• Game Notes (.pdf)

GANNON (4-3, 3-1) vs. CAL U (5-2, 3-1)
• When: Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013
• Where: California, Pa.
• Stadium: Adamson Stadium (6,500)
• Kickoff: 12 p.m.
• TV: CUTV (tape delay)
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM) I WERG (90.5 FM)
• Live Video: America One (PPV)
• Live Stats: Fan Stats I Media Stats

GAME INFORMATION
• General Admission: $10 adults/$5 students/FREE 12 and under
• Chairback Seats: $15 adults/$10 students
• Parking: $3
• Directions to Adamson Stadium

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: Cal U leads 5-0
• First Meeting: Oct. 28, 2008 @ Gannon  - Cal U won 42-24
• Last Meeting: Oct. 20, 2012 @ Gannon - Cal U won 41-0
• Streak: Cal U +5

CAL U NOTES
• Cal U begins a pivotal two-game stretch this weekend, as both opponents and the Vulcans are tied for first place in the PSAC West standings. Cal U cruised to a 33-7 victory at Seton Hill last Saturday, while Gannon suffered a 51-21 loss to rival Mercyhurst in the Niagara Cup last Thursday.

• The Vulcans scored 24 points in the second quarter and yielded only 173 yards of total offense last Saturday in a 33-7 win at league-newcomer Seton Hill. Sophomore quarterback James Harris passed for 221 yards and two touchdowns, while junior Jeff Knox, Jr. accounted for two scores in the victory. Trailing after the first quarter, Cal U scored on four-straight drives, including a pair of touchdown passes by Harris, to enter halftime with a 30-7 lead. Senior defensive back Ja'wan Bryant led the team with a career-high eight tackles. Freshman defensive lineman Blake Bell registered five stops and 2.0 sacks.

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

• After serving five years with the program as the defensive coordinator, Brad Rzyczycki is in his second season as head coach of the Golden Knights. He has led Gannon to a 7-11 overall record behind six wins in the last 10 games dating back to last year. Prior to his time with the Golden Knights, he served as the defensive and recruiting coordinator at Kentucky Wesleyan from 2003-06.

• Gannon returns 16 starters from a team that won two of its final three games last year. With nine returning starters, the Golden Knights feature a balanced offense this season with a 1,000-yard rusher in senior Jansen Jones and a 2,000-yard passer in sophomore Liam Nadler. Jones enters the weekend ranked third in the PSAC with 1,033 rushing yards behind a pair of 200-yard games and has already tied his career total with 10 rushing touchdowns. In only two seasons, Nadler has passed for nearly 5,000 yards and has accounted for 20 touchdowns this season (seven rushing). Gannon boasts five players with at least 20 receptions this season, including a team-high 39 catches by junior Justin Caliste. Fellow junior Abraham Ocasio, an All-PSAC First-Team selection last year, and sophomore Quad Law both have over 400 receiving yards and 30 receptions with Ocasio leading the team with five touchdown catches. Defensively, the Golden Knights allow a league-high 254.7 rushing yards and 486.7 yards of total offense per game. Junior linebacker Luke Rankie leads the team with 64 tackles (21 solo), 7.0 TFL and 3.5 sacks after starting six games last season. Defensive back Mike Zanders has made 59 stops (27 solo), 4.5 TFL and two interceptions as a true freshman. On special teams, Caliste ranks among the PSAC leaders with an average of nearly 30 yards per kick return and already has four punt returns for touchdowns in his career. Junior Adam Schaffer is averaging a career-high 40.1 yards per punt and senior Donnie Mann has made six-of-seven field goals with a long of 44 yards after transferring from Sioux Falls (S.D.).

• With three weeks left of divisional play, the Vulcans control their own fate in terms of reaching the PSAC Championship Game on Nov. 16. Cal U enters the weekend in a three-way tie for first place in the PSAC West standings with its next two opponents, Gannon (Oct. 26) and Slippery Rock (Nov. 2), also tied for the top spot. The Golden Knights opened divisional play with three-straight victories, including an upset of The Rock, while Slippery Rock has rebounded with four-consecutive wins against league opponents. Preseason-favorite IUP has lost two-straight games and is one of three teams with two losses in PSAC West play.

• 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, Gannon was picked to finish fifth in the division after suffering seven-straight losses last year.

• Cal U wide receivers have combined to make six catches of 50-plus yards this season. Last week at Seton Hill, senior Nadir Brown posted a 58-yard touchdown reception on the first play of a drive in the second quarter. Five different players have recorded a catch of at least 50 yards this year and four of the 50-yard receptions have resulted in touchdowns.

• In last week's victory, Cal U yielded just 40 passing yards and 173 yards of total offense at Seton Hill. The Vulcans allowed only one possession to go more than 40 yards, as nine of the 14 possessions by the Grffins resulted in punts (two downs, turnover, half, touchdown). The 40 passing yards marked the lowest single-game total against Cal U since it yielded six yards through the air against Cheyney during the 2010 season.

• Last week Seton Hill, the Vulcans committed four turnovers in the win and still earned a 26-point victory. Cal U has committed a combined 18 turnovers this season and holds a neutral turnover margin in its five victories (12-12). Overall, the Vulcans are a minus-five in the turnover margin behind nine interceptions and nine fumbles lost.

• Against IUP, sophomore Andrew Cerett recorded the longest punt in NCAA Division II this year at 79 yards. The distance ranks as the seventh-best punt in all NCAA divisions this year and is the longest by a Cal U punter in over a decade. Cerett led the PSAC in punting as a freshman and ranks third this season with a mark of 43.1 yards per punt.

• Last week, sophomore quarterback James Harris passed for 221 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his third career start. He has averaged 236.0 passing yards per game and accounted for six touchdowns (one rushing) compared to one interception while the starter. Harris has helped the offense average 33.0 points over the last three games, which is an increase of nearly 10 points from the opening four weeks of the season.

• Senior wide receiver Trey Johnson has totaled a combined 320 all-purpose yards over the last two weeks. He led the team with five catches and 75 receiving yards at Seton Hill last week, while also returning five punts for 76 yards. Against Clarion on Oct. 12, Johnson set a season high with 169 all-purpose yards after accumulating receiving, rushing and punt return yards. The Rochester product ranks second in the PSAC and No. 13 in the country with a career-high 14.4 yards per punt return.

• In only two years as a starter, senior linebacker BJ Stevens has developed into one of the top defensive playmakers in school history. He set the single-season school records for sacks and TFL last year, while leading the country in sacks per game. Stevens broke the all-time school record for sacks earlier this season and enters the weekend ranked second with 36.5 TFL, just 2.5 TFL shy of tying the record set by former teammate Thomas Mulabah.

• Senior CJ Townes has made 13-consecutive starts in the secondary and ranks third on the team with 40 tackles (21 solo) this season. He was the team's top returning tackler from last season after not playing football since 2007. Following high school, the Maryland native played basketball two years at both Baltimore City Community College and Cal U. Townes has posted 32 stops over the last five games, including seven tackles last week at Seton Hill.

• Junior Jeff Knox, Jr. has rushed for a combined 169 yards and three touchdowns in the last two weeks after missing the game on Oct. 5. Prior to this season, he split time in the secondary, on special teams and in the backfield. Knox leads the team in rushing this year and continues to play special teams, as he recovered a fumble on a punt attempt last week and scored his second career touchdown on special teams (punt block, 2012). The Pittsburgh native has accounted for 24 touchdowns in his career while only starting six games on offense.

• Only a junior, kicker Cody Nuzzo now ranks fifth all-time, and second among kickers, in school history with 177 points. He totaled eight points in last week's victory to surpass former All-American wide receiver A.J. Jackson (2008-09) on the career points list. Already the school's career leader in PATs, Nuzzo enters the weekend tied with Marc Domonkos (2009-10) for third place in school history with 23 career field goals.