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September 29, 2007
Matt McNelis kicked a 28-yard field goal in the final play of the game to give IUP a 34-31 win over Slippery Rock in the PSAC West opener for both teams Saturday night at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium. IUP, ranked 21st in the American Football Coaches Association poll, remained undefeated at 4-0 overall and won its PSAC West opener for the 25th consecutive season. Slippery Rock suffered its first loss and is 4-1 and 0-1 in the division. Andrew Krewatch completed 27 of 39 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first quarter, as the Crimson Hawks built a 21-7 lead at the end of the opening quarter. Anthony Cellitti grabbed a team-high seven receptions for 62 yards while Dan Pickens and Ken Witter both had six catches and combined for 129 receiving yards. IUP never trailed in the contest and led 31-24 after a 42-yard field goal by McNelis with 13:10 remaining in the game. Slippery Rock tied the game for the third time at 31-31 with 8:46 left on a 37-yard touchdown run by Ryan Lehmeier. IUP got the ball back for the final time at its own 43 with 4:27 remaining when James Carson and Matt Scott combined to stop Damarcus Cleckley for a one-yard loss and a fourth and inches play. The Crimson Hawks drove 46 yards to the Slippery Rock 11, including a pair of third down conversions. After Slippery Rock called all three of its timeouts, McNelis knocked home the game-winning field goal to give IUP its eight win over Slippery Rock in the past nine meetings. Nate Brookshank completed 10 of 19 passes for 206 yards for Slippery Rock and a touchdown but was intercepted twice in the second half by Quinton Cobb and Mike Reid. Corey Manfull rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns in the first half but did not see action in the second half due to a rib injury. Slippery Rock finished with 408 yards of total offense compared to 411 for IUP. Krewatch had touchdown passes of 16 yards to Ken Witter, 10 yards to Garrett Lestochi and 50 yards to Mychal Skinner to give the Crimson Hawks their 21-7 lead after the first quarter. Manfull scored on runs of one and two yards in the second quarter to pull Slippery Rock into a 21-21 halftime tie. Anthony Guerra, a defensive tackle, scored his second touchdown of the season in IUP's short yardage package, a one-yard run that put IUP up 28-21 four minutes into the third quarter. Slippery Rock's C.J. Bahr and McNelis traded field goals to leave IUP up 31-24 and setting the stage for the dramatic final nine minutes. IUP returns home next Saturday for a 2:00 game against California. That represents a change in kickoff time from the original 3:00. Slippery Rock visits East Stroudsburg also at 1:00. |
