2008 Woodie Awards
Football defeats struggling Clarion to end season
By Mike Mallory
Rocket Editor-in-Chief
Issue date: 11/11/05 Section: Sports
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But the Slippery Rock football team silenced the critics and did just that.
Overcoming a 0-3 start, the Rock won five of its last seven games to conclude the 2005 season with a 5-5 record.
The Rock defeated the Clarion Golden Eagles, 28-10, Saturday night at Memorial Stadium. With the win, the team finishes with a record of 4-2 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division (PSAC).
"That was important to me for us to prove the predictions about us wrong," coach George Mihalik said. "When you start 0-3, there's not a lot of room for error. I'm very excited by how we finished."
The two teams totaled 29 penalties for 251 yards.
"Some players were playing tight and we didn't quite play to our ability," Mihalik said. "I think there was some frustration on Clarion's part as well. It was frustrating because it could have been an easier game."
The Rock led, 14-10 at halftime. That's the closest Clarion would get to tying the game.
SRU's defense held the Golden Eagles to 60 yards on the ground and three of 15 on third down conversions en route to victory.
On Clarion's first drive of the second half, the Rock defense dodged a bullet.
Clarion started on SRU's 41 yard line after Rock quarterback Nate Crookshank fumbled the football to end the Rock's previous possession.
It only took four plays for Clarion to drive to the Rock's 17 yard line. But on second down with seven yards to go, Clarion was called for holding, driving the Golden Eagles back to the Rock's 25 yard line.
On the very next play, quarterback Erik Yonish was sacked for a loss of nine yards by linebacker Josh Zeisloft. Faced with a fourth down and 20 yards to go, Yonish threw an incomplete pass and the ball turned over on downs. The teams were a combined 0-4 on fourth down conversions in the game.
Starting at its own 30 yard line, the Rock offense marched down the field. Capping off a 10-play drive, the all-time career all purpose yards leader, running back Josh Kniess, earned his second touchdown of the day, a four-yard run to put the Rock ahead, 21-10.
