Looks like the Defense took the day off for both teams on this one.

IUP 38, SRU 17

IUP used four big scoring plays to tally 28 points in the second half, including three touchdowns in a span of 3:23 in the third quarter, as the Indians posted a 38-17 victory over Slippery Rock before a homecoming crowd of 4,104 at Miller Stadium.

IUP (3-3, 2-0 PSAC West) defeated The Rock for the seventh straight time and gave Frank Cignetti his 100th career home victory in 20 seasons. Cignetti, celebrating his 68th birthday on Saturday, has a home record of 100-16-1. Slippery Rock dropped to 2-4 and 2-1 in the PSAC West.

IUP took over first place in the PSAC West, one-half game ahead of Slippery Rock, Edinboro and California, which are all 2-1 in the division.

The two teams combined for 1,015 yards of total offense, with IUP piling up 517 and Slippery Rock amassing 498. Chris Morgan led the Indians with 168 rushing yards on 24 carries and scored two times as IUP had 331 yards on the ground. Pat McDanel added 89 yards and scored his first career touchdown.

Morgan finished the day with 2,009 career rushing yards, one of 10 players in IUP history to eclipse the 2,000-yard plateau.

Josh Kniess led The Rock with 21 carries for 142 yards and a pair of scores. Nate Crookshank completed 19-of-36 passes for 254 yards and also rushed for 72 yards. Colin Golden had nine catches for 75 yards.

Andrew Krewatch hit on 7-of-17 pass attempts for 186 yards for IUP. Cameron Mobley grabbed three of those passes for an even 100 yards.

Trailing 14-10 midway through the third quarter, Deanco Oliver put IUP in front when he hauled in a 53-yard touchdown pass from Krewatch with 6:39 remaining in the period. Paul Favers fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which IUP kicker Brad Whitacre recovered at the Slippery Rock 46.

Oliver went the distance on the first play, taking an end around to paydirt to give the Indians a 24-14 lead with 6:16 left in the third.

The Rock drove to the IUP 17 on their next possession, but Ryan Daniel missed a field goal from 35 yards out. Taking over at the 20, Morgan raced 80 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the drive, giving the Indians a 31-14 lead with 3:16 left in the third quarter.

Slippery Rock got back to 31-17 on a 29-yard field goal by Daniel at the end of a 68-yard drive. But IUP put the game out of reach two possessions later when McDanel ripped off a 73-yard touchdown run to give the Indians their final margin of victory with 11:21 left in the game.

In IUP’s four scoring drives of the second half, the Indians ran six plays accounting for 279 yards and just 1:16 of clock time.

IUP led 10-0 after the first quarter on the strength of a 37-yard field goal by Whitacre and a 24-yard run by Morgan. But Slippery Rock gained control of the game after that point, with Kniess scoring at the end of drives at the close of the first half and the beginning of the second.

Kniess went in from 11 yards out with 1:10 left before intermission to pull The Rock to within 10-7 at the break. Slippery Rock then traveled 63 yards on its first drive of the second half, with Kniess going in from 33 yards out to put the visitors in front 14-10 with 10:56 remaining in the third quarter.

The Rock had a chance to expand its lead after Jim D’Amico picked off a Krewatch pass and returned it 31 yards to the IUP 14. But the Indian defense held, and Daniel missed a 24-yard field goal, setting the stage for the IUP offensive explosion.

Brandon Lawrence was one of three IUP players in double figures in tackles with 13, followed by Tye Desiderio with 12 and Andre Henderson with 11. D’Amico led the Slippery Rock defense with nine tackles, including his interception.

IUP faces Edinboro in a PSAC West showdown next Saturday at Miller Stadium. The Indians are looking to snap a two-game losing streak to the Fighting Scots. Slippery Rock hosts Millersville in a PSAC crossover contest.