• Game Notes (.pdf)

#-/23 CAL U (5-2, 3-1) vs. MERCYHURST (3-4, 1-3)
• When: Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011
• Where: California, Pa.
• Stadium: Adamson Stadium (6,500)
• Kickoff: 3:30 p.m.
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM)
• Live Video: America One (PPV) I WatchESPN
• Live Stats: Click here

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: Cal U leads 2-1
• First Meeting: Nov. 1, 2008 @ Mercyhurst - Cal U won 17-6
• Last Meeting: Oct. 23, 2010 @ Mercyhurst - Mercyhurst won 31-21
• Streak: Mercyhurst +1

CAL U NOTES
• Cal U returns to Adamson Stadium for Homecoming this weekend after suffering a 17-3 loss at Slippery Rock last Saturday. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst enters the weekend on a three-game losing streak following a 30-20 loss to Edinboro.

• Despite forcing five turnovers, the Vulcans suffered a 17-3 loss at Slippery Rock last week. Cal U limited Slippery Rock to a season-low 236 yards of total offense and forced four turnovers in the first half. Redshirt freshman linebacker Spencer Lynn led the team with nine tackles and added 2.0 TFL and one interception. Senior Patrick Swearinger finished with eight stops and fellow defensive backs Erik Harris and Greg Cochrane each made seven tackles. The Vulcans finished the game with 273 yards of total offense after The Rock entered the game with the top-ranked total defense in NCAA Division II.

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

• After guiding the Lakers to their first post-season berth last season, Marty Schaetzle is in his 10th season as head coach at Mercyhurst. The school's all-time wins leader, he holds a 45-61 overall record and was named the PSAC West Coach of the Year in 2010 after Mercyhurst captured its first-ever conference championship. Prior to his time with the Lakers, Schaetzle worked five years as an offensive assistant at Bucknell.

• Mercyhurst returns 11 starters (10 offensive, one defensive) from last year's team that set the school record for victories (10), won the program's first conference title and made its first post-season appearance. Among the returners for the Lakers are two of the most prolific players in the PSAC, senior wide receiver/return specialist Trevor Kennedy and senior linebacker Ian Wild. Kennedy leads the league and ranks among the top 10 in NCAA Division II in all three major receiving categories with 50 receptions, 944 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns. He has posted five 100-yard receiving games this season and caught at least one touchdown in all seven games. Since senior quarterback Travis Rearick suffered a season-ending injury against Gannon, sophomore Anthony Vendemia has passed for 468 yards and five touchdowns while starting the last two games. As a team, Mercyhurst has rushed for over 100 yards in only two games this year and sophomore Allen Jones II, a transfer from Youngstown State, leads the team in rushing this season with 273 yards. Defensively, Ian Wild leads the team and the conference with a career-high 86 tackles (49 solo) after also being a starter on the Lakers' National Championship lacrosse team last spring. He has posted at least 10 stops in each of the last six games, including a career-high 16 tackles (seven solo) last week against Edinboro. Ian Wild, whose younger brother Garrett is also a starting linebacker at Mercyhurst, also leads the Lakers with 11.5 tackles for loss (TFL) and 6.0 sacks this season. Sophomore defensive lineman Dustin Galich ranks second on the team with 44 stops (23 solo), 10.0 TFL and 4.5 sacks, while senior linebacker Kevin Williams has 43 tackles (16 solo), 2.0 sacks and one interception. As a return specialist, Kennedy ranks among the top three in the PSAC in both punt (13.8 yards/return) and kick returns (26.1 yards/return). After a record-setting 2010, sophomore kicker Steven Wakefield has made three-of-six field goals and 26-of-27 PAT attempts this season.

• Cal U hosts Mercyhurst for Homecoming 2011 this weekend at Adamson Stadium. The Vulcans have won each of their last six Homecoming contests en route to a divisional title each year. Last season, Cal U posted a 28-3 victory over Slippery Rock before finishing the season with a 10-2 overall record.

• Since the PSAC expanded with the addition of Gannon and Mercyhurst in 2008, Cal U has posted a 6-1 combined record against the two 'new' teams. Versus the Lakers, the Vulcans have won two of the three meetings with Mercyhurst earning a 31-21 win last season.

• Since 2005, Cal U has posted an impressive 11-3 record in games following a loss. The Vulcans have lost back-to-back three times during that span with two occasions being a loss in the NCAA Playoffs and the season-opener the following year.

• The Vulcans forced five turnovers, including four in the first half, last week in their 17-3 loss at Slippery Rock. Cal U has now recorded five turnovers in a game twice this season while the Vulcans' offense has also committed five turnovers twice this year and still won both games. Cal U has committed at least one turnover in all seven games this season and enters this weekend with an even-0 turnover margin.

• This weekend's game features two of the most prolific wide receivers in not only the PSAC, but also the entire country. Cal U senior Thomas Mayo leads the Vulcans and ranks second in the conference with 48 receptions, 824 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Mercyhurst senior Trevor Kennedy tops the league in all three categories and leads the country with 944 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns.

• Last weekend at Slippery Rock, redshirt junior quarterback Peter Lalich passed for 204 yards on 22-of-53 attempts with no touchdowns and one interception. The 53 attempts marked the first time a Cal U quarterback attempted 50-plus passes in a game since Sam Mannery threw a school-record 57 times against The Rock in 1990. This season, Lalich has completed 60.9 percent (157-of-258) of his attempts for nearly 2,000 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

• Redshirt freshman linebacker Spencer Lynn has led the team in tackles twice in the last three weeks. In the loss at Slippery Rock last week, he tied his season high with nine tackles (three solo), recorded a season-high 2.0 TFL and made his first career interception. The Belle Vernon product ranks second on the team this season with 48 tackles (16 solo) while starting all seven games.

• The Vulcans enter this weekend on a 15-game home winning streak against PSAC West opponents. Cal U last suffered a divisional loss at Adamson Stadium on Nov. 11, 2006 against IUP (21-17). Since 2005, the Vulcans have accumulated an overall record of 38-7 (.844) in home games with two of the losses coming in the NCAA Semifinals.

• After establishing himself as one of the top defensive backs in the region, senior Erik Harris has also served as the punter for the Vulcans in 2011. Harris ranks third on the team with 38 tackles this season (20 solo) with 4.0 TFL, 1.0 sack and two interceptions, while also averaging 37.3 yards per punt. Last week against Slippery Rock, he registered seven stops (three solo) and averaged 33.7 yards on a season-high seven punts.

• For the first time since November 2009, the Vulcans are only receiving votes in the AFCA Top 25 poll. Cal U had previously been ranked in the coaches' poll for 22-consecutive weeks and entered the year ranked No. 12 in the preseason poll. However, the Vulcans are ranked No. 23 in the latest D2Football.com Top 25 poll.

• With a new quarterback and its third offensive coordinator in three years, Cal U is averaging 28.0 points/game after scoring 30-plus points four times this year. However, the Vulcans have also been held without a touchdown in two games this season. Cal U entered the 2011 campaign with an impressive streak of 85-straight games scoring a touchdown, a streak that dated back to the 2003 season.

• The Cal U defense has limited opponents to under 21 points in every game except the season-opener this year. Since that game, the Vulcans have allowed only 13.5 points and 238.8 yards of total offense/game. Overall, the Vulcans rank sixth in NCAA Division II in both scoring defense (15.29 points/game) and total defense (262.71 yards/game). The PSAC enters the weekend featuring five of the top 10 scoring defenses in the nation.