Game 8 // Clarion Golden Eagles (2-5, 1-3 PSAC West) vs. #13/13 IUP Crimson Hawks (5-1, 3-1 PSAC West)
Saturday, Oct. 22 // 1 p.m. // Indiana, Pa. // George P. Miller Stadium (6,000)

Game Notes | Live Audio | Live Stats | Live Video

Two-Minute Drill

• The Clarion Golden Eagles will play their road game of the season when they take on the 13th-ranked IUP Crimson Hawks at George P. Miller Stadium
• The Crimson Hawks own a 59-24-3 advantage in the all-time series with the Golden Eagles and have won five staright in the series
• Senior wide receiver Matt Lehman tied Alvin Slaughter for second place on the career touchdown recepetions list last Saturday and need two more to tie the record
• Lehman needs 31 more receiving yards to take sole possession of fourth place on the career receiving yards list as well
• Junior running back Delrece Williams reached 10th on the career rushing list at Clarion and is approaching 2,000 career rushing yards
• Redshirt freshman quarterback Jeff Clemens made his second career start against California (Pa.) and set a new career-high with three touchdown passes against the Vulcans
• Senior wide receiver Kevin Genevro is tied for second in the PSAC in touchdown catches this season
• Freshman cornerback Tyrone Cromwell recorded his second interception in as many weeks against California (Pa.)
• Freshman wide receiver Greg Leonard scored his first career touchdown on Saturday, catching a pass from three yards out against California (Pa.)
• Sophomore defensive lineman Robert Zilhaver had a career day last Saturday, finishing with eight total tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, the first two sacks of his career
• Sophomore linebacker Layne Skundrich had a game-high 11 tackles against California (Pa.) on Saturday and leads the Golden Eagles with an average of 7.9 tackles per game

The Lead
The Clarion Golden Eagles will play their final road game of the year when they take on the 13th-ranked IUP Crimson Hawks at George P. Miller Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 22.  Clarion will be return home for three straight games at Memorial Stadium after this.

Mike Kalinowski and Joe Lodanosky will have the radio call for the game on 92.9 WCCR-FM and  96.3 WKQW-FM an hour before kickoff.  Live audio streaming will be available on ClarionGoldenEagles.com.

Series History
This will be the 87th meeting between Clarion and IUP, with the Crimson Hawks owning a 54-29-3 record in the all-time series with the Golden Eagles.  Clarion has not topped IUP since a 21-14 win in the 2010 season, a game that was also played in Indiana.

Last year's meeting was a close one, with IUP prevailing 28-14 thanks to a second-half surge.  Clarion led 14-13 at halftime thanks to a pair of touchdown passes from Connor Simmons but the Crimson Hawks shut out the Golden Eagles in the second half.

Scouting the Crimson Hawks
IUP is ranked 13th in both the coaches' and writers polls entering this week's game, and features one of the most prolific offenses in the country.  The Crimson Hawks are averaging 51.2 points per game, which ranks second in the PSAC as well as the nation.  IUP is one of the best in the country at extending drives with a third down conversion rate of 62.4 percent.

Quarterback Lenny Williams has thrown just 10 touchdown passes this year but has thrown only one interception, lowest among all PSAC quarterbacks.  Linebacker Kevin Clarke leads the conference with an average of 10.8 tackles per game.

Last Week
Clarion hung tough with one of the nation's best but could not quite overcome California (Pa.) as the seventh-ranked Vulcans beat the Golden Eagles 48-20 at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. 
 
The depleted Golden Eagles played without a number of key players due to injuries over the course of the evening but still managed to stay close with the Vulcans through the first half of the game.  California led by just eight points late in the second quarter before scoring with seven seconds left, and Clarion trailed just 31-20 entering the fourth quarter.
 
Matt Lehman caught three passes for 49 yards and two touchdowns, moving him into a tie with Alvin Slaughter for second place on the career receiving touchdowns list at Clarion.  With 23 receiving scores in his career, he needs just two more to tie and three more to pass Terry McFetridge's career record on 25 set in 1985.

More on Lehman
After being held out of the end zone for three straight weeks, Lehman scored twice against the Vulcans to give himself five touchdown receptions on the season and 23 in his career.  That ties him for sixth on the career total touchdowns list at Clarion, one behind Elton Brown for fifth.  

He is also threatening to move on the career receiving yards list as well with 2,227 yards to his credit.  Lehman needs 31 more yards to pass Pierre Odom for fourth place on the career list.

Lehman needs 22 more catches to pass Odom on another list.  Currently at 139 career receptions, he can surpass Odom (160) for fourth all-time on that list as well.

Elite List
Delrece Williams is approaching a milestone of his own as he continues to rack up the yardage on the ground in 2016.  The junior running back has 1,966 career rushing yards, having entered the top-10 in career rushing yards at Clarion with his effort against California (Pa.).  With 34 more yards he can become just the 10th player in program history to top 2,000 rushing yards in his career.

The next several members of the list are firmly in Williams' sights as well.  Damien Henry (9th - 2,052), Ben Fiscus (8th - 2,087) and Robert Walker (7th - 2,122) are well within striking distance of Williams, who is averaging 103.0 yards per game this season.

Granted Clemens-y
Redshirt freshman Jeff Clemens got his second career start at the signal caller position last week and showed some positive flashes with three touchdown passes on the evening.  He twice connected with Matt Lehman in the endzone, including a beauty of a deep ball late in the second quarter, and then found Greg Leonard on a short slant in the second half for his third scoring toss.

Push the Pace
Freshman receiver Greg Leonard has earned a more prominent role in the Golden Eagles' plans over the last several weeks, culminating in a solid night against California (Pa.) on Oct. 15.  Leonard scored his first career touchdown in the second half against the Vulcans but was also there to help set up other Clarion scoring drives, totaling 108 kick return yards on the night.

Pushback
Sophomore defensive lineman Brandon Vocco had his best day in uniform against Seton Hill on Saturday, with the 300-pounder from Lilly, Pa. disrupting the Griffins' plans with ability to get in the backfield.  Vocco finished with a career-high nine tackles - a mark that tied his total from a year ago and nearly doubled his season output to date.  He recorded his first career sack as well.

Stack 'Em Up
Sophomore linebacker Layne Skundrich has shot to the top of the Clarion defense in regards to tackles over the last three weeks.  He has totaled 31 tackles in the last four games and is averaging 7.3 stops per game.

Joining him at the top of the list is Jacob Craig, who had a standout performance against Seton Hill.  Craig finished the game with a career-high 12 tackles and also recorded a game-high three pass break-ups against the Griffins.  

Making a Splash
Tyrone Cromwell recorded his second interception in as many games last week, picking off California's Michael Keir inside Clarion territory to halt a Vulcan scoring drive.  He previously hauled in an interception in Clarion's game against Seton Hill on Oct. 8.

Cromwell ranks third on the team with 39 total tackles and leads in pass break-ups (4) and interceptions (2).

He's Got a Knack
Kevin Genevro is the player that has been more skilled in getting into the endzone this season.  The senior receiver ranks third in the PSAC with seven total touchdown receptions this year and leads Clarion with 42 total points scored this year.

On the Road Again
Clarion has played five of its first eight games away from home this year, with the game against the Crimson Hawks representing the last game away from the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium this season.  Each of the Golden Eagles' last three games will be played at home.

Lights, Camera, Action!
Clarion University will continue its fruitful partnership with the Pennsylvania Sports Fever Television Network in 2016, with three contests – 9/10 at Bloomsburg, 10/1 vs. Edinboro and 10/15 vs. California (Pa.) – airing live on affiliates across the state of Pennsylvania and made available to millions in the Keystone State.  The selected games will also be streamed on ESPN3 via the Watch ESPN app. 

Airborne Rangers
2015 Don Hansen Third Team All-American wide receiver Matt Lehman and fellow returning starter Kevin Genevro return to wreak havoc on opposing defenses in 2016, with the duo accounting for a total of 26 touchdowns last year.  Lehman set a new program record with 15 receiving touchdowns last year, breaking Alvin Slaughter's record of 13 set in 1998, while hauling in a total of 67 passes (fifth all-time) for 979 yards (third).  Genevro provided a strong counter-punch for Lehman, catching 42 passes for 886 yards (21.1 yards per catch) and 11 scores.

Those two won't be the only ones looking to make noise this year.  Kyle Evans provided a slot option for the offense last year and will try to take more strides forward in 2016, while tight end Gage Clark averaged nearly 20 yards per catch last year with one touchdown.

Double Threat
Junior running back and 2016 co-captain Delrece Williams provides a multi-dimensional threat to the Golden Eagles in the backfield.  The 2015 second team all-conference selection ran for 978 yards and six touchdowns last year but was also effective in the passing game, ranking third on the team in receptions (31) and receiving yards (465) while also catching four touchdown passes.

The Buck Stops Here
The Clarion defense returns just three players that started more than half of last year's games, but that doesn't mean there isn't a considerable amount of experience taking the field.  Second Team All-PSAC West and CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American Matt Koerper returns to the defensive line after his best year as a Golden Eagle.

The secondary features veteran leadership in senior Adam Lynch and junior Colton McKay, while senior Jacob Craig is the ranking leader in the linebacking corps for the Golden Eagles' 3-3-5 formation.  Myles Edmonds is another veteran hand in the secondary, having started 20 straight games before missing the first three of the season due to injury.

Up Next
Clarion will host the 2016 edition of the Milk Jug game on Saturday, Oct. 29 when Slippery Rock comes to Memorial Stadium.  Kickoff is scheduled for noon.