SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – JayJay Jordan scored on a 16-yard run in overtime to lift #4/9 Slippery Rock (2-0) to a 35-28 win over Shepherd (0-2) in football action at Slippery Rock on Saturday night.

Shepherd took a 7-0 lead when redshirt junior running back Jordan Barnett (Fredericksburg, Va./Colonial Forge/FUMA/Southern Utah) scored on a four-yard run with 5:08 left in the first quarter. Sophomore kicker Max Barba (Rock Hall, Md./Kent Island/McPherson College) added the extra point.

Anthony Vespo teamed with Jordan on a 15-yard scoring pass with 13:57 left in the second quarter to tie the game.

Barnett bulled his way into the end zone from 22 yards out with 11:08 left in the half to give the Rams a 14-7 advantage.

The Rock tied the game when Vespo lateraled to Xander McClure who fired a 38-yard scoring pass to Latrell Sutton with 2:12 left in the half.

Barnett gained his third score of the day on an eight-yard jaunt with 2:23 left in the third quarter to give Shepherd a 21-14 lead.

Redshirt senior wide receiver Malakai Brown (Martinsburg, W.Va./Martinsburg) scored on a four-yard pass from graduate student quarterback Michael Hardyway (Winchester, Cal./Oceanside/Bucknell) with 12:05 remaining in the game to up the Shepherd lead to 28-14.

Jordan scored on an eight-yard run with 3:08 left in the contest.to cut the lead to 28-21.

The Rams appeared to have converted a fourth-and-one late in regulation when Barnett plunged to the Shepherd 46-yard line. The spot was challenged and later overturned.

Slippery Rock drove down the field and DaOne Owens weaved his way 16 yards for a score with 36 seconds remaining in regulation and force overtime.

Hardyway completed 21-of-28 passes for 252 yards and a score. Owens came off the bench in relief of Vespo (13-20-123 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) to complete 5-of-8 passes for 56 yards.

Graduate student running back Grant Swinehart (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby/VMI) rushed for a game-high 91 yards on 21 carries. Barnett added 15 carries for 61 yards. Jordan had 13 carries for 70 yards to lead Slippery Rock.

Shepherd totaled 403 yards of total offense and Slippery Rock had 342.

Junior wide receiver Kordell Batten (Waldorf, Md./St. Charles) led the Shepherd receivers with six catches for 105 yards. Jordan had four catches for 35 yards and Carson Heckathorn added four grabs for 24 yards for The Rock.

Redshirt senior Geo-Di Tolbert (Upper Marlboro, Md./Frederick Douglass/Fairmont State) and freshman linebacker Noel Norman-Williams  (Severn, Md./Old Mill) each had five stops to pace the Shepherd defense. Teddy Gregory Jr. had 14 tackles (six solos) to lead SRU.

The Rams return to action on Sept 20. when they travel to Clarion for a 1 p.m. contest.