Game 9 // Clarion Golden Eagles (2-6, 1-4 PSAC West) vs. Slippery Rock The Rock (5-3, 2-3 PSAC West)
Saturday, Oct. 29 // 12 p.m. // Clarion, Pa. // Memorial Stadium (5,000)

Game Notes | Live Audio | Live Stats

Two-Minute Drill

• The Clarion Golden Eagles play the first of three straight home games to end the season when they host Slippery Rock in the battle for the Milk Jug on Saturday
• Slippery Rock enjoys a 47-24-3 advantage over Clarion in the all-time series, including wins in each of the last five meetings
• The last Golden Eagle win in the series came in the 2010 season, a 27-10 victory.  This was also the last home victory against The Rock
• Clarion is looking for its first home win against a PSAC West opponent since defeating Seton Hill on Oct. 17, 2015
• Sophomore Kyle Evans had a career-best day toting the football against IUP, rushing 13 times for 112 yards (8.6 ypc) and his first career rushing touchdown
• Junior running back Delrece Williams needs exactly 30 more yards to become the 10th player in program history with 2,000 rushing yards
• Williams ranks seventh in the PSAC with an average of 88.9 rushing yards per game
• Senior linebacker Jacob Craig had a career-high 16 tackles against the Crimson Hawks on Saturday, a season-high for all Golden Eagle defenders
• Craig ranks third in the PSAC in forced fumbles with an average of 0.29 forced fumbles per game, and is tied for second with two total forced fumbles on the year
• Senior wide receiver Matt Lehman needs 19 more receiving yards to surpass Pierre Odom for fourth on the career receiving yards list
• Fellow senior wideout Kevin Genevro ranks ninth in the PSAC in receiving yards per game (73.4) and fifth in receiving touchdowns (7), with the latter being tied for the third-highest total
• Sophomore defensive end Tyrone Archie went off for five tackles and two sacks against IUP a week ago, and now leads the team with 4.0 total sacks on the year

The Lead
The Clarion Golden Eagles return home to start a three-game homestand to close the season when they host the Slippery Rock The Rock in the annual Milk Jug game on Saturday, Oct. 29.  Kickoff time is scheduled for noon at Memorial Stadium.

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 75th meeting between Clarion and Slippery Rock, with The Rock owning a 47-24-3 advantage in the all-time series with the Golden Eagles dating back to the 1928 season.  Clarion's last win came during the 2009 season, a 27-10 victory over the Rock.  Since 2010 the teams have played for the Milk Jug trophy, with The Rock holding it since the very first meeting.

Slippery Rock won last year's meeting by a 65-13 score, with Kevin Genevro and Matt Lehman both recording touchdown catches for the Golden Eagles.  Matt Koerper had six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack against The Rock.

Scouting The Rock
Slippery Rock is an uncharacteristic 5-3 this season, including a 2-3 record in PSAC West play.  They've had a difficult stretch of games of late, having fallen to IUP and Edinboro in back-to-back games.  The latter of those two happened in heartbreaking fashion, with Edinboro scoring on an untimed down at the end of regulation to win.

The Rock are averaging 34.6 points per game but allowing an average of 31.8 points per game as well.  They've been stingy to opposing running games, ranking second in the PSAC with an average of just 81.9 rushing yards per game allowed.  Marcus Martin and Anthony Zappone make up a difficult 1-2 punch on defense, with the pair combining for 12 total sacks on the year.

Last Week
Clarion lost to IUP by a final score of 42-17 Saturday afternoon at Frank Cignetti Field.  The Golden Eagles move to 2-6 on the season, including 1-4 in the PSAC.  
 
Kyle Evans led the way offensively for the Golden Eagles, rushing for 112 yards and a touchdown.  Quarterback Jeff Clemens was 11 for 32 for 125 yards and a touchdown under center. 
 
Jacob Craig paved the way for the Eagles on defense, finishing with a team-high 16 tackles, including five solo tackles.  Tyrone Archie finished with five tackles, including two sacks.

The Golden Eagles led by a score of 14-7 at halftime, with Evans and Seneca Williams scoring in the first half to take the lead over the Crimson Hawks.  

The Lehman Song
After being held out of the end zone for three straight weeks, Lehman scored twice against California (Pa.) 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 2,252 yards to his credit.  Lehman needs six more yards to pass Pierre Odom for fourth place on the career list.

Lehman needs 18 more catches to pass Odom on another list.  Currently at 143 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 1,970 career rushing yards, having entered the top-10 in career rushing yards at Clarion with his effort against California (Pa.).  With 30 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.

Stack 'Em Up
Since returning from injury two weeks ago, Jacob Craig has been extremely productive at the linebacker spot for the Golden Eagles.  Craig is averaging 14.0 tackles per game over the last two weeks, including a career-high 16-tackle performance against IUP on Saturday.  He also forced and recovered a fumble.

Craig trails Layne Skundrich in total tackles this season but has surpassed him for the team lead in tackles per game.  He is averaging 8.1 stops per game over the course of the season.

Every Which Way But Loose
Kyle Evans once again displayed his versatility last week, stepping in at the running back position and recording a number of firsts in the game against IUP.  Evans rushed 13 times for 112 yards and a touchdown, recording an 8.6 yards per carry average.  It marked the first 100-yard rushing game for the player that is normally a slot receiver but has made himself too valuable a commodity to be left off the field.

Evans' 68-yard touchdown run in the first quarter marked the longest run of the season for a Golden Eagle back and the second-longest play from scrimmage this season, trailing just Seneca Williams' 71-yard touchdown reception in the first game of the year.  It was also the first rushing touchdown of Evans' career.

Livin' on the Edge
Defensive end Tyrone Archie has shown the explosion off the edge in the last two weeks that the Golden Eagles have wanted all season long, recording three sacks in the last two games.  He finished with five tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks against IUP last week, accounting for 11 total lost yards.  He leads the team with 4.0 total sacks on the year.

Making a Splash
Tyrone Cromwell recorded his second interception in as many games two weeks ago, 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 45 total tackles and leads in pass break-ups (5) 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.

Home Cookin'
Clarion returns to the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium for its final three contests of the year, with the Golden Eagles slated to host Slippery Rock, Gannon and West Chester 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 their final PSAC West opponent of the year when they welcome the Gannon Golden Knights to Memorial Stadium.