Hoggard and solid defense pace Golden Eagles in upset of perennial PSAC power Slippery Rock
2009-10-08 / Sports
SLIPPERY ROCK - For the first six weeks of the 2009 season, there was no question the Clarion University football team could offensively compete with any team in the PSAC-West.
However, it was the Golden Eagles’ defense that took center stage Oct. 8 in Clarion’s road showdown with Slippery Rock propelling the Golden Eagles to a 27-10 upset win over the Rock.
The Golden Eagles’ defense limited the Rock to 33 yards on the ground and 230 yards overall while logging five sacks and two interceptions.
The Clarion defense was so dominant-especially in the second half- it almost outshined the efforts of Golden Eagles’ running back Alfonso Hoggard.
Hoggard, coming off a three-touchdown performance last week against Gannon, rushed for 205 yards and two scores to lead the Golden Eagles offensive attack.
Slippery Rock entered the game with a 5-1 overall record and was ranked No, 4 in the NCAA Division II Eastern Regional poll.
“People on the outside are going to look at this game and say it was an upset,” said Clarion head coach Jay Foster. “Our job is to take care of the next four games and people can look at this game as a stepping stone.
“It doesn’t get any easier over the next four weeks for us. We’ve still got Mercyhurst, Edinboro, Indiana left to play and that’s not an easy road.”
“This obviously is a big win for us because it is a win over a quality program and it’s our first win over a quality program in the four years since I’ve been here,” Foster added.
The game was also intriguing at a more personal level as Foster was an assistant under Slippery Rock head coach George Mihalik for 18 years before taking over at Clarion four seasons ago.
“It’s kind of bitter-sweet, obviously,” said Foster. “I’ve still got a lot of friends on the (Slippery Rock) staff and the things that George did for me and my family. It’s like beating your family.”
The Clarion passing attack took a while to get going with senior quarterback Tyler Huether throwing five incomplete passes and an interception on his first six pass attempts of the game.
Slippery Rock, after forcing a punt on the Golden Eagles opening possession, drove 31 yards in six plays and C.J. Bahr capped off the Rock drive with a 25-yard field goal to give Slippery Rock a 3-0 lead.
Bahr, a senior, is the son of former NFL kicker Chris Bahr and the nephew of former Pittsburgh Steelers’ kicker Matt Bahr.
On the ensuing drive, Clarion moved from its own 33 to the Slippery Rock 40-yard line but Huether attempted to throw a bomb to wide receiver Jacques Robinson in the end zone and Rock cornerback Robert Doiley intercepted the pass extinguishing the Golden Eagles drive.
Huether, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior, was 9-for-24 passing for 108 yards and an interception.
Robinson, who caught nine passes in Clarion’s last game, was held without a catch and had four drops on the night.
Midway through the second quarter, the Golden Eagles took advantage of good field position and took their first lead of the game when Hoggard broke through the Slippery Rock defense and raced for a 19-yard touchdown.
The Clarion offense started its scoring drive from the Rock 30 after the Golden Eagles’ defense forced Slippery Rock to punt from its own 12.
With 2:53 left in the half, the Rock re-took the lead when quarterback Rocco Colavecchia threw a 44-yard scoring strike to Devin Goda giving Slippery Rock a 10-7 advantage.
Goda was the Rock’s leading receiver making seven grabs for 105 yards and a score.
Clarion answered on the subsequent drive moving 46 yards in 10 plays and Robert Mamula booted a 36-yard field goal to knot the game at 10-10 as time expired in the first half.
After both teams traded punts to open the second half, Clarion freshman cornerback Daily Whitten picked-off a Colavecchia pass along the left sideline and raced for a 41-yard score to put the Golden Eagles ahead 17-10.
Whitten has three interceptions in 2009 with two returned for touchdowns.
The Golden Eagles effectively put the game away the next time they touched the ball as Hoggard found a hole in the Slippery Rock defense and raced for a school-record 84-yard touchdown giving Clarion a 24-10 lead.
Mamula added an insurance field goal for the Golden Eagles with 5:25 left in the contest when he booted a 30-yarder putting Clarion ahead 27-10
The Clarion defense held the Rock scoreless for the final 30 minutes and didn’t allow Slippery Rock past the Golden Eagles 31-yard line in the second half.
“They made some big plays and we had some chances at some big plays and we didn’t make them,” said Mihalik. “No excuses. Give (Clarion) credit, they came in and seemed like they wanted the game more.”
Clarion gets back into action Oct. 17 at home against Mercyhurst.
