EDINBORO Fighting Scots (3-1, 0-1 PSAC West) at CLARION Golden Eagles (2-2, 1-0 PSAC West) 
Date: Saturday, October 1, 2016
Site: Clarion, Pa.
Stadium: Memorial Stadium (6,000)
Kickoff: 2:00 p.m.
Live Stats: www.clariongoldeneagles.com
Radio: WFSE 88.9 (Streamed on www.edinboronow.com)
TV: SportsFever Television Network/ESPN3

Edinboro Game Notes
Clarion Game Notes
 
The Game Story
 
Edinboro plays in the first of back-to-back homecoming games, looking to spoil Clarion's on Saturday. The Fighting Scots suffered their first loss of the season last week after three straight wins, falling to ninth-ranked Indiana(Pa.), 56-28, in their PSAC West opener. Clarion snapped a two-game losing skid to improve to 2-2 with a 35-34 win at Mercyhurst. The Golden Eagles rallied from a 28-7 third-quarter deficit, then survived a late two-point attempt by the Lakers after pulling to within a point. Edinboro saw a five-game winning streak against Clarion as the Golden Eagles spoiled the Boro's Homecoming, 36-23.  
The Justin Lustig Era is off to a fast start at 3-1 after the 2015 squad went 0-11.  Edinboro opened the season with road wins at Saint Joseph's(In.) (31-30) and at Lock Haven (44-38), followed by a classic 54-51 double overtime win over West Chester in the home opener two weeks ago. Last week, the Fighting Scots opened PSAC West action with a 56-28 loss to ninth-ranked Indiana(Pa.). It marked Edinboro's second straight game against a PSAC preseason divisional favorite.  The last time Edinboro got off to a 3-0 start was 2011. 

Justin Lustig is the first head coach at Edinboro to win his first three games. Lustig and former head coach Scott Browning had been the only Edinboro head coaches to win their first two games and also their first two road games. Lustig is Edinboro's 14th head coach. 

Clarion comes in with a 2-2 record and are 1-0 in the PSAC West after claiming a come-from-behind 35-34 win at Mercyhurst last Saturday. Edinboro and Clarion have played one common opponent -- Lock Haven. Edinboro claimed a 44-38 win at Lock Haven in week number two, one week after Clarion opened the season with a 41-24 over the Bald Eagles at home.

Edinboro's win at Saint Joseph's snapped an 11-game losing streak for the Fighting Scots after Edinboro suffered its first winless season since 1951 and the seventh in school history.  The Fighting Scots finished 0-11 a year ago, the most losses in school history. The win also snapped a string of eight straight setbacks on the road dating back to October 2014. The victory at Lock Haven gave Edinboro wins in back-to-back road games for the first time since 2012.

The Edinboro-Clarion game has the makings of a shootout featuring two of the top quarterbacks statistically in Division II. Edinboro's Jake Sisson ranks second in the country in passing TDs (16) and ninth in passing yards (1,290), while Connor Simmons of Clarion is 13th in passing yards (1,234) and 21st in passing TDs (10). 

Edinboro was picked to finish eighth in the PSAC West in the coaches' preseason poll after being picked to finish seventh a year ago.  Clarion was picked fourth in the Western Division, and had one first-place vote.

The Fighting Scots returned a total of 15 starters from 2015 -- seven on offense, six on defense, and two specialists. However, the offense will be without leading rusher Cory Bell, who is out indefinitely with injuries.

Youth is featured on the 2016 roster, along with a touch of seniority. After having just five seniors in 2015, this year's roster has six redshirt seniors and nine seniors. However, 50 of the 83 players on the opening day roster have a year experience or less. That breaks down to 24 freshman, nine redshirt freshmen, and 17 sophomores. The youth was evident in the season opener, with two redshirt freshmen starting and a total of three true freshmen and six redshirt freshmen playing.

Edinboro rallied in the fourth quarter or overtime in each of the first three games. The first two games were back-and-forth affairs, with Edinboro grabbing the lead for good with just under six minutes to play at Saint Joseph's, and with just under seven minutes to go at Lock Haven. The West Chester contest featured a different scenario, as the Fighting Scots jumped out to a 24-7 lead at the half and still led 41-27 with four-and-a-half minutes to play in regulation. The two teams headed to overtime tied at 41-41, and Edinboro regained the lead in the first overtime session at 48-41. West Chester matched the Edinboro touchdown, and then kicked a field goal to start the second overtime period. That was the Golden Rams first lead of the game.    

Edinboro reaped the benefits of its fast start with several weekly awards. Junior quarterback Jake Sisson was named the D2Football.com Co-Offensive Player of the Week following the Lock Haven game, and senior defensive end Victor Hudson was recognized as the PSAC?West Defensive Player of the Week in that game. Last week, Sisson was honored as the PSAC?West Co-Offensive Player of the Week after the West Chester game, with placekicker/ punter Austin Reese earning Special Teams Player of the Week accolades.      


On Radio ...
The Edinboro-Clarion game can be heard live on WFSE FM 88.9, with Drew Patrick providing the play-by-play and George Schmidt the commentary. The WFSE stream can be heard at www.edinboronow.com.  In addition, all Edinboro radio broadcasts will be aired by the Keystone Sports Network. The games will be broadcast on WWCB 1370 AM in Corry, Pa. and WLOA 1470 AM in Greenville, Pa. The Keystone Sports Network streams live at www.keystonesports.net.

 
... And TV
The SportsFever Television Network will televise the game on a variety of outlets, along with the game being available on ESPN3. Edinboro will be featured in SportsFever Game of the Week telecasts in 2016, including the Homecoming game vs. Gannon on October 8.

LIVE
ESPN 3 (Accessible at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One)
ESPN College Extra
WHP -- Harrisburg/Lancaster/York/Carlisle/ Lebanon
WPNT -- Pittsburgh
WHAG -- Hagerstown/Frederick/Chambersburg/ Cumberland/Winchester/Washington D.C.
WETM -- Johnstown/Altoona/State College
BLUE RIDGE CABLE NETWORK -- Poconos, Eastern and Northern PA

DELAY
Sunday, October 2 -- 8 pm
SPORTS TIME OHIO -- Erie, Meadville, Sharon, Cleveland, Columbus, Akron, Toledo, Huntington, Charleston, Youngstown & Buffalo


The All-Time Series
Edinboro leads 45-39-2
Clarion claimed a 36-23 win last year at Sox Harrison Stadium, ending Edinboro's five-game winning streak in the series. (NOTE: Edinboro and Clarion records indicate a difference in the all-time series. The difference lies in the 1961 game, won by Edinboro, 13-12. Clarion's results show that game was later forfeited.)  

The Last Meeting
2015 -- Clarion 36, Edinboro 23 
A large Homecoming crowd at Sox Harrison Stadium was looking to celebrate the first victory of the season for Edinboro. Unfortunately, it was Clarion doing the celebrating in front of a crowd of 4,819, as the Golden Eagles took advantage of a key penalty late in the first half and three Edinboro second-half turnovers. Edinboro kept the high-powered Clarion offense in check for much of the first half, and trailed just 13-10 late in the half. The Fighting Scots forced a Clarion punt and took over at their won 20 with 2:22 remaining. Jake Sisson completed an 11-yard pass to Alex Caratelli, but the Fighting Scots were flagged for illegal formation. The Fighting Scots were ultimately forced to punt, with Clarion taking over at their own 37 with 1:18 to play. A 41-yard pass play put Clarion at the EU 22, and the Golden Eagles then converted a 3rd-and-17 play.  On the next play, Clarion scored on a 10-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds to play. Clarion would pull away in the second half on the strength of the three turnovers. The Golden Eagles scored immediately after two of them. An interception led to a 24-yard field goal with 2:38 remaining in the third quarter. They added a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter following a Boro fumble for a 29-10 lead. Edinboro would score twice in the final period on a 30-yard pass from Jake Sisson to James Clark, and a one-yard plunge by Sisson. Sisson scored Edinboro's first touchdown on a six-yard run. Austin Reese added a 31-yard field goal. Clarion outgained Edinboro 506 to 299 yards. 
 
Last Week
No. 9 Indiana(Pa.) 56, Edinboro 28
In a meeting of undefeated teams, ninth-ranked IUP jumped out to a 35-0 halftime lead and extended the margin to 42-0 before the Fighting Scots scored four touchdowns over the last 16 minutes. Jake Sisson threw for three touchdowns and 281 yards while completing 23 of 37 passes. Jordan Williams enjoyed a career-best day with 8 catches for 121 yards, scoring Edinboro's first touchdown on a 40-yard reception. Nick Helmick scored his first touchdown of the season on a three-yard TD pass, and Ta'Nauz Gregory capped the scoring a fingertip catch for a 33-yard touchdown. The freshman finished with 198 all-purpose yards. Brandon Rios, another freshman, scored his first career touchdown on a one-yard run. Edinboro was unable to slow down the IUP ground game, as the Crimson Hawks ran for 335 yards and finished with 585 yards. Edinboro totaled 366 yards.
 
Clarion 35, Mercyhurst 34
The Golden Eagles spotted Mercyhurst a 28-7 lead then roared back for a 35-34 win in Erie to snap a two-game losing streak. Clarion scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to turn a three-touchdown deficit into a one-score lead, with Connor Simmons putting the Golden Eagles ahead 35-28 on a one-yard run with 6:08 remaining. The Lakers made things very interesting at the end, scoring on a 19-yard touchdown pass with 26 seconds left to pull within a point. The Lakers opted to try the two-point conversion for the win, but the pass attempt fell incomplete. Delrece Williams recorded a career-high 211 yards rushing on 24 carries with one touchdown. Simmons threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more while completing 21 of 38 passes for 313 yards. Kevin Genevro caught both touchdown passes, covering eight and two yards. Genevro finished with 7 catches for 109 yards. Matt Lehman also went over 100 yards receiving but was held out of the end zone for the first time this season, hauling in seven passes for a game-high 134 yards. 
   
The Coaches
Justin Lustig (Bucknell '00) took over as Edinboro's 14th head coach on January 11, 2016. This marks Lustig's first head coaching position after serving as an assistant coach at Ball State since 2011. A native of western Pennsylvania who played his high school football at nearby Cathedral prep, Lustig also has served as an assistant coach at Louisiana-Lafayette, Eastern Illinois, Christopher Newport, and Villanova.  Lustig has been a part of four teams that earned bowl eligibility in eight years at the FBS level. He was an assistant on five teams that won conference championships in 14 years in the profession, including six NCAA playoff appearances and two bowl games. Five of the teams he has been associated with have been ranked in the top 25. Finally, he has helped develop 37 all-conference performers, including 12 at Ball State. Most recently, Lustig was the special teams coordinator/ running backs coach at Ball State since 2011, along with earning the title of assistant head coach prior to the 2015 season. The Cardinals played in two bowl games during Lustig's tenure. They faced UCF in the Beef O'Brady's Bowl in 2012, then earned a spot in the 2013 GoDaddy Bowl against Arkansas State. Ball State finished with a 10-3 record in 2013 and 9-4 in 2012. In addition, Ball State posted wins over four BCS conference teams -- Indiana twice, South Florida, and Virginia.     
 
Chris Weibel (Clarion '98) is in his second year as the head coach at Clarion. He enjoyed a highly-successful first season, leading the Golden Eagles to a 7-4 finish after starting the year with seven straight wins. Weibel had previously made a name for himself with the Golden Eagles. He served as an assistant coach at Clarion for 11 years, and before that was a standout quarterback.  Weibel holds Clarion records for career pass attempts (1,065), completions (586), passing yards (7,845) and passing TD's (65). He also owns the record for single season passing yards (2,880 – 1996) and TD passes (32 – 1996).  His top season came in 1996 when he led the Golden Eagles to an 11-3 overall record, the PSAC West title, the NCAA Division II East Region crown, and a berth in the NCAA "Final Four" before losing in the final seconds to Northern Colorado, 19-18. Weibel earned All-American honors and Clarion was awarded the Lambert Cup, signifying the top team in the East. He has served as an assistant coach for the Golden Eagles for 11 seasons and offensive coordinator the last 2 years, was named Clarion's 12th head football coach on February 6, 2015. A 2010 inductee into Clarion's Sports Hall of Fame, Weibel spent the last 11 seasons coaching at Clarion, the last two as the offensive coordinator.      

Lustig Comments ... on the Fighting Scots
"We ran into a very tough opponent and it was a great eye opener for our players and our entire program. IUP is talented and they played a very good game in all three phases. We didn't perform to our potential and that is disappointing. However, out of this loss comes many learningful/ teaching moments that will make our team better in the long run." 

Lustig Comments ... on the Golden Eagles
"Clarion reminds me of our team in many ways. They are scoring a lot of points on offense and they seem to be a very gritty group who finds a way to win at the end of ball games. It is their homecoming  and they will certainly be ready to play. This is a great challenge for our team and we look forward to the trip down to Clarion this Saturday."