• Game Notes (.pdf)

#17/15 CAL U (9-2) vs. ELIZABETH CITY STATE (8-3)
• When: Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011
• Where: California, Pa.
• Stadium: Adamson Stadium (6,500)
• Kickoff: 12 p.m.
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM) I WJPA (95.3 FM) I WRVS (89.9 FM)
• Live Video: Click here
• Live Stats: Click here

GAME INFORMATION
• General Admission: $10 adults I $5 students
• Chairback Sets: $15
• Directions to Adamson Stadium
• NCAA Playoff Bracket I Interactive Bracket

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: First Meeting
• First Meeting: Nov. 19, 2011

CAL U NOTES
• Cal U will make its fifth-straight appearance in the NCAA Playoffs after closing the regular season with four-straight wins. After losing its first two games of the year, Elizabeth City State won eight-consecutive games before suffering a 38-18 loss in the CIAA Championship last weekend.

• This weekend marks the first all-time meeting between the Vulcans and Vikings. Cal U is making its fifth-straight appearance in the NCAA Playoffs, while Elizabeth City State is appearing in the post-season for the first time since 2006.

• Behind a career-high five touchdown passes from redshirt junior quarterback Peter Lalich, Cal U closed the regular season with a 43-3 victory at Cheyney. Lalich posted 252 passing yards and completed 21-of-34 attempts with no interceptions in the win. Senior wide receiver Chedrick Cherry finished with second 100-yard game of the season and caught a pair of touchdowns. The Vulcans limited the Wolves to only 172 yards of total offense and forced six turnovers. Senior defensive back Erik Harris finished with a team-high six tackles, 1.0 sack, one interception and one fumble recovery.

• A two-time CIAA Coach of the Year (2006, 2008), Waverly Tillar is in ninth season as head coach of the Vikings. He has led Elizabeth City State to three appearances in the CIAA Championship in the last six seasons (2006, 2008, 2011) and a pair of berths in the NCAA Playoffs (2006, 2011). Prior to his tenure as head coach, Tillar was the defensive coordinator for the Vikings. He graduated from Virginia Union in 1975 and as a linebacker he helped the program claim its first football title in 50 years.

• After a six-win campaign in 2010, Elizabeth City State was the preseason favorite in the CIAA North Division with 38 returning lettermen and 13 returning starters (eight offensive, five defensive). The Vikings boast one of the nation's top overall defenses, ranking eighth in total defense (272.00 yards/game) and ninth in turnover margin (+1.18 turnovers/game).  Senior defensive linemen Brad Davis and John Davis lead a dynamic pass rush that averages 3.82 sacks per game, third-best in the country. The Davis tandem has combined for 32.0 tackles for loss (TFL) with each player registering 11.0 sacks, which is tied for ninth in the nation. Senior linebacker DeWitt Dixon leads the team with 76 tackles (50 solo), while classmate Brandon Smith has posted 70 stops (49 solo) with 11.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. Offensively, Elizabeth City State features one of the most prolific running backs in the country in junior Daronte McNeil, who originally attended East Carolina. McNeil leads the CIAA and ranks fifth in the country with 1,580 rushing yards on 334 attempts (most in the country), while also being third in the nation with 22 rushing touchdowns. A native of Elizabeth City, he has posted seven 100-yard games this season and rushed for at least two touchdowns in the last eight games with a season-high 233 rushing yards and four touchdowns against Virginia Union. Senior quarterback Creven Powell has passed for 1,058 yards with six touchdowns while completing only 53.4 percent (87-of-163) of his attempts. Senior wide receiver Jermaine Lindsay leads the team with 346 yards on 18 receptions (19.2 yards/reception), while tight end Anthony Faulcon has caught a team-best three touchdowns on 18 catches for 284 yards. Sophomore Kevin Miller, one of three Pennsylvania natives on the roster, has made 35-of-43 PAT kick attempts and is only 3-of-10 on field-goals this year. Of 152 NCAA Division II teams, the Vikings rank 142nd in net punting (27.76 yards/punt) and 145th in kickoff returns (16.72 yards/return).

• This weekend marks the first all-time meeting between Cal U and Elizabeth City State. The Vulcans and Vikings share no common opponent this season. The only tie between the PSAC and CIAA this year is that Cheyney beat Lincoln, 21-19, in the season-opener. The Vulcans last faced a CIAA member in 2009 when they posted a 42-13 victory over Fayetteville State in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs. Overall, Cal U is 2-0 against members of the CIAA.

• The Vulcans are making their fifth all-time appearance (7-4) in the NCAA Playoffs, while the Vikings are in the post-season for the third time (0-2) in school history. Elizabeth City State made its first appearance in the playoffs in 1981 before returning to the post-season in 2006, losing 17-10 to Delta State. After an undefeated regular season in 2007, Cal U won the first of three-straight NCAA Regional Championships before losing in the first round last year.

• This weekend will feature two of the most dominating players in Super Region One with CIAA Offensive Player of the Year Daronte McNeil and PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year Rontez Miles. After rushing for over 1,000 yards last season, McNeil leads the CIAA this year with 1,580 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns on 334 attempts, which leads all NCAA divisions. Miles, who was the 2009 PSAC West Freshman of the Year, has registered a career-high four interceptions and ranks third on the team with 56 tackles (40 solo) this season.

• Cal U led the PSAC West with a total of 12 players on the All-PSAC West Teams, including eight first-team selections. Junior defensive back Rontez Miles became the third Vulcan in five years to be named PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year. The first-team selections for the Vulcans included senior guard Rishaw Johnson, redshirt junior quarterback Peter Lalich, senior wide receiver Thomas Mayo, junior running back Lamont Smith and junior tight end Blake Williamson on offense and Miles and senior defensive linemen Thomas Mulabah and Steve Santia on defense. The second-team picks for Cal U were senior wide receiver Chedrick Cherry, senior defensive back Erik Harris, sophomore linebacker Brian Justice and senior defensive back Patrick Swearinger.

• Redshirt junior quarterback Peter Lalich is on the verge of becoming only the third 3,000-yard passer in school history, all since 2008. He now ranks third in single-season school history with 2,987 passing yards and is fourth in school history with 26 touchdown passes. Lalich is also one of the most accurate quarterbacks in school history, ranking third in the record book with 227 completions (62.0 percent). The 6-5 quarterback threw a career-high five touchdown passes last week at Cheyney, which is just one score shy of the single-game school record.

• Cal U has won 14 of its last 16 games in November since the start of the 2007 season. In the previous decade from 1997-2006, the Vulcans struggled down the stretch of the season by posting only a 6-14 record (.300).

• Over the last two seasons, senior wide receiver Chedrick Cherry has combined for 234 receiving yards and five touchdowns against Cheyney. He posted his second 100-yard game of the season, and sixth of his career, last week against the Wolves, finishing with 129 yards and two touchdowns (55, 46) on five catches. With his scores, Cherry moved into a tie with Vic Shandor (1989-92) for second place in school history with 22 receiving touchdowns. The Cincinnati native enters the week only 39 receiving yards shy of reaching the 2,000-yard mark in his career.

• After a road loss on Oct. 15, Cal U wasn't featured in the initial NCAA Super Region One rankings. The Vulcans then closed the regular season on a four-game winning streak, including victories over Edinboro, IUP and Mercyhurst, to move to as high as fourth in the regional rankings. Cal U earned a berth to the NCAA Playoffs on Sunday for a fifth-straight region, which is the longest streak in Super Region One.

• Junior running back Lamont Smith enters the weekend only five yards shy of becoming the fourth player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons (Wesley Cates, Antoine Bagwell, Daine Williams). A two-time All-PSAC West First-Team selection, he ranks sixth in the PSAC in rushing this season at 90.5 yards/game. Smith has posted six 100-yard rushing games this year and 12 over the last two seasons.

• In last week's win at Cheyney, the Vulcans forced a season-high six turnovers with four fumble recoveries and two interceptions. The six turnovers are the highest single-game total since Cal U recorded six turnovers in a 43-7 win over Clarion on Sept. 24, 2005. Senior defensive back Erik Harris, a two-time All-PSAC West selection, posted his ninth career interceptions and also recovered a fumble against the Wolves.

ABOUT CALIFORNIA
Hotel Information
Restaurant Information
Directions
Campus Map (.pdf)

MEDIA
Media Information
Free Live Webstream (CUTV)
NCAA Website