Game 3 // Clarion Golden Eagles (1-1) at Shippensburg Red Raiders (1-1)
Saturday, Sept. 17 // 1 p.m. // Shippensburg, Pa. // SU Student Association Field at Seth Grove Stadium (7,700)
Radio: WCCR 92.7 FM (Clarion), WKQW 96.3 FM (Oil City)

Clarion Game Notes // Live Audio // Live Video // Live Stats

Two-Minute Drill

• The Clarion Golden Eagles will head on the road for the second straight week when they face off with the Red Raiders of Shippensburg on Saturday, Sept. 17
• Clarion owns a record of 33-20-1 over Shippensburg in the all-time series, but the first meeting between the teams since 2011
• Clarion has not beaten Shippensburg since a 56-49 victory during the 2000 season
• Junior Delrece Williams is averaging a team-best 98.5 all-purpose yards per game and has two rushing touchdowns so far this year
• Senior Matt Lehman is averaging 82.0 receiving yards/game with two receiving scores over the first two games of the year
• Lehman became the fourth player in program history with 20 career receiving touchdowns with a score against Bloomsburg
• Senior Connor Simmons passed Tyler Huether for second on the all-time passing yards list at Clarion and now has 5,996 career passing yards; he can become only the second player in program history with 6,000 passing yards
• Simmons now has 53 career passing touchdowns and needs 13 more passing scores to become the program's all-time leader
• Sophomore Kyle Evans ranks second on the team with 98.0 all-purpose yards per game
• Evans set up the Golden Eagles' second touchdown of the game against Bloomsburg with a 47-yard punt return to the 10-yard-line
• The Golden Eagles forced two more turnovers against Bloomsburg and now have a total of four takeaways on the season; they are exactly even in turnover margin
• The top two tacklers on the defense are true freshman defensive backs, Tyrone Cromwell (8.0 tackles/game) and Wade Stieren (7.5 tackles/game)
• Senior Matt Koerper totaled seven tackles and a forced fumble against Bloomsburg, while the defensive line notched a sack and two forced fumbles overall against the Huskies
• Clarion has been stingy in the red zone this year, leading the league in red zone defense at 62.5 percent
• Three games this season - 9/10 at Bloomsburg, 10/1 vs. Edinboro and 10/15 vs. California (Pa.) - will be covered by Sports Fever, which will air live broadcasts of the games on affiliate networks.  The games will also be available on ESPN3 via the Watch ESPN app.

The Lead
The Clarion Golden Eagles will go back on the road to face another PSAC East opponent when they take on the Red Raiders of Shippensburg on Saturday, Sept. 17.  Kickoff time is slated for 1 p.m.

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 54th meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Red Raiders, with Clarion owning a 33-20-1 advantage in the all-time series with Shippensburg.  That said, pickings have been slim for the Blue & Gold in recent years; Clarion hasn't won a game in the series since a 56-49 victory in the 2000 season, losing nine straight meetings in the process.

The last meeting between the teams was five years ago, a 54-24 Shippensburg win at Seth Grove Stadium.  

Scouting the Red Raiders
Shippensburg enters this week's game with a 1-1 record, earning a win over American International in the opener before falling 24-20 to Gannon this past Saturday; the Red Raiders jumped out to a 17-0 lead but were held to just one field goal in the second half.  

Shippensburg went 8-3 a year ago and returns 16 of 22 starters from a year ago, including nine starters on defense.  On offense, the entire offensive line returns, including All-PSAC selections Schulyer Harting and Hayden Rigo, and First Team linebacker Allen Holman patrols the defense.

Last Week
Clarion kept it close throughout against a top PSAC East school on the road, but the Golden Eagles were haunted by miscues in falling 35-20 to Bloomsburg at Redman Stadium.. 

The usually potent Clarion offense was held in check to the tune of 356 offensive yards, nearly half of which came on the ground.  Delrece Williams rushed 20 times for 99 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Connor Simmons added 44 yards on the ground himself.  Simmons completed 17 of 38 passes for 210 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.  

Tyrone Cromwell had a team-high nine tackles while four other players totaled seven stops apiece.  Layne Skundrich recorded a sack while Tyrone Archie and Matt Koerper both forced fumbles, and Adam Lynch saved a touchdown with his first interception of the year.

The Gunslinger
Quarterback Connor Simmons continued his climb in the all-time record books at Clarion with his game against Bloomsburg:

• He surpassed Tyler Huether for second place on the all-time passing yards list (5,996) and needs just four more passing yards to become only the second player in program history with 6,000 passing yards;
• He now has 53 passing touchdowns, needing just 13 more to become the program's career leader;
• Simmons now ranks third all-time in pass completions with 399 and fifth in attempts with 745.

> Simmons was named the PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week after going off in the Golden Eagles' season opener, throwing for 396 yards on 25-of-41 passing with four touchdowns and no picks as Clarion defeated Lock Haven 41-24.  

> Last year Simmons produced one of the best seasons under center in program history.  He broke the passing records of current head coach Chris Weibel with 3,582 passing yards and 34 touchdowns last year, ranking fifth in NCAA Division II in both categories. 

Deep Threat
Kevin Genevro caught his third touchdown pass of the year against Bloomsburg and is now in a five-way tie in the PSAC for most touchdown receptions this year.  His average of 18.3 yards per catch ranks sixth in the league among all players with five or more catches through two games.

More from the Freshmen
The Clarion defensive backfield has been heavily populated with younger players, and so far the young guns have delivered.  Tyrone Cromwell leads the team with an average of 8.0 tackles per game while classmate Wade Stieren ranks just behind him with 7.5 tackes per game.  Stieren posted 12 tackles in Week 1 against Bloomsburg, the top total in the PSAC that week.

Movin' On Up
Matt Lehman notched five receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown against Bloomsburg, and the senior receiver continues to climb the career charts at Clarion.  Lehman passed Alfonso Hoggard for career receptions and now ranks fourth in program history in that category; his 20 touchdown receptions ranks tied for third and his 1,842 yards ranks eighth.

All Facets
Wide receiver Kyle Evans is averaging 98.0 all-purpose yards per game so far in the season, and played in formations as both a running back and a wide receiver.  He is averaging 51.5 receiving yards per game and 12.8 yards per catch, as well as 5.8 yards per rush.

Against Bloomsburg, Evans showed off another important facet of his game.  He helped set up a Golden Eagle touchdown in the first half with a 47-yard punt return down to the 10-yard-line.  That is the longest punt return in the PSAC to date.

> Clarion leads the PSAC in punt return average with a 33.5 yards per return mark.

Ground Warfare
Delrece Williams has picked up where he left off a season ago, with the Golden Eagles' shifty running back leading the team with an average of 98.5 all-purpose yards per game.  Included in that total is an average of 89.0 rushing yards per game and two rushing touchdowns, with the junior recording one each against Lock Haven and Bloomsburg.  He was just one yard shy of his first 100-yard rushing game of the year against the Huskies, and he needs just four more rushing touchdowns to enter the top-10 in program history in that category.

On the Road Again
After opening the year at home, Clarion is playing three straight games away from the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium.  The Golden Eagles are 5-1 at home under head coach Chris Weibel and are a respectable 3-4  on the road under his tutelage as well.  Things will balance out late in the year, when Clarion plays three straight games at home to close out the regular season.

Flip the Field
When the Clarion offense has been forced to punt, they've been effective in setting the opponent in difficult field position.  Scott Ayers ranks fourth in the PSAC with an average of 40.6 yards per punt, and the team ranks third in net punting yardage at 39.6 yards.  Ayers has already planted four punts inside the 20-yard line and has not yet booted a touchback.

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.

> Evans provided 95 all-purpose yards against Lock Haven, including 75 yards receiving and 20 yards rushing.

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.

Up Next
Clarion opens PSAC West divisional play when they travel to take on Mercyhurst on Saturday, Sept. 24.