• Game Notes (.pdf)

CAL U (0-0) vs. SAGINAW VALLEY (0-0)
When: Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009
Where: California, Pa. (Adamson Stadium)
TV: CUTV
Radio: WCAL 91.9-FM

SERIES BREAKDOWN
All-Time Series: First all-time meeting
First Meeting: 2009 @ California
Last Meeting: n/a
Streak: n/a

CAL U NOTES
• California opens the 2009 campaign on Thursday night, hosting Saginaw Valley. The Vulcans have won seven of their last eight season-openers. Cal U is 6-1 in season-openers under head coach #John Luckhardt#.

• Over the last two seasons, Cal U has compiled a 25-3 overall record and made the program's first-ever appearances  in the NCAA Playoffs - advancing to the Semifinals both times. The Vulcans return 19 starters from last year, including All-American cornerback #Terrence Johnson#. The offense will feature a new signal-caller, as Maryland transfer #Josh Portis# opens the season as the starter at quarterback.

• Jim Collins enters his second season as head coach of the Cardinals. Last year, he led Saginaw Valley to a 7-3 overall record and a tie for third place in the GLIAC. Prior to SVSU, he built Capital University - a Division III school in Ohio - into a nationally-ranked program over his 11 seasons as head coach.

• Saginaw Valley returns a group of almost two upperclassmen and feature seven seniors on defense. Last year, the Cardinals finished third in the GLIAC in total defense behind the play of Daktronics All-American linebacker John Jacobs. He led the nation with 13.1 tackles per game in 2008. Offensively, tight end Galen Stone returns after leading the Cardinals in every receiving category. Saginaw Valley will feature a new quarterback this season, as Indiana State transfer Chuck Dowdell will open the year under center. Dowdell appeared in eight games and was a dual-threat quarterback for the Sycamores.

• The Vulcans are 1-3-1 against schools that are currently members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). Cal U has not faced a GLIAC school since the 1991 season when they lost at Ashland.

• Cal U offensive line coach #Mike Evans# has served as a coach for both the Vulcans and the Cardinals. Evans started at SVSU in 1999 as a student assistant before serving three years as the offensive line and strength & conditioning coach.

• Cal U owns a 50-38-1 (.567) record in season-openers, winning seven of its last eight. The Vulcans are 6-1 in season-openers under head coach #John Luckhardt#.

• The Vulcans have posted a 12-6 record (.667) against non-PSAC schools (West and East) since 2002 under head coach #John Luckhardt#.

• The Vulcans have won 41 of their last 48 games overall, dating to the start of the 2005 season. Cal U has posted a 25-2 record in regular season games dating back to the 2006 campaign.

• After advancing to the NCAA Semifinals in back-to-back seasons, Cal U continues to garner a plethora of national attention in preseason publications. The Vulcans are ranked as high as fifth in the nation by Lindy's, while also being ranked in the Top 25 by AFCA, D2Football.com, Sporting News and USA Today.

• During the offseason, the Vulcans hired two new coaches - Mike T. Jacobs (offensive coordinator) and #Chad Salisbury# (quarterbacks) - who will be making their debuts on the Cal U sidelines this week. Jacobs, whose son is the defensive line coach for the Vulcans, features 25 years of coaching experience at the Division I level with stints at West Virginia (1980-94), Ohio State (1995-99) and Oklahoma State (2000). Salisbury was an eight-year quarterback in the Arena Football League (2000-07) after a record-setting college career at Buffalo (1997-98).

• Among the 19 returning starters, Cal U features nine players who received All-PSAC West laurels last season. Seniors #AJ Jackson# (wide receiver), #Terrence Johnson# (cornerback) and #Willie Walker# (defensive line), along with graduate student #Derek Fiorenza# (punter) all garnered All-PSAC West First-Team honors last year. Juniors #Sam Fikaris# (defensive line), #Dan Jordan# (offensive guard), #Nate Nurse# (offensive tackle) and #Nick Piccirillo# (center), along with senior #Freddie Bacco# (return specialist) each received All-PSAC West Second-Team laurels in 2008.

• The Vulcans return all five starting offensive lineman from last season. As a group, they started 69 of a possible 70 games. Junior #Nate Nurse# was named a preseason All-American by Sporting News this summer after earning first-team all-region laurels from two different organizations last year. Junior left guard #Dan Jordan# and junior center #Nick Piccirillo# return after garnering All-PSAC West Second-Team honors in 2008. Graduate student #Cha'Mar Jones# started all 14 games last year after taking a medical redshirt in 2007, while right guard #Matt Scheuer# has made 20 appearances over the last two seasons.

• Cal U features four sets of brothers on the roster this season, including junior twins Robert (offensive line) and Richard Eberlein (tight end). The defense features a pair of brothers in linebacker Brandon and defensive back Eric Livsey and linebacker Dillon (linebacker) and freshman David Voss (offensive line). Senior Brandon (running back) and sophomore Shawn Anderson (defensive back) are also brothers. First-year offensive coordinator #Mike T. Jacobs# also is the father of second-year defensive line coach Mike R. Jacobs. Freshman offensive lineman #Brendan Folmar# also is the son of 2001 Cal U Hall of Fame inductee Brendan Folmar.

• Similar to last season, Cal U features several newcomers with NCAA Division I FBS and FCS backgrounds. Offensively, quarterback #Josh Portis# enters his first season with the Vulcans after playing eight games last season for Maryland. He previously played as a true freshman for the Florida Gators during the 2005 season. Behind Portis on the depth chart is Massachusetts transfer #Scott Wallace#. At running back, the Vulcans added a trio of Division I transfers in #Keivon Brown# (Navy), #Dane Conwell# (Indiana) and #Cody Wilson# (Citadel). Cal U also added a pair of transfers from Virginia of the ACC in defensive back #Mike Brown# and defensive lineman #Kevin Crawford#. Rounding out the Division I transfers for Cal U this year are defensive back #Derek Bailey# (Syracuse) and linebacker #Nico Price# (Ohio).

• Several Vulcans have changed numbers since last season, including sophomore wide receiver #Chedrick Cherry# (No. 6), redshirt sophomore #Devin Cox# (No. 63), redshirt freshman #Robert Gunby# (No. 36), junior defensive lineman #Gabe Hernandez# (No. 1), redshirt freshman #Charles King# (No. 86), redshirt freshman #Shawn Patil# (No. 54), sophomore wide receiver #Justin Shaffer# (No. 83), redshirt freshman #David Voss# (No. 57), redshirt freshman #Toni Whiteleather# (No. 22) and redshirt freshman #Blake Williamson# (No 89).