Clarion U. Looks to Go 3-0 When It Hosts Shepherd Saturday

| September 19, 2019


CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion University football team is looking for a 3-0 start when it hosts PSAC newcomer Shepherd at 1 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

(Photo courtesy of Clarion University Athletics)

The Golden Eagles (2-0) are coming off back-to-back wins over Shippensburg and Lock Haven. Shepherd (1-1) picked up its first win last week at Mercyhurst.

The game will be broadcast on 96.3 WKQW-FM with Mike Kalinowski and Joe Lodanosky on the call. A live audio stream will be available via the WKQW website and linked on the schedule at ClarionGoldenEagles.com.

All Golden Eagle home football games are streamed online, free of charge. You can watch on your Roku / Apple TV / Android TV / Amazon Fire TV devices with the Clarion Golden Eagle Vision app or online linked on the schedule at ClarionGoldenEagles.com.

The game pits the PSAC’s top rushing offense against one of the league’s best passing attacks.

Clarion quarterbacks combined for six touchdown passes against the Bald Eagles, the most in a single game since before 1999 and believed to be the most since a six-touchdown performance in 1992.

Receivers Terrell Ford and Quinn Zinobile both caught a pair of touchdown passes, the first time two Golden Eagles had multiple touchdown receptions in the same game since 2015.

Clarion’s rushing offense averages a PSAC-best 277.5 yards per game average, a mark that ranks 12th in the nation, and the Golden Eagles rank third in the conference in total offense at 487.5 yards per game.

Kicker/punter James Metzgar was named the PSAC West Special Teams Athlete of the Week for Sept. 16 after a standout performance against Lock Haven.

Running back Mylique McGriff leads the PSAC with 299 total rushing yards and three touchdowns and is averaging 6.8 yards per carry.

Fellow running back Ross Greece has now scored two touchdowns in as many games, tying him for fifth in the conference with a pair of rushing scores.

The Golden Eagles’ 48-point effort marked the first back-to-back 40-point days since 2015 when they got Gannon and Mercyhurst for 40+ in consecutive weeks.

Senior safety Sam Fareri forced his first turnover of the season against Lock Haven, popping the ball out for his fifth career forced fumble.

Fareri needs one more forced fumble to tie for fifth all-time in program history.

Clarion’s defense ranks third in the conference with seven sacks, led by Vaughn Wallace’s 2.0 sacks.

Scouting The Rams

Shepherd was predicted to finish second in the PSAC East division in their inaugural season, and notably received a pair of first-place votes in the preseason coaches’ poll. In 2018 – their final year in the Mountain East Conference – the Rams went 7-3 with six First Team All-MEC honorees, 15 total all-conference selections, and two Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Americans. One of those All-Americans, tight end DJ Cornish, remains on the roster.

The Rams split their first two games of the season, falling to Ohio Dominican in the opener and holding on for a 22-17 road win against Mercyhurst last week. Cornish caught the second of a pair of touchdown receptions from Tyson Bagent to put the Rams ahead 22-10 early in the third quarter, and the defense kept the Lakers at bay on a 4th-and-1 stop on the Shepherd 11-yard line with 4:10 remaining in the game. Bagent was able to offense from out of the shadow of the goalposts and into position to kneel the clock out for the win.

Series History

This will be just the third meeting in the history of these two programs, with the Rams winning the only two previous contests during the 1998-99 seasons. Shepherd won the first contest between the teams on Sept. 19, 1998, a 27-20 decision, as well as a 7-0 decision on Sept. 18, 1999. Clarion outgained Shepherd 289-182 in the latter contest and the two teams remained scoreless until the fourth quarter when the Rams forced a fumble and recovered on the Clarion 20. Three plays later Damian Beane got free for a nine-yard touchdown with 12:25 remaining, and the Rams kept the Golden Eagles on their own side of the field for the remainder of the contest.


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