Slippery Rock enters the 2024 season with what head football coach Shawn Lutz is calling its toughest first two games, starting with New Haven on Saturday, The Rock have had to start a season in his tenure. Butler Eagle file photo

Rob McGraw

SLIPPERY ROCK — Talk about facing a stacked deck.

New Haven may feel that way when it invades Mihalik-Thompson Stadium for a 1 p.m. Saturday kickoff in a mutual college football season opener against Slippery Rock.

Consider the following:

SRU has won its last three meetings with the Chargers, its last loss coming in the 1997 NCAA Division II playoffs.

The Rock have won 17 consecutive home openers and 14 straight season openers overall.

While New Haven is the three-time defending Northeast 10 Conference champion, The Rock have won their last six games against NE-10 foes, including those three wins over the Chargers.

The Rock are 189-70 (.730 winning percentage) in their first 49 years at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium. SRU is 54-7 (.885) at home since the beginning of the 2013 season.

“Of course, we’d much rather have them come to our place this weekend,” New Haven coach Chris Pincince said. “We’ve got a two-year deal with them, home and home. Both of us have plans to be playing beyond the regular season this year.

“It gets tougher and tougher to schedule non-conference games, so we wind up playing each other.”

SRU coach Shawn Lutz agreed.

“With this game and next week (at Shepherd), this is the toughest first two opponents we’ve faced since I’ve been head coach here,” Lutz said.

The Rock have qualified for postseason play in each of the past five seasons. New Haven has qualified for each of the past three. The Chargers return nine starters from a defense that allowed only 133 points in the regular season a year ago.

That same defense surrendered 52 points in a first-round playoff loss to Charleston after allowing 17 points or few in each of its final nine regular games.

“Slippery Rock runs the perfect spread offense,” Pincince sad. “They have an experienced, talented quarterback (Brayden Long), depth at running back, outstanding receivers and a physical tight end who can make plays.

“Concentrate on taking one thing away from them, they’ll hurt you with something else.”

While Long threw for 3,808 yards and 35 touchdowns in being named a Harlon Hill Trophy finalist for The Rock last year, Chargers QB Daelen Menard — a Boston College transfer — threw for 1,363 yards and 17 scores. New Haven graduated its top three receivers from a year ago.

“Our entire receiving corps has 10 combined catches in college,” Pincince said.

“I’m sure they’re going to try to grind it out against us,” Lutz said. “Ball control is their thing. If we force them to throw early, that means we’ll have the lead.”

Karns City graduate Nathan Waltman will be The Rock’s starting right tackle. Would-be starting receiver Logan Ramper is out this week with a foot injury. Linebacker Cody Ross tore an ACL and is out for the season, while linebacker Andrew Vince will miss a couple of weeks with a broken hand.

Todd Hill, a transfer from Duquesne and Pitt, starts at defensive end for The Rock. Sophomore Jacob Snow and red-shirt freshman Teddy Gregory Jr are the starting linebackers.

“We’ve got a lot of young, athletic guys,” Lutz said. “We’re anxious to get started.”