Clarion Golden Eagles (2-6, 1-4 PSAC West) at #6 Slippery Rock (8-0, 5-0 PSAC West)
Saturday, October 28 // 1 p.m.
Slippery Rock, Pa. // Mihalik-Thompson Stadium

Quick Notes

• The Golden Eagle football team will battle for the Milk Jug Trophy on the road on Saturday, when Clarion heads to Slippery Rock to face the sixth-ranked Rock at 1 p.m.
• This wil be the 81st meeting all-time between Clarion and Slippery Rock, with the Rock owning a 52-25-3 advantage in the series.
• The Golden Eagles are coming off a 34-20 road win at Edinboro on Saturday, a game in which Clarion dominated on the ground and benefitted from splash plays on special teams.
• With 280 yards on the ground in the win over the Fighting Scots, the Golden Eagles have now rushed for 615 combined yards in their last two games, and averaging 186.4 rushing yards per game.
• Quarterback Anthony Guercio was named the PSAC West Co-Offensive Athlete of the Week, for Oct. 23 after he had his second 100-yard rushing game of the season in the win over Edinboro. He also tossed three touchdown passes for four total scores on the day.
• Over his last two games, running back Khalon Simmons is averaging 79.5 combined rushing and receiving yards, and has scored three total touchdowns.
• Cornerback Johnny Hutton contributed on defense and special teams in the win over Edinboro, finishing with four tackles, two pass break-ups, an interception, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick.
• Defensive end Jake Tarburton is sixth in the PSAC with 5.0 total sacks on the year, with the 34 yards lost also ranking sixth.
• Receiver Corahn Alleyne ranks fourth in the PSAC in all-purpose yards at 139.9 yards per game, and is the only player in the PSAC with more than 100 total rushing, receiving, punt return and kick return yards.

Series History

• This wil be the 81st meeting all-time between Clarion and Slippery Rock, with the Rock owning a 52-25-3 advantage in the series. The series dates back to the 1928 season, a barn-burner that the Rock won by a 2-0 score.
• The rivalry took a holiday from 1934-47, and Clarion won their first in the series in 1951, a 19-14 victory in the season finale. The Rock are 37-18-2 dating back to the 1958 season.
• Slippery Rock has won each of the last five meetings between the teams dating back to the 2017 season, and 10 of the last 11 overall. The lone victory for Clarion in that span came on Oct. 29, 2016, when the Golden Eagles came away with a 27-23 victory at Memorial Stadium. Quarterback Connor Simmons returned after missing several games due to injury, and the senior signal caller threw for 372 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Kevin Genevro pulled in 12 passes for 199 yards and two scores, including what proved to be the game-winning touchdown with 1:05 remaining after the Golden Eagles had fallen behind earlier in the fourth quarter.
• To find the last time the Golden Eagles won in Slippery Rock, you have to go back to the 2009 season. Alfonso Hoggard rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns, and Daily Whitten returned an interception 41 yards for a third quarter touchdown in a 27-10 win.
• Last year the Rock won by a 31-0 score at Memorial Stadium. Kareem Hamdan had six tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.

Scouting The Rock

• Slippery Rock was predicted to finish second in the PSAC West in 2023 with two first place votes, but they have exceeded that expectation by taking sole possession of first place in the division to this point.
• The Rock has also been steadily climbing the national rankings over the course of the season. Entering this week's game they are ranked in NCAA Division II in both the AFCA and D2Football.com polls.
• An explosive offense, the Rock are averaging 45.3 points per game this year, more than double their average of points allowed per game (21.6). Their passing offense is tops in the conference at an average of 269.4 yards per game.
• One of the most effective red zone offenses in the country, Slippery Rock has scored 32 touchdowns in 36 red zone trips.
• Quarterback Brayden Long ranks in the top-10 in the nation in most major passing categories, and top receiving option Kyle Sheets ranks second in the nation with 11 touchdown receptions this season.

 

Last Week

Buoyed by a dominant rushing attack for the second straight week, the Golden Eagle football team bullied their way to a 34-20 road victory over Edinboro on October 21. Clarion went off for 280 yards on the ground, while Golden Eagle quarterbacks provided some timely big plays in the passing game to lock up the win.

Anthony Guercio made the start at quarterback and was able to contribute on the ground and through the air. He notched his second 100-yard rushing game of the season, leading all players with 155 yards on the ground on 19 attempts. His day included a 55-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to give the Golden Eagles a 14-7 lead, an advantage they never relinquished from that point. The Golden Eagles attempted just 10 passes on the day but Guercio made the most of them, completing six of them for 74 yards and three touchdown passes.

Conversely, the Golden Eagle defense stymied the rushing attack of the Fighting Scots, holding them to just 40 rushing yards on 20 attempts. Quarterback Isaac Bernard threw for 324 yards and two scores but much of that came after the Golden Eagles had the game in hand. Grifin Buzzell had eight tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.

Johnny Hutton was the player that stepped up in a major way, finishing with four tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery. That recovery – falling on a muffed punt with 51 seconds left to go in the first half – set up the Golden Eagles' third touchdown of the game.

Tarburton on the Rush

Jake Tarburton enters Week 8 ranked sixth in the PSAC with 5.0 sacks, a number that also ranks fourth in the PSAC West.  With a sack against Mercyhurst on Oct. 14,=, he surpassed his previous career-high of four sacks with four games to spare. He is also  sixth in the conference with 9.5 tackles for loss.

Tarburton now has 11 career sacks. He is tied for sixth among active PSAC players in total sacks and fourth in sacks per game against active players that have played 15 or more games.

Kareem of the Crop

Senior linebacker Kareem Hamdan has been a mainstay in the Golden Eagle defense for three years now, and as a result he's turned into one of the most consistent performers in the PSAC. Hamdan currently ranks second among all active PSAC players in tackles per game with a 7.24 per game average, and his 275 total career tackles ranks second in the PSAC among active players behind only Millersville's Isaiah Onuschak (288).

Should Hamdan improve even slightly over his current season pace of 6.8 tackles per game, he has an opportunity to become the first Golden Eagle player to reach 300 career tackles in five years. Layne Skundrich was the last Clarion player to hit the mark, doing so in 2018. Only nine players in program history have achieved 300 career tackles.

Force on the Ground

The Golden Eagle rushing attack ranked fourth overall in the PSAC and tops in the PSAC West division in 2022, with the team averaging 161.5 yards per game on the ground. Clarion's 4.4 yards per carry average last year ranked second only the Shepherd, and the team's 17 rushing touchdowns ranked fifth overall and third in the West division behind Slippery Rock and California (Pa.).

Clarion has shown no signs of slowing down in 2023. They are second in the PSAC and first in the West division with an average of 186.4 rushing yards per game. They have also been efficient in their rushing, ranking third in the conference with an average of 4.6 yards per rushing attempt.

Dictating the Tempo

As good as the Golden Eagle offense has been running the football the last two years, it has reached another level over the last two weeks. With 335 yards against Mercyhurst on Oct. 14 and 280 against Edinboro last week, the Golden Eagles are averaging 5.9 yards per run attempt in the last two games.

First Triumvirate

The Golden Eagles have had three different players top the 100-yard rushing mark through seven weeks of the season. Khalil Owens broke the century mark rushing against Bloomsburg on Sept. 16, Anthony Guercio has done it twice - once on Sept. 23 against Lock Haven and again at Edinboro on Oct. 21 - and Zach Benedek did it on Oct. 14 against Mercyhurst.

To find the last time three different Golden Eagles broke the century mark on the ground, you have to go back to the 2011 season when four players did it: Ben Fiscus, Patrick Graham-Murphy, Brandon Akins and John Fuhrer.

High Five

Clarion went off for 335 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns against Mercyhurst on Oct. 14, beating the Lakers on the ground for much of the contest. That represented the best single-game rushing total for the team since they put up 341 yards on the ground in the 2019 season opener against Shippensburg.

The last time the Golden Eagles scored five rushing touchdowns in a game was on Nov. 12, 2011, when Patrick Graham-Murphy scored all five in a record-setting performance against Millersville. 

One if by Land, Two if By Air

Corahn Alleyne gave Seton Hill everything they could want to handle and then some on October 7, combining for 140 rushing and receiving yards and two touchdowns against the Griffins. Alleyne scored on a fly sweep in the first quarter and later on a fourth down passing play in the fourth quarter. For his part, Alleyne averaged 9.1 yards per offensive touch against the Griffins, one of the best single-game totals in the PSAC this year.

More on Alleyne's Season

Corahn Alleyne ranks among the national leaders in all-purpose yardage through eight weeks, thanks to his ability to contribute on offense and special teams. Alleyne is averaging 139.9 all-purpose yards per game, which ranks 13th in NCAA Division II and fourth in the PSAC.

The QBs Have Wheels

College box scores can be misleading in that sacks are counted as rushing attempts and lost yardage for quarterbacks. When you boil down the Golden Eagles' quarterbacks rushing totals by designed runs, though, the signal callers are having an impressive season rushing the football. Clarion quarterbacks have taken off on 99 rushing attempts for 728 yards, an average of 7.4 yards per play. Anthony Guercio has been highly effective, rushing for 368 yards on designed plays. Zach Benedek has recorded 341 rushing yards on 42 designed runs and scrambles, an average of 8.1 yards per carry. 

With 344 net rushing yards, Guercio ranks second among PSAC quarterbacks in yards on the ground. Only West Chester's Cooper Jordan (365) has more yards on the ground. 

Quality Not Quantity

Anthony Guercio attempted only 10 passes in the Golden Eagles' win over Edinboro on Oct. 21, but the passes he did throw he made count. Guercio completed six passes, with three of those into the end zone for touchdowns. He became the first Golden Eagle quarterback to throw for three touchdowns in a game since Taylor Eggers threw four scores against Shippensburg on Sept. 18, 2021, a span of 24 games.

Johnny on the Spot

Johnny Hutton made a pair of splash special teams plays in Clarion's 34-20 win over Edinboro on Saturday, including one that set up a crucial offensive score in the first half. Hutton finished his day with four total tackles, two pass break-ups and an interception, but it was a fumble recovery on special teams with less than a minute remaining in the first half that turned the tide of the game for good. 

With 51 seconds remaining in the second quarter the Golden Eagles punted deep into Edinboro territory. Returner Amani Bailey muffed the punt at his own 11-yard line, and Hutton flew down on kick coverage and dove on the loose ball to steal a possession for his team. Three plays later, Clarion quarterback Anthony Guercio completed a touchdown pass to Khalon Simmons with no time left on the clock, giving the Golden Eagles a 21-7 lead at the half. Hutton later put a cap on his day with a blocked kick, coming off the edge and blocking a Fighting Scot extra point attempt in the fourth quarter.

Next Week

The Golden Eagles will return home for their final game at Memorial Stadium of the season, when they host IUP for Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 4. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.