Millersville Marauders (0-1, 0-1 PSAC East) at Clarion Golden Eagles (0-1, 0-0 PSAC West)
Saturday, Sept. 11 // 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    
The homestand continues as the Golden Eagle football team stays at Memorial Stadium for a PSAC crossover contest against Millersville on Saturday, September 11. It will be the first meeting between the Golden Eagles and Marauders in six seasons. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Series History

• This will be the 16th meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Marauders, with Clarion owning a 9-6 advantage in the all-time series with Millersville. The teams first met during the 1929 season, a 13-0 win for Millersville. Though the schools share a conference and a Commonwealth, they have only played 14 times in the intervening 92 years.
• The most notable meeting between the two teams is undoubtedly the 1977 PSAC Championship game, when the Golden Eagles capped an undefeated season with a 25-24 victory over the Marauders at Biemesderfer Stadium. Clarion rallied from a 24-15 fourth quarter deficit, with kicker Bill May sealing the win with a 26-yard field goal in the waning seconds. To date, they are the last Golden Eagle football team to finish a season undefeated.
• The last time the Golden Eagles and Marauders met was during the 2015 season, the first for Chris Weibel as Clarion's head coach. The Golden Eagles raced out to a 20-0 lead in the first half and held on for a 27-21 win at Memorial Stadium. Kevin Genevro and Matt Lehman each hauled in touchdown passes ­— including a 67-yarder for the former — and Phil Esposito kicked two field goals in the victory.
• Clarion has been on a bit of a hot streak against the Marauders, winning four straight meetings between the teams dating back to the 2010 season. The Golden Eagles averaged 41.3 points per game against Millersville in that stretch. The last Millersville win in the series came on Sept. 13, 2003, a 13-0 shutout by the Marauders at Memorial Stadium. Clarion is 3-2 all-time against Millersville at home.

About the Opponent

• Millersville was predicted to finish seventh in the PSAC East division in 2021, after recording a 2-9 record in 2019. Entering the season, only 19 Millersville players had taken a snap at the Division II level.
• The Marauders return a pair of All-PSAC East players on the defense, including linebacker Isaiah Onuschak and cornerback Tyler Patron-Penn. In 2019, Onuschak became the first Marauder freshman to earn All-PSAC East honors since 2007, when he ranked second in the entire conference with 110 total tackles. Patron-Penn intercepted two passes and broke up seven others in 2019.
• Millersville dropped their 2021 opener last week, a 14-9 loss to American International at home. The Marauders had a chance for the win as time expired, but Jared Jenkins' pass intended for Cliff Harris was batted away in the end zone. Jenkins ran for a touchdown earlier in the fourth quarter for Millersville's only offensive score.

Last Time Out

• A number of electrifying plays in the return game nearly drove the Golden Eagles to a come-from-behind victory, but Clarioncame up just short in falling 31-26 to Lake Erie at Memorial Stadium.
• Jalen Smith became the first Clarion player to return a punt for a touchdown since Matt Lehman in 2014, tying the score at 7 in the second quarter with a 55-yard return.
• Terrell Ford returned a kick 70 yards for a touchdown in the second half to cut the Storm's lead to 28-14, and touchdown catches by Jimmy Johnson and Quinn Zinobile pulled Clarion to within 31-26.
• The defense forced a pair of turnovers, with cornerback Legend Davis intercepting Lake Erie's Gerald Gardner, and safety Drew Blon forcing a fumble into the arms of defensive end Jake Baker.

You're Gonna Need a Program!

• It's not a stretch to point out that quite a bit has changed for the Golden Eagles since they last took the field in anger, in the 2019 season finale at East Stroudsburg. There are 71 rostered players that have never suited up in the Blue and Gold, and 63 players on the current roster with freshman eligibility.
• Clarion returns just seven players to start more than 50 percent of games in 2019. Six of those were offensive players, primarily at the skill positions. Defensive lineman Desmond Johnson is the only returning starter on defense.
• The Golden Eagles return a healthy core of skill position players on offense, starting with First Team All-PSAC West running back Mylique McGriff. Clarion also returns their top pass catchers from 2019, including the trio of Terrell Ford, Kahliq Muhammad and Quinn Zinobile. Offensive lineman Jake Lindner and tight end Jake Whitenight will also return to the offense.

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.
• McGriff is averaging 86.2 yards per game over the course of his career, the best average in program history, and has 2,327 career rushing yards.
• With 743 rushing yards this year, McGriff will pass Elton Brown for the program's career lead in rushing yards.

Clarion's Career Rushing Leaders

1. Elton Brown - 3,069
2. Steve Witte - 2,850
3. Gary Frantz - 2,778
4. Eddie Emmanuel - 2,371
5. Alfonso Hoggard - 2,350
6. Mylique McGriff - 2,327

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.

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

The Mighty Quinn

• Receiver Quinn Zinobile enjoyed a strong freshman season in 2019, improving steadily as the year went on and turning into the leader in the Golden Eagle passing game.
• Zinobile finished the season as the Golden Eagles' leader in receptions (51) and receiving yards (686), and also notched four touchdowns on the year.
• The sophomore receiver hauled in his first touchdown of the season against Lake Erie, scoring from four yards out late in the fourth quarter. That pulled Clarion to within one score against the Storm.

Nothing Runs Like a Ford

• Receiver Terrell Ford was not just one of the most impactful offensive players on the Golden Eagle offense in 2019, but also across the entire PSAC thanks to his prowess on offense and in the return game.
• Ford ranked fifth in the PSAC with an average of 120.6 all-purpose yards per game, including 821 total kickoff return yards and one touchdown.
• Against Lake Erie on Sept. 4, 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.

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 and special teams forced two turnovers against Lake Erie with a recovered fumble and an interception, and nearly took the ball away a third time with another forced fumble. In each instance, the turnovers led directly to Clarion touchdowns.
• Legend Davis picked off quarterback Gerald Gardner in the third quarter, snagging a pass on the sideline for his first career pick. Four plays later, receiver Jimmy Johnson scored a touchdown on a jump ball in the red zone.
• Safety Drew Blon later stripped the ball loose from Gardner on the latter's scramble, knocking the ball into the hands of defensive end Jake Baker. That led to a nine-play, 46-yard touchdown drive that ended with a touchdown pass from Taylor Eggers to Quinn Zinobile.
• Ben Lipinski also forced a fumble against the Storm, jarring the ball loose from return man Raphael Jones Jr. on kick coverage.

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 close out a three-game homestand to start the season when they host the Shippensburg Red Raiders on Saturday, Sept. 18. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
• This will be the first time the Red Raiders have made the trip to Clarion since the 2017 season, though it will be the third time the teams have met since then.
• The Golden Eagles defeated Shippensburg 48-28 at Seth Grove Stadium in their last meeting, the 2019 season opener. That snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Red Raiders that dated back to 2001.