Game 8 // Clarion Golden Eagles (4-3, 2-2 PSAC West) vs. Slippery Rock The Rock (6-1, 4-0 PSAC)
Saturday, October 20 // Noon // Clarion, Pa. // Memorial Stadium (5,000)

Radio: WCCR 92.7 FM / WKQW 96.3 FM

Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio

Game Notes

The Lead
The Clarion Golden Eagles will try to take possession of the Milk Jug Trophy when they host Slippery Rock at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 20.  Kickoff is scheduled for noon between the two PSAC West foes.

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
The Rock have set themselves atop the PSAC West standings with a perfect 4-0 division record, including wins over Edinboro and IUP in each of the last two weeks.  Slippery Rock boasts the best scoring offense in the league at 42.1 points per game, and the second-most productive in terms of yards at 486.4 per contest.

Much of The Rock's success has come through the air, with quarterback Roland Rivers ranking third in the PSAC at 288.6 passing yards per game.  He's been protective of the ball as well, having thrown 16 touchdown passes and only three interceptions.  On defense, Chad Kuhn is tied for the conference lead with 6.5 total sacks, while Trey Blandford has 10.0 tackles for loss.

Series History
This will be the 77th meeting between the two teams, with Slippery Rock owning a 48-25-3 advantage in the all-time series with Clarion.  The last Golden Eagle win in the series came during the 2016 season, when Clarion won the Milk Jug Trophy for the first time in its history with a 27-23 win over The Rock at Memorial Stadium.

In last year's game, The Rock jumped out to a big first-half lead, holding a 24-3 advantage after 30 minutes of play.  Clarion shut them out in the second half but was unable to pull much closer, scoring a fourth quarter touchdown but falling 24-9.  Mylique McGriff had two long runs, including a 60-yard touchdown.

About the Coach
Chris Weibel is in his fourth season as the program's head coach after spending many of the previous years as an assistant.  Weibel has an overall record of 16-24 at Clarion, including a 10-15 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 rung up a big first quarter advantage but were unable to sustain the pace, falling 24-23 to the #23/25 IUP Crimson Hawks at George P. Miller Stadium on Saturday.
 
Clarion scored 20 unanswered points in the first quarter, scoring on their first three possessions of the game to back IUP into a corner.  The Crimson Hawks managed to get on the scoreboard with a touchdown in the second quarter and a field goal in the third before scoring 14 unanswered in the fourth quarter to get the win.
 
Mylique McGriff had his second straight 100-yard rushing game, toting the rock 30 times for 125 yards and a score.  Scott Florence scored his first career touchdown in the first quarter, and Dana Jackson caught his fourth long touchdown pass in as many games with a 78-yard score on the Golden Eagles' first drive.  Jackson's reception is the longest offensive play for Clarion this year.
 
The Golden Eagles came out ahead in the turnover battle, with Corey Wells and Joe Kucenski forcing fumbles that led directly to Clarion touchdowns.  Quinlin Lambert also intercepted IUP's Lenny Williams, giving Clarion 13 interceptions as a team on the 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 (7)
2) California (1)
3) Slippery Rock
4) Edinboro
5) Gannon
6) Mercyhurst
7) Clarion
8) Seton Hill

PSAC East (# of 1st place votes)
1) West Chester (6)
2) Shippensburg
3) Kutztown (1)
4) Bloomsburg
5) East Stroudsburg
6) Millersville
7) Lock Haven

Controlling the Skies
Quinlin Lambert recorded his first interception of the year against IUP, continuing the trend of the Golden Eagles playing havoc with opposing teams' passing offenses.  With that interception Clarion has now picked off 13 passes this year, tying them for fourth in NCAA Division II and putting them second in the PSAC behind Edinboro.

> Last year, the Golden Eagles recorded just 13 total interceptions as a team, and only two players with picks last year - Sam Fareri and Gus Schmitt - returned to the team this year.

Swallowed Up
Through seven games this year, the Golden Eagle defense hasn't just been one of the best in the conference at stopping the run, they have also been one of the very best in the country.  Clarion ranks 11th in the nation and second in the PSAC in rushing defense, allowing opposing teams an average of just  87.6 yards per game. 

> Clarion has allowed just five rushing touchdowns all season long, and have not allowed an individual runner to top 100 yards in any game this year.

Missing the Point(s)
In addition to the other laudables for the Golden Eagle defense, they've been adept at keeping opposing teams off the scoreboard.  The Golden Eagles still rank third in the conference in scoring defense at 21.9 points per game.

From Way Downtown
Junior kicker James Metzgar is second in the PSAC in field goal percentage, ranking 11th in the nation with an 87.5 percent mark on the year.  He is 7-of-8 on field goal attempts this year.

Ball Hawk
Now in his third season, Sam Fareri has been a major factor in creating turnovers throughout his college career.  Coming into this season he had two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and five interceptions, including four picks last season.  This year he has already three more picks, giving him eight in his career, and another forced fumble.

> Fareri was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week for Sept. 10, coming on the heels of a performance where the junior safety forced three turnovers in a Golden Eagle victory.  He picked off two passes and forced another fumble in Clarion's 30-21 win at Lock Haven.
 
Action Jackson
Since the start of PSAC West play, Dana Jackson has provided big plays and key scores, contributing long touchdown catches in each of the last four weeks.  His 34-yard touchdown reception against Gannon on Sept. 29 was the game-winning score, putting Clarion ahead 14-9, while his 45-yard score against Seton Hill on Oct. 6 last week increased the Golden Eagles' lead to 16-7.  Both games came down to a single score by the conclusion.

> Against California (Pa.) on Oct. 13, Jackson recorded the first 100-yard receiving game for a Clarion player this season, catching four passes for 126 yards and a score.  He scored on a 68-yard reception, the longest play from scrimmage for the Golden Eagles at that point of the year and longest reception since Kevin Genevro's 78-yard reception against West Chester on Nov. 12, 2016.

> Jackson topped that mark in the very next game, catching a 78-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Clemens against #23/25 IUP.  That tied Genevro's reception for longest of the past five years, and is the second-longest reception in the PSAC this year.

Longest Receptions, Last Five Years
1. 78 yards, Kevin Genevro vs. West Chester - 11/12/16
   78 yards, Dana Jackson at IUP - 10/13/18
3. 76 yards, Jaron Moorer at IUP - 11/1/14
4. 73 yards, Matt Lehman vs. California (Pa.) - 10/25/14
5. 71 yards, Seneca Williams vs. Lock Haven - 9/1/16
6. 68 yards, Dana Jackson vs. California (Pa.) - 10/6/18

Sestercentennial Man
With a 10-tackle performance against Gannon on Sept. 22, senior linebacker Layne Skundrich broke the 250-tackle mark for his career at Clarion.  He followed that up two weeks later with 17 stops against California (Pa.), putting him at 272 career stops.  With four games remaining, he could break into the top-10 all-time in program history, starting with Bo Busch's 292 career stops.  With 19 more tackles, Skundrich can become just the ninth player in program history to record 300 tackles in a career.

> Skundrich's 17 tackles against the Vulcans is tied for the second-most in a single game at Clarion since 1999, tying him with Nick Sipes' 17 stops against the Vulcans on Sept. 25, 2010.   Scott McGrady had 18 tackles against West Chester on Oct. 12, 2002.

Welcome Back
After missing all of the previous two games and most of a third with an injury, Mylique McGriff immediately made his presence known against California (Pa.) on Oct. 6.  The sophomore running back rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns against the Vulcans.  He followed that up with a 125-yard effort against IUP a week later.

> Not counting his performance against Lincoln, when McGriff left the game with injury after just three carries, he is averaging 103.0 rushing yards per game in the other contests.

> McGriff ripped off a 55-yard run against the Vulcans, the third-longest rush of his career and the longest rush for the Golden Eagles this season.  

Mylique McGriff - Longest Career Rushes
1. 79 yards, at Gannon - 11/4/17
2. 60 yards, at Slippery Rock - 10/28/17
3. 55 yards, vs. California (Pa.) - 10/6/18
4. 53 yards, vs. Shippensburg - 9/1/18
5. 51 yards, at Slippery Rock - 10/28/17

All Facets
Alec Heldreth had a whale of a game against Gannon on Sept. 22, contributing to the victory in preventing the Golden Knights from scoring, as well as lighting up the scoreboard himself.  The senior defensive tackle scored on a strip-sack of quarterback Jason Dambach in the second quarter, ripping the ball loose and recovering it in the end zone to tie the game at 7-7.  Later, he sacked Dambach on fourth down to halt Gannon's final offensive drive, preserving Clarion's win.

> Heldreth is second on the team with 46 total stops, and ranks among the league leaders in tackles for loss (9.5 - 6th) and sacks (4.5 - T-12th).

Do Not Pass Go
The Clarion defensive line has made headlines this year, starting with its two returning all-conference players in Alec Heldreth and Brandon Vocco.  Vocco ranks fourth on the team in tackles, and his other numbers - 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks - do not paint an accurate picture of how dominant he is on the interior.

The work of the defensive ends has been impressive, as well.  Senior Tyrone Archie ranks second on the team with 6.0 tackles for loss and has two sacks to his credit, while Saif Khan is second on the team with 2.5 sacks and 4.0 tackles for loss.  Vaughn Wallace is also a key part of the rotation with 20 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

Stepping Up
Converted defensive lineman Paul Blendinger has made the transition to linebacker, and the redshirt junior has provided a little bit of everything this year.  Defensively he is third on the team with 38 tackles and also boasts two interceptions and a fumble recovery.  He's also made his mark on special teams, blocking a field goal attempt against Gannon on Sept. 22.

> Clarion had another blocked kick a week later, when safety Chris Gildea blocked a Seton Hill punt to set up a score in the Golden Eagles' 19-16 road win.

Home Cookin'
Clarion fans will be pleased to know that the Golden Eagles have an extended home slate in 2018, playing six home games over the final nine weeks of the season.  The Golden Eagles will not go two weeks without a game in the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium for the remainder of the year.

Lights, Camera, Action!
Clarion University will continue its fruitful partnership with the Pennsylvania Sports Fever Television Network in 2018, with two contests – 9/1 vs. Shippensburg and 11/10 vs. East Stroudsburg – 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 2018 will be available via free video streaming.  Viewers will be able to access the streams a number of different ways...

Computer - Via the Clarion portal on Stretch Internet, linked on the schedule page
Streaming Device - Via Roku / Apple TV / Android TV / Amazon Fire TV devices with the Clarion Golden Eagle Vision app
 
What's Next
The Golden Eagles will stay in town for another big PSAC West showdown when they host the Edinboro Fighting Scots at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 27.  Kickoff is scheduled for noon.