Clarion Golden Eagles (0-9, 0-6 PSAC West) at #8 Shepherd Rams (9-1, 6-1 PSAC East)
Saturday, Nov. 13 // 12 p.m. // Shepherdstown, W.Va. // Ram Stadium

MEDIA COVERAGE

Radio: Mike Kalinowski (PXP) will have the radio call for the game on 96.3 Mix96 an hour before kickoff.  Live audio streaming will be available via the Mix96 website and linked on the schedule at ClarionGoldenEagles.com.

Streaming Video: All PSAC member institutions stream football games free of charge on the PSAC Sports Digital Network. Games are available on the web, and fans can download the PSAC Sports Digital Network App on the following: 
- Mobile: App Store (iOS), Google Play (Android), Amazon Fire
- Streaming: Amazon Fire, Android TV, Apple TV, Roku

Live Stats: Fans can follow along with live stats on the Shepherd athletic site.

The Kickoff    
The Golden Eagles close out the 2021 season on Saturday when they travel to West Virginia to face 11th-ranked Shepherd at Ram Stadium. Kickoff is slated for noon.

Series History

• This will be the fourth matchup between Clarion and Shepherd, with the Golden Eagles having lost all three previous meetings to the newest members of the PSAC. The teams first met in back-to-back years in 1997-98, with the Rams winning 27-20 in the first game and 7-0 in the second.
• The only other meeting between the two teams came in 2019, Shepherd's first as a PSAC member institution. Clarion entered the game with a 2-0 record while Shepherd entered at 1-1.
• Played at Clarion's Memorial Stadium - the Rams' first visit in 20 years - the Golden Eagles jumped out to a 7-0 lead when Jeff Clemens recovered a Ross Greece fumble in the end zone to cap a 17-play, 93-yard scoring drive. Clarion kicked a field goal later in the half to make it 10-6.
• Shepherd then rattled off 34 unanswered points to build a 40-10 lead. Kahliq Muhammad and Dana Jackson Jr. caught touchdowns in the fourth quarter to narrow the deficit and set the final score at 40-24.

About the Opponent

• Shepherd was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the PSAC East division. Were it not for an early-season stumble against Kutztown, they would have finished right there, with the Rams compiling a 9-1 overall record and a 6-1 record in divisional play.
• Now playing to ensure their spot and seeding in the postseason, the Rams enter the weekend ranked eighth in the most recent American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll. 
• The Rams rank first in all of NCAA Division II in total offense with an average of 533.7 yards per game. They're also the top-scoring team in the nation, averaging 48.8 points per game. 
• Shepherd's offense is largely fueled by the passing game. Tyson Bagent has thrown for an average of 346.7 yards per game, the best average in the nation, and receivers Josh Gontarek and Ryan Beach rank fifth and sixth, respectively, in the PSAC in receiving yards per game.
• Kyle Smith ranks fifth in the PSAC with a total of eight sacks this season, a total that ranks higher than Clarion's team sum for the 2021 season.

Last Time Out

• The Golden Eagle football team controlled action in the trenches and on the ground, but a fourth quarter score by Edinboro proved the difference as Clarion dropped a 17-10 decision to the Fighting Scots at Sox Harrison Stadium on Nov. 6.
• The ground game was easily the best it's been all year for Clarion as Khalil Owens gashed the Fighting Scots for big gains and kept things on track for the Golden Eagle offense. He toted the ball 32 times for 179 yards on Saturday, including a 52-yard run in the third quarter that was the longest rush of the season for the Golden Eagles.
• With positive runs keeping things on schedule, and quarterback Zechariah Sanderson taking care of the football, the defense was able to play with maximum effort against the Fighting Scots. The Golden Eagle defensive front chased quarterback Isaac Bernard for most of the afternoon. They sacked him once, forced him into three interceptions, and generally harassed him behind the line of scrimmage.
• Legend Davis intercepted Bernard twice and Drew Blon picked him off once. The Golden Eagles' three interceptions was just one shy of their season total to date.

PSAC Announces Preseason Coaches Poll
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) announced the results of their preseason coaches poll on August 4. The Golden Eagles were predicted to finish eighth in the PSAC West division in 2021.

PSAC West Division (First Place Votes)

1. Slippery Rock (4)
2. IUP (3)
3. Cal U (1)
4. Mercyhurst
5. Edinboro
6. Seton Hill
7. Gannon
8. Clarion

PSAC East Division (First Place Votes)

1. Shepherd (6)
2. West Chester (1)
3. Kutztown (1)
4. Bloomsburg
5. Shippensburg
6. East Stroudsburg
7. Millersville
8. Lock Haven

Ford the River

• Terrell Ford had his third career 100-yard receiving game in the Blue & Gold on Oct. 30, catching seven passes for 130 yards and a touchdown against Mercyhurst. It was his second 100-yard receiving performance in the last three games. 
• The 130 yards represented his best output since recording 152 receiving yards against Gannon on Sept. 28, 2019.
• His 55-yard score against the Lakers is his longest reception as a Golden Eagle, topping by three yards his 52-yard touchdown reception against IUP on Oct. 9.
• Between his receiving yards and his ability to return kickoffs, Ford ranks second in the PSAC and first in the PSAC West with an average of 137.5 all-purpose yards per game.

Owens on the Run

• Khalil Owens has gotten his heaviest workload of the season over the last three weeks, totaling 75 touches - 70 rushes and five receptions - against Seton Hil, Mercyhurst and Edinboro.
• Owens has averaged 119.3 rushing and receiving yards per game in that time, and scored his third overall touchdown of the season - second rushing - in the game against the Lakers on Oct. 30.
• Owens had by far his best game in the Blue & Gold against Edinboro on Nov. 6, rushing 32 times for 179 yards. It's the Golden Eagles' first 100-yard rushing game since Mylique McGriff hit the century mark against Shippensburg earlier this year, and the highest total since McGriff hit that exact same number against the Raiders on Sept. 7, 2019.

Blon Takes Flight

• Safety Drew Blon had one of his best games as a Golden Eagle against Mercyhurst on Oct. 30.
• Blon finished with nine total tackles for the second straight game, and also added 2.0 tackles for loss and his first interception as a Golden Eagle. The pick was Clarion's first since Legend Davis and Scottie McMillon both snagged passes against Millersville on Sept. 10, and the first Clarion turnover in general since Robert Lachmann forced a fumble on a strip sack against Shippensburg on Sept. 17.
• Blon followed that up with another strong performance, compiling nine total tackles, one TFL and an interception against Edinboro on Nov. 6.
• Blon has 40 total tackles and 5.0 tackles for loss in his last four games. He now also has two interceptions and two forced fumbles on the year.

Starting a New Legend

• After starting out his college career with two interceptions in as many weeks, Legend Davis went through a bit of a dry spell before picking off Edinboro's Isaac Bernard twice on Nov. 6.
• Davis is now the first Golden Eagle defender to intercept four or more passes in a season since Sam Fareri and Dorian Johnson both recorded four picks in the 2018 season.
• The sophomore safety is currently in a three-way for second place in the PSAC in interceptions, joining Shippensburg's Trey Paul and Kutztown's Antaun Lloyd. Only Seton Hill's Damonte Pratt has more interceptions, with five.
• Davis is also the first Clarion player to intercept two passes in one game since - you guessed it - Fareri and Johnson in 2018. They both snagged a pair of passes against Lock Haven on Sept. 8, 2018.
• Should Davis record an interception against Shepherd this week, he would be the first Golden Eagle to intercept five passes in a season since Daily Whitten did it in 2009. 

Rebooting the Defense

• The Golden Eagle defense has steadied themselves somewhat over the last two weeks, and had their best performance in nearly two months against Edinboro on Nov. 6.
• The 17 points allowed to the Fighting Scots was their lowest points total allowed of the season, and their 357 total yards allowed was their best since shutting down Millersville to the tune of 195 yards on Sept. 10.
• The three turnovers forced by the defense also marked their best output since forcing three takeaways against the Marauders on Sept. 10.

Keeping the Streak Alive

• The Golden Eagles' play of the day against Seton Hill on Oct. 23 came early in the second half, when Clarion blocked a Griffin field goal attempt.
• At the end of Seton Hill's first drive of the half, the Golden Eagle kick unit blew through the Griffins' line, with Shane Kemper blocking Luke Hauger's field goal attempt relatively easily. Scottie McMillon recovered the kick to quash the Griffins' scoring drive.
• Clarion has now blocked three total kicks in their last two meetings with the Griffins: Saif Khan blocked an extra point attempt and Rayonte Campbell a punt in their last meeting, during the 2019 season.
• The Golden Eagles have now blocked at least one kick in three straight seasons. The last blocked field goal came during the 2018 season, when Paul Blendinger blocked a Gannon field goal attempt.

Sacks, Back-to-Back

• Desmond Johnson has been one of the most consistent defensive lineman as far as gaining penetration in 2021, and as such he's produced sacks in back-to-back games for the first time this year.
• Johnson recorded four total tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack against Seton Hill on Oct. 23.
• He followed that up with two total tackles - both for a loss - and a sack against Mercyhurst on Oct. 30.

Double-Dip Part Deux

• Against IUP on Oct. 9, Quinn Zinobile and Terrell Ford both went over 100 yards receiving, marking the second time this season two Golden Eagles broke the century mark.
• Ford added eight catches for 115 yards and a score, while Zinobile recorded six grabs for 107 yards and a touchdown.
• It is the second time this season that two Golden Eagle receivers went over 100 yards receiving in the same game. Zinobile (202) and Kahliq Muhammad (102) previously turned the trick against Shippensburg on Sept. 18.

Zech Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

• Quarterback Zechariah Sanderson made his first career start on Oct. 9 against IUP, improving as the game went on and finishing with a solid stat line.
• Sanderson completed 21-of-35 passes for 284 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
• Sanderson is the third Golden Eagle quarterback to start a game this season and the fourth to see significant game action: both Kyle Knight and Michael Proios were lost to injury earlier in the year.

Slipping Through the Cracks

• Despite being officially listed at 5-7, 155 pounds, running back/wide receiver Nathan Roby proved to be difficult to bring down when he faced IUP on Oct. 9.
• The freshman athlete got a significant number of snaps at running back and showed great ability eluding tacklers on handoffs, as well as taking on defenders when running routes.
• Roby finished with eight carries for 66 rushing yards, and four catches for 44 receiving yards, for 110 all-purpose yards against the Crimson Hawks.
• Roby went on to score his first career touchdown on Nov. 6, scoring on a 16-yard pass against Edinboro.

Going Ham

• Kareem Hamdan has shown that he has a nose for making stops all over the field.
• The sophomore linebacker leads the team with 81 total tackles in nine games. He ranks sixth in the PSAC and fourth in the PSAC West with an average of 9.0 tackles per game through Week 10.
• The sophomore linebacker has gone over the double-digit mark in total tackles in each of the last two games, posting 11 stops against Mercyhurst on Oct. 30 and a season-high 13 stops against Edinboro on Nov. 6.

Nothing Runs Like a Ford

• Against Lake Erie on Sept. 4, Terrell Ford scored his second career kickoff return touchdown, taking it to the house from 70 yards out.
• Ford is the first Golden Eagle to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in his career since Rick Slike returned two kicks during the 1973 season.
• Ford enters this weekend's season finale ranked fourh in the PSAC in all-purpose yardage, with an average of 125.1 yards per game.  

One More Note on the Return Game...

• When Jalen Smith and Terrell Ford returned a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns, respectively, against Lake Erie, they became the first Clarion duo to return kicks for touchdowns in the same game in 21 years. 
• Cori Johnson and Myron Hargon both returned kickoffs for touchdowns on Sept. 2, 2000 against East Stroudsburg.

PSAC Announces Partnership with BlueFrame Technology for PSAC Sports Digital Network

• The PSAC announced in July that it reached a five-year partnership with BlueFrame technology to create an end-to-end digital network for all 18 member institutions.
• The PSAC Sports Digital Network will be available on the web along with streaming applications for television and mobile devices for Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku (TV), iOS, Android (mobile) and Amazon Fire Tablet. The app will be able to be found and installed by searching for the PSAC Sports Digital Network.