Roland Rivers III threw for 416 yards and four touchdowns as top seed/No. 8 Slippery Rock defeated visiting Shepherd, 51-30, in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs Saturday afternoon.
Jermaine Wynn caught a school-record 18 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns for the Rock, and Charles Snorweah ran for 163 yards and two TDs.
Slippery Rock (12-0) jumped to a 20-0 lead and led at halftime 23-9 before Shepherd (10-3) tied the score 23-23 late in the third quarter on Tyson Bagent’s 38-yard scoring pass to Rodney Dorsey. Slippery Rock went ahead for good less than two minutes later when Rivers III hit Wynn with a 48-yard touchdown pass.
Slippery Rock’s offense amassed 652 yards and 36 first downs, and Shepherd gained 528 yards. Bagent threw for 413 yards and four touchdowns for the Rams. Dorsey caught 10 passes for 129 yards, and Devin Phelps added four receptions for 143 yards and three touchdowns.
Slippery Rock will face third-seed Notre Dame (Ohio) in the quarterfinals. Notre Dame beat Kutztown on a game-ending field goal Saturday afternoon.
