The Lock Haven University football team is set for its first road-test of the year.

The Bald Eagles travel to former PSAC-West rival Clarion on Saturday, September 14 for a 6 p.m. kickoff at Memorial Stadium.

Game Day Central:
Lock Haven (1-0) at Clarion (1-0)
6 p.m. | Memorial Stadium | Clarion, Pa.

Lock Haven Depth Chart | Clarion Depth Chart

LIVE STATS | LIVE AUDIO

Setting the stage:
Lock Haven heads to Clarion on Saturday looking for its first 2-0 start in more than 30 years. Last year, Clarion edged LHU in a thriller that came down to the final play.

The Bald Eagles are coming off their first season-opening win since 2005 and riding a two-game win streak dating back to the 2012 season-finale.

LHU is coming off a 31-13 win over West Virginia State, while Clarion edged Kutztown 39-38 in overtime.

Saturday marks the 62nd meeting between LHU and Clarion.

The series:
Clarion leads the all-time series, which dates back to 1928, 45-16-1.

Including last year's exciting win in Lock Haven, Clarion has won five straight over LHU.

Prior to Lock Haven's 2012 season-ending win, Clarion was the last team Lock Haven had beaten. LHU last beat the Golden Eagles 17-14 (OT) in the 2007 season-finale.

LHU 1st & 10:
- The last time LHU won a season-opener at home was 2004 vs. Cheyney (W, 35-19).

- October 2, 2004 marked the last time LHU scored 31 or more points (vs. Mansfield, W, 33-30).

- The last time LHU scored 28 points in a quarter was September 25, 1999 when LHU posted a 28-point second quarter vs. Cheyney (W, 53-26).

- Saturday marked Brandon Brader's (RB) second career two-TD game.

- QB Dillon Mazzoni made his first career start under center. He passed for two TDs.

- WR Jesse Hoover had a team-high six catches & one TD.

- S George Christas recorded a game-high 12 tackles.

- LHU is in search of its first 2-0 start since in 31 years (1982).

- Last week, LHU was 3-for-3 in the Red Zone.

- LHU only allowed West Virginia State to convert 6-of-18 third downs.

Brader carrying the load:
Brandon Brader continues to be the engine in Lock Haven's offense. Last Saturday, he rushed for 66 yards and two scores on 19 carries. He now has 1,893 yards, which moved him into seventh on Lock Haven's all-time list. Brader is just 19 yards away from the sixth spot and only 107 away from 2,000 yards for his career.

Christas all over the field on D:
Junior-safety George Christas was all over field for Lock Haven last weekend. He finished with a game-high 12 tackles, including nine solo stops, one tackle-for-loss and two pass breakups. He started all 11 games last year and is LHU's leading returning tackler with 63 (38 solo). Christas also led LHU in interceptions last year with four.

Defense & Special Teams too much for Yellow Jackets:
Tony Ballon and Tashawn Bunch both had sensational games on defense for LHU. Ballon finished with 11 tackles (7 solo) and Bunch had eight tackles (6 solo) and one blocked field goal.

As a whole, LHU broke up six passes, had two sacks and one interception. LHU allowed West Virginia State to convert on just 6-of-18 third downs. Lock Haven took advantage of a short field, several times, particularly in the third quarter after The Haven's special teams were on point.

Mazzoni impressive in first career start:
Quarterback Dillon Mazzoni made his first career start and was impressive. The junior was 9-of-18 passing with two TDs and no interceptions.

Hoover comes up big:
Jesse Hoover was Mazzoni's main target and finished with a team-high six catches for 73 yards and one TD. It was Hoover's 10th career TD.

Last time out:
Lock Haven used a 28-point third quarter to push past West Virginia State last weekend in front of a packed house at Hubert Jack Stadium.

Brandon Brader rushed for two TDs and Dillon Mazzoni passed for two, all in the third quarter as The Haven rolled past the Yellow Jackets.

A defensive battle ensued for much of the first half, as WVS led 6-3 at the break. A 28-yard field goal from Alex Boumerhi put LHU up 3-0 early in the game, but that would be all the offense could muster up in the first half before the second half explosion.

Winning ways:
Dating back to last season, LHU has now won two straight games for the first time since back-to-back wins over Cheyney and Mansfield in 2002. Last year's season-finale win over Cheyney snapped a 52-game losing streak for LHU. The 52-game losing streak was the nation's longest. Lock Haven is now in search of its first winning season since 1981.

Last time vs. Clarion:
In 2012, LHU dropped a thrilling 30-28 game to Clarion on Homecoming.

Leading the LHU effort was QB Jarrett Kratzer who passed for 267 yards and three TDs, but it wasn't enough as Clarion scored on the final play of the game. Jesse Hoover had a 100-yard game receiving for Lock Haven.

Trailing 28-24, Clarion got the ball back with 1:26 left in the game. The Golden Eagles marched 90 yards on 13 plays and with 2.3 seconds left in the game, QB Ben Fiscus hit Anthony Becoate for the three-yard, game-winning TD. Fiscus took the snap and it looked as if the Bald Eagles were going to bring him down before he fired back across his body and hit Becoate in the endzone.

Scouting the Golden Eagles:
Clarion rallied late last weekend to tie the game vs. Kuztown and eventually won in OT, 39-38. Leading the way was the reigning PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week, Ben Fiscus. The senior was 19-of-28 passing for three TDs. He also rushed for 67 yards and two scores.

Home is the East now:
With the July addition of Pitt-Johnstown and Seton Hill, Lock Haven has moved from the PSAC Western Division to the PSAC Eastern Division. This marks the first time in school history that LHU has been in the East and next weekend's home game with Cheyney marks the first official PSAC East matchup.

All PSAC in 2012:
Senior offensive guard Anthony Herko returns to lead the way for LHU this year. He was a 2011 and 2012 All-PSAC selection and has made 25 straight starts, including every game of the last two seasons.

Home cooking:
After starting the 2012 season with three straight road games, LHU gets to play at home twice in the first three weeks of the 2013 season. In all, LHU will host six home games. It marks the first time since 2008 where Lock Haven had six home games.

2013 Captains:
Lock Haven's 2013 Fred Caro Team Captains are senior defensive tackle Kyle White, senior running back Brandon Brader, senior wide receiver Jesse Hoover and junior defensive back George Christas. Fred Caro, a 1958 Lock Haven graduate was captain of the 1957 Bald Eagle football team that went undefeated (8-0) and won the PSAC Championship. Caro also wrestled and competed on the track & field team at Lock Haven. He was part of Lock Haven's inaugural football Hall of Fame class in 2010.

With heavy hearts:
When the Bald Eagles take the field this season, it will be with heavy hearts. On Saturday, March 23 senior Skyler Wool died from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Wool, a Jersey Shore, Pa. native was a 2012 Football Gazette All-Super Region 1 Team member, a two-time All-PSAC selection and a two-time Gene Upshaw Division II Linemen of the Year award nominee.  The Bald Eagles will wear a commemorative decal with Wool's jersey number (92) on the back of their helmets during the 2013 season in honor of their former teammate and captain.

Up next:
Lock Haven returns home to host Cheyney on Saturday, September 21 at 6 p.m. The games marks LHU's 2013 Community Day.