Game 3 // Clarion Golden Eagles (2-0, 0-0 PSAC West) vs Shepherd Rams (1-1, 0-0 PSAC East)
Saturday, September 21 // 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.
• Streaming 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.)
• Live Stats - Available for all home games on the Clarion Stretch Internet Portal.

Clarion Game Notes

Quick Notes

• The PSAC's top rushing offense will try to match one of the league's best passing attacks as the Golden Eagles host the Shepherd Rams at Memorial Stadium on Saturday
• This will be just the third meeting between the now-PSAC rivals, with the Rams owning a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series with the Golden Eagles
• Clarion and Shepherd have not met since playing in back-to-back years in 1998-99
• The Golden Eagles are coming off a 48-20 win over Lock Haven, marking Clarion's first 2-0 start to a season since a 7-0 beginning in 2015
• Clarion quarterbacks combined for six touchdown passes against the Bald Eagles, the most in a single game since before 1999 and believed to be the most since a six-touchdown performance in 1992
• Receivers Terrell Ford and Quinn Zinobile both caught a pair of touchdown passes, the first time two Golden Eagles had multiple touchdown receptions in the same game since 2015
• Clarion's rushing offense averages a PSAC-best 277.5 yards per game average, a mark that ranks 12th in the nation, and the Golden Eagles rank third in the conference in total offense at 487.5 yards per game
• Kicker/punter James Metzgar was named the PSAC West Special Teams Athlete of the Week for Sept. 16 after a standout performance against Lock Haven
• Running back Mylique McGriff leads the PSAC with 299 total rushing yards and three touchdowns, and is averaging 6.8 yards per carry
• Fellow running back Ross Greece has now scored two touchdowns in as many games, tying him for fifth in the conference with a pair of rushing scores
• The Golden Eagles' 48-point effort marked the first back-to-back 40-point days since 2015, when they got Gannon and Mercyhurst for 40+ in consecutive weeks
• Senior safety Sam Fareri forced his first turnover of the season against Lock Haven, popping the ball out for his fifth career forced fumble
• Fareri needs one more forced fumble to tie for fifth all-time in program history
• Clarion's defense ranks third in the conference with seven sacks, led by Vaughn Wallace's 2.0 sacks
• 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 try to improve for 3-0 when they welcome the newest member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) to Memorial Stadium, as the Golden Eagles take on Shepherd on Saturday, Sept. 21.  Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. against the Rams, who are in their first season as a PSAC member institution.

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.

Scouting The Rams
Shepherd was predicted to finish second in the PSAC East division in their inaugural season, and notably received a pair of first-place votes in the preseason coaches' poll.  In 2018 – their final year in the Mountain East Conference – the Rams went 7-3 with six First Team All-MEC honorees, 15 total all-conference selections, and two Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Americans.  One of those All-Americans, tight end DJ Cornish, remains on the roster.

The Rams split their first two games of the season, falling to Ohio Dominican in the opener and holding on for a 22-17 road win against Mercyhurst last week.  Cornish caught the second of a pair of touchdown receptions from Tyson Bagent to put the Rams ahead 22-10 early in the third quarter, and the defense kept the Lakers at bay on a 4th-and-1 stop on the Shepherd 11-yard line with 4:10 remaining in the game.  Bagent was able to offense from out of the shadow of the goal posts and into position to kneel the clock out for the win.

Series History
This will be just the third meeting in the history of these two programs, with the Rams winning the only two previous contests during the 1998-99 seasons.  Shepherd won the first contest between the teams on Sept. 19, 1998, a 27-20 decision, as well as a 7-0 decision on Sept. 18, 1999.  Clarion outgained Shepherd 289-182 in the latter contest and the two teams remained scoreless until the fourth quarter, when the Rams forced a fumble and recovered on the Clarion 20.  Three plays later Damian Beane got free for a nine-yard touchdown with 12:25 remaining, and the Rams kept the Golden Eagles on their own side of the field for the remainder of the contest.

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 18-28 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
It was déjà vu all over again for Clarion football on Saturday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles opened up a big lead and piled on late for the second straight week, this time defeating Lock Haven 48-20 at Memorial Stadium.   

The Golden Eagles' trio of quarterbacks combined for a standout day against the Lock Haven secondary.  Jeff Clemens and Michael Proios rotated every few series, with the former going 11-of-19 for 117 yards and two touchdowns, and the latter 7-of-11 for three scores and one interception.  Tanner Jones added a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, hitting Maverick Kelsea for a score to make it 48-14.
 
Freshman receiver Quinn Zinobile was the revelation of the day, as the first year pass-catcher hauled in four passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns.  He scored his first career touchdown on a simple cross in the first quarter, and added another with a 66-yard catch-and-run that put Clarion ahead 21-0 with 1:29 left to go in the period.  Terrell Ford added his first two scores in the Blue & Gold, hauling in a seven-yard score from Clemens in the second quarter and adding a 37-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
 
Defensively Clarion held the Bald Eagles to 264 total offensive yards, most of which came after the halftime break with the deficit at five scores.  They forced a pair of turnovers, with Sam Fareri knocking a fumble loose and Corey Wells picking off a pass to halt Lock Haven drive.  Quinlin Lambert totaled six tackles, while Fareri added five and a tackle for loss.  Vaughn Wallace and Desmond Johnson each tacked on full sacks.

The Crime Dog
Mylique McGriff went off for his second straight 100-yard rushing game last week, posting 120 yards on the ground in Clarion's win over Lock Haven.  That put him at 299 total yards through two weeks of action, the highest total in the PSAC and the best per game average (149.5 ypg) among any players with two games.  Currently at 1,790 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.

> 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 Shippensburg, taking off for a 56-yard scamper.

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

Double Trouble
The receiving duo of Quinn Zinobile and Terrell Ford both caught a pair of touchdown passes against Lock Haven, marking the first scores in the Blue & Gold for both receivers.  While Clarion has had a recent history of strong depth at receiver, it has actually been nearly four years since two players both caught multiple touchdown passes in the same game.  For that you have to go back to Oct. 10, 2015, when Matt Lehman and Kevin Genevro both hauled in two scores against Edinboro.

> Through two games this year, five of Ford's seven receptions have gone for first downs, and two receptions have gone for touchdowns.  As for Zinobile, his 66-yard reception against Lock Haven was the longest for a Golden Eagle since Dana Jackson, Jr.'s 68-yard receiving touchdown on Oct. 6, 2018 against Cal U.

> Clarion has already had six different players catch touchdowns through two games.  Last year only six different players in total caught touchdown passes.

Bringing the Big Boot
Kicker/punter James Metzgar was named the PSAC West Special Teams Athlete of the Week for Sept. 16. after using his feet to contribute to Clarion's win over Lock Haven in more ways than one. The senior went 5-of-6 on extra points and also added three punts for an average of 40.0 yards per kick, including one planted inside the 20-yard line. His most exciting play of the day came late in the game, when a breakdown forced Metzgar to evade a tackler in the backfield and go on the run. He eluded tacklers and went off for a 28-yard rush to give Clarion a first down. The Golden Eagles scored a touchdown on the very next play.

> 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.

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 on Sept. 7, 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 has continued in 2019.  The Golden Eagles have forced five turnovers through two games this year, including three forced fumbles on defense.

> 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
The Golden Eagles rank as the top rushing team in the PSAC through two games, averaging 277.5 rushing yards per game in wins over Shippensburg and Lock Haven.  That also ranks 12th in the nation through two weeks.  Clarion has also totaled five rushing touchdowns in those two games, one behind West Chester for the PSAC lead.

> 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.

Lighting It Up
Through two games the Clarion offense has been difficult to stop, at least as far as putting points up on the scoreboard.  The Golden Eagles scored 48 points each against Shippensburg and Lock Haven in the first two weeks of the year, their first back-to-back 40-point performances since scoring 47 and 41 points, respectively, in back-to-back weeks against Gannon and Mercyhurst during the 2015 season.  Clarion also scored a program-record 59 points against Cheyney before the former.

> Clarion's 48 points scored against Shippensburg on Sept. 9 represented the first time they had  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 14 total turnovers in his career, including nine picks and five 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.  One more forced fumble 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.

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.

Missing the Point(s)
In addition to the other accolades 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. 

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 2019 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