INDIANA, Pa. --- Facing off with a nationally-ranked opponent on the road on Saturday, the Golden Eagles football team dropped a game to IUP at George Miller Stadium, falling 31-0 to the Crimson Hawks. The game against IUP was the end of a three-game road swing for Clarion, who will play five of their final six games at home, starting next week against California (PA).
 
IUP's defense held down what had been an otherwise effective Golden Eagles attack through the first four weeks of the season, limiting Clarion to 114 total yards and keeping them off the scoreboard. The Crimson Hawks won the turnover battle, picking off one pass and forcing a fumble while the Golden Eagles recorded just one forced fumble.
 
The Clarion defense did provide a touch of splash to the day, though. Griffin Buzzell was busy chasing down the Crimson Hawks' rushing attack, making 16 tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss, while freshman defensive lineman Jack Capotosto finished with 1.5 sacks and a forced fubmle. Ryan Stahl continued what has been a solid campaign as well, recording nine tackles and falling on the fumble forced by Capotosto for a turnover in IUP territory.
 
That change of possession brought with it the opportunity to put the Golden Eagles back in the contest with the Crimson Hawks, but IUP was able to withstand the gaffe and maintain their lead. Clarion trailed 14-0 with less than five minutes to go in the second quarter, with the Crimson Hawks backed up in their own end. On 2^nd-and-5 at the IUP 26-yard line, Capotoso drove the right tackle back and got a hand in on quarterback Karst Hunter, punching the ball loose for Stahl to recover at the 30-yard line.
 
Despite the strong field position, the Golden Eagles' offensive drive derailed. An attempted throwback from running back Khalon Simmons to quarterback Anthony Guercio was unsuccessful, putting Clarion in a third-and-long scenario that resulted in a Hunter Robertson punt.
 
The Crimson Hawks struck a big blow in the second quarter, going on a 17-play, 85-yard drive that ate up 9:09 on the clock and resulted in a successful field goal. Now with a 17-0 lead, IUP forced a punt on the next Clarion drive and picked off Guercio on the successive attempt, with Kalen Frazier intercepting a pass in Golden Eagles' territory. That led directly to an IUP touchdown pass that made it 24-0, and Kaleb Monaco capped a touchdown drive with a one-yard plunge with just under a minute to go. Read Full Article