Game 2 // Clarion Golden Eagles (1-0, 0-0 PSAC West) vs Lock Haven Bald Eagles (1-0, 0-0 PSAC East)
Saturday, September 14 // 1 p.m. // Clarion, Pa. // Memorial Stadium (5,000)

Media Coverage
Can't make it to the game?  You can follow along with Golden Eagle football no matter where you are!

• Radio - Mike Kalinowski and Joe Lodanosky will have the radio call for the game on 96.3 WKQW-FM an hour before kickoff.  Live audio streaming will be available via the WKQW website and linked on the schedule at ClarionGoldenEagles.com.
• Video - All Golden Eagle home football games are streamed online, free of charge.  You can watch on your Roku / Apple TV / Android TV / Amazon Fire TV devices with the Clarion Golden Eagle Vision app, or online linked on the schedule at ClarionGoldenEagles.com.  In addition, all PSAC member institutions will stream football games free of charge via Stretch Internet and the PSAC Network app (Roku / Apple TV / Android TV / Amazon Fire TV devices.)
• TV - Three Golden Eagle games – 9/14 vs. Lock Haven, 10/26 at Slippery Rock and 11/9 vs. Mercyhurst – will be carried on PA Sports Fever and televised across the state and streamed on ESPN3.  Check the week of the game to see where it will air in your market!
• Live Stats - Available for all home games on the Clarion Stretch Internet Portal.

Clarion Game Notes

Inaugural #PSACDay Coming to Memorial Stadium!
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) will host its inaugural "PSAC Day" Saturday, September 14 in Clarion when the Clarion Golden Eagles host the Lock Haven Bald Eagles in a PSAC Football game!

PSAC Day will celebrate all things PSAC and allow fans to learn more about our 18-institution league.

Fans attending the game will be encouraged to stop by the promotional table at Memorial Stadium near the main entrance to enter to win prizes, take photos with PSAC props, and get a chance to chat with PSAC personnel. The football game that afternoon will feature PSAC themed promotions and announcements. 

Various giveaways at the PSAC table will include a variety of items.  All fans will be encouraged to join the PSAC's social media efforts by using #PSACDay.

Don't miss the fun and the chance to leave with PSAC giveaways!

Quick Notes

• The Clarion Golden Eagles open the home portion of the 2019 schedule when they host Lock Haven at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 14
• This will be the 67th all-time meeting between the Golden Eagles and Bald Eagles, with Clarion owning a 49-16-1 advantage in the all-time series with Lock Haven
• Clarion has beaten Lock Haven in each of their last nine meetings, including a 30-21 victory on the road in 2018
• This game will be televised by PA Sports Fever and broadcast across a wide spectrum of networks.  Specific carriage listings are available in the main notes package.
• The Golden Eagles are coming off a 48-28 road win at Shippensburg, marking the first time Clarion has defeated the Red Raiders since the 2000 season
• Running back Mylique McGriff rushed for 179 yards and a career-high three rushing touchdowns against Shippensburg, earning PSAC West Offensive Co-Athlete of the Week honors
• The Golden Eagles rushed for 341 yards as a team against the Red Raiders, their best single-game total since totaling more than 400 yards against Lock Haven in 2011
• Running back Ross Greece scored his first career touchdown against Shippensburg last week, scoring as a fullback to put Clarion ahead by a touchdown
• Linebacker Trent Rogers scored on a pick-six against the Red Raiders, the first defensive touchdown by a Clarion player since last year's win over Gannon and the first pick-six since 2015
• The Golden Eagles scored 48 points against Shippensburg, their first 40-point effort against a PSAC opponent since 2016 and highest scoring output since 2015
• Senior safety Sam Fareri earned Google Cloud Academic All-America honors a year ago, making him the fourth Golden Eagle in as many years to make his way onto the team.  Fareri led the team with four interceptions and two forced fumbles in 2018, and ranked second in tackles.
• Clarion entered the season having graduated four of its five all-conference selections from a year ago, including First Team All-PSAC West selection Brandon Vocco.  
• Senior defensive lineman Saif Khan is the lone returning all-conference selection, having earned Second Team honors in 2018.
• Clarion has once again renewed its fruitful partnership with SportsFever and will have three games televised locally and streamed nationally on ESPN3 - 9/14 vs. Shippensburg, 10/26 at Slippery Rock and 11/9 vs. Mercyhurst

The Lead
The Clarion Golden Eagles will play their 2019 home opener on Saturday, September 14 when they welcome the Lock Haven Bald Eagles to Memorial Stadium.  Kickoff is slated for just after 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.

TV Carriage for Saturday's Game

National platform (86 million HHs)
ESPN3 (Accessible on line 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. ESPN3 also airs on DirecTV with the ESPN app—available to 20 million DirecTV subscribers—and on Xfinity with Xfinity X1 Voice Remote and X1 App—available to 22.5 million Xfinity subscribers, including 5 million in Philadelphia and the Mid-Atlantic region.)
 
Pittsburgh DMA (1.1 million HHs)
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)
 
Harrisburg-Lancaster-York DMA (635,000 HHs)
WHP 21.2 My Network (21.2 over-the-air, Comcast 19, Armstrong 15, Blue Ridge 133, Nittany 99, Verizon 21, DirecTV 22) 
 
Johnstown-Altoona-State College DMA (210,000 HHs)
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 (133,000 HHs)
Erie News Now ENN+ (35.3 over-the-air)
 
Delay/Replay Sunday September 15 7 pm and Tuesday September 17 7 am
Cleveland, Erie, Youngstown, Columbus, Buffalo, Akron, Toledo, Charleston DMAs (2.6 million HHs)
SPORTS TIME OHIO (in PA: Erie Time Warner 21-23/HD308-1308, Armstrong 47/HD177, Sharon Time Warner 76/HD 308-1308, DirecTV 662, Dish Network 431)

Scouting The Bald Eagles
Lock Haven was predicted to finish eighth in the PSAC East this season, one year after taking sixth out of seven teams in the East division.  They started their season on a strong note, walloping Lincoln (Pa.) at home to the tune of a 57-13 final score.  The Bald Eagles scored on every possession of the first half, notching six touchdowns and a field goal, while the defense forced three turnovers in the first half alone.  Kicker Charles Hayes earned PSAC East Special Teams Athlete of the Week honors after going a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals against the Lions.

Quarterback Kyle Knight returned to action and was difficult to contain, scoring four total touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) and recording 375 yards of total offense (296 passing, 79 rushing).  Preseason All-American tight end Jalen Jackson had 107 receiving yards and a score.

Series History
This will be the 67th meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Bald Eagles, with Clarion owning a 49-16-1 advantage in the all-time series with Lock Haven.  Clarion has enjoyed a nine-game win streak over Lock Haven dating back to the 2008 season.  The last Bald Eagle win came in the 2007 season finale, a 17-14 overtime decision that sealed a winless season for the Golden Eagles.

The two teams met in the second game of the season last year, with Clarion winning a rain-soaked 30-21 decision at Hubert Jack Stadium.  The Golden Eagles forced eight turnovers, including a total of six interceptions that stands as the most for a single game since 1999 and a potential program record.  Sam Fareri was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week after recording six tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble.


About the Coach
Chris Weibel is in his fifth season as the program's head coach after spending many of the previous years as an assistant.  Weibel has an overall record of 17-28 at Clarion, including a 10-18 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.

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 2019.  

PSAC West (# of 1st place votes)
1) Slippery Rock (6)
2) Cal U (1)
3) IUP (1)
4) Mercyhurst
5) Edinboro
6) Gannon
7) Clarion
8) Seton Hill

PSAC East (# of 1st place votes)
1. West Chester (6)
2. Shepherd (2)
3. Kutztown
4. Shippensburg
5. Bloomsburg
6. East Stroudsburg
7. Millersville
8. Lock Haven

Last Week
Behind the strength of a potent running attack and an opportunistic defense, the Clarion football team opened its 2019 season with a 48-28 victory over Shippensburg at Seth Grove Stadium on Saturday.  The Golden Eagles opened the season with a victory for the first time since 2016 and defeated the Red Raiders for the first time since 2000, snapping a 12-game losing streak against the latter in the process.

The Golden Eagles pounded the Red Raiders with the run, posting 341 net rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns – three by running back Mylique McGriff – while averaging 7.1 yards per attempt.  Clarion possessed the ball for nearly 10 more minutes than the Red Raiders and held their opponents to just a 3-of-10 mark on third down.  Defensively, Clarion forced two turnovers and converted them into points, including a pick-six interception by Trent Rogers and a forced fumble by Vaughn Wallace.

The Crime Dog
Mylique McGriff's game against Shippensburg ranked as one of the best in his college career, and it earned him PSAC West Offensive Co-Athlete of the Week honors for Sept. 9.  McGriff rushed for 179 yards on 27 carries and set a career-high with three rushing touchdowns.  It was all part of a Golden Eagle effort that topped 300 total rushing yards for the game. 

> When it comes to big plays and consistent offensive pressure, McGriff has been one of the key cogs in the Clarion offensive machine over the last three years.  He added another big run to his resume against the Red Raiders, taking off for a 56-yard scamper that would have been a 75-yarder had it not been called back for holding.  McGriff went on to score on the next play anyway, taking off for a 29-yard touchdown.

Mylique McGriff - Longest Career Rushes
1. 79 yards, at Gannon - 11/4/17
2. 60 yards, at Slippery Rock - 10/28/17
3. 56 yards, at Shippensburg - 9/7/19
4. 55 yards, vs. California (Pa.) - 10/6/18
5. 53 yards, vs. Shippensburg - 9/1/18
6. 51 yards, at Slippery Rock - 10/28/17

> Currently at 1,670 career rushing yards, McGriff is still on the hunt for his first career 1,000-yard rushing season.  If he hits that mark this year, it would catapult him into the top-five in career rushing at Clarion through just three seasons.

Going the Other Way
Linebacker Trent Rogers intercepted Brycen Mussina and returned the pick for a touchdown at the end of the first half of Clarion's win over Shippensburg, marking the first Clarion defensive touchdown of the year and snapping a years-long pick-six drought.  The Golden Eagles' last defensive touchdown came last year in a win over Gannon, when defensive lineman Alec Heldreth recovered a fumble in the end zone.  Rogers' interception return was the first such score for Clarion since Jacob Craig returned a pick for a score against Cheyney on Sept. 19, 2015.

Yoink!
Last year the Golden Eagles were one of the top teams not just in the conference but in the nation at picking off passes.  With 18 total interceptions in 2018, Clarion ranked eighth in NCAA Division II and third in the PSAC.  Their 27 forced turnovers ranked 11th in the country and third in the PSAC, and their turnover margin of +0.55 ranked fourth in the league.

> Clarion's trend of taking the ball away from opponents continued against Shippensburg on Sept. 9, as the Golden Eagles forced three fumbles – recovering two – and also recorded an interception, giving them a +2 turnover advantage on the Red Raiders.

> Of the eight players to record interceptions for the Golden Eagles last year, Clarion returns six of them, including leader Sam Fareri (4).  As such, the Golden Eagles "return" 12 of the 18 picks from a season ago.

Paving the Road
Clarion rushed for 341 yards as a team against Shippensburg on Sept. 9, recording an impressive 7.1 yards per carry and including four rushing touchdowns – three by Mylique McGriff and the first career score for Ross Greece.  It is the best single-game rushing total for the Golden Eagles since Oct. 8, 2011, when they went off for 423 rushing yards at home against Lock Haven.

> Included in Clarion's rushing total was an impressive day for quarterbacks Jeff Clemens and Michael Proios.  Clemens was actually the game's second-leading rusher with 78 yards on the ground, while Proios added 38 yards of his own.

Lambert Leads Them All
In the opening game against Shippensburg, senior Quinlin Lambert was a force all over the field.  He finished with a game-high nine tackles that was just one shy of his career high, while also recovering a fumble and returning it 28 yards.  The senior also broke up a pass against the Red Raiders.

Lighting It Up
Clarion's 48 points scored against Shippensburg on Sept. 9 represented the first time they've cracked 40 points against a PSAC opponent since dropping 41 points on Gannon in the 2016 season, and was their highest single-game scoring output since a 59-6 win against Cheyney during the 2015 season.  The last time they scored 48 or more points against a current PSAC school was the year before, during a 55-16 win over Millersville.

Ball Hawk
Now in his fourth season, Sam Fareri has been a major factor in creating turnovers throughout his college career.  With four interceptions and two forced fumbles last season, he has now accounted for 13 total turnovers in his career, including nine picks and four forced fumbles.  He needs just three more interceptions to crack the top-six in program history, tying him with Kim Niedbala's total of 12 set from 1993-96.  Two more forced fumbles would tie him with Niedbala and four others for seventh in program history.

> Fareri was named a Google Cloud Academic All-American in 2018, making in the fourth Golden Eagle in as many years to earn a spot on the team.

Hot Pursuit
Clarion brought a steady dose of pressure in the season opener against Shippensburg, helping them contain talented quarterback Brycen Mussina to just 73 yards passing in the first half and 264 yards for the game.  They sacked Mussina four times, induced two fumbles and pressured him into a pick-six for Trent Rogers, the latter of which came with just 19 seconds remaining until halftime.  Vaughn Wallace recorded a strip sack that was recovered by newcomer Anthony Gallegos.

> Partly as a function of Clarion's quick offensive start, as well as their ability to control the line of scrimmage early, Shippensburg's rushing attack never took shape either.  The Golden Eagles held the Red Raiders to just 25 rushing yards in the first half and 60 yards for the game.

Wrath of Khan
Though the Golden Eagles lost a number of all-conference performers from a year ago, they did bring back one of their All-PSAC West contributors from 2018 in senior defensive lineman Saif Khan.  Khan finished the 2018 season with 52 total tackles, third amongst all defensive linemen on the team, and added 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 total sacks.

Controlling the Skies
In 2018, the Golden Eagles were generally speaking one of the toughest teams to beat through the air in the conference.  Clarion held opponents to just a 49.7 completion percentage on the season, the best mark in the PSAC, and their 191.5 passing yards allowed per game ranked behind just Cal U and Millersville.

Bringing the Big Boot
Kicker James Metzgar ranked second in the PSAC in field goal percentage last year, making 10 of his 13 kicks for a 76.9 percent mark from long.  His 10 makes ranked behind just IUP's Dillon Sarka and Slippery Rock's Jake Chapla.  While not statistically the most proficient kicker in Clarion history ­– that would be Bill May, he of the program-record 49 makes from 1977-80 – another 10 conversions from Metzgar would give him 28 career field goals, good enough for fourth in program history.

Missing the Point(s)
In addition to the other laudables for the Golden Eagle defense last year, they were also adept at keeping opposing teams off the scoreboard.  The Golden Eagles ranked third in the conference in scoring defense with 21.1 points allowed per game, with only two teams - Shippensburg and California - scoring more than 30 points against them all year long.  

> Clarion ranked fourth in the conference in total defense at 336.4 yards allowed per game.

Lights, Camera, Action!
Clarion University will continue its fruitful partnership with the Pennsylvania Sports Fever Television Network in 2019, with three contests – 9/14 vs. Lock Haven, 10/26 at Slippery Rock and 11/9 vs. Mercyhurst – 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.