Box Score
Millersville, Pa. – In a game that was as wild as the rain and wind that pounded Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium, Slippery Rock's Ryan Lehmeier rushed for a 13-yard touchdown with 22 seconds remaining to cap a 201-yard performance and a come-from-behind 28-24 win over homestanding Millersville Saturday afternoon.
The effects of Tropical Storm Hanna played a major factor in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover contest, keeping both teams one dimensional offensively and causing several unconventional scores. Millersville scored 17 points off special teams including a 47-yard punt return by Andy Tischbein just before halftime. #Derrick Bass# gave Millersville a late fourth quarter lead when he recovered a muffed punt inside the end zone.
Red-shirt junior kicker and punter #John Banzhof# starred for Millersville as well. He drilled a 41-yard field goal and averaged 42.6 yards on nine punts—landing five inside the 20—despite the conditions.
Defensively, #Jerrod Bowling# registered a career-high 16 stops including 1.5 for losses. It was the most tackles by a Marauder since Joe Hollister tallied 17 against Shippensburg on Sept. 18, 2004. Fellow linebacker #Matt Harmon# totaled a career-high 10 tackles.
For the second consecutive week, Millersville (0-2) were topped in time of possession. Slippery Rock (1-1) pounded Lehmeier 34 times and Damarcus Cleckley 16 times (52 yards), to total 274 yards on the ground, 402 total, 28 first downs and over 35 minutes in time of possession. Millersville, meanwhile, managed just eight first downs and 22 yards through the air on 4-of-10 passing from #Jamal Smith#. Freshman #Matthew Booker# rushed for a career-high 78 yards on 12 carries.
Despite being on the short end in the stat column, the Marauders were in position to capture the first win of the Greg Colby era until late in the fourth quarter. Millersville built a 10-0 lead in the second following Banzhof's field goal and an 18-yard touchdown hook-up between Smith and Brad Lantz.
Slippery Rock answered on the following possession with a 12-yard Lehmeier TD scamper, but with 1:36 remaining in the second quarter, Tischbein took Kyle Witman's punt down the right sideline for the first punt return of his career, building Millersville's lead to 17-7 at the half.
In the second half, however, Slippery Rock's young quarterback, Brandon Frohnapple, took over. After hitting on just 3-of-10 passes for 12 yards in the first, he connected on 11-of-20 for 114 yards and two scores in the second. His first strike came with 3:05 left in the third quarter when he found Ross Hornish from five yards out, capping an impressive 13-play, 80-yard drive. At the start of the fourth, Frohnapple gave The Rock their first lead of the game when he hooked up from nine yards out with Justin Guadagni.
Slippery Rock then forced a Millersville three-and-out. Banzhof boomed a 47-yard punt, sending Slippery Rock return man Anthony Walls backpedalling on the wet turf. The ball squirted off his shoulder pads and into the end zone where Bass landed on the ball, giving the Marauders a 24-21 lead and seemingly snapping Slippery Rock's momentum.
After two possession exchanges, Frohnapple and Slippery Rock took the ball from their own 27 yard line and marched the length of the field in just 2:05, using Lehmeier's runs of 18 and nine to move the chains, and on third and 10 from the Millersville 38, Frohnapple found Terry Grossetti for a 12-yard completion for another first down. Frohnapple converted another third and 10 with a 13-yard completion to Josh Prigorac two plays later, and Lehmeier found pay dirt from 13 yards out to give Slippery Rock the victory.
Frohnapple finished 14-of-30 for 128 yards. Prigorac hauled in a team-leading four passes for 49 yards. Lantz led the Marauders in receiving with three catches for 23 yards and a score.
Millersville's #Jacob Haines# totaled nine tackles including 2.5 for losses. #Matt Sutjak# and Troy Englehart III each broke up a pair of passes.
Slippery Rock improves its overall record in the all-time series to 13-4-1. With Saturday's win, Slippery Rock has won four-straight against Millersville and eight of the last nine meetings.
The Marauders host Indiana (Pa.) Saturday, Sept. 13. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m. Audio broadcast can be heard online via the Marauder Sports Broadcasting Network.
