SLIPPERY ROCK — Patience will not be a virtue Saturday — at least not where Slippery Rock University is concerned.

The Rock (11-0) hosts Shepherd (10-2) in the second round of the NCAA Division II football playoffs at 1 p.m. at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium. While SRU had a first-round bye as the top-ranked team in Super Region One, the Rams got past Indiana (Pa.), 31-27, on the road for their eighth straight win last week.

It's how they did it that grabbed Rock coach Shawn Lutz's attention.

“If we sit back and play coverage, what happens to us will be the same thing that happened to IUP,” Lutz said. “That quarterback will pick us apart all day.

“We have to play press coverage, one-on-one on the outside and try to apply pressure. If they beat us over the top, they beat us over the top. We're not sitting back.”

Shepherd sophomore quarterback Tyson Bagent completed 35 of 39 passes for 389 yards and four touchdowns against IUP. He's thrown for 3,926 yards and 32 touchdowns on the season.

Bagent was not sacked once by IUP, which led the PSAC in quarterback sacks in 2019.

“Tyson makes quick decisions with the ball,” Shepherd coach Ernie McCook said. “He's very good at that. He knows when to check it down and our O-line is very good at pass protection.”

Bagent has been sacked only eight times in 12 games all season.

Running back Deonte Glover rushed for 117 yards and caught four passes for 75 in last week's Ram playoff win. He has 1,223 yards rushing on the year.

“That kid is the best running back we've seen all season,” Lutz said. “He's similar to Nelson Brown (of California. Pa.), but he has more overall talent.

“Look at Glover's numbers Saturday and that will be a good indication of how this game went. If he has a big day, we're probably not going to advance.”

SRU's run defense has struggled the past three weeks, giving up 168 yards on the ground to California, 144 to Gannon and 237 to Kutztown. From weeks 2 through 8, SRU gave up an average of 52.4 yards rushing.

“We're not physically big on defense,” Lutz allowed. “I think we've worn down a little bit. We're starting our three most physical linebackers Saturday because we have to bottle (Glover) up.”

Those linebackers are Butler graduate Tim Vernick, Shane Schuback and Brad Zaffram.

One thing the bye week did was allow The Rock to get healthy. Strong safety Dalton Holt returns after missing two games and defensive end Garrett de Bien — who was on crutches during the Kutztown game two weeks ago — is ready to go.

“Our reward for beating IUP is we get to play the top-ranked team in the region,” McCook said. “Slippery Rock has quality athletes all over the field. They are well-coached and well-schemed.

“This is an uphill battle for us. We will have to play very well to win, but we feel we can line up and compete with these guys.”

Shepherd is averaging 505 yards of offense per game. The Rams are completing 70 percent of their passes and their 20 interceptions are fifth-most in the nation.

The Rams do have a tendency to fumble the ball, having turned it over 24 times (13 fumbles, 11 interceptions) this season. Their top receivers are Ryan Brewer (93 catches-1,180 yards) and Devin Phelps (57-961).

SRU counters with a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Henry Litwin and Jermaine Wynn Jr. They are the first tandem to tally 1,000 yards receiving in SRU history.

Roland Rivers III continues to shine at quarterback. He needs 200 yards of offense Saturday to snap Nigel Barksdale's school record of 4,199 offensive yards in a season.

“Everything starts with him,” McCook said. “He's a big, physical guy who makes great reads.”

Middle linebacker Chrys Lane leads Shepherd defensively with 93 tackles, including 60 solo stops. Defensive end Kyle Smith has 16 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks while fellow end Juwan Addison has 12.5 TFL's and seven sacks.

“Special teams will be important in this game, too,” Lutz said. “Shepherd has made big plays there. We need to control things in that area.

“We have to limit their big plays and limit our own mistakes to win. There's only 16 teams left in Division II. Do we want to be one of the final eight? That's what it all comes down to.”

Notes: SRU leads the series between the teams 3-2. Their last meeting was a 28-16 Rams' playoff win in 2015, George Mihalik's final game as Rock head coach. ... These two teams are tied for last in all of Div. II with 123 penalties on the year. ... SRU is 36-3 in home games since 2013 and are 6-1 all-time in home playoff games. ... If SRU wins, it will host the Kutztown-Notre Dame (Ohio) winner next Saturday.