• Game Notes (.pdf)

#3/4 CAL U (7-0, 4-0) AT MERCYHURST (5-2, 3-1)
• When: Saturday, Oct. 23
• Where: Erie, Pa.
• Stadium: Tullio Field (2,300)
• Kickoff: 12 p.m.
• TV: CUTV (tape delayed)
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM)
• Live Video: America One (PPV)
• Live Stats: Click here

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: Cal U leads 2-0
• First Meeting: Nov. 1, 2008 @ Mercyhurst - Cal U won 17-6
• Last Meeting: Oct. 31, 2009 @ Cal U - Cal U won 28-7
• Streak: Cal U +2

CAL U NOTES
• Cal U makes its second trip to Erie, Pa., in three weeks following a 28-3 Homecoming win against Slippery Rock last week. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst posted a thrilling 22-21 victory over Edinboro by converting a two-point conversion in overtime.

• Senior quarterback #Josh Portis# tossed three touchdowns and sophomore #Lamont Smith# rushed for nearly 200 yards to lead the Vulcans to a 28-3 Homecoming win against rival Slippery Rock. Portis was efficient against The Rock, completing 10-of-13 passes for 150 yards and added a five-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. On defense, the Vulcans yielded only 153 yards of total offense to Slippery Rock. The Rock was limited to 68 rushing yards on 19 carries and was forced to punt eight times at Adamson Stadium.

• This weekend marks only the third all-time meeting between the Vulcans and Lakers. Prior to Mercyhurst joining the PSAC in 2008, the two teams had never faced each other.

• Having already surpassed last year's win total, Marty Schaetzle is in his ninth season as head coach at Mercyhurst. He holds a 37-56 overall mark and is only five victories shy of becoming the program's all-time wins leader. Prior to his time with the Lakers, Schaetzle worked five years as an offensive assistant at Bucknell.

• Mercyhurst returns 37 lettermen and 12 starters from last year's team that tied for fourth place in the final PSAC West standings. After being picked seventh in the preseason coaches' poll, the Lakers have posted an impressive 5-2 overall record and 3-1 league mark. Mercyhurst features a pair of the top playmakers in the PSAC in senior running back Gerald Anderson and junior wide receiver Trevor Kennedy. Anderson ranks third in the league with 784 yards, while Kennedy is among the conference leaders with 35 receptions, 423 yards and five touchdowns. Mercyhurst has one of the most veteran defensive units in the region, returning five All-PSAC West honorees from last year. Senior linebacker Bryan Boyce leads the team with 57 tackles (29 solo), 9.5 TFL and 5.5 sacks. Fellow linebackers Tim Herbener and Ian Wild have collected 50 and 47 stops, respectively. Herbener has also registered 7.0 TFL after leading the team in tackles last year. On special teams, the Lakers feature one of the premier punt returns in the country in Kennedy, who leads the league at 23.0 yards per return. Freshman kicker Steven Wakefield is second on the team in scoring after making 20-of-21 PATs and four-of-eight field goals.

• Cal U continues to defend its fifth-straight PSAC West title this weekend when it travels to Mercyhurst. The Vulcans have won 24-straight games against PSAC West opponents with their last divisional loss coming in 2006. Cal U also enters the weekend with a 16-game win streak in road divisional games with its last defeat coming at Slippery Rock in October 2005.

• Following a loss last week by then-No. 3 North Alabama, the Vulcans moved up one spot in the AFCA Top 25 poll. The No. 3 ranking by Cal U marks the highest in program history, as it was ranked No. 4 the past six weeks. The Vulcans also moved up one spot in the D2Football.com Top 25 poll to No. 4.

• Since the PSAC expanded with the addition of Gannon and Mercyhurst in 2008, Cal U has posted a 5-0 combined record against the two 'new' teams. Versus the Lakers, the Vulcans have won both meetings by a combined 32 points following a 28-7 victory last season.

• The Vulcans enter the weekend as the top offense in the PSAC in terms of third-down efficiency. In seven games, the Cal U offense has converted 49 percent of its third downs, while no other team in the league has converted 45 percent of its third downs. Against Clarion, Cal U converted an unbelievable 12-of-18 third downs.

• Cal U has won 59 of its last 69 games (.855) overall, dating back to the start of the 2005 season. The Vulcans have posted a 39-4 (.907) record in regular season games dating back to the 2006 campaign.

• The Vulcans are off to a 7-0 start for just the fourth time in school history. In each of the previous three occasions, Cal U went on to post an undefeated regular season (1946, 1958, 2007), highlighted by a school-best 13 wins in 2007 when the program made its first-ever NCAA post-season appearance.

• For the first six weeks of the season, Cal U featured the same starting offensive linemen at the same five spots. However, sophomore transfer #Tim Farley# started at left tackle for an injured #Eric Kush# last week. Behind veterans #Dan Jordan# and #Nick Piccirillo#, the Vulcans feature a combined 147 starts on the offensive line.

• Cal U features a group of 24 seniors in 2010. The senior class has compiled a record of 43-7 and started a combined 260 games.

• Since an overtime thriller in the season-opener, the Vulcans have not allowed a touchdown in the second half over the last six games. The only points after halftime scored during that stretch was a fourth-quarter safety by Clarion. Meanwhile, Cal U has been a juggernaut by scoring 114 points in the second half since the first game of the year.

• In addition to boasting the league's best total defense, the Vulcans again lead the PSAC in sacks. Through the first seven weeks of the year, Cal U has totaled 24 sacks with 14 different players registering at least a 0.5 sack, led by 4.0 from redshirt freshmen #Darnell Harding# and #BJ Stevens#. Cal U also leads the PSAC with 61.0 tackles for loss (TFL), while Mercyhurst is second in the league with 60.0 TFL behind a combined 16.5 TFL by linebackers Bryan Boyce and Tim Herbener.

• With a win this weekend, the Vulcans will earn at least a share of the PSAC West title for a sixth-straight year. Cal U would be only the second school in PSAC history and the first since West Chester (1969-74) to win a divisional crown six years in a row. The only team other than the Vulcans to win the PSAC West title five-straight seasons was IUP twice (1990-94 and 2000-04).

• One of only two undefeated teams in the PSAC, Cal U leads the conference in a staggering 15 statistical categories. Impressively, the Vulcans feature the league's top-ranked total offense (436.1 yards) behind the play-calling of first-year coordinator #Walt Harris#. Meanwhile, under the direction of veteran coordinator #Mike Conway#, the Vulcans lead the PSAC in scoring defense (13.3 points) and total defense (215.1 yards).

• This weekend will feature two of the most exciting special team players in the PSAC, as Mercyhurst's Trevor Kennedy and Cal U's #Trey Johnson# have combined to average over 16 yards per punt return this season. Kennedy leads the league with a staggering 345 yards behind a 79-yard touchdown return. Meanwhile, as a true freshman Johnson is a fearless returner with 191 yards on 18 returns despite his 5-7 frame.