PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Mylique McGriff rushed for 94 yards and caught four passes for 43 more, as the Clarion football team fell by a 35-13 score to Shippensburg at Highmark Stadium on Saturday.  The Golden Eagles (0-1) will go on the road to face Lock Haven next Saturday before a two-game homestand starting on Sept. 15.
 
McGriff took a strong first step in dispelling the sophomore slump, finishing with a team-high 137 all-purpose yards.  Included in that stretch was a 53-yard touchdown in the first quarter, the second-longest score of his career and one that tied the score up at 7-7.
 
Clarion led the Red Raiders through the end of the first half, and were still within a single score of them entering the fourth quarter.  Shippensburg scored two touchdowns in less than three minutes midway through the fourth quarter to pull away and lock up the win.
 
McGriff's touchdown came with 1:04 remaining in the first quarter, with the sophomore running back finishing off a one-play drive with a gallop down the left sideline.  The Golden Eagles forced a three-and-out with the Red Raiders on their own 22-yard line, and David Shank's punt was downed at the Clarion 47.  Just seconds later, McGriff burst through a hole and eluded tacklers on a 53-yard scamper to tie the game. 
 
Clarion's kicking and punting game helped the Golden Eagles keep Shippensburg at bay for a good portion of the game.  James Metzgar accounted for six of Clarion's points, kicking a career-long 40-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to put the Golden Eagles ahead 10-7 at the break.  He booted a 37-yard field goal late in the third quarter to cut the Red Raiders' leave to 21-13 entering the final period of play.  Redshirt freshman punter Ryan Barr averaged 42.8 yards per punt, landing three inside the 20-yard line and two downed on the Shippensburg 1.
 
Jeff Clemens finished 15-of-32 passing for 133 yards, with McGriff hauling in four of those passes for 43 yards.  Dana Jackson had two catches for 34 yards, including a long of 37 yards that he nearly broke for a touchdown in the second half.  Layne Skundrich and Brandon Vocco tied for the game-high with 11 tackles each, while Quinlin Lambert had 10.  Alec Heldreth had eight stops and a tackle for loss.
 
Shippensburg scored first when Brycen Mussina hit Sean Judge on a swing pass from 11 yards out for a score in the first quarter.  Mussina struck again, this time with a touchdown pass to Charles Headen to put the Red Raiders ahead 14-10 in the third quarter.  Josh Gontarek and Winston Eubanks each added touchdowns in the fourth quarter.