SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. –  Junior running back Ronnie Brown (Baltimore, Md./Dundalk) rushed 20 times for 205 yards and a touchdown and senior quarterback Tyson Bagent (Martinsburg, W.Va./Martinsburg) completed 28-of-45 passes for 372 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead  #11/9 Shepherd (12-1) to a 37-27 win over #20/20 Slippery Rock (10-3) in second round action of the 2022 NCAA II Football Championship at Ram Stadium on Saturday. 

Shepherd took a 7-0 lead when Bagent teamed with Brown on a 21-yard scoring strike with 10:16 left in the first quarter. Redshirt-sophomore kicker Jacob Haynie (Fairfax, Va./Robinson) added the extra point. 

Noah Grover tossed a 46-yard scoring strike to Kyle Sheets for Slippery Rock with 6:41 left in the first quarter to tie the game. 

Brown raced 43 yards for a score with 3:26 left in the first quarter to give the Rams a 14-7 lead. 

Slippery Rock answered back on a one-yard scoring run by Isaiah Edwards with 13:15 left in the second quarter to cut the lead to 14-13. The extra-point attempt was blocked. 

Haynie connected on a 27-yard field goal with 9:32 left in the second quarter to give the Rams a 17-13 lead. 

Slippery Rock took a 20-17 advantage when Grover found Cohen Russell in the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown with 1:06 left in the half. 

Haynie booted a 20-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to tie the game at 20-all. 

Shepherd took a 27-20 lead when Bagent ran around the right side for a one-yard score with 4:55 left in the third quarter. 

Haynie added his third field goal of the day, a 28-yarder, to give the Rams a 30-20 lead with 12:34 left in the fourth quarter. 

Grover scored on a one-yard sneak for The Rock with 7:13 remaining to cut the lead to 30-27.

Shepherd added an insurance score with 1:47 left when Bagent fired a 17-yard scoring strike to junior wide receiver EJ Morgan (Washington, D.C./Friendship Collegiate Academy/James Madison). 

Grover completed 23-of-33 passes for 317 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Slippery Rock. 

Chris D'Or had 13 carries for 79 yards to lead Slippery Rock. 

Freshman wide receiver Cameron Dorner (New Market, Md./Oakdale) led the Shepherd receivers with six receptions for 32 yards. Junior wide receiver Rodney Dorsey (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora/Towson) added five grabs for 75 yards. Russell had 10 catches for 123 yards to lead Slippery Rock. 

Shepherd had 594 yards of total offense while Slippery Rock totaled 460. 

Junior linebacker Dewayne Grantham (Martinsburg, W.Va./Martinsburg/Lackawanna) (five solos) and redshirt-freshman defensive lineman Nathan Muhle (Harpers Ferry, W.Va./Jefferson) (six solos) each had seven tackles to lead the Rams. Senior defensive end Kyle Smith (Sterling, Va./Dominion) posted five tackles including a pair of sacks (-seven yards). Jalen Dangerfield had a game-high nine stops (all solos) with a forced fumble to lead The Rock. 

The Rams return to action on Saturday when they travel to top-seeded Indiana (Pa.), a 19-13 winner over Ashland today, for the Super Region One title game. Kickoff time has yet to be determined. 

Notes: Bagent continued to etch his name in the NCAA II record books ... his three touchdowns responsible for today give him 167 to break the previous mark of 166 held by Jason Vander Laan, Ferris State (2009-13) … he also tied the record for most games throwing a touchdown pass (shares with Jimmy Terwilliger, East Stroudsburg, 2003-06) with 47 … Bagent's 32 career games gaining 300 passing yards or more eclipses the previous mark of 31 held by Terwilliger … Bagent also became the first Division II quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards or more in three seasons … the Rams improved to 7-0 at home this season.