• Game Notes (.pdf)

#14/12 CAL U (6-1, 4-0) vs. GANNON (1-6, 0-4)
• When: Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012
• Where: Erie, Pa.
• Stadium: Gannon University Field (2,500)
• Kickoff: 12 p.m.
• TV: CUTV (tape delay)
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM) I WJET (1400 AM)
• Live Video: America One (PPV)
• Live Stats: Click here

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: Cal U leads 4-0
• First Meeting: Oct. 18, 2008 @ Gannon - Cal U won 42-24
• Last Meeting: Oct. 8, 2011 @ Cal U - Cal U won 33-6
• Streak: Cal U +4

CAL U NOTES
• Cal U continues divisional play this weekend following a 30-0 Homecoming  win over Lock Haven last Saturday. Meanwhile, Gannon has lost six-straight games, including a 38-29 home loss to rival Mercyhurst last week in the Niagara Cup.

• Redshirt freshman Cody Schroeder passed for three touchdowns and the defense allowed just 116 yards of total offense last week, as Cal U registered a 30-0 win against Lock Haven. In his first career start, Schroeder finished with 252 passing yards and three touchdowns on 20-of-29 attempts. Senior Lamont Smith and sophomore Cody Cook both eclipsed the 100-yard mark, as Cal U rushed for a season-high 221 yards on 51 attempts. The Vulcans limited Lock Haven to season-low totals in virtually every offensive category, including just three rushing yards. The Bald Eagles managed eight first downs and ran only 47 plays in the loss.

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

• After serving the last five years as the defensive coordinator, Brad Rzyczycki is in his first season as head coach at Gannon in 2012. Prior to his tenure with the Golden Knights, he served as the defensive and recruiting coordinator at Kentucky Wesleyan from 2003-06. Rzyczycki started his coaching career as Mercyhurst, his alma mater, serving on the coaching staff for seven seasons.

• Gannon returns 11 starters (five offense, six defense) from a team that finished 4-7 overall and fifth in the divisional standings. Under the direction of first-year offensive coordinator Josh Hoeg, the Golden Knights enter the weekend with the fourth-ranked passing offense in the PSAC and the lowest-ranked rushing offense in the league. Redshirt freshman quarterback Liam Nadler ranks third in the league with 2,071 passing yards while attempting a conference-high 315 attempts. Sophomore wide receivers Abraham Ocasio and Justin Caliste both rank among the top 10 in the PSAC in receptions and Ocasio is third in the league with eight touchdown catches. The Golden Knights feature a stark contrast on defense, as they boast the league's second-ranked passing defense and the second-lowest rushing defense. Senior linebacker Will Giles leads the team and ranks third in the league with 63 tackles (33 solo) and has also registered 7.5 TFL and three interceptions, both team highs. Senior linebacker Jon Petrigac and sophomore defensive back Mike Phillips are tied for second on the team with 58 stops. Caliste is a dynamic return specialist for the Golden Knights, totaling 671 yards this year after returning two punts and one kickoff for a touchdown in 2011. Senior kicker Matt Szczupakowski has made 15-of-17 field goals over the last two years, including all seven attempts this season with a long of 45 yards.

• With its win last week, Cal U moved up one spot to Nos. 14 and 12 in the AFCA and D2Football.com Top 25 polls, respectively. The Vulcans have been ranked in the AFCA poll for 12-consecutive weeks and the D2Football.com poll every week since Oct. 12, 2009. The initial 2012 NCAA regional rankings are scheduled to be released on Monday afternoon.

• Since the PSAC expanded with the addition of Gannon and Mercyhurst in 2008, Cal U has posted a 7-1 combined record against the two 'new' teams. Versus the Golden Knights, the Vulcans have won all four meetings by a combined 114 points following a 33-6 victory last season at Adamson Stadium.

• This weekend's contest will feature two of the most versatile players in the PSAC in Cal U junior Trey Johnson and Gannon sophomore Justin Caliste, both wide receivers who also serve as their team's primary return specialist. Johnson ranks among the league leaders with 128.5 all-purpose yards per game, while leading the PSAC with an average of 10.9 yards per punt return. Caliste is among the top 25 in the country in all-purpose yards with 158.4 per game after posting a league-high 671 combined return yards.

• Last season, the Vulcans became the fourth school in PSAC history, and the first since West Chester (2004-08), to reach the NCAA Playoffs in five-straight years. No program in the league has made six-consecutive berths in the NCAA Playoffs and IUP is the only school to have reached the postseason five-straight years on multiple separate occasions.

• A two-time All-PSAC West First-Team selection, senior tight end Blake Williamson has made at least one reception in 15-consecutive games. He ranks third on the team this year with 25 receptions for 243 yards with one touchdown.

• In last week's victory, Cody Schroeder became the first Cal U freshman quarterback to start a game since Matt Humbert in the final game of the 2004 season. Schroeder passed for 252 yards and three touchdowns on 20-of-29 attempts with no interceptions. A 6-2 redshirt freshman, he made his college debut two weeks ago playing sparingly as a reserve at Clarion.

• Senior defensive back Rontez Miles, who was featured on the preseason Senior Bowl Watch List, currently leads the team with 56 tackles (27 solo) and three interceptions this year. He was one of only eight players from NCAA Division II programs featured on the Senior Bowl Watch List.  A First-Team All-American in 2011, Miles has made 27-consecutive starts and ranks fifth in school history with 238 career tackles (140 solo).

• Sophomore kicker Cody Nuzzo made a career-high three field goals in last week's win over Lock Haven. He also made three-of-three PAT attempts and averaged nearly 63 yards on six kickoffs. Nuzzo is the first Cal U kicker with three field goals in a game since Tyler Lorenz in 2007. A native of Bradford, Pa., Nuzzo has made seven-of-eight field goals this season, including the game-winning field goal against IUP in the closing seconds.

• A standout special teams player in 2011, senior linebacker James Carr made his first career start at linebacker last weekend. He has posted 24 stops (11 solo), 3.5 TFL, 1.0 sack and two pass break-ups this season while missing time due to injury. A native of The Golden State, Carr is the 13th different player on defense, and 19th overall, to make his first career start this season.

• Last week, the Vulcans yielded just 116 yards of total offense while registering their first shutout of the season against Lock Haven. The Bald Eagles also managed just three rushing yards on 15 attempts in the loss. It was the least amount of yardage allowed by a Cal U defense since 2010 when it yielded only 79 yards of total offense, including minus-four rushing yards, in a shutout victory at Edinboro.

• Senior Lamont Smith and sophomore Cody Cook both rushed for over 100 yards in last week's victory against Lock Haven. Smith posted a season-high 118 yards on 21 carries and Cook established career highs with 108 yards and 16 attempts. It marked the second time in the last two seasons in which two Vulcans rushed for over 100 yards in the same game, as Smith and Jeff Knox, Jr. accomplished the feat at IUP in 2011. Smith has surpassed the 100-yard mark 15 times in his career and Cal U has posted a perfect 15-0 record in those games.

• In his first year as a starter, junior defensive end BJ Stevens ranks among the league and national leaders in TFL and sacks. He has recorded at least 1.0 sack in three-straight games and ranks fourth in the PSAC this season with 7.5 sacks, which surpasses his previous career total. A former standout at Gateway, Stevens is also third in the league with a team-high 11.0 TFL, including a career-high 3.5 at Edinboro.

• Redshirt freshman wide receiver Kowan Scott has demonstrated big-play ability this season, averaging a staggering 23.1 yards per reception. He ranks fourth on the team with 254 receiving yards on only 11 catches. Scott has scored three touchdown this year with each being for at least 35 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown last week. The former Pennsylvania state champion in the hurdles also caught the game-winning, 39-yard touchdown at Kutztown.