LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Week 8 is shaping up to be a big win in the PSAC, as No. 13 IUP looks to stay unbeaten when they host Seton Hill (2 p.m.), while No. 17 Slippery Rock travels to Cal.
Also in the West, Clarion hosts Edinboro (12 p.m.) and Gannon hosts rival Mercyhurst (12 p.m.).
In the East, West Chester hosts No. 3 Shepherd (12 p.m.), East Stroudsburg travels to Bloomsburg (2 p.m.), Shippensburg hits the road to Millersville (2 p.m.) and Kutztown is at home against Lock Haven (3 p.m.).
EDINBORO – Edinboro was blanked in a loss to IUP to fall to 3-4 for the season. Since the first meeting in 1958, Edinboro is 35-22 over Clarion all-time. The Fighting Scots also hold the advantage in the last 10 matchups over the Golden Eagles with nine wins and one loss.
CLARION – A game-winning field goal as time expired lifted Clarion over Mercyhurst 23-21 on Saturday. The last time Clarion defeated Edinboro was in 2015 on the road. The Golden Eagles will enter the weekend hoping to snap a five-game losing streak since that time.
MERCYHURST – Mercyhurst fell to a last-second field in a heartbreaker against Clarion last weekend at home. Next up the Lakers visit their crosstown rivals at Gannon. Mercyhurst is historically 10-4 over the Golden Knights, and they have also won eight of their last 10 matchups.
GANNON – Gannon lost only their second game of the year to Slippery in Week 7 to fall back to 5-2. Gannon and Mercyhurst meet for the 26th time on Saturday with the Niagara Cup once again at stake. Mercyhurst holds a 17-7-1 advantage in a series that first began in 1991, and includes a 24-13 win last year.
SETON HILL – A fourth-quarter rally against California (Pa.) fell short for the Seton Hill Griffins as they attempted to win their first game of the season last weekend. Seton Hill is winless against IUP in program history. They have lost eight consecutive games to the Crimson Hawks since their first meeting in 2013.
IUP – IUP has jumped to No. 13 in AFCA Division II rankings after routing Edinboro last week to remain undefeated. IUP has the opportunity to make it nine straight wins as they host Seton Hill. IUP also averages 46.5 points against the Griffins and will look to maintain their high-scoring trend.
SLIPPERY ROCK – In Week 7, Slippery Rock was never threatened in a convincing 40-14 Homecoming win over Gannon. Slippery Rock owns a 50-33-3 advantage in the all-time series against California (Pa.) that dates all the way back to 1905. The Rock have won four straight games in the series and are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings.
CAL – The Vulcans held off a late fourth-quarter rally by Seton Hill to get a 21-14 win. The Vulcans and The Rock enter the weekend in a three-way tie for second place in the PSAC West standings with three weeks of divisional play remaining. The Vulcans have the opportunity for their first victory over The Rock since 2016.
SHEPHERD – The unbeaten streak continues for Shepherd as they moved past Millersville 55-17. The Rams have only competed with West Chester on three total occasions. Shepherd dropped their first meeting in 2013, but have not lost to the Golden Rams since joining the conference.
WEST CHESTER – West Chester snapped a two-game losing streak with a narrow 24-21 escape in East Stroudsburg last weekend. West Chester has lost their two contests with Shepherd since they joined the PSAC, and will look to avenge a close 42-38 loss from 2021. This will also be their first time hosting a visiting Rams team.
SHIPPENSBURG – Shippensburg could not overcome a visiting Kutztown team, and consequently dropped back to a 3-4 record for the year. Shippensburg has won the last 17 games in the series against Millersville—a streak that dates back to 2001. Additionally, Shippensburg has won eight in a row at Millersville’s home Biemesderfer Stadium.
MILLERSVILLE – Millersville fell to a nationally-ranked Shepherd team last weekend to settle at a 2-5 record. The Marauders will look to break one of the longer losing streaks in the conference—17 games—on Saturday as they host Shippensburg.
EAST STROUDSBURG – East Stroudsburg was set back by a game-winning touchdown from West Chester last week to move to 2-5 for the season. In an extensive history with Bloomsburg since 1907, the two programs are at an impressive 45-45-2 historical lock. After beating the Huskies in 2021, the Warriors are searching for a second straight victory.
BLOOMSBURG – Bloomsburg comes into the weekend after pulling out a 17-9 victory over Lock Haven on Saturday for their third win of the season. Bloomsburg has had a lot of recent success against East Stroudsburg by going 8-2 in the last 10 matchups, but did lose the most recent meeting in 2021 by multiple possessions.
LOCK HAVEN – Lock Haven was in reach of their first conference victory, but were ultimately bested by Bloomsburg in a score of 17-9. The Bald Eagles travel to Kutztown to face a team they have been defeated by on 12 straight occasions. They will look for their first win over the Golden Bears since a 2002 home victory.
