California (PA) Vulcans (3-3, 1-2 PSAC West) at Clarion Golden Eagles (4-2, 2-1 PSAC West)
Saturday, October 17 // 12 PM
Clarion, Pa. // Al Jacks Field at Memorial Stadium

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Quick Notes

• Clarion will host their second PennWest civil war of the season on Saturday when the Golden Eagles welcome California (PA) to Al Jacks Field for a noon kickoff.
• This will be the 95th meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Vulcans, making it one of the oldest rivalries in the Clarion record books. California (PA) owns a 53-38-3 advantage in the all-time series.
• The Golden Eagles are coming off a 34-33 win over Gannon on Homecoming, with Clarion taking the lead in the fourth quarter and holding on for the victory in the final minute of play.
• Quarterback Jase Ferguson ranks among the best in Division II in terms of total offense per game (316.7 ypg) and points responsible for per game (20.0).
• Ferguson ranks fourth overall in the PSAC and first among quarterbacks with six rushing TDs.
• Wide receivers Tsirell Curry and Austin VanHuss both rank in the top-six in the PSAC in receiving yards per game, and Curry's 21.0 yards per catch average is second in the conference.
• Clarion has converted 79 of their 122 first downs on either first or second down, a 64.8 conversion percentage on early downs.
• The average scoring drive for the Clarion offense consumes just 2:09 of game clock, with eight touchdown drives of less than a minute and 17 under two minutes.
• The Golden Eagle defense leads the conference and ranks third in Division II in interceptions with 12 picks this year, led by Najhir Kibidor's three interceptions (2nd in PSAC).
• Punter/kicker Ty Woods has landed eight punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line, the fourth-best total in the PSAC, and his 42.2 yards per punt average ranks seventh.

Series History

• This will be the 95th meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Vulcans, making it one of the oldest rivalries in the Clarion record books. California (PA) owns a 53-38-3 advantage in the all-time series. The Vulcans have won 19 straight meetings dating back to the 2005 season.
• The last time the Golden Eagles beat the Vulcans was on Sept. 25, 2004, with Clarion earning a 35-34 win over Cal at Memorial Stadium. The so-called "Miracle at Memorial" ended when Brandon Dando heaved a 47-yard Hail Mary pass to Joe Farkas with four seconds remaining on the clock, capping an improbable comeback win. Linebacker Matt Morris had six tackles and a sack, while safety Bo Busch recorded 10 tackles and one interception.
• In last year's meeting, the Golden Eagles took the lead just before halftime and held it until there were just two seconds remaining, with the Vulcans scoring a miracle touchdown from 56 yards out to stun Clarion and win 31-28 at Adamson Stadium. Anthony Guercio threw for 407 yards and four touchdowns, and Dillon Tingle forced a fumble late in the fourth quarter that initially appeared to seal the game for Clarion.

Scouting the Vulcans

• California (PA) was predicted to finish third in the PSAC West preseason coaches' poll one year after making their second straight appearances in the NCAA Playoffs. The Vulcans finished last year with a 9-4 overall record, 3-3 in the division, and fell to Frostburg State in the first round of the playoffs.
• Thus far this year the Vulcans are 3-3 overall with a 1-2 record in the PSAC West division. They opened divisional play with back-to-back losses, falling 41-26 to Slippery Rock and 29-0 to Seton Hill, before rebounding for a 30-20 win over Edinboro last week.
• Wide receiver Kenny Lewis IV has the top offensive threat for the Vulcans, ranking third in the PSAC in receptions (38), fifth in yards (425) and second in touchdown receptions (7).
• Linebacker Wilfredo Diaz leads the PSAC in tackles (60) and also has two sacks. Amory Thompson and Nevan Hopkins each have two interceptions for the Vulcans this year.
• The Vulcan defense has been stingy on weighty downs in 2026; opponents convert just 33.3 percent of their third down attempts, the second best mark in the conference, and they've allowed touchdowns on just 56.0 percent of opponents' red zone trips, also third-best.

Last Week

• It was yet another offensive showdown between Clarion and Gannon at Al Jacks Field, with the Golden Eagles coming out on top by a 34-33 score on Homecoming on Saturday afternoon.
• After Tyreeck Hall broke a 27-27 tie with a 15-yard touchdown rush late in the fourth quarter, Gannon responded with a scoring drive of their own with 1:37 to play. A botched snap on the extra point kept the Golden Eagles in the lead, and Clarion shut down the Golden Knights' final drive to seal the win.
• Both teams moved the ball well, but the Golden Eagles won the turnover battle with three interceptions of Ty Hurst, including one apiece for Gabriel Laws, Tarell Allen-Tooks and Nassim Adams. Allen-Tooks was all over the field with 17 total stops and a TFL.
• Offensively, Jase Ferguson completed 21 of 33 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns, and also carried 10 times for 67 yards. Tsirell Curry had three catches for 79 yards and three scores, and Avante George carried 18 times for 73 yards and a touchdown of his own.

VanHuss's Sophomore Season Breakout

• Over the last several games, Austin VanHuss has turned into one of the deadliest weapons in the Golden Eagles' passing arsenal. After logging no receptions in the first game of the year, VanHuss has recorded 20 catches for 372 yards and three touchdowns in the last five games.
• That includes the best game of his career to date, when he recorded seven receptions for 185 yards and a touchdown against Lock Haven in Week 4.
• VanHuss currently ranks sixth in the PSAC with an average of 62.0 yards per game.
• Since 2016, only two other Golden Eagle receivers have logged as many as 185 receiving yards in a game: Quinn Zinobile (2021 vs. Shippensburg - 202) and Kevin Genevro (2016 vs. Slippery Rock - 199).

More on Ferguson

• Jase Ferguson ranks third in Super Region I and is 15th in Division II in passing yards with an average of 265.5 yards per game, and his 14 touchdown passes are third in the PSAC.
• In another nod to Clarion's big play ability, Ferguson is first in the PSAC and fourth in the region in passing yards per completion at 15.17, a mark that ranks 16th in Division II. His 8.75 passing yards per attempt are seventh in the region and third in the PSAC, behind Slippery Rock's DaOne Owens and Kutztown's Judd Novak.
• Finally, Ferguson ranks first in Super Region 1 and eighth in Division II in total offense at 316.7 yards per game. He's first in the Region and sixth in the nation in points responsible for, with an average of 20.0 points per game.

Spicy Curry

• While the Clarion passing attack has thrived on diversity of targets, Tsirell Curry has taken a step forward, with the redshirt freshman totaling 442 yards and five touchdowns.
• Curry ranks fourth in the PSAC with an average of 73.7 receiving yards per game, and his 21.0 yards per reception average is second in the conference.
• Curry has accounted for 13 explosive plays this year, constituting 20 percent of all of Clarion's explosives this year.

Picking Party

• Though the Golden Eagles have allowed some yards through the air, they have been one of the very best in the nation in taking the ball away when opponents decide to throw.
• Clarion has intercepted 12 passes already in 2026, third-most in all of Division II and most in the PSAC to date.
• The Golden Eagles have already had three games this year where they have intercepted three or more passes.

Triple Downfield Threats

• The Clarion offense thrives on explosive plays, particularly in the passing game, with three different Golden Eagle receivers averaging better than 16 yards per reception.
• Tsirell Curry ranks second in the PSAC with an average of 21.0 yards per reception, while Austin VanHuss checks in at sixth with an average of 18.6 yards per catch. Ja'Tawn Williams ranks 15th with an average of 16.3 yards per reception.

The Offense As a Whole

• Clarion ranks third in the PSAC and seventh in Super Region 1 with an average of 425.7 yards of total offense per game.
• The Golden Eagles' scoring offense ranks third in the PSAC and fifth in Super Region 1 in scoring offense at 37.3 points per game. They have eclipsed the 30-point mark in five of their six games this season, and rank 23rd in the nation in scoring offense.
• The passing game has been driving the bus: Clarion ranks fourth in Super Region 1 and 20th in NCAA Division II with an average of 274.3 passing yards per game. The Golden Eagles rank fourth in the region and are 19th in Division II in yards per completion (15.10).

Pair of Picks for Kibidor

• Against Lock Haven in Week 5, the Golden Eagle defense recorded three interceptions, with two of those picks coming to safety Najhir Kibidor.
• Kibidor is the first Golden Eagle to record two interceptions in a game since Deshaun Blackwell logged two against Millersville in 2024.
• Kibidor now ranks 11th in the nation and second in the PSAC with an average of 0.50 picks per game, which (of course) comes out to three total on the year.

Next Week

• The Golden Eagles will head on the road to Greensburg to take on the Seton Hill Griffins on Saturday, October 24. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.
• Clarion won last year's meeting 23-17 at Memorial Stadium, but the Golden Eagles are 2-3 all-time in games played at Offutt Field.
• The Golden Eagles hold a 7-5 all-time edge in the series with the Griffins.