• Game Notes (.pdf)

#16/15 CAL U (4-1, 2-0) vs. CLARION (3-2, 1-1)
• When: Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012
• Where: Clarion, Pa.
• Stadium: Memorial Stadium (5,00)
• Kickoff: 2 p.m.
• TV: CUTV (tape delay)
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM) I WCCR (92.7 FM)
• Live Video: America One (PPV)
• Live Stats: Flash Stats I Media Stats

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: Cal U leads 41-38-3
• First Meeting: 1923 - Cal U won 65-0
• Last Meeting: Sept. 24, 2011 @ Cal U - Cal U won 40-13
• Streak: Cal U +7

CAL U NOTES
• Cal U returns to PSAC West play this weekend when it travels to Clarion. Last weekend, the Vulcans suffered a 37-34 loss to West Chester after trailing by 14 points at halftime. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles rallied from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to earn a 31-27 victory over East Stroudsburg.

• Cal U rallied to tie the game after facing a 14-point deficit at halftime before suffering a 37-34 loss to West Chester. Senior quarterback Peter Lalich passed for 342 yards and three touchdowns on 29-of-47 attempts. Junior wide receiver Trey Johnson registered his second-straight 100-yard game, totaling 120 yards and two touchdowns on 11 receptions. After halftime, the Vulcans scored touchdowns on two-straight drives after the defense forced a turnover. Defensively, junior CJ Townes led the team with a career-high 13 tackles (six solo) and senior Rontez Miles added 12 stops (five solo) and two interceptions.

• The Vulcans and Golden Eagles are meeting for the 83rd time this weekend, making Clarion the second-most common opponent for Cal U. The Vulcans have won seven-straight and eight of the last 10 meetings.

• After nearly guiding the program to the NCAA Playoffs in 2009, Jay Foster has posted a 22-49 record in seven seasons with the Golden Eagles. He was named the PSAC West Coach of the Year in 2009 before finishing 3-8 last season with the three wins coming in the last six weeks of the year. Foster took the helm at Clarion after serving as the long-time defensive coordinator at Slippery Rock.

• Clarion returns 19 starters (nine offense, eight defense) from a team that finished 3-8 overall and tied for sixth in the divisional standings. The Golden Eagles enter the weekend with the fourth-ranked rushing offense in the PSAC behind the tandem of sophomore running back Bobby Thomas and junior quarterback Ben Fiscus. A former safety, Thomas ranks sixth in the league with 100.4 rushing yards per game and Fiscus is 10th in the conference at 90.0 rushing yards/game. Fiscus, a three-year starter, has also posted 885 passing yards and tied his career high with seven touchdown passes this season. Junior wide receiver Jon Reid ranks among the league leaders with a career-high 384 receiving yards on 23 catches. Clarion boasts one of the top defenses in the PSAC this season, allowing 20.4 points and 320.6 yards per game. Senior linebacker Nate Sipes anchors the defense with 38 tackles (11 solo) after finishing third in the league with nearly 100 stops last season. Fellow linebacker Brian Palmiere is tied for the team lead with 38 tackles (18 solo) and has added 3.5 TFL in his second year as a starter. Sophomore defensive end Julian Howsare leads the Golden Eagles with 5.5 sacks this year after missing the season-opener. On special teams, junior Nathan Conway is averaging 35.8 yards per punt with three blocked punts this season.

• Followings its loss last week, Cal U fell to Nos. 16 and 15 in the AFCA and D2Football.com Top 25 polls, respectively. The Vulcans have been ranked in the AFCA poll for 11-consecutive weeks dating back to last season.

• Since 2005, Cal U has posted an impressive 14-3 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.

• 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.

• Over the last two weeks, the Vulcans have been out-gained on the ground by a staggering 495-101 margin. Cal U has allowed its opponents to rush for over 200 yards in consecutive weeks for the first time since 2008, and for the first time recent program history it has allowed an individual player to total over 200 rushing yards (Harvie Tuck, Rondell White) in back-to-back games. The Vulcans were limited to under 100 rushing yards in back-to-back games last year before totaling 229 yards on the ground in a victory at IUP.

• Junior wide receiver Trey Johnson has recorded 100-yard games in two-straight games, totaling 120 yards both times. Last week, he tied his career high with two touchdown receptions and established a career best with 11 catches, which ranks as the third-highest single-game total in school history. Johnson, who was a reserve running back the last two years, is tied for the team lead with four touchdown receptions and ranks second on the team with 24 catches for 293 yards this season.

• Senior Peter Lalich is the first quarterback in recent program history to throw for over 300 yards in four-consecutive games. In fact, he is the first player in recent years to eclipse the 300-yard mark more than three times in a season. Lalich has recorded eight 300-yard games (6-2) over the last two years, including 350 yards last season against Clarion.

• Cal U has won seven-straight and eight of the last 10 meetings against Clarion. However, both of the losses in the series came at Memorial Stadium (2002, 2004). In the last meeting at Memorial Stadium, the Golden Eagles took a 7-3 lead at halftime after throwing a touchdown pass as time expired in the second quarter. Cal U answered with three touchdowns in the second half to earn a 24-9 victory.

• Senior running back Lamont Smith has surpassed the 100-yard mark against Clarion in each of the last two years. He has totaled 340 rushing yards on 56 carries in two career meetings against the Golden Eagles, including 185 yards on a career-high 39 attempts in 2010. Smith, who has 14 career 100-yard games, leads the team with 348 rushing yards this season.

• Cal U junior defensive back CJ Townes led the team and set a career high with 13 tackles (six solo) last weekend. He ranks fifth on the team with 32 stops (14 solo) and has posted 2.5 TFL and one interception this season. Townes was a guard on the Vulcans' basketball team the last two years, averaging 4.9 points, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

• The Vulcans were whistled for just two penalties in last week's loss against West Chester, marking the fewest penalties in a game since 2009. Cal U has been flagged only seven times in the last two games after being whistled for 35 penalties in the first three weeks. Cal U is tied for third in the PSAC with 42 penalties behind only Cheyney (47) and IUP (44).

• Sophomore Jeff Knox, Jr. has split time at defensive back, running back and on special teams this season. Last week, he rushed for two touchdowns, recorded six tackles (four solo) and posted 123 yards on five kickoff returns. Knox, who led the team with 10 rushing touchdowns last year, has started three games at safety this year.

• Senior Chet Welc is the only offensive lineman to start all five games at the same position this season. A former tight end, he is a second-year starter at right tackle and is tied for the team lead among offensive players with 18-consecutive starts. Welc became the fourth Academic All-American in program history last year, and the first since 2006.

• Clarion quarterback Ben Fiscus has developed into the top dual-threat quarterback in the PSAC. He leads all quarterbacks and ranks eighth overall in the league with 450 rushing yards, while also passing for 885 yards and seven touchdowns. In last year's meeting, the Vulcans limited Fiscus to 45 rushing yards on 15 carries and 122 passing yards. The last quarterback to rush for over 50 yards against Cal U was Phillip Klaphake of St. Cloud State.

• Senior defensive back Rontez Miles recorded the first multi-interception game of his career last week. He was the first Cal U player to post multiple interceptions in a game since Tommie Campbell in the 2010 NCAA Playoffs. A preseason All-American, Miles leads the team with 46 tackles (23 solo) this season with three double-digit tackle games.