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2025 clarion football gameday - week 10 vs iup

Clarion Football Game Notes - Week 10 vs. IUP

IUP Crimson Hawks (6-2, 4-1 PSAC West) at Clarion Golden Eagles (6-3, 2-3 PSAC West)
Saturday, November 8 // 12:00 PM
Clarion, Pa. // Al Jacks Field at Memorial Stadium

Watch Online | Live Stats | Game Notes (PDF) | Online Tickets & Parking

Senior Day Information
  • The Golden Eagle football team will honor their seniors in a pregame ceremony. The field will be cleared with 35 minutes remaining on the game clock – approximately 11:25 a.m. – for the start of the ceremony.
  • Seniors on the Clarion cheerleading squad will be recognized on the track surrounding the field between the first and second quarters.
  • Seniors in the Golden Eagle Marching Band will be recognized prior to their halftime celebration.
 
Tickets
Fans can purchase tickets for Saturday's game online. Fans can also purchase parking online.
 

Parking
There is a $5 parking charge for fans parking in the main lot at Memorial Stadium. Only credentialed media and game personnel are permitted to park in the upper lot of the stadium. Students MUST Park in the main lot. Parking may be purchased ahead of time online or on site.
 
Quick Notes
  • The Golden Eagles will honor their seniors in a pregame ceremony in the final home game of their collegiate careers as Clarion hosts IUP at Al Jacks Field on Saturday, November 8. Kickoff is slated for noon.
  • This will be the 95th meeting all-time between Clarion and IUP, with the Crimson Hawks owning a 67-24-3 advantage in the series.
  • The last time Clarion won in the series was a 21-14 victory in 2010, fueled by Alfonso Hoggard's 179 rushing yards and two long fourth-quarter touchdown runs.
  • The Golden Eagles fell in their most recent game, dropping a 42-23 decision to #22 Slippery Rock on the road.
  • With the victory over Seton Hill on Oct. 25, the Golden Eagles clinched their first winning season since 2015 and just their third winning season since 2003.
  • Clarion ranks third in the PSAC West division and fourth overall in the conference with an average of 34.0 points per game, as well as third in the PSAC with an average of 429.8 yards per game.
  • Of Clarion's 585 offensive plays this year, 122 of them have qualified as an "explosive" plays.
  • Davon Jones and Holt Egan are the first duo of Golden Eagles receivers to both have seven or more touchdowns in the same season since Matt Lehman and Kevin Genevro did it in 2015-16.
  • With 10 rushing touchdowns for Khalon Simmons, the Golden Eagles have now had a runner break double-digits in rushing scores in back-to-back years for the first time since 2001-02.
  • Thirty-five of Davon Jones' 48 receptions this year have gone for either a first down or a touchdown (or both).
  • Holt Egan leads the PSAC with an average of 22.3 yards per reception among players with 30 or more receptions.
  • Of the 10 highest single-game passing yard totals in the PSAC in 2025, Clarion has three of them.
  • Anthony Guercio is one of only two PSAC quarterbacks to top 400 passing yards in a game twice this year.
  • Linebacker Griffin Buzzell is 13th in the nation in forced fumbles (third in the PSAC) and ranks sixth in the nation in total tackles per game (11.4).
  • Punter Frankie Passantino III is second in the PSAC in punts downed inside the 20-yard line with 14.
  • Kicker Andrew Kurtas made a 44-yard field goal against Slippery Rock on Sept. 13, the sixth-longest kick made in the PSAC this season. He is one of only two players in the PSAC to make 10 or more field goals this year, and his 83.3 field goal percentage is tied for first among players with 10 or more attempts.
 
Series History
  • This will be the 95th meeting all-time between Clarion and IUP, with the Crimson Hawks owning a 67-24-3 advantage in the series. The series dates back to the 1927 season, with IUP winning 51-0 in the initial game between the PSAC West rivals.
  • The Crimson Hawks have won 13 straight meetings between the teams dating back to the 2011 season, including seven straight in Clarion.
  • The last win in the series for the Golden Eagles was a 21-14 victory on Oct. 16, 2010 in Indiana. Alfonso Hoggard went off for 179 yards, including touchdown runs of 49 and 69 yards in the fourth quarter, to seal the victory. Nick Sipes recorded 10 tackles, a sack, a fumble recovery and an interception.
  • The Golden Eagles' last win at Memorial Stadium came the year before that, a 30-28 victory on Oct. 24, 2009. Hoggard ran wild over IUP in that game as well, racking up 292 all-purpose yards - including 162 rushing yards - and two rushing scores, while Sipes tallied 19 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.
  • To find the most recent time the Golden Eagles beat IUP before 2009, one has to go back to the 1996 season, when Clarion beat the Crimson Hawks 49-15 on Nov. 2. That was IUP's only West loss of the season and briefly gave the Golden Eagles sole possession of first place in the PSAC West; the teams finished the year as co-champions.
  • Last year IUP shut out the Golden Eagles to the tune of a 31-0 victory at Miller Stadium, despite a strip sack by Jack Capotosto that was recovered by Ryan Stahl to put Clarion deep in Crimson Hawk territory in the second quarter.
 
Scouting the Crimson Hawks
  • IUP was predicted to finish second in the PSAC West in 2025 with three first place votes, one season after going 7-3 overall and 3-3 in PSAC West play.
  • The Crimson Hawks enter the weekend ranked fifth in Super Region One with a 6-2 overall record and a 4-1 record in PSAC West play. They are also receiving votes in the AFCA coaches' poll.
  • Owners of the most prolific passing offense in the PSAC, the Crimson Hawks are averaging 327.0 passing yards per game, more than 50 yards per game more than the second place Golden Eagles (273.7). They are tied with Clarion for the most passing touchdowns in the conference this season with 24 in eight games.
  • Quarterback Matthew Rueve ranks fourth in the nation in passing yards per game with an average of 307.1 yards per game through the air, and he leads the PSAC in most relevant passing categories. Three IUP players rank in the eight in the conference in receiving yards per game, led by Maurice Massey (85.1), who ranks second in the conference.
 
Buzz at Linebacker
  • Linebacker Griffin Buzzell earned his second consecutive Second Team All-PSAC West honor, as the linebacker continued his development into a leader not just on the defense but for the team. He ranked fourth in the PSAC with 90 tackles while also contributing 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception.
  • Midway through the season Buzzell has been one of the best linebackers in the PSAC and the Region. He ranks third in the PSAC with four forced fumbles, and his average of 0.33 FF per game ranks 13th in the nation to date.
  • Buzzell is sixth in the nation and second in NCAA Super Region 1 with an average of 11.4 total tackles per game. He ranks 10th in the nation and second in the Region with an average of 5.7 solo tackles per game.
 
The Offense by the (Conventional) Numbers
  • Through nine games, the Golden Eagles rank third in the PSAC West division and fourth overall in the conference with an average of 34.0 points per game.
  • That jibes well with their total offensive numbers; the Golden Eagles rank third in the PSAC with an average of 429.8 yards per game this year, a mark that ranks seventh in Super Region 1.
  • The Golden Eagles' 603 yards of total offense in the win over Shepherd on Sept. 20 stands as the second highest single-game total in the conference to date.
  • Clarion has scored 40 touchdowns this season, third-most in the conference with ranking behind Kutztown (56) and Slippery Rock (41).
  • Clarion has achieved 200 first downs in nine games, best in the PSAC and fifth in the nation. That's an average of 22.2 first downs per game.
 
The Offense by the (Nerdy) Numbers
  • The offense has been effective at getting yardage in big chunks; through eight games the Golden Eagles have totaled 53 "explosive" runs (10+ yards) and 67 "explosive" pass plays (15+ yards) for a total of 122 "explosive" plays.
  • Clarion is averaging 6.6 yards per play so far this season, second in the PSAC West and third in the conference this year.
  • The offense has reached the red zone more than any other team in the PSAC, scoring 26 touchdowns on 40 trips inside the opponents' 20.
  • The Golden Eagles have run 283 first down plays to this point in the season; of those, 32 plays have gone for 20 or more yards.
  • Clarion has achieved a first down or touchdown 142 times on first or second down; by comparison, they've run only 108 plays on third down all season.
 
Dazzling First Start for Ferguson
  • True freshman quarterback Jase Ferguson got the start under center against Gannon on Oct. 11, and the local product authored a sizzling stat line in the win over the Golden Knights.
  • Ferguson completed 19 of 27 passes for 334 yards and four touchdowns against one interception and was also the game's leading rusher with 13 carries for 81 yards.
  • The frosh scored his first career touchdown in the first quarter, ripping off a 37-yard run and reaching the pylon to give the Golden Eagles the lead. Later in the first he connected with Holt Egan for a 14-yard touchdown pass to make it a 14-0 lead.
  • Ferguson and Egan hooked up for three touchdown passes on the day, marking the first time a Golden Eagle player has caught three scores in a game since Kahliq Muhammad pulled down three scores from Jeff Clemens against Seton Hill on Oct. 5, 2019.
  • Ferguson is just the third different quarterback at Clarion since 2014 to throw for 300+ yards and 4+ touchdowns in a game, joining Connor Simmons - who did it eight times from 2014-16 - and Taylor Eggers, who did it against Shippensburg on Sept. 19, 2021.
 
More on the Freshman
  • Jase Ferguson has shown well in his four games of action to date, contributing directly to two Clarion wins and going 1-1 in games as the starter.
  • Ferguson is 44 of 81 passing for 747 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions thus far this year.
  • He's also shown good ability with his legs, rushing 35 times for 141 yards and a score.
  • Ferguson is now the first Golden Eagle freshman quarterback to throw for at least seven touchdowns in a season since 2010, when Ben Fiscus threw seven touchdowns.
 
Simmons Busting Out on Offense
  • Through nine games, running back Khalon Simmons ranks second in the PSAC with 10 rushing touchdowns, which is tied for fifth in Super Region 1.
  • With Simmons' 10th touchdown of the season, scored on Nov. 1 against Slippery Rock, Clarion has now had runners break double digits in rushing touchdowns in back-to-back seasons for the first time since Robert Walker scored 12 touchdowns in the 2002 season and 10 in the 2001 season.
  • Simmons ripped off a 44-yard touchdown run against Shippensburg on Sept. 13, the longest run of his career and the longest run for any Golden Eagle since the 2023 season.
  • In the last five seasons, there have only been seven runs of 44 or more yards by a Golden Eagle:
 
                  Khalon Simmons vs. Shippensburg (9/13/25) - 44 yards
                  Anthony Guercio at Edinboro (10/21/23) - 55 yards
                  Khalil Owens vs. Bloomsburg (9/9/23) - 45 yards
                  Zach Benedek at Mercyhurst (10/15/22) - 55 yards
                  Khalil Owens at Mercyhurst (10/15/22) - 56 yards
                  Corahn Alleyne vs. Gannon (9/24/22) - 65 yards
                  Khalil Owens at Edinboro (11/6/21) - 52 yards
 
Holt and Catch Fire
  • After putting up modest, even minimal numbers, in his first year as a Golden Eagle, Holt Egan has jumped onto the scene as a dangerous target in the Clarion passing game. The senior wide receiver has 31 receptions for 692 yards and seven touchdowns, with his 76.9 yards per game ranking third in the conference and his seven touchdowns tied for third.
  • Egan's 692 total receiving yards ranks fourth in Super Region 1, while his 76.9 receiving yards per game are sixth in the Region.
  • Egan has been a big play threat for the Golden Eagles, with his 22.3 yards per reception average ranking fourth in Super Region 1 and 11th in all of Division II.
  • Against Shepherd on Sept. 20, Egan finished with his first career 100-yard game, catching six passes for 121 yards against the Rams. He set a new career-high with 141 yards and a touchdown against Seton Hill on Oct. 25.
 
Two Over the Century Mark
  • Against Shepherd on Sept. 20, both Holt Egan and Davon Jones went over the century mark in receiving yards, with Egan catching six passes for 121 yards and Jones eight for 103 yards.
  • That was the first time two Golden Eagles went over the 100-yard receiving mark in the same game since Quinn Zinobile (107) and Terrell Ford (115) did it against Shippensburg on Sept. 18, 2021.
 
Money Man
  • Receiver Davon Jones has turned into the go-to guy when it it's time to move the chains.
  • Jones ranks second in Super Region 1 and 16th in NCAA Division II with an average of 6.0 receptions per game, and a high percentage of those catches have resulted in either a first down or a touchdown.
  • Through eight games Jones has recorded eight touchdown receptions and 34 catches that would have resulted in first downs; in total, he has 35 total "money" plays.
  • Jones ranks fourth in the PSAC and seventh in Super Region 1 with an average of 75.9 receiving yards per game. His eight receiving touchdowns ranks 15th in the nation, tied for fourth in Super Region 1 and second in the PSAC.
 
Nose for the Ball
  • Through eight games, the Golden Eagles' defensive backfield has had a knack for getting their hands on the football.
  • Cornerback Zay Brisbane leads the PSAC and ranks second with 13 pass break-ups, while Christopher Shackelford (11) checks in just behind him. Adrian Torres also ranks inside the top five in the conference, with his eight breakups ranking fifth.
  • While we're talking having a nose for the ball, Clarion defenders have forced 10 fumbles this year, tied for third-most in the PSAC.
 
Attacking the Backfield
  • Against Gannon on Oct. 11, the Golden Eagles recorded five quarterback sacks, the second time this season they've reached the quarterback at least that many times. On Sept. 13 against Shippensburg Clarion finished with five sacks.
  • Prior to the game against the Raiders, Clarion had not recorded four or more sacks in a single game since the 2022 season, when they had six against Lock Haven on Sept. 17, 2022 - coincidentally, Raymond Monica's first win as Clarion head coach.
  • Defensive end Mathew McGregor leads the team and is tied for third in the conference with 6.0 sacks through eight games.
  • Clarion has now had three games this season where they have recorded 4.0 or more team sacks, their highest single season total since doing it four times in 2014.
 
Coming Up Next
  • The Golden Eagles will wrap the 2025 regular season on the road when they head out to play East Stroudsburg on Saturday, November 15. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
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