Shippensburg Red Raiders (2-0, 0-0 PSAC East) at Clarion Golden Eagles (0-2, 0-0 PSAC West)
Saturday, Sept. 18 // 1 p.m. // Clarion, Pa. // Memorial Stadium

MEDIA COVERAGE

Radio: Mike Kalinowski (PXP) and Joe Lodanosky (color) will have the radio call for the game on 96.3 FM Mix96 an hour before kickoff.  Live audio streaming will be available via the Mix96 website.

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 from all Golden Eagle football contests through SIDEARM Live Stats.

The Kickoff    
Clarion wraps up a three-game homestand and will look for their first win of the season when the Red Raiders of Shippensburg travel to Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 18. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Series History

• This will be the 59th meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Red Raiders, with Clarion owning a 34-23-1 record in the all-time series with Shippensburg. Unlike many PSAC opponents, Clarion did not play Shippensburg for the first time until the 1955 season, when the teams dueled to a 7-7 tie.
• For a while the teams played annually, meeting in 50 consecutive seasons from 1958-2007. The Golden Eagles and Red Raiders have met only sporadically since then, though they have met in four straight seasons from 2016-19. Shippensburg is 3-1 in that  
• That "1" came in the last meeting between the two teams, though, with Clarion blowing out Shippensburg 48-28 in the 2019 season opener at Seth Grove Stadium. Mylique McGriff went off for 179 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including a 29-yard gallop in the fourth quarter to set the final deficit.
• The Golden Eagles scored the first 34 points of that game, with Trent Rogers closing that run of unanswered scoring with an interception returned 26 yards for a touchdown. That is the most recent interception returned for a touchdown in program history.
• The last meeting at Memorial Stadium went the way of the Red Raiders, with Shippensburg shutting out Clarion to the tune of a 31-0 decision on Sept. 16, 2017. It was just a 7-0 game at halftime, but the Red Raiders poured it on in the third quarter to take the win.

About the Opponent

• Shippensburg was predicted to finish fifth in the PSAC East division in the 2021 preseason poll. The Red Raiders went 4-7 in 2019, including back-to-back wins over Lock Haven and East Stroudsburg to end divisional play.
• The Red Raiders have opened the 2021 season with two straight wins, starting with a 25-17 win over West Virginia State at home in the opener, and a 30-9 road victory at Edinboro last weekend. Shippensburg held the Fighting Scots to a 3.7 yards per attempt in the passing game, allowing just 121 passing yards in building their lead.
• Offensively, quarterback Brycen Mussina completed 20-of-28 passes for 257 yards, two touchdowns and no picks, while running back Bill Williams rushed for 89 yards and two scores.
• Defensively, Trey Paul recorded six tackles and a forced fumble against the Fighting Scots, which was recovered by Matt Feeney and eventually led to a touchdown.

Last Time Out

• The Golden Eagle football team rallied in the second half, and were knocking at the door in the Millersville red zone, but Clarion was ultimately kept from recording the game-winning score in falling 21-17 to the Marauders.
• The running game stepped up to deliver a huge performance, with running backs Khalil Owens and Mylique McGriff combining for 126 rushing yards on 36 carries. When adding in Michael Proios' 35 rushing yards, the Golden Eagles went for over 160 yards on the ground.
• Quinn Zinobile had the best game of his young career, racking up 10 receptions for 147 yards. That included a 28-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter to pull the Golden Eagles to within 21-17.
• Kareem Hamdan topped double-digits in points for the second straight week, while Legend Davis intercepted his second pass in as many games to set up Zinobile's score.

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

History is in Sight

• Senior running back Mylique McGriff was a 2019 First Team All-PSAC West running back after leading the conference with an average of 104.5 rushing yards per game. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry in 2019, the fourth-highest average in the PSAC among backs with 150 carries.
• The senior returned to the playing field against Millersville on Sept. 11, totaling 61 yards in his first game action of the year.
• McGriff entered the season needing 743 yards to break the program rushing record. With his performance against the Marauders, he moved into fourth place on the program's career rushing list.

Clarion's Career Rushing Leaders

1. Elton Brown - 3,069
2. Steve Witte - 2,850
3. Gary Frantz - 2,778
4. Mylique McGriff - 2,388
5. Eddie Emmanuel - 2,371
6. Alfonso Hoggard - 2,350

The Mighty Quinn

• Receiver Quinn Zinobile had perhaps the best game of his career against Millersville, setting career highs in receptions (10) and receiving yards (147) while also adding a touchdown.
• It was the second 100-yard receiving game in Zinobile's career. He previously totaled nine catches for 141 yards and a score in the season finale against East Stroudsburg in 2019.
• Zinobile ranks seventh in the PSAC with 150 receiving yards in two games. His 10 catches against Millersville is tied with IUP's Duane Brown for the PSAC single-game high through two weeks.

Going Ham

• Kareem Hamdan has gotten off to a good start in 2021, showing that he has a nose for making stops all over the field.
• The sophomore linebacker leads the team with 23 total tackles in the first two games, tying him with Millersville's Isaiah Onuschak for the best total and per-game average in the conference.

Exclusive Club for Jalen Smith

• With his 55-yard punt return against Lake Erie on Sept. 4, Jalen Smith became just the fifth Clarion player to return a punt for a touchdown in the last two decades.
• The last time a Golden Eagle took a punt back for a score was on Oct. 11, 2014, when Matt Lehman took a kick 27 yards to the house against Edinboro.
• Clarion players returned four punts for touchdowns from 2002-05, but have only returned two since then.
• Smith's punt return for a touchdown is currently the second-longest punt return in the conference this season, behind Cal U's Jermal Martin (62 yards), and is one of only three punt returns for a touchdown in the conference so far this year.

Clarion Punt Returns for TDs - Since 2000
2021 - Jalen Smith vs. Lake Erie
2014 - Matt Lehman vs. Edinboro
2005 - Matt Morris
2003 - Bo Busch, Myron Hargon
2002 - Brandon Whitman

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.
• In a record search dating back to 1986 (and continuing), no other Golden Eagle player has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in their careers.
• Ford's return against the Storm is currently the longest kick return in the PSAC, and is the only kick return for a touchdown in the conference through the first two weeks.
• Ford leads the PSAC in return average through two weeks, at 29.2 yards per kick return.

One More Note on the Return Game...

• When Jalen Smith and Terrell Ford returned a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns, respectively, 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.

Ball Hawks

• The Golden Eagle defense has forced five turnovers through two weeks of action, with four of those takeaways coming from the same two players in the secondary.
• Freshman corner Legend Davis has recorded two interceptions in as many weeks, picking off the quarterbacks from Lake Erie and Millersville. In both instances, the Golden Eagles scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive.
• Safety Drew Blon has recovered two fumbles in as many weeks as well. 

Prowling the Sidelines

• In addition to the fresh faces in uniform, the Golden Eagle coaching staff has undergone a makeover since the end of the 2019 season.
• Mike Tesch will start his first season as the Golden Eagles' receivers coach in 2021. He spent his previous two seasons at Illinois College. In 2019, he helped the Blue Boys rank second in the Midwest Conference with an average of 32.0 points per game, and seventh in the nation in red zone scoring percentage.
• Vinnie Rizzo enters his second year as the offensive line coach for Clarion, but will see his first game action in the Blue & Gold in 2021. Rizzo came to Clarion from JUCO powerhouse ASA Brooklyn, where he helped coach one of the top offensive units in the nation.
• Austin Guptel will work with the Golden Eagle defensive backs, as well as the special teams units, in 2021. Last year he was the defensive backs coach at Saint Vincent, and before that he spent a year at Division I Central Connecticut State.

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.

Next Week

• The Golden Eagles head on the road for their PSAC West opener when they take on Gannon on Saturday, Sept. 25.
• This will be the 21st meeting between the two teams, with Clarion owning a 12-8 advantage in the all-time series. The Golden Eagles have won six of the last 10 meetings between the teams, and are 3-3 all-time in Erie.
• The last meeting between the teams was a shootout, with the Golden Knights prevailing by a 51-35 score in 2019.