CLARION, Pa. --- The Golden Eagle football team held tight with one of the best teams in the nation on Saturday, but Clarion was unable to overcome Slippery Rock in falling by a 31-0 score at Memorial Stadium. Clarion (3-6, 2-4 PSAC West) showed effectiveness in moving the ball and generally limited the high-flying Rock offense, but were stymied when nearing the end zone.
 
Clarion rushed for more than 100 yards and held Slippery Rock to just 93 yards on 25 attempts, a 3.7 yards per carry average. They played a spirited game defensively early on, holding the Rock to just 14 points before the half. It was not until well into the third quarter that Slippery Rock managed to truly pull away.
 
The Golden Eagle rushing attack was led by Nathan Roby, who carried six times for 51 yards, primarily in the second half. The sophomore receiver also caught four passes for 27 yards, with 25 of those yards coming after the reception.
 
Clarion's best scoring opportunities came on the back end of long drives, but in both instances the Rock was able to keep them off the scoreboard. The Golden Eagles' second drive of the game started on the 25-yard line and consisted of 12 plays, as the team dug deep into their bag of tricks to extend the campaign. On 4^th-and-1 from the Clarion 34-yard line, punter Jarrett Esposito executed a perfect fake punt, taking the snap and hitting Regan Schleicher for a 23-yard gain into Rock territory. Quarterback Zach Benedek converted another fourth down later in the drive, finding Trenten Smith for a six-yard gain on 4^th-and 2 to reach the Slippery Rock 29-yard line.
 
The drive stalled just shy of the red zone, as Smith was stopped two yards short of the lead stick on third down. Facing a 4^th-and-2 from the 21-yard line, the Golden Eagles attempted a fake field goal run that was stopped by D.J. Adediwura at the 20.
 
The last drive of the day for the Golden Eagles also nearly bore fruit, this time with Clarion pushing the ball downfield on the ground. Khalil Owens and Michael Akinleye both broke off runs of greater than 10 years, and Roby swept right for a 10-yard gain to earn 1^st-and-10 at the Rock 34-yard line. Slippery Rock tightened up from there, though, and kept the Golden Eagles from scoring.
 
Jordan Villafane had a team-high 10 tackles and a pass break-up, while safety Legend Davis contributed eight tackles. Kareem Hamdan had six tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack, and nearly scored the Golden Eagles' only points of the game in the third quarter. Esposito punted from his own 49-yard line, but return man Kenyon Johnson lost the handle on the ball and muffed the fair catch. Hamdan recovered and took the ball to the end zone, but a penalty was called on the Golden Eagles for fair catch interference and the ball came back.
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