No. 11 Rock set to host New Haven Saturday in opener - Slippery Rock University Athletics (2024)

Football 9/2/2024 3:15:00 PM Jon Holtz, Athletic Communication

No. 11 Slippery Rock will open the 2024 season at home against defending Northeast 10 Conference champion New Haven Saturday at 1 p.m. Information regarding tickets, parking, tailgating, fan policies and live coverage is available here, along with complete game notes.

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The 11th-ranked Slippery Rock University football team will host the University of New Haven Saturday at 1 p.m. at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium in the 2024 season opener.

Below you will find all pertinent information regarding tickets, parking, tailgating and live coverage, along with complete game notes.

LIVE INTERNET COVERAGE
• Live Stats | Provided by SRU Athletic Communication.
• Live Streaming Video | Provided by SRU Athletic Communication.
• Live Audio (Online and Radio) | Provided by The Rock Station 97.7 FM (Butler County).
• X (formerly Twitter) | In-game updates and highlights.

WATCH ON YOUR TV
• Fans can watch the game live and on-demand for free on the Rock Athletics Digital Network, created and operated by the SRU Athletic Communication Office.
• Search for "Rock Athletics Digital Network" in the app stores on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku and Android TV devices to download the app. All 10 regular season SRU football games will be available on the app.

MOBILE APP
• Fans can also watch all PSAC football games on the PSAC Sports Digital Network mobile app that is available for free in the app stores on Apple and Android devices.

CASHLESS TRANSACTIONS THIS YEAR
As part of the University's attempt to move to cashless events, SRU Athletics plans to operate cashless for football this year. All parking lots, tickets and concessions will be card only. Please plan accordingly. Fans can save time and help speed up the entry process by purchasing tickets and Lot A parking in advance.

TICKETS
All fans are encouraged to help speed up the entry process by purchasing tickets online in advance and using the mobile QR code for entry on game day. Visit the links below to purchase tickets in advance.

• Purchase Single-Game Tickets | Purchase Season Tickets
• Stadium gates will open at 11:30 a.m.
• Chair-Back Reserved Seat - $15
• Reserved Bench Seat - $15
• Adult General Admission - $10
• Students Ages 6-High School – $5
• Children Ages 6 and Under – FREE
• SRU Students – FREE with valid student ID
• Students from Other Colleges - $5 with valid student ID

SRU FAN PARKING | Parking Map and Prices (PDF)
• Lot A Reserved Parking is Only Available as Presale at Links Below!
• Lot A Single-Game Parking | Lot A Season Parking
• Lots open at 9 a.m.
• Free Parking Available in other campus lots
• Shuttles will circle the paid parking lots to assist with transportation to the gates
• Campus Map | Stadium is #56 on Map

NEW HAVEN FAN PARKING
• Parking Map (PDF)
• Visiting fans can park together and tailgate in Lot E ($10).
• Lot opens at 9 a.m.
• GPS Address: 246 Harmony Road, Slippery Rock, PA
• Visiting fans can enter the game through gate six, located at the field hockey/lacrosse building, which provides direct access to the visiting bleachers.
• Campus Map | Visitor parking is above building #61. Entry gate is at building #61.

TAILGATING
• Tailgating is allowed in paid lots four hours before kickoff (lots open at 9 a.m.)
• No Tailgating at halftime
• All Tailgaters must enter game at kickoff
• Tailgaters must vacate the lots 90 minutes after the game ends
• No hard liquor or glass bottles
• Adhere to all campus tailgating rules found HERE.

STUDENT GATE PROCEDURES
Students should still bring their valid ID to enter the game through the student gate, but will also need to use the CORE application on their cell phones. Login to your CORE account to access the event QR code that will be scanned at the gate. Only CURRENT students will be allowed to enter through the student gate. To speed up entry into the game, students should add the event in advance and be prepared to scan their code at the entry gate.

HALL OF FAME WEEKEND
Slippery Rock will induct its 40th Athletics Hall of Fame class Friday evening and will recognize the seven-person class during halftime of Saturday's game. More information about the Hall of Fame Class of 2024 is available HERE.

THE GAME
Slippery Rock will welcome New Haven to Mihalik-Thompson Stadium to open the 2024 season when the teams meet Saturday at 1 p.m. in a non-conference game. This marks the first meeting for SRU and New Haven since 2018 after they met three times from 2015-18.

ALL-TIME SERIES | Game-by-Game Scores
Slippery Rock and New Haven will meet for the seventh time in a series that began in 1986. Both teams have won three previous meetings with New Haven winning the first three meetings in the series and Slippery Rock winning the most recent three, all which came since 2015. New Haven's last win in the series came in the 1997 NCAA Playoffs. The most recent meeting was the second round of the 2018 NCAA Playoffs, where SRU went to New Haven and came away with a 59-20 victory.

• First Meeting: 1986 (UNH won 10-0)
• Last Meeting: 2018 (SRU won 59-20)
• Current Streak: Slippery Rock +3
• at UNH: Tied 2-2
• at SRU: Tied 1-1
• Most Points Scored (UNH): 49 (1997)
• Biggest Win Margin (UNH): 28 (1997)
• Most Points Scored (SRU): 59 (2018)
• Biggest Win Margin (SRU): 39 (2018)
• Last SRU Win: 2018 at UNH (59-20)

COACHING MATCHUP
Slippery Rock head coach Shawn Lutz is in his 29th overall year at The Rock and his ninth year (eighth season) as head coach, where he owns a 70-19 record with five PSAC West titles and five trips to the NCAA playoffs. Lutz was the PSAC West Coach of the Year in 2018, 2019 and 2023 and was the Don Hansen Football Gazette Division II National Coach of the Year in 2019. The 70 wins are the most among all PSAC head coaches since the 2016 season. Lutz was an assistant at SRU for 20 years before taking over the program in 2016. He has been a member of the coaching staff for 13 of SRU's 20 PSAC West titles. Lutz played tight end at West Virginia University, graduating in 1996, and earned a master's degree in sport management from SRU in 2003.

Chris Pincince enters his 11th year and 10th season in charge of the New Haven program. He is the all-time wins leader at UNH and owns a career record of 68-31 for a .687 winning percentage during his time with the Chargers. Pincince has led the team to nine straight winning seasons entering this fall and hasn't lost more than three games in a season since 2017. He has taken UNH to the NCAA Playoffs four times, including each of the last three years. Pincince earned his bachelor's degree from Boston University in 1994.

NATIONAL RANKINGS
Slippery Rock enters the year ranked No. 11 in the AFCA Division II national rankings after being one of just 12 teams to be ranked in every week in 2023. New Haven is one of the teams in the "also receiving votes" section of the AFCA poll to open the year. The Rock were No. 10 in the D2football.com preseason national poll. Both of the Division II preseason national polls are available on page 12 on the PDF notes linked above.

NEW HAVEN QUICK HITS
• New Haven was the 2023 Northeast 10 Conference champion and has made three straight trips to the NCAA Playoffs.
• The Chargers were picked to win the Northeast 10 again this year in the NE10 preseason poll.
• New Haven has put together 13 consecutive winning seasons entering this fall.
• UNH led the NE10 in scoring last year at 27.5 points per game and ranked No. 2 in the NE10 in scoring defense, allowing just 16.8 points per game. The Chargers averaged 296.0 yards per game on offense with 123.4 yards on the ground and 172.6 passing yards. Opponents went for 268.3 yards per game with 113.5 rushing yards and 154.7 passing yards.
• New Haven allowed just seven passing TD in 11 games last fall.
• Safety Giye Jenkins was the 2023 NE10 Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-America honors with five INT and eight pass breakups in 2023. DL Jack Quander was the NE10 Defensive Lineman of the Year with 9.0 TFL and 2.5 sacks to go along with 39 total tackles.
• Boston College transfer QB Daelen Menard is back this year after starting all 11 games in 2023. He completed 51 percent of his passes for 1,641 yards with 22 TD and just six INT in 2023.
• Starting RB Christopher Ais is also back after rushing for 590 yards and three TD, averaging 4.3 yards per carry in seven games last year.
• The top five pass catchers from last year are not on the roster this fall. The top returner is Mikey Caines, who caught five passes for 58 yards last year. TE Zoltan Panyi caught five passes for 56 yards and WR Matt Chandler caught three passes for 48 yards. Those three are all listed as starters, along with Logan Schmidt, who appeared in three games in 2023.

QUICK 2023 RECAP FOR SRU
Slippery Rock won its first 10 games of the season and finished the year with a 12-2 record after earning a fifth straight PSAC West title and reaching the NCAA Playoffs for the fifth straight year. The Rock advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for the third time in the last five years.

QUICK 2023 RECAP FOR UNH
New Haven went 8-3 overall and won the Northeast 10 Conference title after putting together a 6-1 record in the league. The Chargers reached the NCAA Playoffs for the third straight season before bowing out in the opening round with a 52-44 loss in a thriller on the road at the University of Charleston. All three losses last fall were one-possession games with a 3-point loss to Frostburg State, a 4-point loss to Saint Anselm and an 8-point loss at Charleson.

LAST MEETING – NOV. 24, 2018
Slippery Rock scored touchdowns on its first seven possessions and finished the game scoring on nine of its 10 total drives to run away with a 59-20 win on the road at New Haven in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Playoffs. SRU rushed for 263 yards behind Wes Hills, who averaged 8.2 yards per carry and finished with 188 yards and three TD on the ground. Roland Rivers III threw for 249 yards with four TD in a nearly perfect game from the QB position, completing 18-of-24 passes with no interceptions. New Haven threw for 271 yards with Ajee Patterson completing 20-of-31 passes. Patterson also ran for 32 yards and scored both UNH touchdowns with his legs.

SRU AGAINST THE NORTHEAST 10
Slippery Rock has won its last six games against teams from the Northeast 10 and hasn't lost to a team from the NE10 since a 49-21 loss to No. 2 New Haven in the NCAA Playoffs in 1997. The Rock defeated Merrimack (former NE10 team that is now an FCS school) in 2010, New Haven in 2015, 2016 and 2018 and Assumption in 2015 and 2022 in their last six games against the NE10. This game will mark the first game against an NE10 team since SRU defeated No. 3 seed Assumption on the road in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Playoffs.

CAPTAINS
Slippery Rock has named six captains for the 2024 season with two on offense, three on defense and one on special teams. The offensive captains are QB Brayden Long and TE Kam Kruzelyak. The defensive captains are DT Munchie Johnson, DB Eddie Faulkner IV and DB Josh Stokes. The special teams captain is LS Josh George. Long, Kruzelyak and Johnson are all two-time captains after serving as captains in 2022 as well.

14 STRAIGHT SEASON-OPENING WINS
Slippery Rock is looking to lock up a season-opening win for the 15th consecutive season. The last time SRU failed to win its first game of the season was all the way back in 2008 on the road at Seton Hill. The Rock are 6-0 on the road and 8-0 at home over the last 14 season openers.

17 STRAIGHT WINS IN HOME OPENERS
Slippery Rock hasn't lost its home opener since 2005, winning its first home game of the season in each of the last 17 seasons. That streak includes a win over New Haven in the 2016 home opener when SRU was also ranked No. 11.

50TH SEASON FOR MIHALIK-THOMPSON STADIUM
This fall will mark the 50th season that SRU has called Mihalik-Thompson Stadium its home stadium. The stadium, formerly named N. Kerr Thompson Stadium in honor of The Rock's coach from 1920-45, opened in 1974. It was renamed as Mihalik-Thompson Stadium in 2011 to honor former head coach George Mihalik (1988-2015). The stadium has been a terrific home for The Rock with SRU compiling an impressive .730 winning percentage at home since it opened.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Rock football teams have compiled a 189-70 (.730) record the last 49 seasons in games played at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium (formerly known as N. Kerr Thompson Stadium). The Rock own an 89-25 (.781) home record since artificial turf was installed in the summer of 2003 and are 85-19 (.817) in home games since 2005. The numbers get even better in recent years, as The Rock are 67-10 (.870) at home since the beginning of the 2010 season and 54-7 (.885) since the beginning of the 2013 season.

KINGS OF THE WEST
Slippery Rock was picked to win the PSAC West in the PSAC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Rock have lost just two PSAC Western Division games since Oct. 21, 2017 and are 35-2 against the Division since then, including 33-2 in the last five full seasons that all resulted in PSAC West titles. SRU has won or at least shared nine of the 12 PSAC West titles dating back to 2011, easily leading all programs in the Division. SRU head coach Shawn Lutz is 38-4 against the PSAC West in the last six seasons and 41-8 against the Division in his career as head coach.

PLAYOFF STAPLES
Slippery Rock has reached the NCAA Division II Playoffs in each of the last five seasons and has made a playoff appearance in eight of the last 10 seasons. The Rock reached the NCAA quarterfinals in 2018, made the national semifinals in 2019, reached the first round in 2021, made the second round in 2022 and reached the quarterfinals in 2023. Slippery Rock's current streak of five straight trips to the playoffs is tied with Colorado School of Mines for the second-longest active streak among all Division II programs, trailing only Ferris State (9) for the longest active playoff streak in the country.

WINNING SEASONS STREAK
Slippery Rock has put together a winning season in each of the last 14 years, which ranks ninth among all Division II programs for the longest active winning seasons streak in the country. The only other program in the PSAC with more consecutive winning seasons currently is California (Pa.), which has strung together 19 winning seasons entering 2024. New Haven enters this fall with 13 consecutive winning seasons to its name.

AMONG ELITE COMPANY IN RANKINGS
Slippery Rock was one of just 12 Division II teams to appear in every AFCA national ranking poll in 2023 beginning with the preseason poll all the way through the final poll. The Rock finished the year ranked No. 10 in the final AFCA national poll in 2023. SRU has been ranked in every single national poll since the final poll of the 2018 season was released.

WE'VE PLAYED A LOT OF FOOTBALL
Slippery Rock has played 67 games over the last five seasons, which is the most games played among all Super Region One schools. The Rock are averaging an impressive 11.0 wins per year over those five seasons.

LINDY'S SPORTS PRESEASON RECOGNITION
Slippery Rock was ranked No. 10 in the Lindy's Sports preseason poll that was released earlier this summer. The Rock had three individual players mentioned in that publication with tight end Kam Kruzelyak and cornerback Josh Stokes being named preseason All-Americans and Notre Dame (Ohio) transfer running back Idris Lawrence being named the "Newcomer of the Year."

MORE PRESEASON HONORS
The Rock were ranked No. 10 by D2football.com, No. 10 in the NCAA.com Division II "Preseason Power 10" and No. 11 by the American Football Coaches Association. SRU led all schools in the region with four players named to the D2football.com Elite 100 Watch List with QB Brayden Long, RB Idris Lawrence, WR Rashawn Harvey and DB Josh Stokes earning recognition.

RETURNING ALL-PSAC PLAYERS
Slippery Rock returns five All-PSAC honorees from last season with QB Brayden Long, TE Kam Kruzelyak, OL Joe Cooper, DB Eddie Faulkner IV and DT Munchie Johnson all set to return.

17 STARTERS RETURNING
Slippery Rock will return 17 players that started at least five games last fall, including nine on the defensive side of the ball and four on the offensive side of the ball. The Rock also return all of their specialists from a year ago and the top kickoff return specialist in program history. Headlining the list of returners is Harlon Hill finalist quarterback Brayden Long, who was the PSAC West and Super Region One Athlete of the Year in 2023. Long ended up being named the PSAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The Rock also return All-Americans Josh Stokes and Eddie Faulkner IV in the defensive secondary and All-American tight end Kam Kruzelyak.

KEY LOSSES
The biggest losses come on the offensive side of the ball as The Rock will have to replace four starting offensive linemen and two of the top 10 receivers in the country. Kyle Sheets was a consensus All-American receiver that spent this summer with the Kansas City Chiefs after ranking sixth in the country in receiving yards a year ago. SRU must also replace slot receiver Cohen Russell, who was eighth in the country in receiving in 2023 as he and Sheets were the only two teammates in Division II with at least 1,100 yards each. Perhaps more importantly, SRU must replace four offensive linemen that all earned All-PSAC honors in their career. The Rock started the same OL group in all 14 games last year and will be without All-American Yuriy Hryckowian (LT) and All-PSAC honorees Colton Rossi (LG), Jeff Burkhart (C) and Nick Stazer (RG). SRU will also have to replace starting running back Khalid Dorsey, who rushed for 984 yards and 12 touchdowns, and its top two tacklers in linebacker Kyle Kudla (97 tackles) and safety Selvin Haynes (84 tackles).

IMPACT TRANSFERS
Slippery Rock will look to a combo of redshirt freshmen, true freshmen and transfers to fill the voids mentioned above with the expectation that many transfers will fill those spots. The most notable transfer skill players are running back Idris Lawrence, a 2023 All-American and two-time All-MEC athlete from Notre Dame (Ohio) who has rushed for more than 3,000 yards in his career and wide receiver Rashawn Harvey, who led West Liberty with 971 receiving yards and nine TD last year. Lawrence ranked No. 4 in Division II in rushing yards per game (127.2) in 2023 and Harvey was No. 8 in Division II in receiving yards per game (97.1) in 2023. SRU will also see offensive line transfers Cade Cameron (Quincy), Marshall Futrell (UNC Charlotte) and Anthony Jackson (Gannon) competing for spots on the line. The biggest impact transfers on the defensive side are linemen Todd Hill (Pitt), Thomas Lane IV (McNeese State) and John Brown (West Liberty). Hill was a three-time All-NEC linebacker at Duquesne before sitting out last year at Pitt.

LONG BACK TO LEAD QB ROOM
There was no battle for QB1 during camp this year as returning All-American and Harlon Hill Trophy finalist Brayden Long is back for his senior season. Long had a monster first year as a starter in 2023, racking up 3,808 passing yards and 35 TD with just six interceptions. His yardage and TD totals rank No. 2 in single-season history at SRU. In 15 career starts, Long has thrown for 4,057 yards to rank ninth all-time in SRU history. He ranks seventh in program history in TD passes and eighth in completions and enters this fall as the most accurate passer in SRU history, completing 68.3 percent of his career pass attempts (338-of-495).

"LONG" LIST OF HONORS FOR QB1
QB Brayden Long racked up a long list of honors both on the field and in the classroom in 2023. He was the PSAC West and Super Region One Offensive Athlete of the Year, a Don Hansen All-American and a national finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy, finishing fifth in the final voting for the Division II Player of the Year. Long was the PSAC Champion Scholar Award winner for owning the highest GPA of all players in the PSAC Championship game, becoming the only player in PSAC history to be named a Champion Scholar and an Athlete of the Year. He was also one of only two QBs in Division II to earn Academic All-America honors and closed his year by earning the NCAA Division II 50th Anniversary Scholarship and being named the overall PSAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Long graduated in May with a perfect 4.0 GPA after earning a degree in sport management with a minor in leadership. He is the 2024 SRU nominee for the William Campbell Trophy, known as the "Academic Heisman."

BACKUP QB SPOT
Slippery Rock added dual-threat Division I transfer Demeatric Crenshaw from Tennessee State this summer. Crenshaw started his career at Youngstown State, where he earned Missouri Valley Football Conference Freshman of the Year honors in 2021 after starting nine games for the Penguins. He threw for 791 yards and six touchdowns and ran for 599 and seven touchdowns. With his dynamic ability in the running game, SRU may roll out specific packages for Crenshaw this year. Redshirt freshman David Bahm also had a strong spring and fall camp and will compete with Crenshaw for the No. 2 spot.

RUNNING BACK DEPTH
SRU opens the year with an embarrassment of riches at the running back position. Former first team All-PSAC back Chris D'Or is likely to get the first touches this week. D'Or averaged 6.1 yards per carry and ran for 750 yards for SRU last fall. Over 37 career games at SRU, he is averaging 5.7 yards per carry with 20 career touchdowns. The next man in will be Idris Lawrence, a 2023 All-American transfer from Notre Dame (Ohio). Lawrence ranked fourth in Division II last year at 127.2 yards per game and has put together back-to-back 1,000+ yard seasons and more than 3,000 career yards entering this fall. Behind those two, SRU has a trio of other backs that would likely be on the two deep in most of the region. Redshirt freshman Quentin Harrison is a bruising back that is likely to see significant use this year. Division III transfer JayJay Jordan was the Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year last year at Wilkes after averaging 8.8 yards per carry. Jordan could end up redshirting to save a year of eligibility as a potential future starter at SRU. Luke McCoy appeared in five games last fall mostly in a cleanup roll, but managed to average 5.6 yards per carry on 25 touches and will be a valuable depth back this fall.

SKILLED IN THE SLOT
SRU will start the year with returners Tony Grimes and Kylon Wilson in the slot. Grimes caught 18 passes for 177 yards and one TD last year while playing behind Cohen Russell. Wilson, who may be the second fastest player in the region behind SRU defensive back Kanye Thompson, broke the SRU single-season record for kickoff return yards as a true freshman last year, but did not see much action on offense. He is expected to see a significant role on offense this year.

OUTSIDE RECEIVERS
The biggest question mark for the skill players entering the year is who will step up on the outside after the graduation of All-American Kyle Sheets. Logan Ramper is the top threat from the returners after starting every game last fall and grabbing 32 passes for 417 yards and six touchdowns. SRU also added a pair of transfers expected to see significant time right away with West Liberty transfer Rashawn Harvey and Notre Dame (Ohio) transfer Mike Solomon. Harvey was eighth in Division II at 97.1 yards per game last fall. Solomon caught 55 passes for 724 yards and three TD over two seasons at NDC.

TIGHT ENDS
All-American Kam Kruzelyak is back to lead the TE group. Kruzelyak rarely comes off the field, playing in pass formations and run blocking schemes. He also plays many special teams sets. Kruzelyak caught 46 passes for 465 yards and four touchdowns last year to rank third on the team in catches behind Kyle Sheets and Cohen Russell. Carson Heckathorn will enter the year as the backup. SRU also has the 2023 All-PSAC East first team TE Nas Jones from Bloomsburg, but Jones is likely to redshirt this season.

NEW-LOOK OFFENSIVE LINE
The biggest question mark for SRU overall is how quickly can the new-look offensive line develop this fall. The Rock lost four All-Conference starters on the offensive line with the only returning starter being Joe Cooper, who also earned All-PSAC honors last fall. Cooper started every game at right tackle last year but will move over to left tackle this year. The right tackle spot will be filled by former tight end Nathan Waltman, who switched positions after the fall and gained 50 pounds for the move to tackle. UNC Charlotte Transfer Marshall Futrell will start at left guard, Quincy transfer Cade Cameron will start at center and redshirt sophom*ore Luke Pugliese will start at right guard. Cameron started 33 straight games at the Division II level at Quincy. Pugliese made one appearance for SRU last year. The five starters average 299 pounds across the line and average just shy of 6-foot 4-inches.

EXPERIENCED DEFENSIVE LINE
SRU returns All-PSAC tackle Munchie Johnson, who led the team with 12.0 tackles for loss and led the line with 63 total stops in 2023. The Rock also welcome back tackle Daniel Tooson, who had 40 tackles and 7.5 TFL last fall. SRU will look to Pitt transfer Todd Hill for production on the edge. Hill was an All-Conference linebacker at Duquesne before transferring to Pitt. SRU also added West Liberty defensive end John Brown, who tallied 70 tackles and 9.5 TFL in 23 games for the Hilltoppers, and will look to the redshirt freshmen combo of Brian Young Jr. and Daniel Long for production on the edge. One area SRU hopes to improve this year is pressuring the QB. The Rock ranked 140th in Division II in team sacks last year, averaging just 1.07 sacks per game.

NEW STARTERS AT LINEBACKER
SRU will start the season with two second-year players starting at linebacker in sophom*ore Jacob Snow and redshirt freshman Teddy Gregory Jr. Andrew Vince, who started every game at defensive end in 2023, is expected to move into one of those starting roles early in the season when he returns from a preseason injury. Sophom*ore Max Heckert will also see time in the linebacker rotation, along with junior Tyree Johnson and returning starter Jake Miller.

ALL-AMERICANS LEAD EXPERIENCED SECONDARY
The Rock return three starters and two All-Americans in the secondary. Both starting corners, Ali Abdul-Hakim and Josh Stokes, are back this fall. Stokes was an All-American after leading the PSAC with five interceptions in 2023. All-American safety Eddie Faulkner IV is back for his senior season after racking up 63 tackles last fall. The other two safeties, Pooh Lawton and Michael Henwood, are both experienced and appeared in every game last year. SRU also has exceptional depth in the secondary with starting experience in corner Donnell Henriquez and safety Ben Lane.

BLAZING SPEED IN RETURN GAME
Slippery Rock boasts two of the fastest Division II football players in the country and they are both expected to play a significant role on special teams this year. Receiver Kylon Wilson broke the SRU single-season record for kickoff return yards last year and ranked No. 2 in the country with 793 yards on just 27 returns. His 29.4 yards per return ranked fifth in Division II in 2023. The Rock will look to defensive back Kanye Thompson for punt returns and possible kick returns this year. Thompson sat out last fall before having an explosive spring season on the track. He won the PSAC 100-meter dash title with the fastest time in the PSAC in nearly 20 years with an SRU record time of 10.27 seconds, which was the fastest time in the Atlantic Region and ranked as the 13th fastest 100-meter time in Division II in 2023.

KICKING GAME
SRU returns its kickers and snapper from last year with Mason Yohn expected to handle punting and kickoff duties again. He averaged 36.1 yards per punt and 53.4 yards per kickoff in 2023. The Rock will likely make a change in placekicking and start freshman Blake Nicholas as the PAT and field goal kicker after SRU went just 2-of-5 on field goal attempts in 2023. Snapper Josh George is back for his fourth straight season as the starter. It will mark the sixth straight season with a George handling the long snapping after Josh's older brother, Jacob, was the starter for two seasons.

FEATURED EVENTS ON THE SCHEDULE
The Rock will host just five home games during the regular season in 2024. The Sept. 7 season opener against New Haven will be the annual Hall of Fame game with the SRU Hall of Fame Class of 2024 being inducted that weekend. The Sept. 28 game against Edinboro is the lone home night game on the schedule this fall and will be the nightcap to the annual Slippery Rock VillageFest. Homecoming is set for Oct. 12 against Gannon. SRU will celebrate its seniors and host its Salute to Military and First Responders Nov. 9 against Seton Hill before closing the regular season Nov. 16 against Bloomsburg with the 50th anniversary celebration of the 1972-74 PSAC champion teams. That date is also set for the PSAC Championship game where the West Division winner will host the East Division winner, which means there could be schedule changes throughout the league.

UP NEXT
Slippery Rock hits the road for back-to-back weeks against PSAC East opponents. The Rock will travel to Shepherd next Saturday for a noon kickoff as SRU faces its second straight team that made the 2023 NCAA Playoffs. Slippery Rock will then visit Shippensburg Sept. 21.

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