• Game Notes (.pdf)

CAL U (11-3) VS. NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE (12-1)
When: Saturday, Dec. 5
Where: Maryville, Mo.
Live TV: CBS College Sports I PCN I CUTV - all live
Live Radio: WJPA (95.3 FM)
Live Stats: Click here
Live On-Line Video: Click here

SERIES BREAKDOWN
All-Time Series: First all-time meeting
First Meeting: n/a
Last Meeting: n/a
Streak: n/a

CAL U NOTES

• Cal U returns to the NCAA Semifinals for a third-consecutive year after claiming a 57-35 road victory over West Liberty last week. Northwest Missouri State edged top-ranked Central Washington, 21-20, in the final seconds last Saturday.

• Against the highest scoring offense in NCAA Division II, Cal U took a 36-7 halftime lead before defeating West Liberty, 57-35. Quarterback #Josh Portis# threw for a career-high 318 yards and five touchdowns, while senior #Freddie Bacco# rushed for a career-high 173 yards and two scores. Sophomore defensive back #Erik Harris# led the team with seven tackles and was one of three Vulcans with an interception.

• This is the first all-time meeting between the Vulcans and Bearcats. Cal U is making its third-straight trip to the NCAA Semifinals, while Northwest Missouri State is appearing in the semifinals for the fifth-straight year.

• One of only six active head coaches in NCAA Division II with 200-plus wins, Mel Tjeerdsma has guided the Bearcats to a 168-41 (.804) record and 11 NCAA playoff appearances in the last 13 years. He is the winningest coach Division II post-season history with 26 playoff victories. Prior to his tenure with Northwest Missouri State, Tjeerdsma spent 10 years as the head coach at Austin, a NAIA program in Texas.

• Northwest Missouri State returned 42 lettermen and 11 starters from last year's team that lost to Minnesota Duluth in the National Championship. Senior running back LaRon Council anchors the Bearcats' offense and was named the MIAA Most Valuable Offensive Player of the Year. A preseason, All-American, he leads the league and ranks among the national leaders with 1,394 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns. Northwest Missouri State also features one of the premier wide receivers in NCAA Division II in sophomore Jake Soy. After only having 11 catches last year, he leads the national with a conference-record 23 touchdown receptions. Junior quarterback Blake Bolles directs the offense and has passed for 3,728 yards and 38 touchdowns in first year as a starter. The Bearcats feature the top-ranked scoring (17.4 points), rushing (86.5 yards) and total defense (302.8 yards) in the MIAA this year. Sophomore linebacker Chad Kilgore leads the team with 81 tackles (31 solo) and senior safety All-American Myles Burnsides anchors the defensive unit 72 stops (38 solo). Burnsides, a two-time Academic All-American, leads the team with five interceptions and has made 43 consecutive starts. On special teams, redshirt freshman Jordan Simmons is the Bearcats' return specialist and ranks among the top returners in the MIAA.

• The Vulcans have never faced a team from Missouri or any of the current members of the 10-team Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). Northwest Missouri State marks the fourth opponent this season that Cal U never faced prior to the 2009 campaign. The Vulcans have won two of the three debuts against new opponents this year.

• The Vulcans have won 52 of their last 61 games (.852) overall, dating back to the start of the 2005 season. Cal U has also won seven of nine games over the last three years in the NCAA Playoffs.

• This weekend's game will feature a meeting of 200-win coaches in #John Luckhardt# (Cal U; 205) and Mel Tjeerdsma (Northwest Missouri State; 228) for only the 28th time in all NCAA history with the last coming in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl between Jim Tressel (Ohio State) and Mack Brown (Texas). Tjeerdsma has the most post-season victories in NCAA Division II history with 24, while Luckhardt has a combined 20 post-season victories between Cal U and Washington & Jefferson.

• Cal U and Northwest Missouri State enter this weekend with the unique distinction of losing to the last four eventual National Champions. The Bearcats have reached the title game in each of the last four years, falling to Grand Valley (2005, 2006), Valdosta State (2007) and Minnesota Duluth (2008). Meanwhile, the Vulcans lost to Valdosta State and Minnesota Duluth in the semifinals.

• In his first year with the program, graduate student quarterback #Josh Portis# has demonstrated a record-setting arm. With five touchdown passes last week, he now has 33 this season to break the single-season record set last year by Kevin McCabe. Portis (3,054) and McCabe (3,214), transfers from Maryland and Virginia, are the only quarterbacks in school history to throw for 3,000 yards in a season. Portis (3,481) also broke McCabe's record for single-season total offense at West Liberty.

• Over the last three seasons, the Vulcans hold a 16-2 record (.889) on the road. This marks the first road semifinal game for Cal U, as it hosted Valdosta State (2007) and Minnesota Duluth (2008) in the last two seasons.

• Two of the premier wide receivers in NCAA Division II will be featured in this weekend's contest with senior #AJ Jackson# (Cal U) and sophomore Jake Soy (Northwest Missouri State). Jackson has set single-season school records and leads the PSAC with 94 receptions, 1,313 receiving yards and 17 receiving touchdowns. Last week, he became only the fifth player in program history with 2,000 career receiving yards. Soy leads the nation with a MIAA-record 23 receiving touchdowns this year after making only 10 total receptions as a redshirt freshman last year. A native of Iowa, he also leads the conference with 79 receptions and 1,393 receiving yards.

• Cal U senior defensive end #Willie Walker# and Northwest Missouri State junior left guard Brett Grozinger are two of eight national finalists for the sixth-annual Gene Upshaw Award, which recognizes the top offensive or defensive lineman in NCAA Division II. Walker, a four-year starter, has posted 40 tackles (22 solo) with 8.5 tackles for loss (TFL) and 3.0 sacks this year. In his first season as a starter for the Bearcats, Grozinger started the first 11 games of the season for a team that averages 42.0 points and 478.7 yards per game.

• This weekend's game marks the seventh game for Cal U against a Top 25 team this year. The Vulcans hold a combined 9-4 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 44-9 overall record (.830) over the last four years and an unbelievable 25-1 mark (.962) in PSAC West games. The class' 44 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 one tackle 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 99 stops (56 solo) and 11.0 tackles for loss (TFL). The Penn State transfer has earned All-PSAC West and Daktronics Atlantic Region First-Team honors this season.