Game 5 // Clarion Golden Eagles (3-1, 0-0 PSAC West) at Seton Hill Griffins (0-4, 0-1 PSAC West)
Saturday, Sept. 29 // 4 p.m. // Greensburg, Pa. // Offutt Field

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 make it four wins in a row on Saturday when they head to Greensburg to face off with the Seton Hill Griffins.  Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Offutt Field.

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 Griffins
Seton Hill was predicted to finish eighth in the PSAC West division and enters this weekend's game with an 0-4 overall record, including a loss in their conference opener to Slippery Rock.  It was just a nine-point game at halftime, but the Rock pulled away in the second half with 21 unanswered points en route to a 49-26 win.

As has been the case in recent years, Seton Hill makes its bones on offense, with the Griffins boasting a potent passing attack.  The Griffins are averaging 326.8 passing yards per game, led by quarterback Ryan Barabe; however, they have thrown six interceptions to go with nine total touchdown passes.  Ardell Brown is one of the conference's best receivers with 140.0 receiving yards per game on average and four total touchdowns.

Series History
This will be the sixth meeting between the two teams, with Clarion owning a 3-2 advantage in the series to date.  The Golden Eagles have won two of the last three meetings between the teams, including last year's game played at Memorial Stadium.

Seton Hill led last year's game 21-20 at halftime, but the Golden Eagles scored 10 points in the third quarter to pull ahead and held on for a 33-28 win.  Receiver Mason Standard had 117 receiving yards and three touchdown catches against the Griffins, while kicker James Metzgar nailed two second-half field goals to take and hold on to the lead.

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 15-22 at Clarion, including a 9-13 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
With their second straight dominant defensive performance, the Golden Eagles rallied from an early deficit to defeat Gannon 14-9 at Memorial Stadium.
 
The teams played a scoreless first quarter, but the Golden Knights got on the scoreboard first with a touchdown pass in the second quarter.  Alec Heldreth tied the score up with 11:14 left to go in the second, strip-sacking Gannon's Jason Dambach and recovering the fumble in the end zone to make it 7-7.  Dana Jackson caught a 34-yard pass from Jovante Seard in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter to put the Golden Eagles ahead for good, making it 14-9.
 
Heldreth had a monster game against the Golden Knights, recording seven tackles and 2.5 sacks to go with the forced fumble and recovery.  He closed out the game by sacking Dambach with 17 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, halting Gannon's final scoring drive.  The defensive line combined for five sacks of Gannon quarterbacks.  

Offensively, Seard went 11 of 20 passing for 129 yards and the touchdown, and now has five touchdown passes and no interceptions in the last three games.  Scott Florence led the running back committee with 11 carries for 31 yards, and eight different receivers caught passes.

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 three games, the Golden Eagles have lived up to their moniker in being some of the most dangerous creatures in the skies.  Clarion has intercepted 10 passes over the last two games, and the Golden Eagles currently rank second in the conference with that total, behind just Edinboro's 14 picks.  Sam Fareri leads Clarion with three interceptions 

> 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 rush defense has been utterly dominant in the last two games, shutting down opposing attacks and keeping them in the red.  On Sept. 15 they held Lincoln to -6 yards on 30 attempts, followed by a -26-yard allowance against Gannon the following week.  Much of Gannon's lost yardage came on sacks and a long fumble, though it was certainly no fluke; Golden Knights running backs were held to 37 yards on 19 carries.

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.  In his career, he now has three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and eight interceptions. 

> Fareri's three interceptions this year are tied for second in the PSAC.

Do Not Pass Go
Alec Heldreth had a whale of a game against Gannon on Saturday, 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 leads the team in tackles with 30 total stops, and ranks among the league leaders in tackles for loss (7.5 - 4th) and sacks (4.5 - T-2nd).

Team Effort
Of course, the entire defensive line has been playing well of late, with Clarion now ranking second in the league in rushing defense at 64.3 yards allowed per game.  The Golden Eagles are tied for fourth in the PSAC in sacks with 11 total on the year, as Saif Khan (2.5) and Tyrone Archie (2.0) also boast multiple sacks this year.

Double the Fun
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.  Through four games he has already broken up eight passes this year, second-most in the PSAC.

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 13 catches for 163 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.  Through four weeks, Metzgar is the only kicker in the PSAC with four or more field goals and a 100 percent conversion rate.

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.

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.  

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 close out Clarion's Autumn Leaf Festival with the annual Homecoming game, against this year's opponent California (Pa.).  Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.