Game 4 // Clarion Golden Eagles (2-1, 0-0 PSAC West) vs. Gannon Golden Knights (0-3, 0-0 PSAC West)
Saturday, Sept. 22 // 1 p.m. // 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 open their PSAC West season when they host the Gannon Golden Knights at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 22.  Kickoff is scheduled 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 Golden Knights
Gannon enters the weekend winless at 0-3, but their previous schedule includes undefeated West Chester and Kutztown.  The Golden Knights finished 5-6 overall a year ago with a 3-4 record in PSAC West play, and this year were predicted to finish fifth in the West division.  

Running back Marc Jones led the nation in rushing a year ago with an average of 197.8 yards per game on the ground, 2,199 total rushing yards and 29 ground scores.  This year he's averaging 97.7 yards per game and has just two rushing touchdowns.  Joey Cox leads the Golden Knights with 19 receptions for 183 yards.  
Series History
This will be the 11th meeting between the two teams, with Clarion owning a 6-4 advantage in the all-time series with Gannon.  The Golden Eagles had won two straight meetings between the teams before a 38-28 Gannon win in Erie last season.

Last year's meeting was a shootout, with the two teams tied at 28 in the fourth quarter before the Golden Knights pulled away for the 10-point victory.  Mylique McGriff had probably his best game to date against the Golden Knights, going off for 216 rushing yards and a touchdown.  Clarion defensive backs picked off quarterback Jimmy Keefe four times, including Sam Fareri and Gus Schmitt.

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 14-22 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.

Last Week
Behind a stout defensive effort, the Golden Eagles won their 2018 home opener, defeating Lincoln (Pa.) 44-7 at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 15.
 
The numbers do a good job of telling the story of the game, and they are impressive.  The Golden Eagles held the Lions to just 129 total yards – including a -6 yards rushing total on 30 attempts – and five total first downs.  Seven Lincoln drives ended with negative yardage as Clarion smothered most runs in the backfield.
 
As such, it turned out to be a big day for the defensive line.  Alec Heldreth finished with 10 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, a sack and three quarterback hurries, while defensive linemate Saif Khan had eight stops, 3.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.  Paul Blendinger, Trent Rogers and Corey Wells all added interceptions to give Clarion nine picks in the last two games.

Clarion rotated three quarterbacks in throughout the game, with Jovante Seard leading the way at 12-of-24 for 169 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.  Jeff Clemens entered for a period in the second half and was very efficient, completing eight of 10 passes for 74 yards and a 21-yard touchdown pass to Maverick Kelsea in the third quarter.  The touchdown was the first of Kelsea's career. 

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
Over the last two games, the Golden Eagles have lived up to their moniker in being some of the most dangerous creatures in the skies.  Clarion has intercepted nine passes over the last two games, and the Golden Eagles currently rank second in the conference with that total, behind just Edinboro's 10 picks.  Three different Clarion players have recorded two interceptions this year - linebacker Paul Blendinger, safety Sam Fareri, and corner Dorian Johnson.

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

Swallowed Up
The Golden Eagle front four dominated the line of scrimmage against Lincoln, limiting the Lions to -6 rushing yards on 30 carries.  The four starters along the line - Tyrone Archie, Alec Heldreth, Saif Khan and Brandon Vocco -  combined for 28 tackles, four sacks and eight tackles for loss against Lincoln, with Vocco going off for 10 stops himself.  

Fareri Named PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week
Sam 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.
 
> Now in his third season, 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.

Double the Fun
Not to be outdone, sophomore Dorian Johnson also got in on the interception action against Lock Haven.  Playing his first year as a defensive back for Clarion, Johnson intercepted two passes against the Bald Eagles, the first two picks of his career.  He has already broken up five passes this year, the most in the PSAC, and his two interceptions is tied for third.

The Real McCoy
Marcus McCoy had a breakout game in Clarion's win over Lock Haven, catching four passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns.  It marked the first multiple-touchdown game in McCoy's career, and single-handedly tripled his career touchdown reception total.  He followed that up with five catches for 44 yards and another score against Lincoln.

> Last year McCoy finished the season with five receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown.  This year he has already recorded 11 catches for 117 yards and three scores.

From Way Downtown
Junior kicker James Metzgar got off to a good start against Shippensburg, going 2-for-2 on field goals against the Red Raiders.  Included in that was a career-long 40-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, propelling Clarion to a 10-7 advantage at the halftime break.  Metzgar added field goals in each of the last two games, and is now the only kicker in the PSAC that is a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals.  

First Time for Everything
In the fourth quarter against Lincoln, senior offensive lineman Zack Morris was given the opportunity to finish off an offensive drive not by blocking for a touchdown scorer, but by doing it himself.  After Khalil Webster caught a pass to get Clarion to the goal line, Morris got the call, taking a handoff through the line for his first career rushing touchdown.

More Firsts to Be Had
As for, shall we say, more conventional touchdowns scored this year, the game against Lincoln also saw freshmen Keanu Young and AZ Britt making their first career scores.  Britt scored on a 41-yard pass near the end of the first half, closing out a one-play drive for Clarion, while Young punctuated a drive with an eight-yard dash in the third quarter.

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.

Ready to Disrupt
Returning virtually every contributor from a year ago - including two all-conference selections in Alec Heldreth and Brandon Vocco - the defensive line figured to be a strength of the Clarion defense in 2018.  They've been up to the task so far, with Vaughn Wallace joining the aforementioned pair in combining for seven quarterback hurries and 6.0 tackles for loss in just two games.  Heldreth and Wallace have each already recorded sacks on the year, as well.

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 head on the road to face off with the Seton Hill Griffins in Greensburg.  Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.