Box Score (New/Sortable Format) EDINBORO, Pa. (Oct. 26, 2013) – Edinboro got a taste of the high-powered Slippery Rock offense on Saturday afternoon, with the Fighting Scots coming up on the losing end of a 44-20 decision in a PSAC West contest. Edinboro falls to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the PSAC West with the loss, while Slippery Rock won its fifth straight game to improve to 7-1 and 4-1, respectively. The Rock came in ranked 22nd in the latest D2Football.com poll.

Slippery Rock came into the game with the top-ranked offense in the PSAC in terms of scoring and total offense, along with being ranked sixth in Division II in scoring offense and fourth in total offense. Edinboro actually held SRU under its season average in scoring offense, as The Rock came in averaging 46.9 ppg. Slippery Rock would finish the game with 637 yards in total offense, the second time in the last three weeks the Boro defense has allowed 600-or-more yards. The 637 yards ranks fourth all-time by an opponent.

A strong wind blowing from one end of the field to the other impacted the passing and kicking game. Slippery Rock win the toss and defer, but The Rock forced Edinboro to play the first quarter into the wind. The quarter ended with the Rock holding a 10-0 lead, as the Edinboro offense went three-and-out on its first three possessions and left SRU with a short field.

Slippery Rock opened the scoring with a 25-yard field goal by Mike Wainauskis on its first drive, moving 47 yards down to the three before Mike Shansky stopped Teddy Blakeman a yard short of a first down on a 3rd-and-3 play.

SRU was back in business after another Edinboro three-and-out, taking over at their own 46. Eight plays later Blakeman ran through a huge hole up the middle for a 12-yard touchdown run, the first of his three TD runs, and a 10- lead with 7:48 left in the first quarter.

The Slippery Rock lead would grow to 17-0 after another short drive, this one covering 45 yards on just five plays and 52 seconds. Blakeman chewed up a large chunk of the yardage with a 23-yard run on the last play of the first quarter. The period ended with Slippery Rock piling up 194 yards in total offense, with Edinboro managing just 18 yards. On the second play of the second quarter Shamar Greene again exploited the middle with a ten-yard touchdown jaunt.

With Slippery Rock now headed into the wind, the Edinboro defense slowed down The Rock offense, and Ben Eisel turned in a spectacular individual effort to get the Scots on the board. Eisel fielded James McCombie's punt at his own 31 with a pair of SRU players on top of him. He would somehow break free, than make his way to the Edinboro sideline and outrun the rest of the SRU defenders to complete a spectacular 69-yard punt return for six points. With 10:40 left in the second quarter Edinboro now trailed 17-7.

Eisel's punt return marked the second straight week that Edinboro scored on a punt, after blocking a punt for a touchdown in last week's win at IUP. However, it marked the first time a punt was taken back for a score since Ben Swank's 83-yard return at Bloomsburg in 2009.

Slippery Rock put together a 12-play, 74-yard drive later in the period to take a 24-7 lead with 3:37 to play. Quarterback Nigel Bardsdale was the catalyst, completing three passes for 33 yards and carrying the ball twice for 14 yards. Blakeman carried the last two yards for his second touchdown.

The Fighting Scots had a golden opportunity to close the margin late in the half after Bubba Heckman recovered Derrick Fulmore's fumbled punt return at the SRU 21 with 2:14 remaining. Jon Girvin's 11-yard hookup with Kevin Sonnie gave the Scots a first down at the 10. A personal foul against The Rock kept the drive alive at the three. Following a Girvin incompletion, Jeremy Donaldson carried twice for without being able to punch it in. On the last play of the half, Mike Simon's 20-yard field goal attempt was wide left and Edinboro still trailed 24-7.

The SRU lead would grow to 31-7 on the first possession of the second half. It took The Rock just 70 seconds to cover 73 yards. Back-to-back completions of 23 and 18 yards from Barksdale to Ken Amos were followed by a 28-yard completion to Robert Joyce that carried to the Boro four. On 2nd-and-goal Barksdale scored on a three-yard run.

Edinboro closed the gap to 31-13 midway through the period thanks to another big play. After the Edinboro defense stopped a long Slippery Rock at the Edinboro 29, Girvin dropped back on first down and launched a long pass into the wind for Darren Massey. The redshirt freshman pulled the ball in between two SRU defenders at the 40, and after juggling the ball completed a 71-yard scoring play. It marked the second straight week that the two combined on a scoring pass of more than 70 yards. Unfortunately, Simon's extra point was wide left.

Two plays later the Scots had the ball back after Delano Fabor recorded his fourth interception of the year and returned it 18 yards to the SRU 38. The Scots would drive to the SRU 19, but on second down Keith Regis fumbled, with Slippery Rock recovering.

Edinboro would close the lead to 31-20 less than two minutes into the fourth quarter. The score came courtesy of another SRU turnover, one of five on the day. Brad West's 60-yard punt pinned SRU at its own three. On the very first play Bobby Kemtz knocked the ball out of Greene's hands, with Veuntrae Robinson recovering at the five. Girvin scored on the next play, and following T.J. Hardy's PAT, Edinboro trailed by just eleven points with 13:53 to play.

Unfortunately, Slippery Rock would put together back-to-back impressive drives to close out the scoring. Blakeman notched his third score of the day with 12:12 remaining on a two-yard run, capping a six-play, 85-yard lightning-quick drive that took just 11 minute, 41 seconds.

The Rock added an 80-yard, 11-play drive that took just 2:26. Barksdale's one-yard pass to Mike Bongivengo gave the Rock a 44-20 advantage with 6:58 to play.

Edinboro would end the afternoon with 278 total yards, most of that coming through the air as the Slippery Rock defense limited the Scots to just 64 yards rushing. Girvin would complete 20 of 51 passes for 214 yards, and also was the leading rusher with 29 yards on 11 carries. The 51 attempts is the fourth-highest single-game total.

Massey enjoyed his second straight 100-yard effort, hauling in eight passes for 108 yards. Eisel added five catches for 42 yards. West, meanwhile, tied the school record for punts in a game, as he punted 12 times.

Blakeman paced an SRU ground game which totaled 295 yards, as the IUP transfer finished with 145 yards and 3 TDs on 23 carries. Greene added 92 yards on 16 rushes. Barksdale, who came into the game leading the PSAC and ranking fifth in the country at 352.3 yards passing per game, finished with 342 yards through the air. He completed 27 of 39 passes. Amos was his favorite target with 11 catches for 104 yards, while John Schademan added five catches for 91 yards.

Edinboro returns to action on Saturday, November 2, playing at Mercyhurst. That contest is scheduled to kickoff at 12 noon.