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CLARION - Ben Fiscus led two fourth-quarter scoring drives as Clarion rallied for a 31-27 win over visiting East Stroudsburg University on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

Fiscus guided the Golden Eagles (3-1) 80 yards on 10 plays, and 82 yards on 14 plays, after ESU had taken a 27-17 lead on a one-yard run by redshirt junior fullback Thomas Tippett with 10:48 left in the fourth quarter.

Clarion converted three third downs and a fourth down on its go-ahead drive, capped by a three-yard run by tailback Travis Day with 27 seconds left.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Matt Soltes made his first career start and was 17-for-32 for 256 yards, a touchdown and an interception and ran 21 times for 62 yards for 318 yards of total offense. Junior wide receiver Dusty Reed had six catches for 113 yards and a touchdown and senior tailback Kendrick Williams had 13 carries for 56 yards and a TD.

Fiscus went 19-for-30 for 245 yards and a TD and ran 22 times for 167 yards to lead the Clarion offense. He threw a five-yard TD pass to Rob Irwin to get Clarion within 27-24 with 7:04 remaining.

The game was tied at halftime, 10-10, before ESU went ahead with a 23-yard TD pass from Soltes to Reed after a Clarion fumble just 1:48 into the second half. Clarion tailback Bobby Thomas tied it on a two-yard run, and junior kicker Taylor Groff put the Warriors in front 20-17 with a 51-yard field goal late in the third quarter.

Soltes took the Warriors 64 yards in 10 plays, capped by Tippett's one-yard run, for a 27-17 advantage just over four minutes into the fourth quarter.

Soltes, the first ESU freshman quarterback to make his first career start on the road in 39 years under head coach Denny Douds, broke Jimmy Terwilliger's mark for passing yards by a freshman in his first start.

Clarion started the scoring with a five play, 76-yard drive on its first offensive possession, with Thomas (18 carries, 89 yards) going 25 yards for the score just 2:13 into the game.

The Warriors defense yielded just three points the rest of the first half, as Nathan Conway made a 19-yard field goal as time expired after ESU stopped Clarion at the goal line after a 14-play, 84-yard drive.

ESU tied it at 7-7 on a three-yard run by Williams late in the first quarter, and Groff made it 10-7 with 2:17 left in the second quarter  with a 24-yard field goal after a 15-play, 81-yard drive that spanned 7:22.

Early in the third quarter, Clarion safety Andrew Paronish fumbled on a punt return with redshirt sophomore safety Anthony Singlar recovering at the 23-yard line. Three plays later, Soltes threw a strike to Reed to cover the 23 yards for the TD and put ESU in front, 17-10.

Groff's 51-yard field goal, the second-longest of his career, tied ESU's record with his 12th from more than 40 yards. The kick came with 1:21 left in the third quarter and was set up by a 22-yard screen pass from Soltes to Reed after ESU was backed up into a third-and-31 on its own side of midfield.

The Warriors' defense forced a three-and-out, and Soltes moved the offense 64 yards on 10 plays to make it 27-17. Williams had a 13-yard run to get the ball to the one-yard line, and Tippett plunged in two plays later.

Fiscus picked up one third down on Clarion's ensuing eight-play, 80-yard drive and was 4-for-4 for 68 yards, culminating with a five-yard TD pass to Irwin to make it 27-24 with 7:04 left.

ESU picked up one first down on a 17-yard run by Soltes on its next possession, which ended when Malik King had an interception at the 18-yard line on a third-and-10 from near midfield.

Clarion took over with 5:00 left and drove the rest of the 82 yards in 14 plays. Fiscus had a 20-yard run on third-and-11, a 12-yard completion to Aaron Barlow on fourth-and-six, and Clarion got a first down on a defensive holding call on third-and-10 from the 19 to set up first-and-goal at the nine. After an incompletion and six-yard run by Fiscus, Day went in from three yards out on third down for the go-ahead points.

Game Notes
* Soltes was the 7th freshman to start at QB for the Warriors under head coach Denny Douds, and the 31st overall.
* He was the first freshman to make his first career start on the road. Freshmen are now 3-4 under Douds in their first career start.
* Soltes' 256 passing yards edge Jimmy Terwilliger's 251 in 2003 vs. Lenoir-Rhyne as the most by a freshman in his first career start.
* The 256 yards are the 6th-most in a first career start for a QB under Douds. Damian Poalucci threw for 429 in a win over American International as a sophomore in 1995, and Ray Wagner threw for 375 (in the first half) in a win over Pace as a redshirt senior in 2011.
* Soltes and R-Jr. Nate Daniels shared time through the first 3 games, with Daniels starting all 3. Soltes is 32-for-64 for 541 yards, 2 TD and 1 Int., and Daniels is 30-for-54 for 563 yards, 6 TD and 3 Int.
* Soltes has 116 yards on 29 carries this season.

* Douds coached his 401st game after becoming the first coach in Division II history, and 15th in college football history, to reach 400 games in last week's 59-27 win over Cheyney.
* Douds is 234-164-3 in his 39th season at ESU, the PSAC record for career victories.
* ESU falls to 8-4 against Clarion, all under Douds. ESU had won 7 straight in the series since 2000. The Warriors fall to 5-2 at Clarion's Memorial Stadium.

* ESU's road opener on Sept. 29, after three straight home games, was its latest since a 14-6 loss at Kutztown on Oct. 1, 1977 in the 2nd game of the season.

* Fr. WR Tim Wilson made his career debut and had 2 catches for 22 yards, and 1 kick return for 7 yards. Wilson is the 14th true freshman to play for the Warriors this season.
* R-Fr. TB Collin Hegarty also made his debut for ESU on special teams. The Warriors have had 55 players see action this year, with 26 seeing their first career action and 14 making their first career starts.
* Soltes and R-Jr. WR David Radziak made their first career starts on Saturday.

* Fr. OLB Mike Kinney (13 tackles, 2.5 TFL), So. LB Don Kinney, Jr. (13 tackles, 0.5 TFL) and Singlar (12 tackles, FR) led the Warriors defensively. Fr. OLB Greg Jones made his 2nd straight start and had 8 tackles and a sack, and R-Sr. DL Sam Hull had 8 tackles and 1.5 TFL.
* R-So. DL Bryan Thomson blocked a 21-yard field goal in the 2nd quarter. Thomson blocked a PAT that was returned for a defensive 2-point conversion by Jr. OLB Darius Jackson last week vs. Cheyney. Thomson blocked 2 PAT's as a redshirt freshman and is already halfway to the school record of 8 blocked kicks by Matt Delancey (1993-96).

* Groff was 2-for-3, making from 24 and 51 yards, and had a 38-yarder blocked in the 1st quarter. He is 32-for-44 in his career, 20-for-23 under 40 yards and 12-for-21 over 40 yards. He ties Ed Detwiler (1989-92) for most 40+ yards field goals in school history.
* Groff has made 4 field goals from 48+ yards - 48, 48, 51 and 52 (2011 at Kutztown). He has made 4 of the 11 48+ yarders in school history. The only other kicker to make more than one is Joey Pingitore (both in 1983).
* Groff improved to 14-for-15 on potential game-tying or lead-changing FG's in his career (7-for-8 over 40 yards).

* Reed had 6 catches for 113 yards, his 6th career 100-yard receiving game. He moves to 16th on ESU's career receptions list with 114, and 18th with 1,668 yards.

* Williams had his 19th career rushing TD and is in sole possession of 6th all-time. Williams moved into a tie for 10th with his 21st total TD, including 2 receiving TD's.