Clarion Golden Eagles (1-4, 0-2 PSAC West) at Seton Hill Griffins (0-5, 0-2 PSAC West)
Saturday, October 8 // 4 p.m. // Greensburg, Pa. // Offutt Field

MEDIA COVERAGE

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 via the Seton Hill athletics page.

The Kickoff    
The Golden Eagles head back on the road for the first of two straight conference games away from home, when they take on the Griffins of Seton Hill on Saturday, October 8. Kickoff at Offutt Field is set for 4 p.m. 

Series History

• This will be only the ninth all-time meeting in the series between the Golden Eagles and the Griffins, with Clarion owning a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series with Seton Hill.
• The teams first met on Oct. 26, 2013 at Memorial Stadium, with the defense pitching a shutout in a 41-2 victory. Julian Howsare had 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two blocked kicks, one of which he returned for a touchdown. Matt Lehman also blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown. Seton Hill's only score of the day was a safety on a 98-yard PAT return on a fumbled exchange in the second quarter.
• In the last meeting between the two teams, it was the Griffins who pitched the shutout as Seton Hill won by a 49-0 score at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 23, 2021. Running back Logan Wiland rushed for 150 yards and three touchdowns in the win, while Khalil Owens rushed 17 times for 78 yards against his former teammates.
• The last time the teams played at Offutt Field was a nailbiter in 2018, as Clarion held on for a 19-16 victory that improved them to 4-1 on the season. Jeff Clemens rushed for a touchdown and threw another to Dana Jackson, Jr. in the first half to make it 16-7, but the difference ultimately proved to be a James Metzgar field goal with 4:25 remaining in the fourth quarter. 
• Historically, the home team in this series has proven to have a distinct advantage: Clarion is 4-1 in games played in Memorial Stadium but just 1-2 away from home.

About the Opponent

• Seton Hill was predicted to finish tied for fifth in the PSAC West division in 2022, coming in even with Edinboro in the preseason coaches poll. The Griffins went 5-6 last season, their best single-season wins total since doing the same in 2016.
• Last year the Griffins were built on a strong defense that ranked with the very best in the PSAC: they allowed an average of just 17.6 points (3rd) and 271.8 yards (3rd) per game to complement a potent rushing attack.
• Seton Hill enters this weekend's game with an 0-5 record, including conference games against Slippery Rock and Gannon. What has been daunting, though, is the number of miles the team has put on  through five weeks; this will be just the second home game of the year for the Griffins, and their first since Sept. 17.
• Jaylen McDuffie leads the defensive unit with an average of 11.2 tackles per game and three sacks, while Narrio Walks is averaging 9.6 tackles per game and has two sacks. Alton Jones, Jr. is tied for second in the PSAC with two interceptions. 
• Head coach Daniel Day is in his fourth season at the helm of the Griffins' program, and holds the distinction of being one of the members of the original Seton Hill football team in 2005. Day was also part of the Griffins' first-ever team to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, as a senior. He led the Griffins to the second-most wins in a single season in program history in 2021. 

Last Week

• A strong first quarter by the Golden Eagle football team gave way to a challenging California (PA) team in the final three frames, as Clarion fell by a final score of 59-14 to the Vulcans at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 1.
• Playing without a couple of key players due to injury, Clarion showed dogged determination in trying to hang with what was predicted to be one of the PSAC West's elite teams. The Golden Eagles looked warm to the task on their first defensive series, giving up a first down to running back Eric McKan III but then stopping the Vulcans at their own 29-yard line. A shanked punt by Clayton Rosensteel rolled out of bounds at the 32-yard line, giving Clarion a short field.
• The Golden Eagles were able to take advantage of the miscue, marching down the field in four plays to take the lead. Quarterback Will Alexander rushed for nine yards on first down, and Zack Kindel converted the first down on the next play. Two plays later, Alexander connected with Regan Schleicher on a post pass from 22 yards out, fitting the ball into a tight window for his first career touchdown pass.
• Clarion's only other score in the game came as the result of a big defensive play near the end of the third quarter. After a good punt by Jarrett Esposito pinned the Vulcans down inside their own 10-yard line, Drew Blon dropped running back Mylique McGriff for a five-yard loss on first down. On 2nd-and-15 Wyatt Hirt threw to the right sideline but Connor Lyczek jumped the route, sprinting to the end zone for a pick-six. It was Clarion's first interception returned for a touchdown since Trent Rogers did it against Shippensburg in 2019.

Meet the New Boss

• Raymond Monica, a two-time American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region 1 Coach of the Year and two-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Coach of the Year with more than 30 years of experience at the college level, became the 14th coach in Golden Eagle history on Feb. 17, 2022.
• Before coming to Clarion, Monica was an assistant coach at Southeastern Louisiana from 2019-21, including a one-year stint as the defensive coordinator in 2021. The Lions made the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs in 2019 and 2021, winning their first round game in both of those seasons. In 2021, the Lions finished 15th in the final FCS rankings of the year.
• Where Golden Eagle fans may best recognize Monica, though, would be his tenure as Kutztown's head football coach from 2006-12. He turned the Golden Bears into one of the leading programs in the conference, culminating with back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division II Super Region One playoffs in 2010-11.

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 2022.

PSAC West Division (First Place Votes)
T1.    Slippery Rock (3)
T1.    IUP (3)
3.    California (PA) (2)
4.    Gannon
T5.    Edinboro
T5.    Seton Hill
7.    Mercyhurst
8.    Clarion

PSAC East Division (First Place Votes)

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

Hager Brings Experience, Championship Lineage to Clarion

• Defensive coordinator Josh Hager enters his first season on the Golden Eagle staff in 2022, one year after service as the defensive coordinator at NCAA Division III Alvernia. Prior to that, he ran the defense at Missouri Southern from 2019-20, where he tutored the top two tacklers in the MIAA.
• As the defensive coordinator for Garden City Community College from 2016-18, Hager produced one of the top defensive units in the nation, and helped the Broncbusters win the 2016 NJCAA national championship.
• Among those players coached by Hager at GCCC were one national Defensive Player of the Year, two conference Defensive Players of the Year, two conference Defensive Linemen of the Year, 11 All-Americans, 41 First Team All-Conference players, and one first round draft pick in Mike Hughes (Minnesota Vikings - 2018).
• Hager is the son of legendary football coach Rocky Hager, whose career highlights include leading North Dakota State to seven NCAA Tournament appearances and two NCAA Division II championships (1988, 90).

Pioneer of "The Fly" Comes to Clarion 

• The Golden Eagle offense will be under the tutelage of veteran coach Mark Speckman, who brings more than 40 years of coaching experience to the program.
• The pioneer of the Fly offense that is widely used across high school, collegiate and professional ranks, Speckman spent the previous five seasons as the assistant head coach and running backs coach at UC Davis. He was part of the Aggies' 2018 Big Sky conference championship season.
• Speckman spent 15 seasons as a collegiate head coach, including 14 years at Willamette. He guided the team to an 82-59 record from 1997-2011, including two Northwest Conference championships, eight league title games and three NCAA Division III postseason appearances. Speckman's 2008 team finished 11-1 and ranked fourth nationally, earning him his second Northwest Conference Coach of the Year award and AFCA Division III West Region Coach of the Year acclaim.
• In addition to coaching football, Speckman has also become well-known for his motivational speaking engagements. Born without hands, he avoided drawing attention to himself as a younger athlete but has since embraced his own story to the point of earning numerous speaking appearances, including bookings at Boeing, Nike, Northwest Mutual, Patterson Dental, the Million Dollar Roundtable and other organizations.

Alleyne and Hungry Look...

• Through the first half of the schedule, Corahn Alleyne has shown himself to be one of the Golden Eagles' most dangerous weapons, threatening opponents in the pass game, the run game and special teams. 
• Against Gannon on Sept. 24, Alleyne finished with 118 receiving yards, 93 rushing yards and 80 kick return yards for 291 all-purpose yards.
• His combined 211 rushing and receiving yards made him the first Golden Eagle to go over that figure in the span of 11 games.
• The last Golden Eagle to go over 100 receiving yards in a game was Terrell Ford, who did it against Mercyhurst in 2021.
• Alleyne enters this weekend's game ranked third in the PSAC and sixth in the nation in all-purpose yardage, with an average of 185.0 yards per game.

Going Long

• With a long touchdown reception and another touchdown run in the first quarter against Gannon, Corahn Alleyne authored two of Clarion's longest plays from scrimmage in the last several years in the span of just a few minutes.
• His 74-yard touchdown reception was the longest Golden Eagle pass play since Dana Jackson, Jr. caught an 81-yard pass against East Stroudsburg in the 2018 season finale, on Nov. 10 at Memorial Stadium.
• Alleyne's 65-yard rushing touchdown was the longest run for a Golden Eagle since Mylique McGriff rambled for a 79-yard gain  on Nov. 4, 2017 against Gannon. 
• To find longer scoring plays from scrimmage, you have to go back even further. The last touchdown run of more than 65 yards came on Oct. 22, 2016, when Kyle Evans rushed for a 68-yard score against IUP.
• Clarion's last receiving touchdown of more than 74 yards came  in the 2016 season finale, when Connor Simmons connected with Kevin Genevro for a 78-yard score on Nov. 12.

(Pick) Six One Way, Two Dozen the Other

• Against California (PA) on Oct. 1, Connor Lyczek stepped in front of a Wyatt Hirt pass and returned it six yards for a touchdown.
• Lyczek's score marked the Golden Eagles' first pick-six in 24 games, with the last coming from Trent Rogers against Shippensburg on Sept. 7, 2019.
• It was also Clarion's first defensive touchdown of any kind since Sept. 28, 2019, when Vaughn Wallace returned a fumble for a touchdown against Gannon.

Alexander, Schleicher Get on the Board

• For quarterback Will Alexander and wide receiver Regan Schleicher, October 1 proved to big moments in their respective collegiate careers.
• Alexander hit Schleicher for a 20-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter against California (PA), giving Clarion a 7-0 lead early in the contest.
• That was the first career touchdown pass for Alexander and the first career touchdown reception for Schleicher.

Lachmann Named PSAC West Defensive AOTW for Sept. 19

• Defensive lineman Robert Lachmann earned PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week honors after helping the Golden Eagles stymie Lock Haven in a 44-7 win on Sept. 17.
• In a game where the Golden Eagle defense harassed Lock Haven quarterbacks for four quarters, Lachmann was as disruptive as they come in Clarion's win over the Bald Eagles. Lachmann finished with three sacks and two quarterback hurries.
• That pushed him over teammate Jake Tarburton for the team lead in sacks. Through five games, Lachmann leads the PSAC with 4.5 total sacks. 
• Oddly, those 4.5 sacks already represent the most for a Golden Eagle defensive player in a season since Saif Khan and Vaughn Wallace each had five in 2019... though Lachmann has six more games remaining on the schedule!

1,078 Days...But Who's Counting?

• With their 44-7 win over Lock Haven on Sept. 17, the Golden Eagles halted a losing streak that dated back to the 2019 season.
• Clarion last win before that date was Oct. 5, 2019, when they defeated Seton Hill on Homecoming at Memorial Stadium. 

Commitment to the Ground Game

• Through five weeks of action, the Golden Eagle offense has shown a commitment to the ground game that has put them among the leaders in the conference in rushing offense.
• Clarion enters this weekend's matchup ranked second in the PSAC with an average of 170.6 rushing yards per game.
• The Golden Eagles rushed for 270 yards on 51 attempts against Lock Haven on Sept. 17, their best single-game rushing total since going off for 341 yards against Shippensburg on Sept. 7, 2019.

Owens and the Ground Game

• Now in his second full season with the Golden Eagles, running back Khalil Owens will try to build on the end of last year's campaign, when he became a major force toting the rock.
• Including the last four games of the 2021 season and the first five games of the 2022 season, Owens has totaled 832 rushing and receiving yards -- an average of 92.4 yards per game -- and has scored four touchdowns. 

Zach Breaks the Bald Eagles

• In his second start of the season, quarterback Zach Benedek got it done with his arm as well as his legs against Lock Haven, accounting for three total touchdowns against the Bald Eagles.
• Benedek completed 14-of-19 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns, connecting with Andy Martin and Zach Kindel for scores.
• He also rushed nine times for 39 yards and a touchdown, scoring the Golden Eagles' first of the game to give them the lead.
• In his three starts at quarterback, Benedek is 38-of-64 (.594) for 481 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. 
• In that same span, Benedek rushed 20 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns, a 6.1 yards per carry average.

Long Time Coming

• For Andy Martin, the Golden Eagles' Sept. 17 game at Lock Haven was a long time coming.
• Martin would have made his Clarion debut in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic halted those plans. In 2021 he was felled by a season-ending injury in training camp, and he missed the first two games of the 2022 season as well.
• He finally made his Golden Eagle debut against the Bald Eagles and made an immediate impact, catching a 53-yard touchdown pass from Zach Benedek in the first quarter that gave Clarion a 13-0 lead.

Winning the Turnover Battle

• Through five games, the Golden Eagles have shown the ability to take care of the football while conversely snatching it away from their opponents.
• With a +3 turnover margin, Clarion enters this weekend ranked fifth in the PSAC in that category.
• Conversely, this week's opponent, Seton Hill, is -6 in turnover margin on the season, which is 15th in the PSAC.

Ground to a Halt

• The Clarion defense clamped down on West Liberty in Week 1, holding the Hilltoppers to just 284 total yards and one scoring drive longer than three yards.
• It was the first time the Golden Eagles held an opponent under 300 total yards of offense since restricting Lock Haven to just 264 yards on Sept. 14, 2019 in a game played at Memorial Stadium, a span of 18 games. 
• The team was exceptional in limiting damage on the ground (3.0 yards per carry) and through the air (6.8 yards per attempt), shutting down the Hilltoppers.
• Statistically, it was Clarion's best defensive effort since their 2021 effort against Millersville, when the Golden Eagles held the Marauders to 2.1 yards per rush (34 att / 70 yds), 6.25 yards per pass (10-of-20 for 125 yds) and 4.2 yards per play (54 plays, 195 yards).

Another Trip Around the Block

• Deuce Lyons blocked an extra point attempt by Bloomsburg on Sept. 10, getting a hand on a kick to prevent the Huskies from putting the ball through the uprights.
• In doing so, Lyons extended a streak of seasons where the Golden Eagles have blocked a kick to four straight seasons.  The last time they blocked an extra point was on Oct. 5, 2019, when Saif Khan blocked a PAT by Seton Hill.
• Alex Huzicka blocked an extra point against Gannon on Sept. 24, giving the team two blocked kicks on the year.
• That same game also featured Clarion's last blocked punt, when Rayonte Campbell blocked an attempt by the Griffins.
• The last Golden Eagle blocked field goal was also against - you guessed it - Seton Hill. Shane Kemper blocked an attempt in their meeting on Oct. 23, 2021.

Golden Eagles by the Numbers - Week 6 Edition

• In eight games between Clarion and Seton Hill, the Golden Eagles have blocked a total of 10 kicks. They have failed to block at least one kick in only two games, the meetings in 2016-17.
• Through Week 5 action, no one in the PSAC West has recorded more all-purpose yards in a single game than Corahn Alleyne's 291 against Gannon on Sept. 24. 
• Clarion has gotten 46 first downs on rushing attempts this year, second in the PSAC. Only Gannon has more, with 48.
• Wide receiver Andy Martin is averaging 28.4 yards per reception this year, with a long catch of 53 yards against Lock Haven.

Hamdan Takes Control

• Linebacker Kareem Hamdan has established himself as a sure tackler, and is one of the stars of the PSAC in terms of bringing down the ball carrier.
• In 2021, Hamdan earned Don Hansen Football All-America Honorable Mention honors after leading the conference in tackles, averaging 10.0 per game for exactly 100 on the season. He is the first Golden Eagle to hit the 100-tackle mark in a single-season since Layne Skundrich in 2017.
• Hamdan is one of two returning all-conference players from 2021, having earned Second Team All-PSAC West laurels at the conclusion of the season.

Cracking the Books

• Senior defensive back Drew Blon showed his ability to excel in the classroom as well as on the field in 2021, earning CoSIDA Academic All-District honors last year.
• Blon, who finished his Bachelor's degree in Sport Management in December 2021, posted a 3.64 GPA while also starting every game on the back end of the Golden Eagle defense.
• Blon finished second on the team in total tackles with 71 stops in 2021. He also finished second on the team in interceptions with three picks and led the team in both fumbles forced and fumble recoveries with two each. 
• Blon enters this weekend ranked second on the team with 21total tackles, as well as one sack and one interception.

No Jake Brakes

• Jake Tarburton has taken on an elevated role in the Golden Eagle defense, and has to date shown an ability to push the pocket and pressure the quarterback.
• Tarburton ranks second on Clarion with three sacks in three games, accounting for 34 yards of lost yardage for Golden Eagle opponents.

Next Week

• The road swing continues as the Golden Eagles go to Erie to take on Mercyhurst on Saturday, October 15. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
• Clarion has lost four straight meetings with the Lakers, with the last Golden Eagle win coming on Sept. 24, 2016. Mercyhurst leads the all-time series with a record of 9-4.