INDIANA, Pa. – 14th-ranked IUP football outplayed Slippery Rock in the second half, but a late touchdown proved too much as the Crimson Hawks lost to rival Slippery Rock 30-27 Saturday on Homecoming at George P. Miller Stadium.
 
Trailing 20-6 at the half, the Crimson Hawks used a slew of big plays to grab the momentum in the third quarter.
 
Senior quarterback Lenny Williams Jr. found receiver Ricky Rogers for a 67-yard pass play, setting up a 4-yard touchdown toss to junior receiver Dom McNeil to open the second half scoring. On IUP's next offensive drive, Slippery Rock jumped a short pass route only to watch as Williams capitalized and found sophomore back Justice Evans wide open for a 47-yard score.
 
Those two scoring drives combined for seven plays and 139 yards, and used just 3:20 of the clock. The game went to the four quarter tied at 20-20.
 
Kicker Jake Chapla gave Slippery Rock a 23-20 lead early in the fourth, finishing off a 10-play, 72-yard drive with a 41-yard field goal. The Crimson Hawks answered less than a minute later as Williams found Evans again on a 59-yard highlight reel catch and run that put IUP on top 27-23 with 9:30 to play.
 
On the play, Williams was forced to scramble out of the pocket before heaving a desperation pass that the 5-7 Evans pulled down out of the air in traffic. He then broke tackles on his way to the end zone.
 
Slippery Rock responded with a 14-play, 84-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Wes Hills. The drive took up 7:09 and included one fourth down and two third down conversions.
 
Freshman Qashah Carter gave the Crimson Hawks good starting position at their own 35 after a 34-yard kickoff return. An SRU penalty and pass from Williams to junior receiver Dwine Walls put the Crimson Hawks in Rock territory with a minute to play, but a third down interception ended the IUP threat and the game.
 
It was the second straight loss for the Crimson Hawks, who fall to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Division play. Slippery Rock continues its win streak, improving to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the division.
 
The game was marred by a weather delay in the first half and a combined 25 penalties for 316 yards.
 
The delay lasted an hour and 15 minutes and was due to lightning just south of Indiana. The halt in play came with 37 seconds left in the second quarter as Slippery Rock was driving. The stoppage did little to limit The Rock as they scored in just two plays after coming back on the field to take the 14-point lead into halftime.
 
Included in the penalties were four personal fouls and three unsportsmanlike conducts.
 
Slippery Rock dominated the first half, totaling 247 yards compared to 176 for the Crimson Hawks. IUP scored on its opening 66-yard drive, with junior kicker Dillon Sarka connecting on a 21-yard field goal. SRU answered with 13 straight points before Sarka kicked another field goal, this one from 24 yards out, to make it 13-6.
 
Notes
This is IUP's first two-game losing streak since falling to Gannon (31-21) and West Chester (28-17) to end the 2014 season … These teams combined for 935 total yards, including 516 for Slippery Rock and 419 for IUP … Slippery Rock ran 87 plays compared to IUP's 56 … Williams passed for a season-high 350 yards and three touchdowns on 15-of-29 passing, but threw three interceptions and gave up a fumble … It was Williams' third 300-yard passing game of his career … It was also Williams' fourth 3-TD game of the season and 12th of his career … IUP still does not have a 100-yard rusher through six games this season, totaling just 69 yards on 27 carries as a team … Junior linebackers Damon Lloyd (18) and Nick Amendola (15) each posted a career-high for tackles … Senior defensive backs Mike Pietropola and Anthony Davis each had an interception.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks will look to turn things around next week at home when they host Clarion (4-2, 2-1) Saturday, October 13. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.
 
Follow
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