After spending the first two weeks of the season in the friendly surroundings of the Bison Sports Complex, coach Tim Janocko and his Clearfield Bison football squad must load up their gear and take their 2-0 record on the road.
However, if they continue to perform the way they have the first two weeks of the year, the undefeated record will continue. This week, the Bisons will be facing the Penns Valley Rams, who have yet to taste victory with a record of 0-2.
Last week, Clearfield dominated their contest with Bald Eagle as they got a 49-14 victory. This week appears to be another mismatched contest. Penns Valley is coming off a shut out loss against Juniata. It will not get any easier for the Rams as the spread offense of Clearfield looks to be primed to go all over the field on the Ram defense.
That is going to be the big issue for Penns Valley heading into this game, as their defense has given up 42 points in the first two games. This team has no interceptions on the season thus far, and only five sacks. If Penns Valley has a chance to get a victory, they need to get to quarterback Curtis Frye and disrupt his passing game.
On offense, the Rams have to rely on the run attack to get them any points, but that is going to be difficult. Their top rusher is Mike Owens, who has 137 yards through the first two games on 37 carries. He accounts for the only touchdown the Rams have thus far this season.
Against a team that has only given up four touchdowns total through two games, Penns Valley has their backs against the wall.
Clearfield has momentum on their side as they enter their first road game of the season. Coach Janocko has the team disciplined and focused as they make the trip to Spring Mills, PA.
Utilizing the spread passing attack Frye has completed 22 of 33 passes this season for 345 yards, three touchdowns and only one interception. His 121 passer rating is among the top in the Mountain Athletic Conference, and he is looking to continue that against the Rams.
Frye’s been able to complete passes to seven different receivers, but his lead target has been Derek Danver. The 5′ 10″ senior wide out has accounted for ten of those receptions from Frye and 140 yards. Danver also accounts for all three receiving touchdowns through the first two games. Running back Jack Mellgard is second in receptions on this team with five for 80 yards.
These two will certainly get a lot of time with the football if Frye and company have their way on the field.
But watch for the run game to get a lot of work this game. With the weakness in the Ram defense, Clearfield could exploit that with their ground attack. Running back Derek Morgan has experienced an incredible amount of success on the ground this season out of the Bison backfield. Morgan has 217 yards in his first two games, averaging over eight yards a carry. He accounts for four of the team’s nine rushing touchdowns. This week could be another week where Morgan puts his legs to work and gets the job done.
Anything can happen on the field, so this will still be a great game to watch from both sides of the ball. There is a chance of rain in the morning, but appears it will clear out long before game time.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Penns Valley High School.