CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — The Clarion University football team will be in search of its first three-game win streak since head coach Chris Weibel’s first season in 2015 when it hosts Gannon at 1 p.m. Saturday.
(Photo: Layne Skundrich. Photo courtesy of Clarion University Athletics)
It is the PSAC West opener for both teams with Clarion entering the contest at 2-1 and Gannon at 0-3.
For the Golden Eagles, they are looking to get on a true roll after back-to-back wins over Lock Haven and Lincoln. A three-game win streak would be Clarion’s longest since winning the first seven under then first-year head coach Weibel in 2015.
Since then, it has been a struggle for Clarion, which lost the final four games that season to finish 7-4 and has since then won just seven times in 32 outings.
This season, the Golden Eagles are 2-1 despite some upheaval at quarterback where three different players have taken snaps.
Jeff Clemens came into the season as the starter but was pulled at halftime of the win over Lock Haven and replaced by Jovante Seard. Seard then started last week’s win over Lincoln but also yielded time in the first half to freshman Tanner Jones. Clemens then saw some second-half playing time against the Lions.
On the year, Clemens (53 percent) and Seard (55.6 percent) are completing nearly an identical percentage of their passes with Clemens throwing nearly twice as many (66 to 36). The difference is in the fact Seard has taken better care of the football than the more experienced Clemens with no interceptions to five. Clemens has thrown for 351 yards and two touchdowns with Seard throwing for 295 yards and four scores. Jones threw just one pass, an incompletion, in the win over Lincoln.
Running back Mylique McGriff (8 catches, 119 yards) and wide receiver Marcus McCoy (11 catches, 117 yards, 3 TDs) are the top receiving threats for Clarion.
McGriff is also the Golden Eagles leading rusher with 167 yards and two touchdowns despite only carrying the ball three times for eight yards in last week’s win.
Scott Florence got the bulk of the rushing attack last week with eight carries for 52 yards, which amounts for all his stats on the year.
Defensively, Alec Heldreth is the leading tackler with 23 while also recording five quarterback hurries. Layne Skundrich adds 19 stops, while Paul Blendinger has 18 tackles and two interceptions.
Clarion’s defense has forced 11 turnovers, including nine interceptions. All nine of those picks have come in the two wins, including six against Lock Haven.
Gannon has struggled on defense through three games allowing an average of 38.0 points per game and 431.3 yards per contest, including 296.3 through the air.
Offensively, the Golden Knights have been able to score at least 30 points in two of the three games, including 33 in last week’s 48-33 loss to Kutztown.
Gannon is a balanced offense with 113 rushing attempts and 117 passing attempts.
Jimmy Keefe is the quarterback, but he is completing just 45.3 percent (53 of 117) of his passes for 635 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions.
Joey Cox (19 catches, 183 yards, 1 TD), Alex Greenawalt (14 catches, 203 yards) and Jacardi Brooks (5 catches, 75 yards, 2 TDs) are the top weapons in the receiving corps.
Keefe is adding 49 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while Marcus Jones leads the rushing attack with 293 yards and two scores.
NOTES — A pair of Clarion High School grads play for Gannon — Bo and Spencer Miller. Bo, a redshirt sophomore defensive back, has played in three games making one tackle, including a ½ tackle for a loss. Spencer, the D9Sports.com Jim Kelly Award Winner as the D9 MVP last year after leading Clarion to the District 9 Class 2A title as the quarterback and defensive back, is a freshman wide receiver who has yet to appear in a game.
