2015 PSAC Football Championship: Slippery Rock Repeats
Slippery Rock Repeats as PSAC Champions
Courtesy of Slippery Rock Sports Information
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – The ninth ranked Slippery Rock University football team became the first team in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference to repeat as league champion since the title game was reinstated in 2008 with a dominant 61-12 victory on the road at West Chester University Saturday afternoon.
The victory improves Slippery Rock to 10-1 overall on the year and should be enough for The Rock to lock up at least one home game in the upcoming NCAA Division II playoffs. Included in those 10 wins are seven wins over programs that are above .500 and five wins over teams that won at least seven games.
The 10-win season is the first double-digit victory season for Slippery Rock since 1999 and the PSAC title is the 11th in program history. The Rock are the first team to repeat as champions since the title game was brought back in 2008. SRU is also the only team in the league to win the title game on the road since 2008.
Slippery Rock brought the league's top offense into the game to match up with West Chester's top rated defense and The Rock won that matchup early and often. The Golden Rams entered the game allowing just 309.9 yards per game, but Slippery Rock went for 367 in the first half alone. The Rock finished with a 557-245 advantage in total offense with 257 rushing yards and 300 passing yards. West Chester managed just 52 yards on the ground and threw for 193 yards. The 61 points scored are the most ever recorded in a PSAC title game and the 49-point margin of victory is the largest in the history of the title game, which has been played 36 times.
The NCAA Playoff Selection Show is Sunday at 5PM. The show will be streamed live on NCAA.com.
Box Score
Complete Slippery Rock Story
Complete West Chester Story
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Slippery Rock
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West Chester
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Offense (PSAC Rank)
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Defense (PSAC Rank)
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Offense (PSAC Rank)
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Defense (PSAC Rank)
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47.5 ppg – 1st
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Scoring
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18.4 ppg – 1st
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36.2 ppg – 5th
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Scoring
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23.8 ppg – 4th
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286.1 ypg – 2nd
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Rushing
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64.0 ypg – 1st
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183.2 ypg – 6th
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Rushing
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149.4 ypg – 6th
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227.0 ypg – 11th
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Passing
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284.4 ypg – 15th
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270.3 ypg – 6th
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Passing
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160.5 ypg – 1st
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513.1 ypg – 1st
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Total
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384.4 ypg - 4th
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453.5 ypg – 5th
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Total
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309.9 ypg – 1st
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Time of Possession
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30:07 – 7th
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Time of Possession
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32:36 – 1st
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3rd Down Conversions
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43.9% - 3rd
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3rd Down Conversions
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44.8% - 2nd
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Turnover Margin
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+12
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Turnover Margin
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+2
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Slippery Rock
Players To Watch
RB Shamar Greene - Averages 123.0 yards per game; is just 14 yards shy of 1,000 for the season
RB Julian Durden - Leads the PSAC with 17 rushing touchdowns
QB Dante Nania - Averages 216.7 passing yards per game; has thrown for 19 TDs this season
DE Marcus Martin - Is third in the PSAC with nine sacks this season
LB Bob Vernick - Averages a team-high 7.1 tackles per game
WR/PR Jaimire Dutrieuille - Had 210 all-purpose yards last week
West Chester
Players To Watch
RBs Jarel Elder and Brandon Monk - Both Elder and Monk have won PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week and PSAC East Special Teams Athlete of the Week this season
QB Pat Moriarty - Averages 249.1 passing yards per game and is tied for third in the conference with 26 TD pases
DL Andrew Cohen - Cohen leads the PSAC with 11.5 sacks on the year, averaging more than a sack a game
TE Tim Brown - Averages 63.4 receiving yards per game and has five touchdowns in just seven games
DB Ted Patton - Patton leads best passing defense in the league, leading the team in pass breakups and interception
PSAC Championship Game
This is the 36th PSAC Football Championship Game matching the top representative from the Eastern and Western Division. The game was played annually from 1960 through 1987 one week after the end of the regular season. The PSAC reinstated the game in 2008, this time matching the Divisional representatives in the last game of the regular season.
PSAC Championship Game Record Sixth Meeting
This year marks the sixth time that Slippery Rock and West Chester will meet in the PSAC Championship Game, the most between any two opponents. It is, however, the first time that they have met in the game since 1974.
1961: West Chester 21, Slippery Rock 0
1963: West Chester 36, Slippery Rock 7
1972: Slippery Rock 29, West Chester 27
1973: Slippery Rock 28, West Chester 14
1974: Slippery Rock 20, West Chester 7
School by School Breakdown of PSAC Football Champions (Including Co-Champions)
West Chester - 18
Bloomsburg - 17
Indiana (Pa.) - 17
East Stroudsburg - 12
Slippery Rock - 10
California - 8
Millersville - 8
Clarion - 6
Edinboro - 6
Lock Haven - 4
Mansfield - 2
Kutztown - 1
Mercyhurst - 1
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West Chester - Championship Game History
2008 lost to California, 47-36
1987 lost to IUP, 21-9
1986 lost to IUP, 206
1974 lost to Slippery Rock, 20-7
1973 lost to Slippery Rock, 28-14
1972 lost to Slippery Rock, 28-27
1971 defeated Edinboro, 35-14
1970 lost to Edinboro, 14-6
1969 defeated Clarion, 41-34
1967 defeated Clarion, 27-7
1966 lost to Clarion, 28-26
1963 defeated Slippery Rock, 36-7
1961 defeated Slippery Rock, 21-0
1960 defeated Lock Haven, 35-6
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Slippery Rock - Championship Game History
2014 defeated Bloomsburg, 28-26
2013 lost to Bloomsburg, 42-38
2011 lost to Kutztown, 21-14
1974 defeated West Chester, 20-7
1973 defeated West Chester, 28-14
1972 defeated West Chester, 28-27
1963 lost to West Chester, 36-7
1962 defeated East Stroudsburg, 13-6
1961 lost to West Chester, 21-0
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Since reinstating the game in 2008, there have been seven different champions, and the home team has won every game, alternating between divisions
West: California (2008), Mercyhurst (2010), IUP (2012), and Slippery Rock (2014)
East: Shippensburg (2009), Kutztown (2011), and Bloomsburg (2013)
The PSAC Football Championship Game will be broadcast on a national forum with the help of STN. The ways to watch the game are listed below.
ESPN 3 (Accessible on line to more than 99 million households at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One)
ESPN College Extra (Live TV available to AT&T Uverse, DirecTV, Bright House Networks, Cox, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS and select NCTC subscribers)
WPHL 17 (17 over-the-air, Comcast Philadelphia 17, Comcast Delco 7, Comcast Lancaster 7, Service Electric 4, Verizon Fios 17, Dish Network 17, DirecTV 17) Philadelphia/Lehigh Valley/South Jersey/Harrisburg/Lancaster/Pottsville
WHP 21.2 (21.1 over-the-air, Comcast 19, Armstrong 15, Blue Ridge 133, Nittany 99, Verizon 21, DirecTV 22) Harrisburg/Lancaster/York/Carlisle/Lebanon
WPNT 22 (22 over-the-air, Comcast SD 10/HD 812, Comcast Clarion SD 12/HD 812, Armstrong SD 22/HD 105, Atlantic Broadband SD 8/HD 707, Citizens SD 12/HD 812, Time Warner SD 22/HD 1022, Verizon SD 10/ HD 510, Consolidated SD 10/HD 710, DirecTV 22, Dish Network 22) Pittsburgh
WJAC 6.2 (6.2 over-the-air, Comcast 110-187-202-248, Armstrong 410, Atlantic Broadband 110, Windstream 16, Laurel Highland 15) Johnstown/Altoona/State College
WETM 18.2 (18.2 over-the-air, Time Warner 11, Blue Ridge 8, Haefele 204) Elmira, NY & Mansfield, PA
BLUE RIDGE CABLE NETWORK (BRC 113, BRC 11, BRC 13) Poconos, Eastern and Northern PA