Clarion Golden Eagles (2-0, 0-0 PSAC West) at Shippensburg Red Raiders (0-1, 0-0 PSAC East)
Saturday, September 14 // 1 p.m.
Shippensburg, Pa. // Seth Grove Stadium

Quick Notes

• The Golden Eagles football team will look to run their record to 3-0 when they head on the road to face Shippensburg at Seth Grove Stadium on Saturday, September 14. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
• This will be the 60th meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Red Raiders, with Clarion owning a 34-24-1 record against their former PSAC West rival.
• Clarion won their 2024 home opener last week, beating Lincoln (Pa.) 20-9 at Memorial Stadium on Thursday, September 5, to improve to 2-0 on the year.
• The Golden Eagles defense held the Lions to just nine points and 251 yards of offense last week, marking the second consecutive week they held an opponent to single-digit scoring and under 300 yards.
• Quarterback Anthony Guercio leads the PSAC in total touchdowns (3) and is in sole possession of second place in the conference in passing touchdowns (3) after adding one of each against Lincoln last week.
• Wide receiver Trevon Tate caught five passes for 107 yards and a touchdown against Lincoln, giving him back-to-back games with 100+ yards receiving.
• The Golden Eagles rank fifth in the PSAC overall and second in the PSAC West in rushing yards per game, averaging 164.0 yards on the ground so far.
• Of the PSAC teams that have already played two games this season, Clarion boasts the best scoring defense by allowing an average of 8.0 points per game, and are second in yards allowed per game at 256.5.
• Defensive end Jake Tarburton leads the PSAC with 3.5 total tackles for loss, and is tied for second with two sacks.
• Kicker Adam Scarpino went 2-for-2 on field goal attempts with a long make of 38 yards against Lincoln, and also made both of his extra point attempts.
• Punter Hunter Robertson is tied for the conference lead in punts over 50 yards, and his six punts landed inside the 20-yard line lead the league.
• Clarion's defense has allowed only five opponent red zone trips in the first two games, and just two total touchdowns from inside the 20-yard line as well.
• The Golden Eagles are now 3-1 in Thursday night games under head coach Raymond Monica, and 7-4 in Thursday night games dating back to the 2009 season.

Series History

• This will be the 60th meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Red Raiders, with Clarion owning a 34-24-1 record in the all-time series with Shippensburg. Unlike many PSAC opponents, Clarion did not play Shippensburg for the first time until the 1955 season, when the teams dueled to a 7-7 tie.
• For a while the teams played annually, meeting in 50 consecutive seasons from 1958-2007. The Golden Eagles and Red Raiders have met only sporadically since then, though they met in four straight seasons from 2016-19 and again in 2021. The Red Raiders are 4-1 in that span.
• That "1" came in the last meeting at Seth Grove Stadium, though, with Clarion blowing out Shippensburg 48-28 in the 2019 season opener. Mylique McGriff went off for 179 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including a 29-yard gallop in the fourth quarter to set the final deficit.
• In the last meeting between the teams, the Red Raiders defeated Clarion 62-33 at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 18, 2021. Receiver Quinn Zinobile caught five passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns, including a 73-yard catch-and-run for a score. Quarterback Taylor Eggers completed 16 of 25 passes for 329 yards and four touchdowns.

Scouting the Red Raiders

• Shippensburg was predicted to finish seventh in the PSAC East in the preseason coaches' poll. The Red Raiders returned six starters on offense and four on defense from their 2023 team. Overall, only 38 members of the 2023 team returned to the roster this year.
• Last year the Red Raiders went 3-8 overall and 2-5 in PSAC East play. They boasted the best defense in the conference in terms of total yardage, allowing an average of just 287.4 yards per game. Opposing teams averaged just 4.6 yards per play against Shippensburg, and the defense allowed only 29 touchdowns in 11 games.
• Last week the Red Raiders opened the 2024 season with a 28-3 road loss to American International in Springfield, Mass. Kicker Tanner Luther booted a 47-yard field goal in the first quarter - the longest field goal made by any kicker in the PSAC this season - but that would be the last of the Shippensburg offense.
• This week's game at Seth Grove Stadium represents the first of a three-game homestand for the Red Raiders. Next week they welcome Slippery Rock to town, and then open PSAC East play on Sept. 28 against Shepherd.

Last Week

The Golden Eagles football team authored another stifling defensive effort, this time at home, improving to 2-0 on the season with a 20-9 victory over Lincoln (Pa.) at Memorial Stadium.  

For the second straight week, Clarion held their opponent under 300 yards of total offense. The Golden Eagles limited the Lions to 251 total yards, an 11-yard improvement on last week's effort against Millersville and their best single-game total since the 2021 meeting with the Marauders. 

The Golden Eagles finished with just three sacks and five tackles for loss, but that did not totally tell the story of how the defense harassed Lincoln quarterback Isaiah Freeman. The team was credited with nine quarterback hits, and despite Freeman's solid offensive numbers the junior was under fire every time he dropped back.

Quarterback Anthony Guercio finished 11-of-23 passing for 149 yards and a touchdown, and also contributed 90 rushing yards and a score on the ground. His lone touchdown pass came on the Golden Eagles' first offensive drive of the game, capping a nine-play, 65-yard drive with a 28-yard rainbow to a wide open Trevon Tate. That pass put the Golden Eagles in the lead and there they stayed for good.

Elephant in the Room

The Golden Eagles defeated Lincoln at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 5, snapping a dubious streak in the process. Clarion's win over the Lions represented the first home win for the program since Oct. 5, 2019 against Seton Hill. The team had been on a 19-game losing streak at home.

Guercio's Historic Day...

Quarterback Anthony Guercio got it done with his arm and his legs against Millersville on August 29, and in the process had a day that stands out in recent Golden Eagle history:

• Guercio threw for two touchdowns and ran for two touchdowns against the Marauders, making him the first Golden Eagle to accomplish that feat since Connor Simmons did it on Sept. 24, 2016 against Millersville. Simmons did it twice in his career, as did Ben Fiscus, making them the only other Golden Eagle quarterbacks since to ever complete the feat.
• Guercio thew for 215 yards and rushed for 106 yards on the ground, making him the first Clarion quarterback to hit 200 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in one game since Fiscus did it against East Stroudsburg on Sept. 29, 2012.
• Through examination of records back to the 1984 season, no other Golden Eagle quarterback has thrown for 200 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns, in the same game.

...and the Follow Up

Guercio followed up with big day against the Marauders with 149 yards through the air, 90 yards on the ground and a touchdown passing and rushing against Lincoln on Sept. 5. 

• Through two weeks of the season Guercio leads the PSAC in total touchdowns (3) and is second in the PSAC in passing touchdowns (3). His average of 98.0 rushing yards per game is tied for fourth in the conference, and his 5.4 yards per rush ranks fourth in the PSAC among rushers with 20 or more attempts.

Tough Nut to Crack

Through two weeks of the season, the Golden Eagles defense has been particularly stout:

• After allowing seven points to Millersville on Aug. 29 and nine points to Lincoln on Sept. 5, the Golden Eagles rank first in the PSAC in scoring defense (8.0 ppg) among teams that have played two games.
• It is the first time Clarion has held opponents to single-digits in scoring in back-to-back games since 2018, when the Golden Eagles beat Lincoln 44-7 and Gannon 14-9 in consecutive games.
• The Golden Eagles have allowed an average of 256.5 yards of offense per game, putting them just behind East Stroudsburg for the best average among teams that have played two games.
• Clarion's defense has recorded six quarterback sacks, 10 quarterback hits and 10.0 tackles for loss through two games.

Big Toes

Special teams has been a big part of the Golden Eagles' 2-0 start in 2024, with effective kicking and punting making an impact early on:

• Punter Hunter Robertson earned PSAC West Special Teams Athlete of the Week honors after his performance against Millersville on Aug. 29. The sophomore is fourth in the conference wiht a 45.2 yards per kick average, he's downed a league-high six punts inside the 20-yard line compared to just two touchbacks, and he has five punts of 50 or more yards.
• Kicker Adam Scarpino went 2-for-2 on field goal attempts against Lincoln on Sept. 5, including a 38-yard make near the end of the second quarter. He also made both of his extra-point attempts.

Block Party

The Golden Eagles special teams unit also had a field day against Lincoln, blocking three total kicks against the Lions:

• Late in the first quarter, linebacker Luke Shaffer blocked Brett Jackson's punt in Lions' territory, with receiver Nick Maher falling on the ball at the 27-yard line.
• Later in the first half, Connor Lyczek got his hands on a Jackson punt, with Maher again landing on the loose ball.
• In the third quarter, Colton Irwin stopped a Jackson extra-point attempt the hard way when he blocked a kick with his forehead.

Another Streak Broken!

In the win over Millersville on Aug. 29, Mathew McGregor picked up a blocked kick on an extra point attempt and rushed it into the end zone, giving the Golden Eagles a two-point conversion. Though not originally intended to be one, it was the first successful two-point conversion for Clarion since Jeff Clemens connected with Mylique McGriff in the end zone against Bloomsburg on Nov. 11, 2017.

Rush Chairmen

In 2023, Clarion ranked sixth in the PSAC and third in the West division with an average of 154.5 rushing yards per game. They were also efficient in their rushing with an average of 4.2 yards per rushing attempt. That ranked fourth in the PSAC West division.

• Through two games this season, Clarion is averaging 164.0 yards on the ground with four rushing touchdowns. The Golden Eagles are averaging 4.6 yards per carry.

Rising to the Challenge

After appearing in just one game as a freshman, cornerback Deshaun Blackwell made his first career start on Aug. 29 against Millersville and made the most of it. Blackwell logged a pass break-up and two interceptions, making him the first Golden Eagle defender to pick off two passes in one game since linebacker Kareem Hamdan did it in 2022 against Mercyhurst.

• To find the last time a Clarion defensive back had two picks in a game, you need to look to Legend Davis's two-interception performance at Edinboro on Nov. 6, 2021. 
• The most recent Golden Eagle corner to pick off two passes in one game? That would be Dorian Johnson, who intercepted two passes in Clarion's win over Lock Haven on Sept. 15, 2018.

A Familiar Face That Looks Better in Blue

One of the key transfers coming to the Clarion offense is wide receiver Trevon Tate, a senior that played the previous three seasons at Mercyhurst. Tate was a veteran of 25 games in the Green and White, totaling 55 catches for  648 yards and five touchdowns as a Laker.

Tate finished with five catches for 107 yards and a touchdown against Lincoln on Sept. 5, giving him two straight games with 100+ yards receiving. He is the first Golden Eagle to break the century mark in back-to-back games since Quinn Zinobile did it against Millersville and Shippensburg in 2021.

Next Week

Clarion continues their three-game road swing when they travel to Shepherdstown, W.Va. to take on Shepherd. This will be the first meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Rams since 2021, when Shepherd took a 55-0 win in West Virginia.