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Post-Game Interview with Elliott Jr.

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg University football team got a strong defensive effort, slowing down the high-powered Clarion University offense, en route to a 35-20 victory in front of 4,087 fans on a hazy, hot, and humid Saturday afternoon at Redman Stadium in the Huskies' home opener. With the win, Bloomsburg improved to 2-0 for the seventh time in the last nine seasons while the Golden Eagles dropped to 1-1 on the young campaign.

The Huskies forced four Clarion turnovers - two interceptions and two fumbles - and limited the Golden Eagles to 356 yards of total offense. It was a far cry from the 497 yards - 396 through the air - they had amassed in their season opening victory over Lock Haven last Thursday. Meanwhile, Bloomsburg's offense bounced back from its season-opening win at Stonehill last Friday to the tune of 490 yards of total offense on Saturday afternoon - 246 on the ground and 244 through the air.

Redshirt junior quarterback Chris Palubinsky (Ringtown, Pa./Shenandoah Valley), making his first collegiate home start, completed 16-of-26 passes for 244 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The 244 yards passing marked a new career-high and was the highest total by a Husky quarterback in a game since Tim Kelly (Camp Hill/Cedar Cliff) threw for 293 yards at Slippery Rock in the PSAC Championship game on November 15, 2014.

Senior running back Lawrence Elliott Jr. (Utica, N.Y./Thomas R. Proctor) posted his second 100-yard game of the season by finishing with 134 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries to lead the Huskies' rushing attack. Redshirt senior Joe Parsnik (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Coughlin) added 90 yards and a score on 15 carries in the victory.

Bloomsburg jumped out in front when Palubinsky connected with redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jake Scott (Etters, Pa./Cedar Cliff) on a 38-yard strike to the corner of the endzone with 5:53 left in the opening quarter. It was Scott's first collegiate touchdown reception. Redshirt sophomore Ryan Abbott (Hagerstown, Md./Saint James School), who had hit the right upright on a 34-yard field goal earlier in the quarter, added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

But, the Golden Eagles bounced back with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns to take a 13-7 lead. Quarterback Connor Simmons, the reigning PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week, found Matt Lehman, who made a leaping one-handed grab, from six yards out to get the visitors on the scoreboard with 8:20 left in the first half. Redshirt junior Darnell Baldwin (Philadelphia, Pa./Lankenau), however, blocked the extra point to keep the Huskies in front by a 7-6 score. Then, after a three-and-out by the Huskies' offense, Clarion's Kyle Evans returned the punt 47 yards to the Bloomsburg 10-yard line to give the visitors a first-and-goal. On the first play, Delrece Williams scampered up the middle and found paydirt to give the Golden Eagles, after the point after by Phil Esposito, a 13-7 lead with 6:05 left in the opening half.

Palubinsky led the Bloomsburg offense down the field and capped off a 13-play, 75-yard drive by calling his own number for a one-yard keeper into the endzone with 30 seconds left to put the Huskies in front, 14-13, after the Abbott point after try as the teams headed to the locker room.

Bloomsburg, which won the opening coin toss and deferred, got the ball to start the second half. On that drive, the Huskies went 72 yards in eight plays with Elliott Jr. finding the endzone from 13 yards out. Abbott added the point after to give the Huskies a 21-13 lead with 10:52 left in the third quarter.

On Clarion's ensuing possession, redshirt sophomore Dexter Jordan (Wernersville, Pa./Conrad Weiser) gave the Huskies good field position with an interception of Simmons near midfield. Bloomsburg's offense took advantage of the opportunity with Parsnik finding a big hole up the middle and going untouched into the endzone from 27 yards out to give the Huskies their biggest lead of the game, 28-13, with 8:24 left in the third.

The Golden Eagles were not done, however, as Simmons found Connor Genevro from 34 yards out with three seconds left in the third quarter to cut the Huskies' lead, after Esposito's extra point, to 28-20 heading to the final fifteen minutes - and it appeared that the Huskies were in for a nail-biter for the second week in a row.

Bloomsburg's offense was held to a three-and-out to start the fourth quarter, but senior punter Will Wagner (Wernersville, Pa./Conrad Weiser) connected on a 62-yard boot - three yards shy of his career-long - to send the Golden Eagles all the way back to their own ten-yard line. On that possession, Clarion got to the Bloomsburg 48-yard line before redshirt sophomore linebacker Nate Monroe (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) forced a fumble with junior Osman Toure (Philadelphia, Pa./Academy Park) recovering at the Huskies' 41 to give the hosts the ball back.

It appeared that the Huskies were in excellent position to put more points on the board, getting a first-and-goal from the Clarion nine-yard line. But Elliott Jr. fumbled the ball back to the Golden Eagles to set up a Clarion drive with 5:06 left in regulation and the Huskies hanging on to an eight-point lead.

Clarion's drive started promising as back-to-back plays resulted in 33 yards to get to its own 42-yard line. On the next play, however, Williams, who fumbled earlier in the quarter, coughed up the ball again as redshirt junior Scott Beltz (Pen Argyl, Pa./Pen Argyl) knocked the ball loose. After a scrum, redshirt senior Jerrin Toomey (York, Pa./West York) scooped up the ball and scampered 37 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown to give the Huskies a 35-20 lead, after Abbott's extra point, with 3:52 left.

The visitors tried to make one last-ditch effort to get back into the game. But, redshirt senior Ezra Ranco (Trappe, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) picked off Simmons at midfield and the Huskies were able to run out the clock from there.

After being held to just 12 first downs - zero in the second half - and 323 yards of offense in the season opener at Stonehill, the Huskies offense bounced back with 28 first downs, 490 yards of offense, and held the ball for 37:47 on Saturday afternoon. Palubinsky, who threw for 139 yards in the opener, got off to a slow start, but was sharp down the stretch to finish with 244 yards through the air. Redshirt senior wide receiver Chad Hoffman (Drums, Pa./Hazleton), who was held without a catch in the opener, had four catches for 71 yards to lead the receiving corps.

Elliott Jr. and Parsnik, once again, provided the 1-2 punch the Bloomsburg coaching staff expected as they combined for 224 yards and two scores on the ground. Elliott Jr. added 50 yards on two kickoff returns to finish with 184 all-purpose yards. Parsnik, meanwhile, added three catches for 32 yards out of the backfield.

Williams had 99 yards rushing and one touchdown on 20 carries for the Golden Eagles, but had two costly fumbles in the fourth quarter. Simmons, who threw for 396 yards and four touchdowns against Lock Haven, completed just 17-of-38 passes for 210 yards, two touchdowns, and two picks. Lehman was his favorite target as he caught five passes for 83 yards and a score.

Defensively, redshirt senior Joe Wetty (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) led the Huskies with six total tackles. Ranco finished with five stops and an interception while Toomey had three tackles and the big fumble return for a touchdown. Tyrone Cromwell led the Golden Eagles with nine total stops.

Bloomsburg will go back on the road as it travels to Erie, Pennsylvania, next Saturday, September 17, for an early showdown against the Golden Knights of Gannon Unviersity. Both teams enter the contest with 2-0 records after Gannon knocked off Shippensburg on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff from Gannon University Field is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.