• Game Notes (.pdf)

CAL U (7-2, 6-0) VS. MERCYHURST (4-5, 2-3)
When: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009
Where: Adamson Stadium (6,500)
TV: FSN Pittsburgh (tape delayed)
Live Stats: Click here
Live On-Line Video: B2 Networks - PPV

SERIES BREAKDOWN
All-Time Series: Cal U leads 1-0
First Meeting: 2009 @ Mercyhurst - Cal U won 17-6
Last Meeting: 2009 @ Mercyhurst - Cal U won 17-6
Streak: Cal U +1

CAL U NOTES

• Cal U concludes divisional play this weekend when it hosts Mercyhurst for Senior Day. The Vulcans are coming off a 44-7 win at Slippery Rock last Saturday. Meanwhile, the Lakers dropped a 32-22 contest against Edinboro last week.

• This weekend marks only the second all-time meeting between the Vulcans and Lakers. Last year, Cal U won 17-6 at Mercyhurst after both teams entered the game tied for first place in the PSAC West standings.

• The Vulcans clinched at least a share of a fifth-straight PSAC West title and secured an appearance in the PSAC Championship with a 44-7 win at Slippery Rock. Quarterback #Josh Portis# threw for 219 yards with a touchdown pass to wide receiver #AJ Jackson#, who finished with 10 receptions for 163 yards. Defensively, the Vulcans allowed only 68 rushing yards, recorded five sacks and made three interceptions.

• After guiding the Lakers to one of their best seasons in recent years, Marty Schaetzle enters his eighth season as head coach at Mercyhurst. He holds a 32-52 overall record and was named the PSAC West Coach of the Year in 2008 after guiding the Lakers to a three-game improvement in their first year in the conference last season. Prior to his time at Mercyhurst, Schaetzle worked five years as an offensive assistant at Bucknell.

• Mercyhurst returns 30 lettermen and 12 starters from last year's squad that was finished tied for second in the PSAC West standings and 7-4 overall. After missing most of 2008 due to injury, senior quarterback Joe Laffey has thrown for almost 1,400 yards with 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this season. The Lakers feature one of the top defenses in the PSAC West and are anchored defensively by senior linebacker Tim Herbener, who ranks eighth in the PSAC with 74 tackles (48 solo). He also is second in the league with 14.0 tackles for loss (TFL) and seventh with 5.5 sacks. Sophomore Ian Wild leads the secondary and is among the PSAC leaders with 61 stops (42 solo) in his second year as a starter.

• With its win last week at Slippery Rock, Cal U earned at least a share of the PSAC West title for a fifth-straight year. Only IUP has previously accomplished the 'five-peat' by winning league crowns from 1990-94 and 2000-04. Regardless of the outcome this weekend, the Vulcans have secured a berth to the PSAC Championship as they hold the tiebreaker over Clarion and Edinboro.

• For most of the decade, the PSAC West has been dominated by Cal U, Edinboro and IUP. In the preseason coaches' poll, the three teams were picked to finish first, second and third respectively. However, Clarion has vaulted into a tie with Edinboro for second place entering the final week of divisional play. The Fighting Scots and Golden Eagles meet this Saturday for a key league game. Meanwhile, IUP and traditional power Slippery Rock have combined for only three wins in PSAC West action this year after winning eight last season.

• The Vulcans have won 48 of their last 56 games (.857) overall, dating back to the start of the 2005 season. Cal U has posted a 32-4 record (.889) in regular-season games since the 2006 campaign.

• The Vulcans rank second in the PSAC in rushing defense and 14th in the nation, allowing only 88.4 yards per game. Cal U hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher all season and limited Clarion's Alfonso Hoggard - the league's leading rusher - to 50 yards. Over the last three weeks, the Vulcans have allowed only a total of 159 rushing yards on 85 attempts for an astounding 1.9 yards per attempt.

• Junior wide receiver #Terrance Moore# has proven to be a key playmaker for the Vulcans' offense this season, accounting for nine touchdowns in a variety of ways. Last week, Moore found the end zone on a 13-yard reverse for his first rushing touchdown of the year. He also has seven receiving touchdowns in first season with the program. Against IUP, Moore opened the game in the backfield and later threw a 32-yard touchdown pass.

• After scoring only a combined 27 points in the first two games, Cal U now leads the PSAC and is 17th in the country with 35.0 points per game. The Vulcans also rank third in the league in total offense with 392.8 yards per game. Impressively, Cal U is second in the league in rushing offense at 177.7 yards per game despite no player averaging over 65 rushing yards per game.

• Senior #Willie Walker# has established himself as one of the top defensive lineman in the nation throughout his career. A four-year starter and three-time All-PSAC West selection, he now ranks second in school history with 29.5 career tackles for loss (TFL). Walker is closing in on the school record of 31.0 TFL set by Jim Lukacs (1999-2001). This season, the Aliquippa native has 31 tackles (17 solo) with 7.5 TFL and 3.0 sacks despite battling several injuries.

• Over the last six weeks, junior kicker #Marc Domonkos# has made 29-of-29 PAT attempts and seven-of-eight field goals. A transfer from Lock Haven, Domonkos is second on the team with 50 points after not attempting a PAT or field goal in the first three weeks.

• Despite two early-season losses this year, the Vulcans have won 28 of their last 33 games at Adamson Stadium since the 2005 campaign.

• In his first year as a Vulcan, quarterback #Josh Portis# leads the PSAC with 21 passing touchdowns and ranks second in the league with a 149.4 passing efficiency. Last week, he threw an interception for the first time in 157 pass attempts in a streak that spanned 26 quarters and parts of seven games. Portis also has showcased his athleticism in recent weeks, running for 125 yards on only 13 attempts.

• In last weekend's victory at Slippery Rock, six different Vulcans scored a touchdown. For the season, a total of 12 different players have scored at least one touchdowns. Senior #Freddie Bacco# and junior #Windell Brown# are tied for the team lead with five rushing touchdowns, while five other Vulcans have also found the end zone on the ground in 2009.

• Senior wide receiver #AJ Jackson# continues to be one of the top wide receivers in the nation. The 6-6 senior from Florida leads the PSAC with 11 receiving touchdowns and ranks second in the league with 55 receptions for 807 yards. Jackson has scored a touchdown in seven games this year and has surpassed the 100-yard mark in four of the last six games.

• Through the first nine game games of the season, the Vulcans have used only six different starting offensive linemen and two different starting line-ups. Cal U is among the nation's best in allowing only 1.11 sacks per game on 233 total pass attempts. The quartet of left tackle #Cha'Mar Jones#, left guard #Dan Jordan#, center #Nick Piccirillo# and right tackle #Jack Range# have started all nine games, while right guard #Matt Scheuer# has made eight starts. The Vulcan offensive line is also clearing lanes for an offense that averages over 175 rushing yards per game.