CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion football team slowed but could not completely stop the high-powered Slippery Rock offense on Saturday, keeping it close but ultimately falling 28-13 to The Rock at Memorial Stadium.  The Golden Eagles (4-4, 2-3 PSAC) will try to even their PSAC West record a week from today when they host Edinboro.
 
Clarion held Slippery Rock to their lowest scoring output since the second game of the season and 14.1 points below their season average, keeping them at bay with just 28 points.  The Rock moved the ball well for most of the game but the Golden Eagles managed three turnovers and forced another turnover on downs to halt potential scoring drives.
 
Turnovers played a key role in the Golden Eagles' lone touchdown of the game, as Chris Gildea picked off a Roland Rivers III pass on the first drive of the third quarter.  He jumped a route in the middle of the field and raced towards the end zone before being pulled down by running back Wes Hills at the one-yard line.  On 2^nd-and-Goal, Mylique McGriff muscled his way through the pile into the end zone for his sixth touchdown of the season, cutting The Rock's lead to 14-10.
 
Dorian Johnson added another interception, his third of the season, while Tyrone Archie forced a fumble in the fourth quarter that was recovered by Vaughn Wallace.  James Metzgar was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts to improve to 9-of-10 on the season.
 
The Golden Eagles led the game after the first quarter of action, finishing off an 11-play drive with a 23-yard boot from Metzgar.  The key plays of the drive were a 10-yard completion from Jeff Clemens to Mark Lewis on 3^rd-and-6, and a timely pass interference call that put the Golden Eagles inside the 10-yard line.  Metzgar's kick split the uprights with 2:55 left in the first quarter, and Clarion held that advantage until a touchdown run by Hills at the 8:51 mark of the second quarter.
 
The Rock added another score before the halftime break, a 19-yard pass from Rivers to Zach Cirillio that made it 14-3, but McGriff's score early in the third quarter pulled the Golden Eagles to within striking distance.  Slippery Rock countered with two touchdown passes from Rivers to Jermaine Wynn, including a 41-yard play at the start of the fourth quarter that made it 28-10. 
 
Clarion's offense was hampered by a stout defensive attack from Slippery Rock as well numerous injuries, including to two quarterbacks in the same quarter.  Clemens and Jovante Seard were both knocked out of the game with injuries, pressing true freshman Tanner Jones into action for the second time this year.  Jones finished with 48 passing yards late in the game.
 
Defensively, Layne Skundrich tied for the game-high with 12 tackles.  The senior linebacker is now just seven tackles away from becoming the ninth player in Clarion history with 300 career stops.  Gildea finished with 10 tackles, a tackle for loss and the interception, while Sam Fareri had nine stops.