#7/8 Slippery Rock (8-0, 5-0 PSAC West) at Clarion Golden Eagles (4-4, 2-3 PSAC West)
Saturday, October 31 // Noon
Clarion, Pa. // Al Jacks Field at Memorial Stadium
 
Live Stats // Live Video // Clarion Game Notes (PDF) // Slippery Rock Game Notes (PDF) // Buy Tickets
 
Pregame Festivities - Trunk or Treat
Clarion Athletics teams will be hosting a Trunk or Treat inside Memorial Stadium from 10:30 - 11:45 a.m. Our Golden Eagle student athletes will set up around the perimeter of the field with candy for community families. Free admission to the game is offered for costumed guests!
 

 
Quick Notes
 

• Clarion hosts Slippery Rock in a Halloween clash at Al Jacks Field at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, October 31. Kickoff is slated for noon.
• This will be the 83rd meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Rock, with Slippery Rock owning a 54-25-3 advantage in the all-time series.
• Clarion and Slippery Rock will be battling for the coveted Milk Jug Trophy, last won by Clarion in 2016 after a 27-23 win at Memorial Stadium.
• The Golden Eagles are coming off a walk off loss on the road a week ago, when Seton Hill kicked a field goal as time expired to beat Clarion 27-24 at Offutt Field.
• Quarterback Jase Ferguson ranks among the best in Division II in terms of total offense per game (304.4 ypg) and points responsible for per game (16.5).
• Running back Tyreeck Hall had his second 100-yard rushing game of the season last week, carrying eight times for 102 yards and a score against Seton Hill.
• Clarion's offense has converted 123 of their 166 first downs on first or second down, which equates to 74.1 percent of their first downs coming on early downs.
• Tarell Allen-Tooks ranks third in the PSAC and seventh in Super Region 1 with an average of 8.6 tackles per game.
• The Golden Eagle defense ranks fifth in the nation and first in Super Region 1 in passes intercepted with 13 picks on the year, their highest total since picking off 18 passes in 2018.
• Over the last three games the Golden Eagle offense is averaging 166.3 rushing yards per game.
• Clarion is one of the teams least affected by penalties in the conference, with their average of 58.9 penalty yards per game fourth in the PSAC.

 
Series History

• This will be the 84th meeting between the two teams, with Slippery Rock owning a 54-25-3 advantage in the all-time series with Clarion. The series dates back to the 1928 season, a barn-burner that the Rock won by a 2-0 score.
• The rivalry took a holiday from 1934-47, and Clarion won their first in the series in 1951, a 19-14 victory in the season finale. The Rock are 39-18-2 dating back to the 1958 season.
• Slippery Rock has won each of the last eight meetings between the teams dating back to the 2017 season, and 13 of the last 14 overall. The lone victory for Clarion in that span came on Oct. 29, 2016, when the Golden Eagles came away with a 27-23 victory at Memorial Stadium.
• Quarterback Connor Simmons returned after missing several games due to injury, and the senior signal caller threw for 372 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Kevin Genevro pulled in 12 passes for 199 yards and two scores, including what proved to be the game-winning touchdown with 1:05 remaining after the Golden Eagles had fallen behind earlier in the fourth quarter.
• In last year's meeting the teams traded touchdowns on the first four total possessions of the game, but the Rock took the 21-17 lead with 51 seconds left in the second quarter and held it for the remainder, winning 42-23 at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.

 
Scouting the Rock

• Slippery Rock was predicted to take second in the PSAC West division in the preseason coaches' poll but have blown away that expectation; the Rock have already clinched a spot in the PSAC Championship game with two conference games to play.
• The Rock are ranked seventh in the AFCA Coaches Poll and eighth in the D2Football.com poll. They also rank first nationally in the most recent NPI poll, which will be used to determine the NCAA Playoff field.
• Slippery Rock enters the weekend with the highest-ranked scoring offense in the nation, averaging 53.9 points per game. Running back JayJay Jordan is the driver of that offense, averaging 182.8 all-purpose yards per game. He ranks seventh in the nation with an average of 7.95 yards per carry.
• Quarterback DaOne Owens, meanwhile, ranks 13th in the nation in total offense at 298.3 yards per game, and checks in at 10th in passing efficiency at 172.3.

 
Last Week

• The Golden Eagle football team tied the game late in the fourth quarter with an inspired touchdown drive, but Seton Hill responded with a score of their own as the Griffins won 27-24 at Offutt Field on Saturday.
• Trailing 24-17 late in the fourth quarter, Clarion pounded the football to tie the score, going on a seven-play, 88-yard touchdown drive where every yard came on the ground. Tyreeck Hall busted two long runs, starting the drive with a 20-yard burst and following it up with a 36-yard scamper into the red zone. Hall converted on 3rd-and-3 from 10-yard line to get a fresh set of downs, and Jase Ferguson rushed through the left side of the line for a three-yard touchdown to even up the game.
• The Griffins responded with a drive of their own, keeping the ball on the ground and eventually rushing down to the Clarion 4-yard line. Rayyan Bataineh kicked a 21-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Griffins a 27-24 win.
• Hall finished the game with a game-high 102 rushing yards on eight attempts, while Ferguson carried 15 times for a net 45 yards. Davon Jones made a number of chunk yardage plays through the air, catching four passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. Malcolm Roy had eight tackles and a tackle for loss, while Lenair Butler and Garrett Jasper each had sacks.

 
Offense Hunting for Explosive Plays

• Last year, the Golden Eagles' offense displayed outstanding explosive ability, finishing the year with 129 "explosive" plays, defined as a run of 10+ yards or a pass play of 15+ yards. That's an average of 11.7 explosive plays per game.
• Through eight games this year, here are the important notes on Clarion's explosive plays:

 
 

Total Plays Run: 511	Explosive Plays: 85	Explosive Play Percentage: 16.6
Rush: 261	Rush: 36	Rush: 13.8
Pass: 250	Pass: 49	Pass: 19.6

 
Notes on the Offense

• Clarion ranks fourth in the PSAC and 10th in Super Region 1 with an average of 412.3 yards of total offense per game.
• The Golden Eagles' scoring offense ranks fourth in the PSAC and ninth in Super Region 1 in scoring offense at 33.5 points per game. They have eclipsed the 30-point mark in five of their eight games this season, and rank 33rd in the nation in scoring offense.
• The passing game has been driving the bus: Clarion ranks fourth in Super Region 1 and 23rd in NCAA Division II with an average of 257.5 passing yards per game. The Golden Eagles rank sixth in the region and are 23rd in Division II in yards per completion (14.82).

 
Don't Sleep on the Ground Game

• The Clarion run attack has been strong all year long but has taken steps over the last three weeks into becoming a greater focal point of the offense.
• Starting with the Golden Eagles' win over Gannon on Oct. 10, Clarion has rushed 104 times for 499 yards, a 4.80 yards per attempt average.
• In Week 7 at Seton Hill Tyreeck Hall recorded his second 100-yard rushing game of the season, carrying eight times for 102 yards and a score against the Griffins.

 
More on Ferguson

• Jase Ferguson ranks third in Super Region I and 18th in Division II in passing yards with an average of 250.9 yards per game.
• In another nod to Clarion's big play ability, Ferguson is first in the PSAC and seventh in the region in passing yards per completion at 14.87, a mark that ranks 19th in Division II.
• Finally, Ferguson ranks second in Super Region 1 and 12th in Division II in total offense at 304.4 yards per game. He's sixth in the Region and 20th in the nation in points responsible for, with an average of 16.5 points per game.

 
Williams Climbs the PSAC Ranks

• Of late, wide receiver Ja'Tawn Williams has been steadily climbing the PSAC stats page in receiving categories.
• Williams now ranks sixth in the PSAC in receiving yards with an average of 57.5 yards per game.

 
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 13 passes in 2026, fifth-most in all of Division II and most in Super Region 1 to date.
• The Golden Eagles have already had three games this year where they have intercepted three or more passes.
• Najhir Kibidor leads the team with three interceptions.

 
Next Week
The Golden Eagles will head on the road for their final PSAC West game of the season when they face off against the IUP Crimson Hawks.