• Game Notes (.pdf)

CAL U (3-1) vs. #17/19 WEST CHESTER (4-0)
• When: Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013
• Where: West Chester, Pa.
• Stadium: John A. Farrell Stadium (7,500)
• Kickoff: 12 p.m.
• TV: CUTV (tape delay)
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM) I WCHE (1520 AM)
• Live Stats: Fan Stats I Media Stats

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: West Chester leads 5-4
• First Meeting: 1956 - West Chester won 31-7
• Last Meeting: Sept.. 29, 2012 @ Cal U - West Chester won 37-34
• Streak: West Chester +1

CAL U NOTES
• Cal U continues its two-game road trip against nationally-ranked opponents following a 20-7 loss at IUP in the fifth-annual Coal Bowl last week. Meanwhile, West Chester remained undefeated with a 22-21 victory over Kutztown after scoring the game-winning touchdown with 1:05 remaining.

• The Vulcans were unable to overcome five interceptions and were held without an offensive touchdown in a 20-7 loss at No. 7 IUP last week. Cal U was limited to just 230 yards of total offense and sophomore starting quarterback Cody Schroeder threw three first-half interceptions, including two in the end zone. Trailing 14-0, the Vulcans scored their only touchdown of the game on an interception return by senior defensive back Dewey McDonald, his second touchdown of the year. Senior defensive back CJ Townes and sophomore linebacker Branko Busick both posted a team-high 10 tackles in the loss.

• In 11 years as head coach of the Golden Rams, Bill Zwaan ranks third in school history with an 81-43 record and three PSAC East titles. He helped guide West Chester to five-consecutive berths in the NCAA Playoffs from 2004-08 with an appearance in the NCAA Semifinals in 2004. Zwaan previously served as head coach for six years at NCAA Division III Widener, leading the Pride to four postseason appearances and consecutive 12-win seasons.

• West Chester returns 16 starters from a team that posted the program's first winning season since 2009, finishing 7-4 overall. The Golden Rams boast one of the most balanced and explosive offenses in the country, ranking ninth in NCAA Division II with 546.3 yards of total offense per game. Senior running back Rondell White leads the nation, and ranks second in all NCAA divisions, with 253.3 all-purpose yards per game and is tied for third with 10 touchdowns (eight rushing). White set the single-season school record for rushing yards last year and led NCAA Division II in all-purpose yards per game. Junior quarterback Sean McCartney, who suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1 last year, averages 286.5 passing yards per game with 12 touchdowns. White paces the team in receptions, while junior wide receiver Erick Brundidge leads the Golden Rams with 270 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Linebacker Ronell Williams anchors one of the PSAC's best defenses after earning AFCA All-America honors as a sophomore in 2012. Williams has tallied 32 tackles with 4.0 TFL and 1.5 sacks this year after leading the PSAC in tackles last season. Junior Mike Labor leads the team with 35 stops, while senior Eric Edwers has recorded 6.0 TFL and 4.0 sacks. The Golden Rams are tied for second in the league with seven interceptions, including three by junior Al-Hajj Shabazz. West Chester features two of the league's top specialists in kicker Shawn Leo and punter Rich Bruno. Leo holds the all-time school record with 39 career field goals and Bruno was an All-PSAC East selection in 2012. White and sophomore Brandon Monk are skilled returners, both averaging over 27 yards on kickoff returns.

• The Vulcans are facing a nationally-ranked opponent on the road in consecutive weeks for the first time since the 2009 NCAA Playoffs. Cal U holds a 19-19 overall record against Top-25 teams since the start of the 2000 season with a 10-10 mark on the road. Cal U has posted a 4-0 record against West Chester (since 2000) when the Golden Rams have been featured in the AFCA Top 25 poll.

• For the first time since 2004, the Vulcans failed to earn at least a share of the top spot in the preseason PSAC West poll. Cal U was selected fourth in the league poll by the coaches after losing its last two divisional games in 2012. Meanwhile, West Chester was picked third in the PSAC East poll and earned one first-place vote.

• In the last 10 seasons, the Vulcans hold a combined 25-8 record (.758) against PSAC East opponents. Cal U won four-consecutive meetings over West Chester during that span, including the 2008 PSAC Championship, before the Golden Rams posted a 37-34 victory last year after scoring 27 points in the first half.

• In last week's loss at IUP, sophomore punter Andrew Cerett recorded the longest punt in NCAA Division II this year at 79 yards. The distance ranks as the fifth-best punt in all NCAA divisions this year and is the longest by a Cal U punter in over a decade. Cerett tied his career high with three punts placed inside the 20-yard line at IUP and set a career high with an average of 54.2 yards on five punts. He led the PSAC in punting as a freshman last year and ranks second in the league this season with a mark of 44.5 yards per punt.

• After going nearly three years without an interception return for touchdown, the Vulcans have accomplished the feat in three-consecutive games. Against Kutztown, senior defensive lineman Noah Taylor recorded his first career interception midway through the third quarter deep in Golden Bears' territory and returned it seven yards for a score. Versus Edinboro, senior defensive back Dewey McDonald made an interception at midfield midway through the second quarter and raced 50 yards for his second career touchdown. Last week at IUP, McDonald scored the team's only touchdown of the game late in the third quarter when he scampered 80 yards for a score.

• Sophomore quarterbacks Cody Schroeder and James Harris combined to throw five interceptions last week at IUP after entering the game with only two interceptions on 102 pass attempts. It marked the most interceptions in a game by Cal U in over a decade and equaled the season total by the Vulcans in 2005 on 288 pass attempts. IUP senior Terrell Holloway became the first opposing player to record three interceptions in a game - all in the first half.

• Senior defensive back Dewey McDonald has quickly become one of the top playmakers in his first year in the PSAC. He was a three-time All-WVIAC selection from 2009-11 at Fairmont State before missing last season due to an injury. McDonald tied his career high with 15 tackles in the season-opener at Hillsdale. The former Academic All-American has since returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns, becoming the first Cal U player in over a decade to return multiple interceptions for a touchdown in the same year.

• The Vulcans have been held without a point in the first half twice this season after scoring in the first half of 23-consecutive games. Cal U was shutout in the first half at Hillsdale in the season-opener before scoring 22 second-half points to earn a 22-19 victory. Last week, the Vulcans only managed a score on an interception return for touchdown in a 20-7 at IUP.

• In last year's meeting, West Chester standout Rondell White totaled 280 all-purpose yards and scored both a rushing and receiving touchdown. White finished the game with 200 rushing yards and accounted for 80 receiving yards on six catches. He is one of only five players in the last decade to rush for 200 yards or more against the Vulcans.

• Cal U recorded its third blocked kick of the season last week at IUP when sophomore Rodney Gillin blocked a PAT attempt in the fourth quarter. It marked the second block kick of the year for Gillin and he became the first player since Thomas Mulabah (Oct. 1, 2011) to block a PAT attempt. The Vulcans totaled six blocks kicks last year and have combined to block 14 kicks since the start of the 2011 season.

• Cal U has been held under 100 rushing yards three times in four games this season, averaging just 83.5 yards per game and only 2.3 yards per attempt. The Vulcans are one of three teams in the PSAC to rush for only one touchdown or fewer. In contrast, the Cal U defense is tied for fourth in the league in rushing defense, allowing 95.3 yards per game.

• Sophomore linebacker Branko Busick has recorded a combined 18 tackles in the last two games, including a career-high 10 stops at IUP last week. He made three tackles, including 2.0 TFL, in the season-opener before being held without a tackle the following week. Prior to this year, Busick last played in a game on Oct. 9, 2010 while at West Virginia.