, it's put up or be put down time for member schools.

Gannon and Mercyhurst are barely under the national scholarship limit. California (Pa.) is near the limit and Indiana (Pa.) is committed to getting there.

As IUPcoach Lou Tepper said during the preseason:"This gives the schools that choose to compete a viable chance to succeed at the national level."

Notice the phrase, "choose to compete."

SRU offers the equivalent of 13 full football scholarships. No one on this year's team is on a full scholarship.

Edinboro offers nearly the same amount of scholarships as The Rock while Clarion and Lock Haven are at 10 or fewer.

Talk about the haves and have-nots.

This is like the Pirates trying to compete in the same division as the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

Good luck with that.

When SRUreached the national semifinals in 1998, losing to Carson-Newman 47-21, it offered the equivalent of 24 full football scholarships. The PSAClimit was 25 in those days.

Carson-Newman was at the national limit and outscored The Rock 28-0 in the fourth quarter.

Not all success in college football comes down to money. But it doesn't hurt. And it helps to have it.

Gannon, Mercyhurst, IUPand Cal are set to corner the market on prime Division IIfootball recruits from this region. Slippery Rock, Clarion, Edinboro and Lock Haven are left to pick at the scraps.

SRUhas a veteran coaching staff and likely will field a decent team in the years to come.

But games like last week — and perhaps this week — when The Rock eventually succumbs to superior strength, speed and talent?

Get used to it.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle.