Game 11 // Clarion Golden Eagles (1-9, 1-6 PSAC West) at Bloomsburg Huskies (6-4, 4-3 PSAC East)
Saturday, Nov. 11 // 1 p.m. // Bloomsburg, Pa. // Redman Stadium

Radio: WCCR 92.7 FM / WKQW 96.3 FM

Live Stats // Live Audio

Clarion Game Notes

Two-Minute Drill

• The Clarion Golden Eagles will finish the season with a rematch as they take on  Bloomsburg on the road
• This will be the 14th meeting between the two teams, with Bloomsburg holding an 8-4-1 advantage in the all-time series
• Bloomsburg won the previous meeting between the teams this year, taking a 29-20 decision at Memorial Stadium
• Running back Mylique McGriff broke 200 yards rushing for the first time in his career last week, finishing with 216 yards and a touchdown against Gannon
• McGriff's performance was the first 200-yard game for a Golden Eagle running back since Delrece Williams had 211 yards against Mercyhurst last year
• Wide receiver Mason Standard's six receiving touchdowns in conference play ranks fifth in the league and fourth in PSAC West games
• With 98 tackles so far, linebacker Layne Skundrich is on pace to be the first Golden Eagle with 100+ tackles since 2010
• Skundrich ranks third in the PSAC and first in the PSAC West division with an average of 9.8 tackles per game
• Clarion improved to +8 in turnover differential after recording four interceptions against Gannon on Saturday
• 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 wrap up the 2017 season with a PSAC East rematch, going on the road to take on Bloomsburg at Redman Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 11.  Kickoff time is set 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 Huskies
Since last we left Bloomsburg, the Huskies have compiled a 6-4 overall record, including a 4-3 mark in PSAC East play.  They were in the hunt for a PSAC East title until the last two weeks of the season and do in fact own a win over division champion West Chester, the only East school that can make that claim.

Bloomsburg remains a strong rushing team, ranking sixth in the PSAC with an average of 174.3 yards per game on the ground this year, and they allow just 149.8 yards per game against. Qmac Quiteh is on pace to break 1,000 rushing yards this year and comes into the game with 909 rushing yards so far.

Series History
This will be just the 14th meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Huskies since the 1934 season, with Bloomsburg holding a 8-4-1 advantage in the all-time series with Clarion.  It's been a long dry spell for the Golden Eagles, who haven't beaten Bloomsburg since winning 42-29 in the 1996 NCAA playoffs.  To put that in perspective, current Clarion head coach Chris Weibel was the quarterback of that squad.

The teams met previously this year, with Bloomsburg pulling out a 29-20 win at Memorial Stadium in Clarion's home opener.  The Golden Eagles scored 14 points in the second quarter to take a 20-17 lead at the break but Bloomsburg rushed their way to a 29-20 lead in the fourth and never looked back.

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 12-20 at Clarion, including an 8-13 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
The Golden Eagles fell in a road shootout on Saturday, dropping a 38-28 decision to Gannon at McConnell Family Stadium.  The Clarion defense did its best to limit the high-powered Gannon offense, intercepting four passes and recovering one fumble for a five-turnover day on the road.  They harassed Golden Knights quarterback Jimmy Keefe to the tune of a -1.3 quarterback rating, holding him to 5-of-11 for 34 yards and the four picks. 
 
Mylique McGriff exploded in the running game for Clarion, finishing with 216 rushing yards and a touchdown on 29 carries, giving him a 7.4 yards per carry average on the afternoon.  Kyle Evans made the most of his lone carry on the day, punching in a touchdown from one yard out in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 28. 

Bicentennial Celebration
For just the second time this season the Golden Eagles topped 200 rushing yards in a game, doing so against Gannon last week.  However, that instance marked the first time an individual Golden Eagle player topped the mark this year.  Mylique McGriff went off for 216 yardsand a touchdown on 29 carries against the Golden Knights.

McGriff's day was the first time a Golden Eagle rusher topped 200 yards in a game since Delrece Williams did it last year at Mercyhurst.  His 216 yards were the most by a Clarion individual since Patrick Graham-Murphy ran for 266 yards against Millersville on Nov. 12, 2011.

Road to 100
Junior linebacker Layne Skundrich has been on a tear as of late, and is looking to become the first Golden Eagle linebacker in some time to breach 100 tackles in a season.  Skundrich ranks third in the conference in total tackles with 98 and in tackles per game with 9.8, marks that both lead all players in the PSAC West.  The last Golden Eagle player to top 100 tackles in a year was Nick Sipes, who finished the 2010 season with 107 total stops.

Key Takeaways
The Golden Eagles have been especially effective at forcing turnovers in 2017, boasting a +8 turnover margin so far this year.  That was buoyed by four interceptions against Gannon last week, with Sam Fareri, Colton McKay, Gus Schmitt and Tyrone Cromwell all recording picks.

Hit Stick Howsare
Helping to lead the charge in forcing turnovers has been senior linebacker Avery Howsare.  He has knocked a ball loose in three of the last four weeks, and now ranks tied for third in the PSAC in forced fumbles.

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.  He leads the team with six touchdown receptions on the season, including one last week against Gannon and a career-high three scores against Seton Hill.  His six scores ranked fourth among PSAC West schools in divisional play.

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 22 punts downed inside opposing 20-yard-lines while kicking just two touchbacks in a league-high 69 attempts.

Metzgar has not kicked a touchback since Week 3 against Shippensburg, and since that time has downed 12 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard-line.

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. 

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.