CLARION, Pa. --- The Golden Eagle football team opened the afternoon with an impressive 82-yard touchdown drive, but Slippery Rock responded with 41 unanswered points as The Rock came out on top 48-14 at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Clarion finished with 331 total offensive yards, including 181 yards on the ground, against an unbeaten Slippery Rock squad. The Rock totaled 626 yards on offense in the win, with nearly 400 yards rushing.
Jase Ferguson led the Golden Eagles on the ground, rushing 11 times for 104 yards, including a 59-yard run on Clarion's opening possession. The sophomore quarterback also completed 11-of-22 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Avante George added 63 yards on 15 carries, while Davon Jones led the receiving corps with 45 yards on one catch. Kooper Kamberis caught two passes for 23 yards and a touchdown, and Tyreeck Hall added a receiving score.
Defensively, Tarell Allen-Tooks led the Golden Eagles with 10 tackles, including a tackle for loss, while Najhir Kibidor finished with eight tackles and an interception. Gabriel Laws recorded seven tackles, and Eli Zasadni and Cameron Thomas each added six. Lenair Butler recorded Clarion's lone sack, dropping Owens for a 13-yard loss.
The Golden Eagles came out firing on their opening possession, marching down 82 yards on seven plays to take an early lead. George carried twice for 10 yards to help get the drive moving before Ferguson broke loose on third-and-8, scrambling 59 yards down the left side to the Slippery Rock six-yard line. Two plays later Ferguson connected with Kamberis for a four-yard touchdown. Keith Baker's extra point gave Clarion a 7-0 lead with 10:31 remaining in the first quarter.
Slippery Rock answered with an interception, giving The Rock possession at the Clarion 14-yard line. JayJay Jordan capped the short three-play drive with a nine-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7. The Rock took the lead late in the opening quarter when DaOne Owens found Reggie Fleurima for a 13-yard touchdown, making it 13-7 with 27 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Another Clarion turnover gave Slippery Rock a short field early in the second quarter, and Jordan found the end zone for the second time on a 16-yard run to extend the advantage. Later in the quarter, the Golden Eagle defense earned its own takeaway. Najhir Kibidor intercepted Owens at the Clarion 1-yard line on a fourth-and-9, preventing The Rock from increasing its lead.
Slippery Rock added another score just before halftime, when John Sabo rushed 14 yards on a reverse for a touchdown with 29 seconds remaining. The Rock went into the locker room leading 27-7.
The Rock carried that momentum into the second half. Owens capped off an eight-play, 82-yard opening drive with a 30-yard touchdown run to make it 34-7. Later in the third quarter, Owens connected with Sabo for a 22-yard touchdown, pushing Slippery Rock's advantage to 41-7.
Clarion found the end zone again in the fourth quarter, putting together a nine-play, 80-yard scoring drive. Ferguson capped the possession with a six-yard touchdown pass to Hall, and Baker's extra point made it 41-14 with 7:43 remaining. Slippery Rock responded on the ensuing possession, driving 75 yards on 10 plays before David Dennison scored on a six-yard run to set the final at 48-14.
The Golden Eagles will travel to IUP on November 7th, to close out conference play against the Crimson Hawks at 2:00 PM.
