• Game Notes (.pdf)

CAL U (0-1) vs. BLOOMSBURG (1-0)
When: Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009
Where: California, Pa. (Adamson Stadium)
TV: FSN Pittsburgh
Radio: WCAL (web only)

SERIES BREAKDOWN
All-Time Series: Bloomsburg leads 11-8-2
First Meeting: 1928 - Cal U won 6-0
Last Meeting: 2008 @ Bloomsburg - Cal U won 27-24
Streak: Cal U +1

CAL U NOTES

• Cal U returns to action on FSN Pittsburgh this Saturday night after suffering a 23-17 loss to Saginaw Valley last Thursday. Meanwhile, Bloomsburg claimed a 10-7 win over nationally-ranked Ashland last week.

• The Vulcans rallied to take the lead in the second half of their season-opener before falling 23-17 to Saginaw Valley. In his first start at Cal U, quarterback #Josh Portis# led the team in both rushing and passing yards, while senior running back #Freddie Bacco# scored a pair of touchdowns on only seven carries. Defensively, linebacker #Dontey Brown# established a career high with 11 tackles (seven solo).

• Danny Hale is in his 17th season as head coach of the Huskies and is the program's all-time winningest coach with a 137-46-1 record. He has led Bloomsburg to 10 outright or shared PSAC East titles and six postseason appearances, including three trips to the NCAA Playoffs in the last four years. Hale came to the Huskies after a five-year tenure at West Chester, where he was a two-sport star before graduating in 1968.

• Bloomsburg returns 45 lettermen and 12 starters from last year's squad that was 11-2 and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Playoffs. The Huskies are annually one of the top running teams in the nation, as they finished fourth with over 265 yards per game last year. Bloomsburg returns its top four rushers from last season, including senior quarterback Dan Latorre. The fourth-year signal caller ranks among the school's all-time leaders in both passing yards and touchdowns. Defensively, the Huskies are led by preseason All-American Jesse Cooper, a four-year starter at cornerback. Cooper is also a dynamic return specialist, as he ranked sixth in the nation last year with over 30 yards per kick return.

• Today's game will feature two of the top return specialists in the PSAC. Senior #Freddie Bacco# earned All-PSAC West honors last year in his first season handling return duties after averaging 26.5 yards per kickoff return. For Bloomsburg, senior Jesse Cooper received All-PSAC East accolades as a return specialist last year after totaling over 800 kick and punt return yards. He led the PSAC and ranked sixth nationally with 30.7 yards per kickoff return.

• Junior #Sam Fikaris# has been a fixture in the Vulcans' starting lineup since arriving to campus in 2007. The 6-2 nose tackle has started all 28 games over the last two-plus seasons. Against Saginaw Valley, he established a career high with 10 tackles (four solo) and made 1.5 tackles for loss (TFL) and 1.0 sack.

• In his first Cal U start, quarterback #Josh Portis# showcased his athleticism with several exciting plays against Saginaw Valley. Portis finished the game with 145 passing yards and also was the Vulcans' leading rusher with 82 rushing yards.

• Bloomsburg also features a dual threat of their own at quarterback in graduate student Dan Latorre. Last season, he ranked third on the team with 545 rushing yards and passed for 1,617 yards. Latorre accounted for over 42 percent of the Huskies' total offense and scored 27 touchdowns (eight rushing).

• Graduate student linebacker #Dontey Brown# posted a career game last week against Saginaw Valley. In his first start with the Vulcans, he led the team with 11 tackles (seven solo) and registered 3.0 TFL. A former linebacker at Penn State, Brown made 43 stops (20 solo) last season as a reserve linebacker and on special teams for Cal U.

• For the first time since October of 2004, Cal U has suffered two-straight losses dating back to the NCAA Semifinals last year. The Vulcans also hadn't lost a season-opener since the 2003 campaign.

• Eighth-year head coach #John Luckhardt# has established a winning tradition at Cal U. That tradition has carried over into games against teams from the PSAC East. In the last seven seasons, the Vulcans hold a combined 16-4 record against PSAC East opponents.

• 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. The Vulcans also feature a set of brothers in defensive back Derek and running back Daniel Bailey - both transfers from Syracuse. 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.

• The Vulcans received the ECAC Lambert Trophy last year after posting a 12-2 record and advancing to the NCAA Semifinals. Beginning this week, Cal U will face the teams that finished second and third in the ECAC Lambert Poll. Bloomsburg, who advanced to the NCAA Regional Championship Game, and West Chester, the defending PSAC East champions, finished second and third, respectively.

• Following last week's season-opening loss, Cal U dropped from eighth and 17th in the AFCA Division II Coaches' Poll. The Vulcans have been ranked for a scohool record 28-consecutive weeks in the AFCA poll dating back to the preseason 2007 poll.

• This weekend's game features two of the winningest active coaches by percentage in NCAA Division II in Bloomsburg's Danny Hale and Cal U's #John Luckhardt#. Luckhardt entered the year ranked fourth among D-II coaches with a .759 winning percentage, while Hale was sixth with a .748 winning percentage. Luckhardt is also tied with Chuck Broyles of Pittsburg State for sixth place among active Division II coaches with 194 career victories.

• The Vulcans have won 41 of their last 49 games (.837) overall, dating to the start of the 2005 season. Cal U has posted a 25-3 record (.893) in regular season games dating back to the 2006 campaign.

• 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).