Oct. 31, 2009
Final Stats
(EDINBORO, PA): Clarion's Tyler Huether passed for 169 yards and rushed for 91 yards and 3 td's and Alfonso Hoggard rushed for 99 yards and 1 td as Clarion defeated #21 ranked Edinboro 30-17 in a PSAC-West showdown game at Sox Harrison Stadium.
The Golden Eagles, who have won 5 straight for the first time since 1996, raised their record to 7-3 overall and 6-1 in the PSAC-Western Division. Edinboro, who was also ranked 6th in Super Region 1 coming into the game, dropped to 7-3 overall and 5-2 in the West. The win for Clarion secured a second 2nd place finish in the West, while a Mercyhurst win at California later today would give Clarion a share of the PSAC-West crown.
Clarion rallied from a 17-6 halftime deficit, outscoring Edinboro 24-0 in the second half.
Huether rallied the Eagles in the second half, scoring with 3:41 remaining in the third quarter on a 1-yard quarterback sneak on fourth and goal at the Scot 1. Clarion went for two and got it when Huether hit Foradora in the back of the endzone and Clarion narrowed the gap to 17-14.
The Golden Eagles took the lead for good as the team drove 80 yards in 10 plays to open the fourth quarter. Big plays in the drive saw Huether hit passes of 24 yards to Craig Bunney, 13 to Jacques Robinson, an 11-yard run by Hoggard and a 7-yard grab by Robinson to put the ball on the Edinboro 14. Huether ran the ball to the 1, then scored on a qb sneak to give Clarion a 20-17 lead with 12:25 left in the fourth quarter. Nathan Conway's PAT missed when the ball hit the upright and deflected away, keeping the lead at 20-17.
Later in the fourth quarter Edinboro's was pinned back at its own 22 yard line. Ryan Genco's punt was blocked by Reggie Robinson and the ball bounced back toward the goal line. In the scrum for the loose ball, the pigskin was pushed out of the endzone and Clarion registered an important safety, giving the Eagles a 22-17 lead with 3:51 remaining.
Clarion got the ball back on the ensuing punt at the Clarion 49. The Golden Eagles sealed the game with a 51-yard drive to paydirt. Huether ran twice for 15 yards, then Hoggard on runs of 4 and 22 yards to the Boro 10. Hoggard rushed for 3 yards to the Scot 7, then sprinted in the endzone off right tackle to give Clarion a 28-17 lead with 2:12 left in the game. Hoggard scored the two-point conversion on a run off left tackle giving Clarion a 30-17 win.
The defense came out and held the Scots and the Golden Eagles had their biggest win, since winning the PSAC-West in 2000.
"This was a true team win today," said Clarion head coach Jay Foster. "Our offense and defense made a lot of big plays today, and that's what you have to do to win big games, especially on the road. We're proud of what we have accomplished in the West, and so far this season, but we have to keep in mind we have one more game to play, and we have to be ready for that. Anything else is just a distraction from our final goal of 8-3."
The game opened with Edinboro scoring on a freak play. Clarion punter Nathan Conway dropped the snap, pick up the ball, was tackled at the 15, lost the ball and Branden Williams scooped up the pigskin and ran the ball into the endzone for an Edinboro td. The PAT was good and the Scots led 7-0 with 5:57 left in the first.
Clarion came right back after the kickoff and drove 73-yards in 13 plays to score. On third and goal at the 5, Eagle qb Tyler Huether faked the handoff to Hoggard and rolled right, found a hole and ran into the endzone for a Clarion td. The PAT was wide right and Edinboro led 7-6.
Edinboro's Alex Romanias booted a 20-yard field goal to make it a 10-6 Edinboro lead with 5:11 left before intermission, then scored again with 39-seconds left before halftime on a David Bostic 2-yard run. The drive was set up when the Scots recovered an onside kick following the field goal. On that scoring drive Edinboro All-America qb Trevor Harris was injured on a 4-yard rush to the Clarion 16. He finished the drive, but needed help to get off the field, suffering a knee injury. He did not return in the second half.
Clarion had 331 yards of total offense to Edinboro's 235. Clarion qb Tyler Huether hit on 14 of 24 passes for 169 yards, plus rushed for 91 yards and 3 td's to lead the Eagles.
Alfonso Hoggard rushed for 99 yards on 30 tries with 1 td. Jacques Robinson caught 6 passes for 656 yards, while Bunney had 5 grabs for 68 yards.
Nick Sipes posted 12 tackles, while Reggie Robinson had 8 stops, 1 tfl and blocked a punt out of the endzone for a safety. Barrington Morrison had 2 sacks.
Edinboro's Harris completed 8 of 11 for 97 yards before leaving the game. His replacement, Joe Swanson, hit on 7 of 17 aerials for 49 yards.
David Bostic had 50 rushing yards on 15 carries with 1 td.
Clarion visits Cheyney next Saturday for a noon kickoff.
CLARION NOTES: Clarion's 5 game winning streak is its longest since 1996 when Clarion finished 11-3 and advanced to the NCAA D-II semi's before losing to Northern Colorado.... The Edinboro game will be televised on FSN Pittsburgh on Monday at 7pm...
