• Game Notes (.pdf)

#5/6 CAL U (0-0) at #11/10 SAGINAW VALLEY (0-0)
When: Saturday, Sept. 4
Where: University Center, Mich.
Stadium: Wickes Memorial Stadium (6,300)
Kickoff: 12 p.m. EST
TV: CUTV (tape delayed)
Live Radio: WCAL (91.9-FM)
Live Stats: Click here
Live On-Line Video: Click here

SERIES BREAKDOWN
All-Time Series: Saginaw Valley leads 1-0
First Meeting: Aug. 27, 2009 @ Cal U - Saginaw Valley won 23-17
Last Meeting: Aug. 27, 2009 @ Cal U - Saginaw Valley won 23-17
Streak: Saginaw Valley +1

CAL U NOTES
• Cal U opens the 2010 campaign on Saturday when it travels to Saginaw Valley. The Vulcans have won seven of their last nine season-openers and are 6-2 in season-openers under head coach #John Luckhardt#.

• Following three-straight NCAA Playoff appearances and advancing to the NCAA Semifinals each time, Cal U is again a preseason national contender. The Vulcans return 17 starters from last year, including senior quarterback #Josh Portis#, who set school records for passing yards and touchdowns in his first year with the program. On defense, Cal U returns several key players on each level with junior linebacker #Brett Diamond# anchoring the middle and PSAC Freshman of the Year #Rontez Miles# leading the secondary.

• This is the second all-time meeting between the Vulcans and Cardinals. Last year, Saginaw Valley claimed a 23-17 upset victory on the road in the first-ever meeting.

• Jim Collins enters his third season as head coach of the Cardinals. Last year, he led Saginaw Valley to a 9-3 overall record and its first post-season appearance in five years. Prior to his time with the Cardinals, he built Capital (Ohio) into a nationally-ranked Division III program over 11 seasons as head coach.

• Saginaw Valley returns 64 lettermen and 12 starters (seven offense, four defense, one specialist) from last year's NCAA Playoff team. Senior quarterback Chuck Dowdell will direct the Cardinal offense for a second-straight season. After transferring from Indiana State, he passed for 2,260 yards and 13 touchdowns and ranked second on the team with 655 rushing yards and eight scores. Junior wide receiver Nick Gallina will again be a big-play target after leading the GLIAC last season with a 19.4 yards per catch average on 25 receptions. On defense, Saginaw Valley has to replace its top three tacklers from last year. Junior Carlton Downs is the top returning tackler after making 55 stops (31 solo) and tied for the team lead with four interceptions. The secondary also returns senior Ja'Vae Ingraham, who made 47 tackles (22 solo) and registered three interceptions. In the kicking game, junior Austin Borchard ranked second on the team with 56 points after making of 6-of-10 field goals and 38-of-43 PAT attempts.

• Cal U holds a 1-3 record against teams from the state of Michigan and will be making only its second all-time trip to the Great Lake State. The Vulcans last traveled to Michigan in 1987 when they lost to Wayne State, 9-3.

• The Vulcans are 2-4-1 against schools that are currently members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). Cal U last defeated a current GLIAC school in 2008 when it shutout then-independent Lake Erie, 54-0.

• After advancing to the NCAA Semifinals in three-consecutive 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 AFCA and Sporting News, while also being ranked in the Top 25 by D2Football.com and Lindy's.

• For the first time in program history, the Vulcans will open the year with back-to-back games outside of Pennsylvania. Cal U starts the year with a 420-mile trip to University Center, Mich. - nearly two hours north of Detroit. The following week, the Vulcans travel another 400 miles to Brookville, N.Y. - 15 miles east of the Queens borough in New York.

• Cal U owns a 50-39-1 (.561) record in season-openers, winning seven of its last nine. The Vulcans are 6-2 in season-openers under head coach #John Luckhardt#.

• The Vulcans have posted a 14-8 record (.636) against non-PSAC schools (West and East) since 2002.

• During the offseason, the Vulcans hired two new coaches - #Walt Harris# (offensive coordinator) and #Tom Rebholz# (running backs) - who will be making their debuts on the Cal U sidelines this week. Harris features over 20 years of coaching experience at the Division I level with stints as head coach at Pacific (1989-91), Pittsburgh (1997-04) and Stanford (2005-06). Rebholz was a four-year letterman at IUP and played on four-straight NCAA Playoff teams with the Crimson Hawks.

• This weekend's contest marks the 20th game for Cal U against a Top 25 team since the start of the 2007 season. The Vulcans hold a combined 13-6 (.684) record over the last three seasons against nationally-ranked opponents.

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

• The Vulcans have won 52 of their last 62 games (.839) overall, dating back to the start of the 2005 season. Cal U has posted a 32-4 (.889) record in regular season games dating back to the 2006 campaign.

• A special teams standout last year for Cal U, #Dominique Curry# is continuing to battle for a spot on the final 53-man roster with the St. Louis Rams. Through three preseason games, the 6-2 wide receiver has made one reception for 13 yards and seen action on special teams. Curry is one of 10 wide receivers (four rookies) on the roster for the Rams. In his college career, he posted over 2,200 yards and 15 touchdowns while playing for both Cheyney and Cal U.

• Of the 17 returning starters from last year, the Vulcans return eight players that garnered All-PSAC West honors (first or second-team) last season, including preseason D2Football.com All-Americans #Dan Jordan# and #Terrance Moore#. Senior quarterback #Josh Portis# was tabbed by D2Football.com as the preseason PSAC Offensive Player of the Year after his record-setting 2009.

• Seniors #Josh Portis# and Charles Dowdell both established themselves as premier dual-threat quarterbacks in 2009. Portis and Dowdell return for their second seasons as starters under center in 2010 and also return as their team's leading rusher. Last season with the Vulcans, Portis set school records with 3,421 passing yards and 36 touchdowns and added 449 rushing yards. Meanwhile, Dowdell combined for 21 touchdowns with the Cardinals after throwing for 2,260 yards and rushing for 655 yards.

• Several Vulcans have changed numbers since last season, including senior defensive back #Mike Brown# (No. 7), senior wide receiver #Terrance Moore# (No. 5), redshirt junior #Patrick Swearinger# (No. 3) and sophomore tight end #Chet Welc# (No. 85).