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Oct. 24, 2009
Clarion scored 20 unanswered points over the second and third quarters to wipe out a 21-10 deficit and then held off a late IUP threat to post a 30-28 victory over the Crimson Hawks Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The loss dropped IUP to 4-5 overall and 1-5 in the PSAC West and forces the Crimson Hawks to win their final two games versus Gannon at home next week and at Kutztown on November 7 to avoid their first losing season since 1982. Clarion, meanwhile, improved to 6-3 and 5-1 in the PSAC West and clinched its first winning season since 2002. The Golden Eagles snapped an eight-game losing streak to IUP. IUP drove 78 yards in 15 plays and pulled within two on a one-yard run by Harvie Tuck with 10:05 remaining in the fourth quarter. A holding penalty wiped out a first down on Clarion's last drive, and a short punt set up the Crimson Hawks at the Golden Eagle 40 with 2:40 left. Two runs by Tobias Robinson and an incomplete pass left IUP facing a fourth down, and Roy-al Edwards could not bring in a pass from Pat Smith at the Clarion 25 to end IUP's comeback attempt. Robinson led IUP with 112 rushing yards on 28 carries and scored on a pair of three-yard runs, the second of which gave the Crimson Hawks a 14-7 lead after the first play of the second quarter. Robinson became the 11th player in school history to rush for 2,000 career yards, finishing the game with 2,109. Tuck added 11 carries for 32 yards. After Robert Mamula kicked a 22-yard field goal to make it 14-10, IUP took over at its 40 and wasted no time increasing its lead when Smith found Mychal Skinner behind the Golden Eagle defense for a 60-yard touchdown bomb that gave the Crimson Hawks a 21-10 lead with 10:20 left in the second quarter. Smith completed 10 of 15 passes for 147 yards. Javon Rowan led the pass catchers with three receptions while Skinner added a nine-yard grab to his touchdown and now has 99 career receptions, one shy of joining a group of only 13 players in IUP history to reach the 100 mark. The Golden Eagles regained momentum shortly before halftime, marching 76 yards in 10 plays and pulling within 21-17 at intermission on a two-yard touchdown run by Alfonso Hoggard, who was a thorn in the side of the IUP defense all afternoon. Hoggard rushed for 162 yards, had one catch for 14 yards and returned five kickoffs for 117 yards. Craig Burgess missed a 42-yard field goal on IUP's first possession of the third quarter, and the Clarion offense picked up where it left off, scoring on both of its third quarter drives to take a 30-21 lead. A 49-yard run by Hoggard and a fourth down sneak by quarterback Tyler Huether set up a Huether one-yard touchdown run that gave the Golden Eagles a 24-21 lead. After forcing a Crimson Hawk punt, Hoggard carried seven times for 51 yards and Clarion took advantage of a personal foul call against IUP to score again when Hoggard found the end zone from two yards out with 2:30 left in the third quarter. It stayed a nine-point game when Hopeton Bailey blocked the extra point attempt. The Crimson Hawks responded with their 15-play scoring drive and had their next threat turned aside when Smith was sacked by John Reichert after IUP reached the Clarion 32. IUP stopped the Golden Eagles inside their 10 and had a chance to pull out the game before its final drive was turned away. Huether hit on 11 of 16 passes for 153 yards but was sacked four times, including twice by Mike Gee, who tied Carl Thornton for the team lead with 10 tackles. Nick Sipes had a game-high 19 tackles for Clarion. Burgess made all four of his extra point tries to extended his streak to 87 in a row and move into third place in school history with 104 makes in 105 attempts. |
