PSAC West action continues to heat up as the division continues to take shape, now into the second half of the season. Clarion remains atop the board with a clean 6-0 record behind quarterback Connor Simmons, who leads the nation in QB efficiency with a rating of 189.72. Following the Golden Eagles from top to bottom is IUP (4-1, 3-0 PSAC), Slippery Rock (5-1, 2-1), Cal (4-2, 2-1), Gannon (4-2, 1-2), Seton Hill (2-4, 1-2) Mercyhurst (3-3, 0-3) and Edinboro (0-6, 0-3).
Slippery Rock 56, Cal 21
Slippery Rock burst out to a 35-7 halftime lead and rolled to a big 56-21 win at home last Saturday. Julian Durden ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns while Shamar Greene added 92 yards and a score of his own on the ground. The Rock ran for 297 yards and scored five times on the ground in the win, which improved them to 5-1. Dante Nania added 312 passing yards and three scores and 59 yards rushing with two TDs. SRU moved back into the national poll this week at No. 20. For Cal, which fell to 4-2, James Harris threw for 349 yards but tossed three interceptions and no touchdowns. Both Kowan Scott and Luke Smorey went over 120 yards receiving for Cal.
Gannon 16, Mercyhurst 13
Down by a touchdown in the final quarter, Gannon came back to top Mercyhurst with a 10-point closing quarter, including a field goal with 1:10 left last Saturday on the road. Liam Nadler opened the game’s final frame with a 5-yard touchdown run and Karch Holland drilled a 30-yard field goal in the win. Brock Jones ran for 105 yards and a score while Nadler threw for 290 yards and a score, overcoming two interceptions for Gannon, which improved to 4-2. For Mercyhurst, which fell to 3-3, Brandon Brown-Dukes ran for 90 yards and a score.
Clarion 36, Edinboro 23
Clarion remained unbeaten with a 13-point win over visiting Edinboro last Saturday. Delrece ran for 146 yards and a TD while Connor Simmons threw for 345 yards and four TDs with no interceptions for the Golden Eagles. Williams also led Clarion with 104 receiving yards while Matt Lehman and Kevin Genervo each scored twice. Jake Sisson threw for 215 yards and tossed a score to James Clark in the loss for Edinboro, which dropped to 0-6.
IUP 47, Seton Hill 10
IUP scored 30 points in the third quarter and the Crimson Hawks topped Seton Hill by 37 on the road last Saturday. Quarterback Lenny Williams ran for 205 yards and scored once while throwing for 157 more yards and two more TDs for IUP, which improved to 4-1 on the year. The 205 yards from Williams set the single-game rushing record for a QB at IUP and is believed to have set the same record in the PSAC. His counterpart, Christian Strong, threw for 272 but tossed two interceptions for Seton Hill, which fell to 2-4.
