• Game Notes (.pdf)

CAL U (10-3) VS. WEST LIBERTY (11-1)
When: Saturday, Nov. 28
Where: Russek Field (4,000)
TV: CUTV – tape delayed
Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM) I WJPA (95.3 FM)
Live Stats: Click here
Live On-Line Video: Click here

SERIES BREAKDOWN
All-Time Series: Cal U leads 11-8
First Meeting: 1926 – Cal U won 14-6
Last Meeting: 1993 – Cal U won 43-32
Streak: Cal U +2

CAL U NOTES

• Cal U enters this weekend following a 26-21 victory over nationally-ranked Shippensburg in a rematch of the PSAC Championship. Meanwhile, West Liberty returns to action following a record-breaking 84-63 victory over Edinboro last week.

• This weekend marks the 20th meeting between the Vulcans and Hilltoppers, but the first since 1993. Cal U won the last two meetings and seven of the last eight dating back to the 1951 season. The Vulcans also won the first meeting against West Liberty, 14-6, in 1926.

• With a last-minute four-quarter stop, Cal U edged past Shippensburg, 26-21, in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs. The Vulcans defense clinched the win by stopping the last two Shippensburg drives of the game with an interception by #Brett Diamond# and a fourth-down deflection by #Erik Harris#. Running backs #Freddie Bacco# and #Windell Brown# totaled 156 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

• In his fifth season as head coach, Roger Waialae has directed the Hilltoppers to unprecedented heights in 2009. He has guided West Liberty to a 38-15 record during his tenure after inheriting a program that finished 2-8 and was winless in league play in 2004. A native of Hawaii, Waialae was a standout quarterback at Dubuque (Iowa) and set more than 20 school records.

• West Liberty returned 41 lettermen and 13 starters from last year's team that tied for second place in the WVIAC. This year, the Hilltoppers posted the first 10-win season in program history and earned a berth to their first NCAA Division II Playoffs. Junior quarterback Zach Amedro, a national finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy, directs the top-rated scoring offense in the country. A transfer from Appalachian State, he has passed for a gaudy 4,580 passing yards and 47 touchdowns while completing 65.3 percent (314-of-481) of his passes. West Liberty is one of the few teams in all of the NCAA to have a trio of 1,000-yard wide receivers in junior Ryan Travis (90 rec., 1,165 yds., 14 TD), senior Eddie Hills (83 rec., 1,028 yds., 5 TD) and junior Kashif Walls (60 rec., 1,313 yds., 21 TD). Walls ranks second in NCAA Division II in receiving yards and is also fourth nationally in scoring. In addition to the explosive passing attack, the Hilltoppers have a stellar ground game fueled by junior Kevon Calhoun. A native of Maryland, Calhoun leads the WVIAC and ranks ninth in the country with nearly 1,500 rushing yards and has 20 rushing touchdowns. Defensively, linebackers Nick Harding and Clay Beeler anchor a defense that has made 30 sacks and 16 interceptions this season. Beeler leads the team with 97 tackles (60 solo) and 12.0 tackles for loss (TFL), while Harding has 85 stops (47 solo), 9.5 TFL and 4.0 sacks. Senior Derrick Evans has playmaking ability in the secondary, making eight interceptions and recording 66 tackles (42 solo).

• The Vulcans and Hilltoppers share one common opponent this season in Edinboro. Cal U posted a 38-14 Homecoming win over the Fighting Scots in October, while West Liberty split its two games against Edinboro this year. In the season-opener, the Fighting Scots earned a 42-30 home victory before the Hilltoppers won 84-63 last week at home over Edinboro.

• The Vulcans have won 11 of their last 13 games in the month of November dating back to the 2005 season. Cal U won all four of its November games last season, including two wins in the NCAA Playoffs.

• The Vulcans have won 51 of their last 60 games (.850) overall, dating back to the start of the 2005 season. Cal U has also won six of eight games over the last three years in the NCAA Playoffs.

• The Vulcans earned their 10th win of the season last week. Cal U has now won double-digit games in each of the last three years, beginning with a school record 13 victories in 2007. Before this three-year stretch, this feat had never been accomplished in program history.

• Over the last three seasons, the Vulcans hold a 15-2 record (.882) on the road. Cal U has won both of its road NCAA Playoff games in program history - Bloomsburg (2008) and Shippensburg (2009).
Cal U holds a 63-29-4 all-time record (.677) against schools in West Virginia. Most recently, the Vulcans defeated Shepherd, 58-38, in the 2007 NCAA Regional Championship. The last time Cal U played in West Virginia was in 2004 when it posted a 35-15 victory at Fairmont State.

• Senior #AJ Jackson# is one of the most dangerous wide receivers in the country. He leads the PSAC and has set single-season school records in each of the three major receiving categories: receptions (89), receiving yards (1,246) and receiving touchdowns (15). Jackson has also posted seven 100-yard receiving games this year. He enters this weekend only 48 yards shy of becoming the fifth player in school history with 2,000 receiving yards in a career.

• The Vulcans feature one of the top special team units in the PSAC and NCAA Division II. Cal U ranks 12th in the nation with in kickoff returns, averaging 24.1 yards per return. Sophomore wide receiver #Chedrick Cherry# ranks seventh in the nation with 29.4 yards on 16 returns. Graduate student punter #Derek Fiorenza# and the punt coverage team has Cal U ranked 10th in the country in net punting at 34.87 yards per punt. The Vulcans have also blocked six kicks this season with three of blocked kicks being returned for touchdowns.

• This weekend marks the third-straight year in which the Vulcans have faced the WVIAC Champion in the NCAA Playoffs. Cal U has won both previous meetings - Shepherd (2007) and Seton Hill (2008) - by an average score of 53-22.

• Senior defensive end #Willie Walker# is one of eight national finalists for the sixth-annual Gene Upshaw Award, which recognizes the top offensive or defensive lineman in NCAA Division II. A four-year starter and co-captain, Walker has posted 39 tackles (21 solo) with 8.5 tackles for loss (TFL) and 3.0 sacks this year.

• This weekend's game at West Liberty marks the sixth game for Cal U against a Top 25 team in 2009. The Vulcans hold a combined 8-4 record over the last two seasons against nationally-ranked opponents.

• The Vulcans feature a special group of 12 seniors in 2009. The class has collectively helped Cal U post a 43-9 overall record (.827) over the last four years and an unbelievable 25-1 mark (.962) in PSAC West games. The class' 43 wins are the most in Cal U history, breaking the record of 41 wins set by last year's seniors.

• Graduate student linebacker #Dontey Brown# enters this weekend only seven tackles shy of becoming the first player since 2005 to register 100 tackles in a season. In his first year as a starter, Brown leads the team with 93 stops (51 solo) and 10.0 tackles for loss (TFL). The Penn State transfer has earned All-PSAC West and Daktronics Atlantic Region First-Team honors this season.