Slippery Rock football stuns unbeaten Kutztown in OT of D-II second round with hook and ladder
Slippery Rock football looked defeat in the face twice Saturday.
And stared it down both times.
After driving 63 yards for a touchdown — then getting the game-tying two-point conversion on a pass to Logan Ramper — with 1:53 left in regulation, The Rock scored another touchdown in overtime.
The latter score pulled SRU within 24-23 in its NCAA Division II second-round playoff battle with unbeaten and third-ranked Kutztown at Andre Reed Stadium.
Rock coach Shawn Lutz decided to go for a game-winning two-point conversion — and got it to clinch a stunning 25-24 victory.
"It's not that I didn't think we could win later in overtime," Lutz said. "It's just that we had the play."
That play was a hook-and-ladder. Mike Solomon caught a quick pass from Brayden Long, then lateraled the ball to Idris Lawrence, who waltzed into the end zone for the winning points.
"Our guys never quit," Lutz said. “They don't give up. We use the word relentless all the time, and that's what we were today.“
"We've practiced that play all year and never used it," Long said of the hook-and-ladder. "We pulled it out today and executed it in the biggest moment of our season."
FB: WALK IT OFFFFFFFF!!!! Slippery Rock goes for 2 in OT and converts with Dris Lawrence taking the lateral from Mike Solomon and walking in for the win! No. 11 Slippery Rock defeats No. 3 Kutztown 25-24 to advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals!!! pic.twitter.com/jXvhY6xYKd
— Rock Athletics (@Rock_Athletics) November 30, 2024
After holding the Golden Bears (11-1) to a field goal with six minutes left, giving them their eight-point lead, The Rock drove for the tying score in regulation. Tight end Kam Kruzelyak caught an 8-yard touchdown pass.
SRU then forced a Kutztown punt and quickly moved the ball down field, only to run out of time before being able to attempt a game-winning field goal. Long completed a pass deep into Kutztown territory that would have set up a field goal try, but the receiver was ruled down in the field of play as time expired.
No. 11 Slippery Rock (11-1) will play California (Pa.) for the Super Region One title Saturday at Adamson Stadium.
"Kutztown is a great team, and they've had our number,“ Long said. "It feels so good to get this one today."
"We got the monkey off our back ... finally," Lutz said. “Logan Ramper was a dog today, simply outstanding.”
Ramper had nine catches for 120 yards on the day, including a 28-yard touchdown catch in overtime. Long threw for 288 yards and a pair of scores.
SRU’s 25 points marked the most allowed by Kutztown this season. The Golden Bears allowed an average of 8.8 points per game during the regular season.
The Rock own a 12-7 advantage on Kutztown in the all-time series between the teams. Saturday’s win snapped a four-game losing streak against the Golden Bears.
Slippery Rock 6 3 0 8 8 — 25
Kutztown 0 7 0 10 7 — 24
First Quarter
SRU — Chris D’Or 1 run (kick blocked), 4:41
Second Quarter
K — Steve Burkhardt 2 run (Dakota Campbell kick), 2:11
SRU — Mason Yohn 24 field goal, :00
Fourth Quarter
K — Judd Novak 9 run (Campbell kick), 14:25
K — Will Smith 38 field goal, 6:47
SRU — Kam Kruzelyak 8 pass from Brsyden Long (Logan Ramper pass from Long), 1:53
Overtime
K — Luke Maxwell 2 run (Campbell kick)
SRU — Ramper 28 pass from Long (Mike Solomon pass to Idris Lawrence)
Individual Statistics
Passing: SRU, Brayden Long 27-39-288-0. Kutztown, Judd Novak 8-18-9-0.
Rushing: SRU, Idris Lawrence 13-35, Chris D’Or 8-13, Brayden Long 8-6, Kylon Wilson 1-5, JayJay Jordan 1-2. Kutztown, Steve Burkhardt 13-82, Judd Novak 12-79, Jaedyn Stewart 12-52, Noah Kracyla 1-14, Luke Maxwell 1-2.
Receiving: SRU, Logan Ramper 9-120, Idris Lawrence 5-59, Kylon Wilson 4-42, Mike Solomon 6-41, Kam Kruzelyak 2-20, Carson Heckathorn 1-6. Kutztown, Noah Kracyla 4-37, Mekhi Gibson 1-28, Steve Burkhardt 2-9, Kurtis Ravenel Jr. 1-5.
Editor’s note: This story was corrected at 11:25 p.m. Saturday to reflect that Idris Lawrence received the lateral on the game-winning two-point conversion.
