Game 1 // Clarion Golden Eagles (0-0, 0-0 PSAC West) vs. Shippensburg Red Raiders (0-0, 0-0 PSAC East)
Saturday, Sept. 1 // 1 p.m. // Pittsburgh, Pa. // Highmark Stadium (5,000)

TV Coverage & Streaming: This game will be produced by PA SportsFever, and will be available live over the following outlets:

National Platforms
ESPN 3 (Accessible on line to more than 86 million households at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One)
ESPN College Extra (Live TV available to AT&T Uverse, DirecTV, Bright House Networks, Cox, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS and select NCTC  subscribers)
 
Pittsburgh
WPNT 22 The Point(22 over-the-air, Comcast SD 10/HD 812, Comcast Clarion SD 12/HD 812, Armstrong SD 22/HD 105, Atlantic Broadband SD 8/HD 707, Citizens SD 12/HD 812, Time Warner SD 22/HD 1022, Verizon SD 10/ HD 510, Consolidated SD 10/HD 710, DirecTV & Dish Network 22) Pittsburgh
 
Harrisburg-Lancaster-York
WHP 21.2 My Network(21.1 over-the-air, Comcast 19, Armstrong 15, Blue Ridge 133, Nittany 99, Verizon 21, DirecTV 22)
 
Johnstown-Altoona-State College
WJAC 6.2 Me TV (6.2 over-the-air, Comcast 110-187-202-248, Armstrong 410, Atlantic Broadband 110, Windstream 16, Laurel Highland 15)
 
Erie DMA (141,000 HHs)
Erie News Now ENN+ ( 35.3 over-the-air)

Radio Coverage: 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 WKQW-FM.

Live Stats // Live Audio // Game Notes

The Lead
The Clarion Golden Eagles open their 92nd season of action on Saturday, September 1 when they square off with the Shippensburg Red Raiders.  As one of the final parts of Clarion's 150th Anniversary celebration, the game will be played at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh.

Scouting the Red Raiders
One of the toughest teams in the PSAC last year, Shippensburg went 10-2 overall and earned a berth in the NCAA Playoffs.  The Red Raiders went 7-1 in PSAC East play, and the only team to beat them - West Chester - did so during both the regular season and in the first round of the playoffs.  Last year the Red Raiders led the PSAC in several major defensive categories: Total Defense (268.8), Scoring Defense (13.0), Passing Defense (177.8) and Turnover Margin (+1.3). 

Series History
This will be the 57th meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Red Raiders, with Clarion owning a 33-22-1 advantage in the all-time series with Shippensburg.  However, the Red Raiders have won 11 straight meetings between the two teams, with the last Clarion win coming during the 2000 season.

Last year, Shippensburg won a 31-0 decision at Memorial Stadium, but the game played out much differently than the final score may indicate.  The Red Raiders led just 7-0 at halftime and did not pull away in earnest until the end of the third quarter.  Layne Skundrich led all players with 13 tackles while Quinlin Lambert added nine stops.

About the Coach
Chris Weibel enters 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 12-21 at Clarion, including a 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.

Weibel Names Captains
Head coach Chris Weibel named his two offensive and two defensive captains for the 2018 season on Saturday, August 25.  The offense will be represented by Jeff Clemens and Devin Clark, while the defense will be represented by Sam Fareri and Layne Skundrich.


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

Well-Seasoned Line Ready to Work
In contrast with the past several years, this year's offensive line returns a wealth of experience, and figures to be a strength throughout the year.  The line is anchored by two-time All-PSAC and Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region 1 selection Zack Morris, who has started every game of the last two season.  He will be flanked by tackles Andrew Vonada and Rob Korzon, who have each started more than 20 games in their careers as well.  

In addition, sophomore Mark Kroneberg saw significant time last year and started five games, and redshirt freshman Keaton Rounsville spent all last season working with the team.

Hit the Ground Running
Sophomore running back Mylique McGriff turned into the one of the most dangerous running backs in the league in the second half of last season, averaging 127.0 rushing yards and 157.4 all-purpose yards per game in the final five contests of the year.  His biggest day of the year came against Gannon on Nov. 4, when he rushed for 216 yards and a touchdown against the Golden Knights.  It was the most rushing yards for a Golden Eagle back since Patrick Graham-Murphy had 266 yards in 2011.

Making His Mark
Quarterback Jeff Clemens is in his third year of action in 2018, with the junior rifleman showing command of the offense throughout spring and fall camps.  Clemens has started nine games over the last two seasons, including the final four games of last season.  He's got 13 touchdown passes compared to 11 interceptions over the course of the last two seasons, but this will be the first year that he is the opening day starter.

Plenty to Go Around
The receiver corps will have plenty to prove in 2018, as the Golden Eagles will feature a relatively green group out wide.  The top returning pass catchers are actually running backs Devin Clark and Mylique McGriff, followed by tight end Jimmy Murphy.  Returning receivers Dervonn Holton and Marcus McCoy combined for 11 catches for 203 yards and one score a year ago.

That gives the team's plethora of young receivers plenty of opportunity to step up.  Clarion boasts three freshmen that were part of high school state champions a year ago - Jamarian Hawkins, Mark Lewis and Isaiah McNair.  In addition, redshirt freshman AZ Britt and sophomore Khalil Webster will also be big parts of the passing game.

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 ine weeks of the season.  After next week's true road game at Lock Haven, the Golden Eagles will never again go two weeks without a game in the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium.  

Ready to Disrupt
The Golden Eagles welcome back all four starting defensive linemen from a year ago, including two All-PSAC selections in Brandon Vocco and Alec Heldreth.  Those two were named Podyum Preseason All-America honorable mentions and will try to maintain pressure in opponents' backfields.  Three-year contributor Tyrone Archie, as well as ascending stalwart Saif Khan are also back in action this year.

> Clarion finished third in the PSAC West in total defense a year ago, behind only IUP and California (Pa.).

Triple-Digit Man
2017 All-PSAC linebacker Layne Skundrich is back for his final year in the Blue & Gold after recording his best season to date a year ago.  Skundrich led the PSAC West in total tackles (106) and tackles per game (9.6) a year ago, making him the first Golden Eagle to top the century mark since Nick Sipes in 2010.  

Something Old, Something New
Last year the Clarion defense ranked third in the PSAC West in passing defense and sixth in interceptions, and this year returns a blend of veteran players complemented by younger blood.  Three-year contributor Sam Fareri will be flanked at the safety spots by Gus Schmitt - himself a three-year contributor - and redshirt sophomore Chris Gildea.  At corner, Corey Wells will try to build off a strong freshman campaign where he saw action in nine games, while Dorian Johnson will move over from the offense to provide a new element to the defense.

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 head to Lock Haven for their first true road contest of the season on Saturday, September 8.  Kickoff is set for noon.