• Game Notes (.pdf)

#15/13 CAL U (4-1, 2-0) vs. GANNON (2-3, 1-1)
• When: Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011
• Where: California, Pa.
• Stadium: Adamson Stadium (6,500)
• Kickoff: 3:30 p.m.
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM) I WJET (1400 AM)
• Live Video: America One (PPV) I WatchESPN
• Live Stats: Click here

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: Cal U leads 3-0
• First Meeting: Oct. 18, 2008 @ Gannon - Cal U won 42-24
• Last Meeting: Sept. 18, 2010 @ Gannon - Cal U won 34-7
• Streak: Cal U +3

CAL U NOTES
• Cal U returns to action this weekend tied for first place in the PSAC West standings following a 54-13 victory at Lock Haven last Saturday. Meanwhile, Gannon scored 27 points in the second half to claim a 30-27 comeback victory at rival and defending-PSAC Champion Mercyhurst.

• Senior wide receiver Thomas Mayo posted three touchdowns and junior running back Lamont Smith added a pair of scores last week, as Cal U posted a 54-13 victory at Lock Haven. As a team, the Vulcans finished with 557 yards of total offense with redshirt junior Peter Lalich passing for 292 yards and three touchdowns while playing only the first three quarters. Cal U limited Lock Haven to only 171 yards of total offense and the Bald Eagles converted just 2-of-11 attempts on third down. Linebackers Brian Justice and Spencer Lynn each registered a team-high seven tackles in the win.

• The Vulcans and Golden Knights are facing each other in only the fourth all-time meeting between the two schools. Cal U has won each of the previous three games against Gannon.

• In his fifth season as head coach, Jim Kiernan has posted a 19-30 mark with the Golden Knights. After a 1-10 record in 2007, Gannon has posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1995. Prior to his time with the Golden Knights, he served eight years as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at Saginaw Valley (Mich.). Kiernan also has coaching stints at Mercyhurst, Alabama A&M, Kentucky Wesleyan and Lakeland.

• Gannon returns 38 letterwinners and 13 starters (minimum four starts) from a team that finished third in the PSAC West standings, its highest finish since joining the PSAC in 2008. After ranking second in the PSAC last year in scoring defense, the Golden Knights enter this weekend ranked sixth in the league in total defense (325.2 yards/game) and rushing defense (125.4 yards/game) this year. Senior defensive tackle Randy Colling, a three-year starter, anchors the Gannon defense and leads the PSAC with 7.0 sacks through five weeks. He ranks third on the team with 34 stops (15 solo) and has also recorded a team-best 11.0 tackles for loss (TFL). Redshirt junior defensive back Khayree Connors-McChristian has made a team-high 36 tackles (18 solo) after playing only three games last year due to injury. On offense, redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Tapscott is coming off the best performance of his career. Last week, he passed for 202 yards and three second-half touchdowns in the win at Mercyhurst. For the season, the 6-2 quarterback has thrown for 754 yards and six touchdowns but completed only 47.0 percent (71-of-151) of his passes with six interceptions. Senior wide receiver Lawrence Coleman was Tapscottís main target last week against the Lakers, finishing with seven receptions for 127 yards and three scores. In his first year at Gannon, Coleman leads the receiving corps with 15 catches for 218 yards and four touchdowns. The Golden Knights feature the most explosive return specialist in the PSAC in true freshman Justin Caliste. The 5-5 freshman leads the league with three returns for touchdowns (two punt, one kick) and averages a PSAC-best 25.1 yards/punt return. Against Millersville last month, he totaled 222 all-purpose yards after returning both a kick and punt for a touchdown. Gannon features a new kicker this season in redshirt junior Matt Szczupakowski following the graduation of Jeremy Ditzler, who set virtually every kicking record in school history. Szczupakowski has made three-of-four field goals and 10-of-12 PAT attempts this season.

• Since the PSAC expanded with the addition of Gannon and Mercyhurst in 2008, Cal U has posted a 5-1 combined record against the two "new" teams. Versus the Golden Knights, the Vulcans have won all three meetings by a combined 87 points following a 34-7 victory last season in Erie.

• Junior running back Lamont Smith has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in each of the last three games for the Vulcans. After rushing for only 79 yards in the first two weeks, the 5-10 junior has rushed for nearly 400 yards in the last three games and now ranks fifth in the PSAC in rushing (95.2 yards/game). Smith has surpassed the century mark nine times in his career with Cal U posting a 9-0 record in those games. In last yearís game at Gannon, he finished with 200 all-purpose yards behind 104 rushing yards and a career-high 96 receiving yards.

• Following a season-ending injury to preseason All-American linebacker Brett Diamond in training camp, the Vulcans have utilized a pair of first-year starters at linebacker in sophomore Brian Justice and redshirt freshman Spencer Lynn. Justice leads the team and ranks fourth in the PSAC with 44 tackles and is also among the league leaders with 7.0 TFL. Lynn has made 33 stops (12 solo) in his first collegiate action. Last week, both linebackers led the team with seven tackles at Lock Haven.

• Sophomore defensive lineman Darnell Harding made his first college start last week at Lock Haven and registered three tackles (all solo) - all TFL - with 1.0 sack. Through the first five games this season, he leads the team with 9.0 TFL and 4.0 sacks while playing mainly as a reserve and on passing situations. The PSAC West Freshman of the Year in 2010, Harding has posted 42 tackles (26 solo) with 18.0 TFL, 9.0 sacks and two interceptions in his brief career.

• A former tight end, junior Chet Welc is in his first season as a starter on the offensive line. As a redshirt freshman in 2009, he appeared in 11 games with five starts and made four receptions for 37 yards. Last year, the Mt. Pleasant, Pa., native played in all 12 games with one start at tight end. With the departure of two-year starter Jack Range and his prowess as a blocker, Welc has started all five games at right tackle this year.

• Senior wide receiver Thomas Mayo has become one of the most explosive players in the PSAC after being a two-time All-American at Concord. Last week, he scored three touchdowns in the first half of a 54-13 victory at Lock Haven. Mayo became the first Cal U player to score at least one rushing and one receiving touchdown in the same game since wide receiver Chedrick Cherry accomplished it in last yearís season-opener at Saginaw Valley. Mayo enters this weekend tied for fourth in NCAA Division II in receiving yards (138.0 yards/game), 13th in receptions (7.20 receptions/game) and 21st in scoring (9.60 points/game).

• Following last weekís win, Cal U moved up one spot to No. 15 in the AFCA Top 25 poll. The Vulcans have been ranked for 21-consecutive weeks, including all 14 weeks last season, dating back to the final poll of 2009.

• Last weekend at Lock Haven, senior defensive lineman Thomas Mulabah registered his second blocked PAT attempt of the season and junior Robby Green returned the loose ball the length of the field for two points. Since the 2005 season, the Vulcans have registered an impressive 29 blocked kicks despite tallying only one in both 2008 and 2010.

• Last week, the Cal U defense limited Lock Haven to only 13 points and 171 yards of total offense. The Vulcans held the Bald Eagles to less than 100 rushing and 100 passing yards, marking the first time since last year at Edinboro (Nov. 6, 2010) in which an opponent failed to gain 100 yards both on the ground and through the air. Last week also marked the third time this season in which Cal U held its opponents to only 13 points.

• The Vulcans feature a group of 21 seniors in 2011. The senior class has compiled a record of 37-9 and started a combined 266 games. Senior defensive lineman Marcus Cook leads the team with 32-consecutive starts dating back to the 2009 season.

• Redshirt junior quarterback Peter Lalich nearly became the first player in recent program history (since 2002) to pass for 300 yards in three-straight games. After posting 300-plus yards in wins over East Stroudsburg and Clarion, he finished with 292 yards and three touchdowns last week at Lock Haven. Over the last three weeks, the 6-5 quarterback has thrown for 1,026 yards - the highest three-game total in recent years - and eight touchdowns. Lalich has also proven to be one of the most accurate passers in the league, leading the PSAC with a 65.9 completion percentage (108-of-164).