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VETERANS' DAY INTERVIEW WITH ERIC SCHWARTZ AND ALEX FINDURA
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg University football team scored 31 consecutive points after falling behind, 7-0, early and wrapped up the 2017 season with a 31-15 victory over visiting Clarion University on a cold Saturday afternoon at Danny Hale Field at Redman Stadium. The Huskies conclude the year with a 7-4 record while the Golden Eagles finish with a 1-10 overall mark.
Redshirt senior
Chris Palubinsky (Ringtown, Pa./Shenandoah Valley) finished off his collegiate career with a career-high three touchdown passes - two to redshirt sophomore
Michael Allen (Oley, Pa./Oley Valley) - to pace the Huskies' offense. His other touchdown strike ended up in the hands of senior tight end
Aaron Allison (Philadelphia, Pa./Frankford). Redshirt sophomore
Qmac Quiteh (Tobyhanna, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) finished with 75 rushing yards and the other Huskies' score but closed out the season just 21 yards shy of reaching 1,000 yards for the season.
Defensively, redshirt junior
Jake Klinger (Berwick, Pa./Central Columbia) added to his case for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division Defensive Player of the Year honor by tormenting Clarion quarterback Jeff Clemens and the Golden Eagle offensive line all game. He finished the afternoon with nine tackles, four tackles for a loss, and two sacks. He also forced and recovered a fumble late in the third quarter which led to Quiteh's 14-yard touchdown run, and the final points of the afternoon for the Huskies. Klinger wraps up the season as the team leader in tackles (69), tackles for a loss (22.0), and quarterback sacks (11.0). His 22 tackles for a loss surpassed Justin Shirk's 21.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage during the 2014 season and is the most by a Bloomsburg player in at least 18 years.
The Golden Eagles started the scoring when Clemens found Cameron Jefferies on a screen pass that covered 44 yards for the first touchdown of the game with 6:01 left in the opening quarter. James Metzgar added the extra point to give the visitors a 7-0 advantage. However, on the ensuing Bloomsburg possession, redshirt junior
Ryan Abbott (Hagerstown, Md./Saint James School), playing in his final collegiate game, booted a career-long 42-yard field goal to cap off an 11-play, 47-yard drive that took 5:39 off the clock and, with 13 seconds left in the opening quarter, the Huskies found themselves trailing 7-3.
After a three-and-out by Clarion, the Huskies were given excellent field position at the Clarion 44 yard line after just a ten-yard punt from Metzgar. Bloomsburg took advantage as the hosts drove 44 yards on seven plays capped off by a 30-yard touchdown pass from Palubinsky to Allen and, after Abbott drilled the extra point, the Huskies had their first lead of the game at 10-7 with 10:21 left in the first half. Then, after another three-and-out by the Golden Eagle offense, Bloomsburg put together another touchdown-scoring drive - this time on nine plays and 53 yards - with Palubinsky finding Allison on a 23-yard strike with 3:26 left in the first half. Abbott hit the extra point to extend the Bloomsburg lead to 17-7.
The Huskies, after deferring the opening coin toss, got the ball to start the second half and on the first possession of the third quarter, Palubinsky found Allen for a 36-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-13 to extend the lead to 24-7 after Abbott hit the point after. The redshirt senior threw deep into the right corner of the endzone on a jump-ball situation and Allen outjumped and ripped the ball out of the hands of a Clarion defender for his second touchdown reception of the day. It was the first time in Allen's career that he had caught more than one touchdown in a single game.
Bloomsburg added another score later in the quarter after Klinger's strip sack gave the Huskies the ball at the Clarion 14. Quiteh took the handoff on the first play from scrimmage and powered his way across the goal line for his eighth rushing score of the season. Abbott nailed the extra point and the Huskies saw their lead balloon to 31-7 with 2:55 left in the third.
Clarion answered on its next drive when Clemens found Marcus McCoy on a 36-yard touchdown pass with 55 seconds left in the third quarter. Clemens then hit Mylique McGriff for the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 31-15.
The Golden Eagles had another chance to pull closer late in the fourth quarter but senior
Darnell Baldwin (Philadelphia, Pa./Lankenau) picked off Clemens in the endzone with 3:43 left and the Huskies ran out the clock on the ensuing possession to secure the victory. Bloomsburg sealed the win by converting on third-and-seven on a 12-yard strike from Palubinsky to redshirt sophomore
Jay Popson (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood) and then, later, on a two-yard plunge by Palubinsky on fourth-and-one during the final drive.
Both Clarion and Bloomsburg ran 60 plays and accumulated 299 yards of total offense on Saturday afternoon. The Huskies outgained the Golden Eagles, 138-52 on the ground with Clarion holding the edge in passing yards, 247-161.
Quiteh led the Huskies' ground game with 75 yards and a score on 21 carries. He finished the season with 979 yards rushing - 21 yards shy of extending Bloomsburg's streak of consecutive seasons with a 1,000-yard back. The streak ends at seven. Redshirt sophomore
Alex Gooden (Parkesburg, Pa./Octorara) carried the ball ten times for 43 yards. Palubinsky finished 11-of-20 for 161 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. Allen caught five passes for a career-high 94 yards and a career-best two scores. Allison finished with three catches for 45 yards and the other score.
McGriff led Clarion with 84 rushing yards on 20 carries. Clemens finished 16-of-29 for 247 yards and two touchdowns but the big pick in the endzone late in the fourth quarter. Devin Clark caught a team-high four passes for 47 yards while McGriff had a team-high 71 receiving yards on three receptions.
In addition to Klinger's monster game (nine tackles, four tackles for a loss, two sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery), senior
Osman Toure (Philadelphia, Pa./Academy Park) and redshirt sophomore
Alex Annan (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) also chipped in with nine total stops. It marked a career-high for Toure in his final collegiate game. Senior
Eric Schwartz (York, Pa./Central York) finished with five tackles while redshirt freshman
Alex Findura (Bloomsburg, Pa./Woodland (Ga.)) collected his first career sack on Veterans' Day. Both Schwartz and Findura had a fitting end to the season as they both served four years in the United States Marine Corps.
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