CLARION — Forget coaching. Maybe George Mihalik should go into the football forecasting business.

The veteran Slippery Rock University football coach was on the money in foreseeing the way his team dispatched winless Clarion, 31-7, Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

"We knew we'd have to survive their emotional energy early because they were going to be charged up,"Mihalik said. "And they were. That's a credit to Jay Foster and his coaching staff.

"In the second half, we controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. The game played out as I anticipated. We weathered the storm."

The Rock (4-1) fell behind 7-0 in the first quarter, but it could have been worse. Clarion junior Eddie Emanuel broke off a 59-yard run to SRU's 17-yard line on the second play from scrimmage. But SRU's defense stiffened and Kyle Snoke's 30-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.

Clarion (0-5) received another scoring chance midway through the quarter when Kevin Rigby recovered a Nate Crookshank fumble at SRU's 36. Pierre Odom rambled 14 yards with a reverse on a third-and-10 play, setting up Emanuel's 2-yard touchdown run and a 7-0 Golden Eagles lead.

Early in the second quarter, Rigby intercepted a Crookshank pass and returned it 26 yards to The Rock 22-yard line. Emanuel ran five yards to the 22 on first down, but Cory Lacek batted down a pass on the next play, Seth Randall stopped Emanuel after a short gain on third down and Lacek knocked down a fourth-down pass to turn Clarion away.

In the meantime, The Rock grabbed the lead. Crookshank concluded a 61-yard scoring drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Luke Wetzel and Ryan Daniel booted a 33-yard field goal with 2:09 left in the half.

"That's been our M.O.,"Clarion coach Foster said. "We get up on teams early, then miss chances to spread some distance on the scoreboard. We're a 30-minute team right now."

Despite being winless, Clarion has either led or been within one score of the lead in all five of its games this season.

After an Clarion onside kick to begin the second half failed, SRUmarched 46 yards in eight plays. Crookshank delivered an 18-yard TDpass to Colin Golden on third-and-9 to end the drive.

"You could see a change in them (Clarion) after that,"Mihalik said. "A young team brings enthusiasm and excitement, but once it falls behind, they start feeling that doubt."

SRU's final two scoring drives were triggered by takeaways. Tyler Boudreau recovered an Emanuel fumble at the Clarion 39 and Crookshank finished an eight-play drive with a 2-yard run.

Jason Curenton recovered an Emanuel fumble at the SRU36, and Demarcus Cleckley scored on a 3-yard run eight plays later.

Cleckley did not carry the ball in the first half, but the freshman wound up with 14 carries for 91 yards.

"A.J. Saunders went out with a stinger and Cleckley gave our offense a lift,"Mihalik said. "I liked the way he ran with the ball."

Emanuel paced the Clarion offense with 25 carries for 170 yards, but the Golden Eagles were just 2 of 10 on third down and 0 of 3 on fourth down. SRUpossessed the football for 18 minutes and 18 seconds in the second half.

"At some point, we have to stop being a young team and become a veteran team,"Foster said.

The Rock's former defensive coordinator is not surprised at SRU's success so far in 2006.

"When I was still there, looking ahead to this season, they're playing like we thought they could,"Foster said. "And they're getting better. Looking around the league, Slippery Rock is right there with the best.

"I can see them going 10-1 and going on to the playoffs. They're capable of it."

Mihalik lauded the efforts of Foster as well.

"Those kids kept getting after us," he said. "They may have lost some energy, but they never quit playing hard."

Notes: The Rock returns home Saturday to face Shippensburg in a 2 p.m. kickoff. ... Knoch graduate and Clarion redshirt freshman quarterback Mark Rupert started Saturday night, but split time with freshman Tyler Huether, who saw his first game action of the season. ... Karns City graduate Kory Kusick saw action on the defensive line for Clarion and had three assisted tackles.SRU31, Clarion 7

Slippery Rock 0 10 14 7—31Clarion 7 0 0 0—7SRU C18 First Downs 1045-167 Rushes-Yards 35-171155 Passing Yards 3312-19-1 Passes (Comp.-Att.-Int.) 4-14-0322 Total Yards 2042-2 Fumbles/Lost 4-26-40 Penalties-Yards 7-54

First QuarterC — Eddie Emanuel 2 run (Kyle Snoke kick), 3:37

Second QuarterSRU— Luke Wetzel 15 pass from Nate Crookshank (Ryan Daniel kick), 14:19SRU— Daniel 33 field goal, 2:09

Third QuarterSRU— Colin Golden 18 pass from Crookshank (Daniel kick), 10:33SRU— Crookshank 1 run (Daniel kick), 4:10

Fourth QuarterSRU— Demarcus Cleckley 3 run (Daniel kick), 8:14

Individual Statistics

Passing: SRU, Nate Crookshank 12-19-155-1. Clarion, Tyler Huether 3-10-19-0, Mark Rupert 1-3-14-0, Pierre Odom 0-1-0-0.

Rushing: SRU, Demarcus Cleckley 14-91, Travis Sarver 14-41, A.J. Saunders 7-23, Nate Crookshank 7-16, Bryan Dodds 3-(-4). Clarion, Eddie Emanuel 25-170, Mark Rupert 3-19, Pierre Odom 1-14, Keith Gruber 2-8, Tyler Huether 2-3, Team 2-(-43).

Receiving: SRU, Colin Golden 6-69, Luke Wetzel 2-57, Paul Favers 2-17, A.J. Saunders 1-7, Ross Hornish 1-5. Clarion, Pierre Odom 3-19, Jason Glass 1-14.