INDIANA — The Rock didn’t crumble.

If anything, it grew more solid.

Buoyed by eight sacks, four interceptions and 234 yards rushing Saturday, Slippery Rock University snapped a two-game skid with a 31-21 football victory over rival Indiana at Miller Stadium.

“I told the guys all week that this game would be about pride and manhood,” SRU coach George Mihalik said. “Both were going to be tested today.”

The win keeps Division II playoff hopes alive for The Rock (6-2, 5-2), which can only win the PSAC West title with wins the next two weeks coupled with a pair of California (Pa.) losses. An at-large playoff bid remains a possibility.

Saturday’s victory was the 182nd of Mihalik’s career, tying him with retired IUP coach Frank Cignetti for fourth on the PSAC’s all-time list.

The Crimson Hawks (5-3, 4-3) entered the game ranked second in all of Division II in run defense, allowing only 53.3 yards rushing per game. The Rock’s Shamar Greene eclipsed that total less than four minutes into the contest when he rambled 65 yards down the left sideline for the game’s first score.

Greene wound up with 21 carries for 128 yards and now has 1,071 yards rushing on the year. Saturday marked his first 100-yard rushing effort since Week 4.

“The running game had to return today and I knew this would be the day,” Greene said. “Our line opened up the gaps and we found the holes.

“The running game went back to setting up our passing game. That’s how we play football.”

Julian Durden added 80 yards rushing on 15 carries. His 11-yard scoring run capped an 80-yard drive that gave SRU a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.

“One of the things we needed to do in this game was stop their running game. We didn’t do that,” IUP coach Curt Cignetti said.

A Joe Phllips interception inside the IUP 10-yard line set up a 20-yard Mike Wainauskas field goal and a 17-0 Rock lead with 10:34 left in the half. Some ill-timed penalties helped the Crimson Hawks pull close from there.

An offside call and personal foul penalty on The Rock negated an IUP punt and the Crimson Hawks maintained possession. Moments later, IUP quarterback Chase Haslett found Drew Carswell in the end zone for a 20-yard scoring toss on a 3rd-and-15 play.

On IUP’s next possession, a defensive holding penalty wiped out a third-down incompletion and would-be punt for the Crimson Hawks. Carswell concluded another 75-yard scoring drive with a 5-yard TD catch just 55 seconds before halftime.

Carswell, a transfer from Pitt, caught seven passes for 110 yards in the first half. He managed but one catch for eight yards in the second.

“He was hurting us, so we rolled over some safety help to take him away,” SRU defensive coordinator Shawn Lutz said.

Cignetti acknowledged that adjustment made a difference.

“We wanted to go to him (Carswell), but that option wasn’t there,” the coach said. “We had to look for other people and there were other plays available.

“We just didn’t make them.”

A botched snap cost IUP’s Brett Ullman a 39-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter. The Crimson Hawks did not elect to go for three points again.

A fourth-down pass from the SRU 6 was intercepted by Devin Ghafoor late in the first quarter. IUP turned the ball over on downs at The Rock 29 to end the first possession of the second half.

“I lost confidence in our kicking unit after that early bad snap,” Cignetti admitted.

Jared Buck threw touchdown passes of 25 yards to Melvin German and seven yards to Durden in the second half as SRU widened its lead to 31-14. Buck only attempted 14 passes all day as The Rock ran the ball 52 times..

Derrick Fulmore and Austin Miele added interceptions of Haslett to thwart IUP scoring threats.

Haslett completed a 63-yard touchdown pass to Walt Pergues with 1:11 to play, but it was of little consolation.

“I hurt my team today,” Haslett said. “You can’t have the interceptions. Nothing else matters. Those mistakes were on me.

“We can still win eight games ... 8-3 is a good season. Do that in Division I, you go to the Capital One Bowl or something. In Division II, it gets you nothing.”

The Crimson Hawks lead the PSAC in turnovers this season.

“We knew the possibility of taking the ball away was there today, that they were having problems in that area,” Miele said. “We worked hard all week on ripping the ball away.”

Notes: Saturday’s loss was only the fourth home defeat in Cignetti’s four years as IUP coach ... The Crimson Hawks managed just 26 net yards rushing. ... Ghafoor, starting at corner for the injured Admire Carter, had 11 tackles to pace The Rock. Miele had 10 tackles. ... The Rock amassed its 234 rushing yards despite the absence of Teddy Blakeman, out with an injury. ... Linebacker Kevin Clarke had 21 tackles, 12 solos, for IUP. ... Indiana leads the all-time series 49-38-2 and SRU won at IUP for the first time since 2006.

SRU 31, Indiana 21

Slippery Rock 7 10 7 7 — 31

Indiana 0 14 0 7 — 21

SRU IUP

17 First Downs 24

52-234 Rushes-Yards 30-26

142 Passing Yards 361

10-14-0 Comp.-Att.-Int 26-50-4

376 Total Yards 387

2-1 Fumbles-Lost 1-0

13-126 Penalty Yards 6-48

First Quarter

SRU — Shamar Greene 65 run (Mike Wainauskis kick), 11:32

Second Quarter

SRU — Julian Durden 11 run (Wainauskis kick), 12:24

SRU — Wainauskis 20 field goal, 10:34

IUP — Drew Carswell 20 pass from Chase Haslett (Brett Ullman kick), 5:14

IUP — Carswell 5 pass from Haslett (Ullman kick), :55

Third Quarter

SRU — Melvin German 25 pass from Jared Buck (Wainauskis kick), 7:00

Fourth Quarter

SRU — Durden 7 pass from Buck (Wainauskis kick), 6:31

IUP — Walt Pegues 63 pass from Haslett (Ullman kick), 1:11

Individual Statistics

Rushing: SRU, Shamar Greene 21-128 Julian Durden 15-80, Jared Buck 12-29, Leroy McClain 1-3, Jaimire Dutrieuille 1-(-2), TEAM 2-(-4). IUP, Luigi Lista-Brinza 15-49, Izzy Green 4-22, Chase Haslett 11-(-45).

Passing: SRU, Jared Buck 10-14-142-2. IUP, Chase Haslett 26-50-361-4.

Receiving: SRU, Melvin German 4-52, Shamar Greene 3-59, Drew Scales 1-14, Jaimire Dutrieuille 1-10, Julian Durden 1-7. IUP, Drew Carswell 8-118, Brock DeCicco 6-58, Walt Pegues 5-118, Darian Bradley 3-12, Salath Williams 2-28, Tristan Davis 1-16, Kevin Edwards 1-11.