Clarion Golden Eagles (0-0, 0-0 PSAC West) at Lincoln (Pa.) Lions (0-0, 0-0 CIAA)
Thursday, August 31 // 7:00 PM
Lincoln University, Pa. // LU Athletics Stadium

Quick Notes

• The Golden Eagle football team will open the 2023 season on the road this week when they face off with Lincoln (Pa.) in a night game on Thursday, August 31.
• This will be just the second-ever meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Lions. The previous one came during the 2018 season, with Clarion defeating Lincoln 44-7 at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 15.
• The game against the Lions is also only the second game in program history against a current member institution in the CIAA.
• Head coach Raymond Monica is now in his second season at the helm of the Golden Eagles, and will look to build off last year's three-win improvement in Year 2 at Memorial Stadium.
• This game will feature two offenses that were highly effective at moving the ball on the ground in 2022. Last year the Golden Eagles ranked fourth in the PSAC and first in the West division with an average of 161.5 rushing yards per game, while Lincoln was fifth in the CIAA with an average of 149.9 yards per game.
• Clarion welcomes back a total of 14 starters from a season ago, seven each on offense and defense. All told, 47 letterwinners return from a year ago, with more than 50 newcomers to the roster.
• Among those returning to Clarion this year is running back Khalil Owens, a two-time all-conference pick at running back. Owens went over 1,000 combined rushing and receiving yards a season ago.
• One notable returning defensive player is Kareem Hamdan, who has combined for 178 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss in the last two seasons.

Series History

• This will be just the second-ever meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Lions, with Clarion winning the previous matchup on Sept. 15, 2018 at Memorial Stadium. 
• The Golden Eagles won the last meeting by a score of 44-7, taking a 27-0 lead in the third quarter before the Lions broke the shutout with a touchdown.
• Clarion rushed for 129 yards as a team and stymied the Lincoln ground game, keeping the Lions at -6 rushing yards.
• One of the more memorable highlights of the game came in the fourth quarter, when Clarion's starting center Zack Morris converted a goal line carry for a touchdown.

Scouting the Lions

• Lincoln is coming off a 2022 season where they went 2-7 overall and 1-6 in CIAA competition. That included an 0-5 mark against their Northern Division foes.
• This year the Lions are predicted to finish 10th out of 12 teams in the CIAA, and were also picked to finish sixth in the CIAA Northern Division.
• The Lions boast the reigning CIAA Offensive Rookie of the Year in sophomore quarterback Isaiah Freeman. He ranked second in the CIAA with 1,667 passing yards and was tied for third with 13 touchdown passes. Freeman also contributed 382 rushing yards and four rushing scores.
• On defense, Lincoln's Eric Best was a preseason all-conference selection at defensive back. Last year he recorded 38 tackles, three interceptions, three pass break-ups and a fumble recovery.

PSAC Announces Preseason Coaches Poll

The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) announced the results of their preseason coaches poll on August 10. The Golden Eagles were predicted to finish seventh in the PSAC West division in 2023.

2023 PSAC Football West Division Preseason Poll

1. IUP (6)
2. Slippery Rock (2)
3. California
4. Gannon
5. Edinboro
6. Seton Hill
7. Clarion
8. Mercyhurst

2023 PSAC Football East Division Preseason Poll

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

About the Coach

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. He enters his second season at the helm of the program in 2023. 

Schedule Breakdown

Clarion will open the 2023 campaign on the road, marking the first time they've started a season away from the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium since 2019. The Golden Eagles will face off with Lincoln on Thursday, August 31 in a Thursday night clash. That will in fact mark their first midweek road game since  the 2017 season opener, when Clarion faced off with Division I FCS UT Martin. 

The Golden Eagles return home for two straight games against PSAC East opponents, hosting Bloomsburg (Sept. 9) and Lock Haven (Sept. 16) before kicking off West division action with back-to-back road games against Gannon (Sept. 23) and California (Pa.) (Sept. 30). That paves the way for consecutive home games to kick off the month of October, including a Homecoming against against Seton Hill (Oct. 7) followed by a visit from Mercyhurst (Oct. 14).

Clarion will get back on the bus to face Edinboro (Oct. 21) and Slippery Rock (Oct. 28) before coming back for their final home game of the season, a Senior Day meeting with IUP (Nov. 4). They close the season with a crossover game on the road, currently scheduled to be West Chester (Nov. 11).

Gonna Need a Program

An influx of new faces will try to make an impact on this year's roster, a fact well-reflected by the initial depth chart for the 2023 season. Entering Week 1 against Lincoln, there are 16 players new to the roster listed as either the starter or a primary back up at a position.

Khalil Owens, Rush Chairman

Two-time all-conference running back Khalil Owens returns for his senior season, and is coming off a 2022 campaign that was the best for a Golden Eagle rusher in nearly a decade. Owens combined for 1,001 combined rushing and receiving yards in 2022, making him the first Clarion player to do so since 2015. Owens went over 1,000 career rushing yards in a Clarion uniform last season.

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.).

Alleyne is a Triple Threat

Wide receiver Corahn Alleyne was a threat every time he touched the ball in 2022, averaging a team-best 152.7 all-purpose yards per game. He combined for 610 rushing and receiving yards and four touchdowns, and also averaged nearly 23.0 yards per kickoff return attempt. In addition, Alleyne threw a pair of touchdown passes, with both going to quarterback Zach Benedek in a road win at Seton Hill.

Mr. Consistency on Defense

Linebacker Kareem Hamdan, a 2021 all-conference selection and Don Hansen All-America Honorable Mention, has been a consistent presence in the middle of the Golden Eagle defense. The senior linebacker has totaled 178 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and five pass break-ups over the last two years and has not missed a game in that span.

Bus Ride Warriors

The Golden Eagles posted a 3-2 record on the road in 2022, marking the first time Clarion has finished the year with a winning road record since 2010. The team will be put to the test in that regard in 2023, with the schedule calling for six games away from home, including the season opener against Lincoln on August 31.

The Ball is the Program

Clarion finished the 2022 season ranked third in the conference in turnover margin,  going +3 on the year behind only Shepherd and Gannon. The Golden Eagles tied for second in the conference with just five fumbles lost on the year, a number that also tied for 18th in the nation. The team did have 10 passes intercepted, which was seventh in the PSAC, but they also picked off 11 passes to tilt that in their favor.

Discipline is the Key

In 2022 Clarion was one of the best teams in the conference at not harrming their own cause with penalties. The Golden Eagles ranked fourth in the conference and second in the PSAC West division in fewest penalties against, committing an average of just 5.1 infractions per game. Consequently, their average of just 45.4 penalty yards lost per game ranked third in the conference and 20th in the nation. 

Next Week

The Golden Eagles return home for the 2023 opener at Memorial Stadium when they welcome Bloomsburg to town on Saturday, September 9. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Clarion will attempt to snap a seven-game losing streak to the Huskies that extends back to the 1996 season, when the Golden Eagles defeated Bloomsburg in the NCAA Playoffs.