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Chad Thomas

Football

Gameday Preview: Football at Slippery Rock

Game 9 // Clarion Golden Eagles (1-7, 1-4 PSAC West) at Slippery Rock The Rock (6-2, 3-2 PSAC West)
Saturday, Oct. 28 // 1 p.m. // Slippery Rock, Pa. // Mihalik-Thompson Stadium

 
Radio: WCCR 92.7 FM / WKQW 96.3 FM
 
Live Stats // Live Audio // Live Video
 
Clarion Game Notes

 
Two-Minute Drill
  • The Clarion Golden Eagles will look to maintain possession of the Milk Jug when they take on Slippery Rock
  • This will be the 76th meeting between the two teams, with Slippery Rock owning a 47-25-3 advantage in the all-time series with the Golden Eagles
  • The Golden Eagles have shut out their opponents in the second half in each of the last two weeks, holding California (Pa.) and IUP scoreless over the final 30 minutes of those games
  • Clarion played its final home game of the season on Saturday and will close out the year with three straight games on the road
  • Running back Mylique McGriff has 204 rushing yards and two touchdowns in his last two games
  • After two straight games with single-digit tackles, linebacker Layne Skundrich recorded 15 stops against IUP, a career-high
  • Defensive back Colton McKay recorded a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss against IUP, including 1.5 sacks
  • Linebacker Avery Howsare forced a fumble for the second straight game last week
  • The Golden Eagles is +6 in turnover margin after forcing two fumbles and intercepting a pass against IUP
  • An extremely young team in 2017, the Golden Eagles have 31 players with either freshman or sophomore eligibility on their offensive and defensive two-deep
  • Clarion has once again renewed its fruitful partnership with Sports Fever and will have two games televised locally and streamed nationally on ESPN3 - 9/23 vs. Mercyhurst and 9/30 at Edinboro
  • Starting in 2017, all five Golden Eagle home contests will be available as free web streams via ClarionGoldenEagles.com
 
The Lead
The Clarion Golden Eagles will try to maintain possession of the Milk Jug trophy this weekend when they face off with Slippery Rock at MIhalik-Thompson Stadium.  Kickoff is scheduled 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 via the C93 website and linked on the schedule at ClarionGoldenEagles.com.
 
Scouting The Rock
Slippery Rock enters this weekend with a 6-2 overall record.  They were briefly ranked in both the AFCA and D2Football.com polls, though they fell out of the former after back-to-back losses to IUP and Edinboro in the last two weeks. The Rock possess one of the best offenses in the PSAC, ranking fifth with an average of 38.4 points per game, though they have also allowed an average of 33.8 points per game.
 
Tanner Garry leads the conference in passing with 2,832 yards and 26 touchdowns, compared to just seven interceptions on the season.  Marcus Johnson has been one of the top targets in the nation and is one of only four players in the country with 1,000 or more receiving yards at this juncture. Marcus Martin remains one of the best in the country on defense with 18.0 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks.
 
Series History
This will be the 76th meeting between the two teams, with Slippery Rock owning a 47-25-3 advantage in the all-time series with the Golden Eagles.  Since 2010 the two teams have played for the Milk Jug trophy, with Slippery Rock holding on to the trophy until a loss last year.
 
In last year's game, the teams were tied 14-14 at halftime but the Golden Eagles outscored The Rock 13-9 in the second half to claim a 27-23 win, their first over Slippery Rock since the 2009 season.  Layne Skundrich and Brandon Vocco each finished with 10 tackles while Sam Fareri added seven tackles and an interception.
 
About the Coach
Chris Weibel is in his third season as the program's head coach after spending many of the previous years as an assistant.  Weibel has an overall record of 12-18 at Clarion, including an 8-11 record in PSAC West play.  A 2010 inductee into the Clarion Sports Hall of Fame, Weibel graduated with every major Clarion passing record to his credit.
 
Last Week
For the second straight week the Clarion defense shut out their opponent in the second half, but the Golden Eagles' comeback attempt came up just short as they fell 23-17 to #3/2 IUP at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
 
The Golden Eagles trailed IUP 23-14 at the end of the first half but allowed the Crimson Hawks to score no more the rest of the game as they rallied back and pulled within one score.  Clarion booted a 26-yard field goal late in the third quarter to make it 23-17 but could not come up with the go-ahead tally in the fourth against their nationally-ranked opponent.
 
The Golden Eagles sacked quarterback Lenny Williams three times, picked him off once and forced a fumble as Clarion held a 3-0 advantage in turnover margin.  Layne Skundrich finished with a game-high 15 tackles while senior Colton McKay had nine tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.  Tyrone Archie and Dante Paul each recovered fumbles, one of which was forced by Avery Howsare, and Bryson Craven intercepted a pass.
 
Ground Game Picking Up Steam
After a sluggish start the Golden Eagles have established a strong rush attack that shares a strong correlation with their improved offensive play of late.  Clarion is averaging 148.2 yards per game on the ground in the last five weeks, led by freshman Mylique McGriff.  McGriff has 67 carries for 359 yards (5.2 ypc) and two touchdowns in that span. 
 
Late Bloomers
In each of the last two weeks, the Clarion defense has shut out the opposing offense in the second half, and every nearly pulled off upsets as the result.  They held the California (Pa.) Vulcans without a point in the second half while scoring 19 themselves before fallin 23-19, and then held the nationally-ranked IUP Crimson Hawks scoreless in the second half in a come-from-behind bid. When one includes the Seton Hill game on Oct. 7, Clarion has allowed just seven points in each of the last three second halves.
 
Fareri Steals the Win, Weekly Honors
Sam Fareri's big day against Seton Hill led to him earning PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week honors for Oct. 9.  He finished with five total tackles, an interception and a forced fumble. 
 
Key Takeaways
The Golden Eagles have been especially effective at forcing turnovers in 2017, boasting a +6 turnover margin so far this year.  That was buoyed by three takeaways against IUP last week, including an interception by Bryson Craven and fumble recoveries by Tyrone Archie and Dante Paul.
 
Setting the Standard
Freshman receiver Mason Standard has played a bigger role in the offense recently  and has blossomed into one of the Golden Eagles' top targets.  In his last five games Standard has caught 21 passes for 316 yards and five touchdowns.  Against Seton Hill he had his best game of the year, setting career highs in catches (8), receiving yards (117) and touchdowns (3).  Standard's five touchdown receptions in PSAC West play are second among receivers in conference games.
 
Standard also holds the distinction of throwing a successful two-point conversion attempt, Clarion's first two-point conversion since the 2014 season.
 
Clarion Picked Seventh in Preseason Poll
In a coaches' poll before the start of the year, Clarion was predicted to finish seventh in the PSAC West division in 2017. 
 
PSAC West (# of 1st place votes)
1) IUP (6)
2) California (2)
3) Slippery Rock
4) Edinboro
5) Gannon
6) Seton Hill
7) Clarion
8) Mercyhurst
 
Field Flipper
New kicker/punter James Metzgar has acquitted himself quite well in his new roles this year, proving dependable both in putting the ball through the upright as well as pinning the opponent deep.  Metzgar is first  in the PSAC with 20 punts downed inside opposing 20-yard-lines while kicking just two touchbacks in a league-high 56 attempts.
 
On the Road Again
Clarion will play three straight games away from home to end the season, starting with an Oct. 28 showdown at Slippery Rock.  They then travel to take on Gannon and West Chester, respectively, to close out the slate.
 
Lights, Camera, Action!
Clarion University will continue its fruitful partnership with the Pennsylvania Sports Fever Television Network in 2017, with two contests – 9/9 vs. Bloomsburg and 9/30 at Edinboro – 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.
 
Eagle Media to Stream Clarion Home Games
In a joint venture between Eagle Media Productions and the athletic department, all Clarion home football games in 2017 will be available via free video streaming.  Viewers will be able to access the video streams via the schedule page on ClarionGoldenEagles.com.
 
What's Next
The Golden Eagles will try to shut down the high-octane running attack of the Gannon Golden Knights on Saturday, Nov. 4.  Kickoff is scheduled for noon.
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Tyrone Archie

#3 Tyrone Archie

DE
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
Sam Fareri

#7 Sam Fareri

S
6' 0"
Sophomore
Avery Howsare

#5 Avery Howsare

LB
6' 2"
Senior
Colton McKay

#37 Colton McKay

S
5' 11"
Senior
James Metzgar

#61 James Metzgar

K/P
6' 0"
Sophomore
Dante Paul

#98 Dante Paul

DL
6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
Layne Skundrich

#31 Layne Skundrich

LB
5' 10"
Junior
Brandon Vocco

#91 Brandon Vocco

DL
6' 1"
Junior
Mylique McGriff

#20 Mylique McGriff

RB
5' 9"
Freshman
Bryson Craven

#38 Bryson Craven

DB
5' 10"
Freshman
Mason Standard

#83 Mason Standard

WR
6' 1"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Tyrone Archie

#3 Tyrone Archie

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
DE
Sam Fareri

#7 Sam Fareri

6' 0"
Sophomore
S
Avery Howsare

#5 Avery Howsare

6' 2"
Senior
LB
Colton McKay

#37 Colton McKay

5' 11"
Senior
S
James Metzgar

#61 James Metzgar

6' 0"
Sophomore
K/P
Dante Paul

#98 Dante Paul

6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
DL
Layne Skundrich

#31 Layne Skundrich

5' 10"
Junior
LB
Brandon Vocco

#91 Brandon Vocco

6' 1"
Junior
DL
Mylique McGriff

#20 Mylique McGriff

5' 9"
Freshman
RB
Bryson Craven

#38 Bryson Craven

5' 10"
Freshman
DB
Mason Standard

#83 Mason Standard

6' 1"
Freshman
WR