ERIE, Pa. – The Golden Eagle football team opened Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play on the road on Saturday, but a string of first half miscues spelled trouble as Clarion fell by a 56-21 score to Gannon at McConnell Family Stadium. Clarion (0-4, 0-1 PSAC West) will play their second straight road contest a week from today when they face nationally-ranked Slippery Rock at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
 
Quinn Zinobile recorded his fifth touchdown reception of the season, giving him at least one score in all four games so far this year, and running backs Mylique McGriff and Khalil Owens each reached the end zone for the second time this season. McGriff became the fourth running back in Clarion history to top 2,500 career rushing yards and scored his second touchdown in as many weeks, a three-yard plunge in the second quarter. Owens' score came in the third quarter on a six-yard reception, his first touchdown through the air of the season.
 
However, Gannon capitalized on Clarion miscues in the first half, scoring 28 unanswered points – 21 of which coming off turnovers – and reaching the end zone on each of their first five possessions. The Golden Eagles had a chance to keep the game within reach late in the first quarter as they methodically marched down the field, starting a drive from their own 30-yard line and reaching the Golden Knight goal line. However, on the first play of the second quarter, Keith Thompson popped a fumble out and returned the ball 99 yards for a touchdown, making it 28-0.
 
The Golden Eagles did score on the ensuing drive, thanks in large part to a 33-yard hookup between quarterback Taylor Eggers and receiver Kahliq Muhammad. Muhammad won a fight for a jump ball at the Gannon 7-yard line, and Eggers hit Zinobile in the end zone for the latter's team-leading fifth touchdown of the year on the next play. Clarion struck again near the end of the first half, orchestrating a six-play, 49-yard drive that started with a 25-yard reception down the left sideline by Terrell Ford. McGriff punctuated the drive with a two-yard run to make it 42-14.
 
The pace of play slowed considerably in the second half as the weather took a turn for the worse and affected the offensive rhythm. Eggers hit Owens on a screen pass for a six-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 42-21, but Gannon added two more touchdowns the rest of the way to seize the decision.
 
Clarion's offense once again managed to produce a strong day on the ground, recording 120 rushing yards. They were led by freshman Percise Colon, who entered the game late and recorded eight carries for 42 yards. McGriff and Owens added 41 and 34 yards, respectively. Ford was Clarion's leading receiver with five catches for 87 yards. Defensively, Robert Lachmann had six tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss, and Aram Smith added a sack.