SRU football takes on Clarion with Milk Jug on the line, but a bigger target is also at stake
SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — The Milk Jug is on the line. But Slippery Rock University’s football team has a different task in mind.
No. 7 SRU (8-0, 5-0) plays its final road game of the regular season Saturday, traveling to Clarion (4-4, 2-3) for a noon kickoff at Memorial Stadium. The winner of this annual rivalry receives the Milk Jug trophy, which The Rock have won in 14 of the award’s 15 years of existence.
“I know Clarion wants to win that thing bad,” SRU head coach Shawn Lutz said. “We just want to keep driving toward an undefeated season. That’s hard to do, and Clarion is standing in our way right now.”
SRU is averaging 53.9 points per game, second in all of college football. Only Division III Lake Forest (62.4) has scored more.
Clarion is averaging 33.5 points per game, and three of the Golden Eagles’ four losses — 27-24 to Seton Hill, 26-20 to California in overtime, 38-35 to Lock Haven — have come by a total of 12 points.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Jase Ferguson, a Central Clarion product, has thrown for 2,007 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also leads his team with 428 yards and seven touchdowns rushing.
“He’s very dangerous. He does it all for them,” Lutz said. “There’s our guy (DaOne Owens), the Kutztown kid, then him. I think Ferguson’s among the top three quarterbacks in the PSAC.”
Tyreeck Hall is Clarion’s top running back with 319 yards rushing. Davon Jones (38 catches, 441 yards) and Ja’Tawn Williams (27 for 460) are Ferguson’s top targets.
Seneca Valley graduate Devin Webb, a 290-pound senior, is Clarion’s starting left tackle.
Linebacker Jacob Snow will miss the rest of the regular season for The Rock with torn ligaments in an ankle. Center Soren Stoltzfus will miss Saturday’s game with a concussion. Mike Crist will move to center. Mohamed Aly will start at left guard as Brian Frasco remains sidelined with an injury.
SRU running back JayJay Jordan — the PSAC West Special Teams Player of the Week with two punt returns for touchdowns against Lock Haven — has scored a program-record 138 points this season. He needs three rushing touchdowns to break LaMonte Coleman’s SRU record of 21 rushing in a season, set in 1994.
“In terms of the (PSAC West) Offensive Player of the Year, I wish JayJay and DaOne could be 1A and 1B for that award,” Lutz said. “They’ve both been outstanding.”
Owens has thrown for 1,854 yards, 19 touchdowns and only two interceptions. He’s also run for 532 yards and two scores.
SRU leads the all-time series with Clarion, dating back to 1910, by a 60-24-3 margin.
