Clarion Tries to Put Homecoming Disaster Behind in Road Game at Seton Hill

matt-lehman-clarion
GREENSBURG, Pa. – Coming off the disaster that was a 62-14 homecoming loss to Edinboro last week, the Clarion University football team will try to get back on track when it heads south to take on Seton Hill in Greensburg Saturday.

(Photo of Matt Lehman courtesy of Clarion University Athletics)

The Golden Eagles enter the game at 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the PSAC West, while the Griffins are 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the PSAC West after a 47-39 loss to IUP last week. Kickoff for the game at Offutt Field is set for noon.

Seton Hill enters the game averaging 37.6 points per game but allowing 40.0 points per contest.

Quarterback Christian Strong is leading the PSAC in passing yardage by a wide margin, averaging 394.0 yards per game with 16 touchdowns. That could prove an issue for a Clarion secondary that got shredded by Edinboro a week ago. If there is a bright spot for the Golden Eagles, it’s that strong has thrown the second-most interceptions in the league with eight.

Strong’s top target is Ardell Brown, who ranks second in the league with 111.2 receiving yards per game and is only a sophomore.

For Clarion, running Delrece Williams has been a consistent. He continued his strong play in the loss to Edinboro rushing for 125 yards and both of Clarion’s score.

Williams had one of the best days for a Clarion running back in five years with a dominant performance in Clarion’s 35-34 victory over Mercyhurst on Sept. 24. He rushed for 211 yards on 24 carries. Williams’ 211 rushing yards are the most in a game for the Golden Eagles since Patrick Graham-Murphy ran for 266 against Millersville on Nov. 12, 2011, and the second-most in a PSAC game this season.

Quarterback Connor Simmons continued his climb in the all-time record books at Clarion with his game against Edinboro:
He reached 6,854 career passing yards, and now needs just 991 more to become the program’s career leader; He now has 57 passing touchdowns, needing just nine more for the program record; Simmons now ranks third all-time in pass completions with 461 and third in attempts with 856. He needs 23 more of the former and 60 more of the latter to advance to next rung of each respective category.

Receivers Matt Lehman and Kevin Genevro are big reasons for Simmons’ success the last two years.

Lehman ranks sixth in the PSAC in yards per game at 91.2 while Genevro is eighth at 86.0.

Continuing his climb in the all-time record books at Clarion, Lehman now has 133 career receptions – 4th in program history – and 2,134 career receiving yards, good for sixth on the all-time list. With 31 more receiving yards he’ll pass Ron Urbansky for fifth on the all-time list.

Though he’s been kept out the end zone in each of the last two games, Lehman is still on pace to tie or break the all-time receiving touchdowns mark. With 21 scores in his career, he’s tied for third in program history with Jim Becker. He needs two more to reach Alvin Slaughter and four more to tie Terry McFetridge’s mark of 25 set in 1985.

Read the full games notes for the Seton Hill game courtesy of Clarion University’s Sports Information Office


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