Game Notes (PDF)

#NR/23 CAL U (6-1, 5-1) @ CLARION (2-5, 2-4)
• When: Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014
• Where: Clarion, Pa.
• Stadium: Memorial Stadium (5,000)
• Kickoff: 1 p.m.
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM) I WKQW (96.3 FM)
• Live Stats: Fan Stats I Media Stats

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: Cal U leads 43-38-3
• First Meeting: 1923 - Cal U won 65-0
• Last Meeting: Oct. 12, 2013 @ California - Cal U won 35-7 I Recap I Box Score
• Streak: Cal U +9

CAL U NOTES
• Cal U returns to the road on Saturday when it travels to face Clarion after playing back-to-back home games. The Vulcans posted a 21-13 victory last week over rival IUP in the Coal Bowl. Meanwhile, Clarion suffered its fourth-straight loss after dropping a 30-16 contest at Seton Hill.

• The Vulcans forced five turnovers, including an interception in the end zone with less than one minute remaining, in a 21-13 victory over IUP in the Coal Bowl. Cal U limited IUP to 111 rushing yards despite a 53-yard run early in the first quarter. The Vulcans totaled six sacks in the win, including 3.0 sacks by sophomore defensive lineman Jawan Turner. Sophomore defensive back Jordan Bowman was named Coal Bowl MVP after registering two takeaways and six tackles. Senior Corey Ford posted a 48-yard blocked field-goal return for a touchdown midway through the third quarter.

• A veteran of nearly three decades in the PSAC, Jay Foster is in his ninth season as head coach at Clarion. He has posted a 29-66 overall record with the Golden Eagles, highlighted by an eight-win season in 2009. Foster was selected PSAC West Coach of the Year in 2009 after leading Clarion to its best finish in nearly a decade. He previously served as an assistant coach at Slippery Rock for 18 seasons.

• Clarion returns 20 starters from a team that finished with a 4-7 overall record after losing six of its last seven games last season. The Golden Eagles rank next to last in the PSAC in total offense (261.0 yards/game) after totaling over 300 yards in only two games. The tandem of freshman Delrece Williams and senior Bobby Thomas have combined to rush for over 550 yards with Williams scoring a team-high six touchdowns. Clarion has utilized a pair of quarterbacks this year with sophomore Connor Simmons leading the team with 830 passing yards after finishing with nearly 200 yards in three of the last four games. Sophomore wide receiver Matt Lehman is averaging nearly 20 yards/reception and has posted at least three catches in all but one game this year. Tight end Zach Deitrick has caught three touchdowns over the last two weeks. Led by reigning PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year Julian Howsare, Clarion ranks second in the league in passing defense (181.4 yards/game) and sacks (23). Howsare, who has 28.0 career sacks, leads the team with 49 tackles (28 solo) and has totaled 6.0 TFL and 4.0 sacks. Junior defensive linemen Kwame Bell and Brandon Short are tied for third in the PSAC with 11.0 TFL and have combined for 12.0 sacks this season. Junior defensive back Cory McNamara has added 40 stops (20 solo) and a pair of interceptions. On special teams, Clarion is one of two teams in the PSAC with two punt returns for touchdowns (both on blocked punts) and is also one of two programs without a made field goal (0-3).

• With the PSAC adopting a new rule this season, all 16 league teams played two additional games (Week 2, Week 3) that are reflected in the league standings. Previously, only games against divisional opponents counted in the PSAC standings.

• The Vulcans were picked to finish second in the preseason PSAC West poll after receiving three first-place votes. Cal U had earned at least a share of the top spot in the preseason divisional poll every year from 2005-12. Clarion was picked to finish seventh in the PSAC West after back-to-back four-win seasons.

• Cal U made its season debut in the national polls last week and moved up two spots to No. 23 in the latest D2Football.com poll. The Vulcans have been receiving at least one vote in every AFCA poll this year and remains the second team among 'Others Receiving Votes' in the latest ranking. Cal U was last ranked in consecutive weeks in 2012 when it reached as high as No. 6 in both the AFCA and D2Football.com Top 25 polls.

• In the early 2000s, Cal U lost three-straight meetings against Clarion at Memorial Stadium before winning the last nine overall meetings. The Golden Eagles last posted a victory against the Vulcans in 2004 when quarterback Brandon Dando completed a 47-yard Hail Mary on the game's final play for a 35-34 victory. In 2010, Clarion scored a touchdown on the final play of the first half to take a 7-3 lead at home against then-No. 4 Cal U. The Vulcans later led 17-9 midway through the fourth quarter before adding an insurance score with just under three minutes remaining.

• Midway through the third quarter last week, junior Rodney Gillin blocked a 37-yard field goal and senior Corey Ford returned the blocked kick 48 yards for a touchdown. It marked the first time in recent program history (since 2002) that Cal U returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown. The Vulcans are tied for fifth in NCAA Division II with six blocks and are one of six teams in the PSAC with at least five blocks this year.

• In last week's victory, a total of eight different players made at least one reception for the Vulcans. Junior quarterback James Harris completed passes to four wide receivers (14 catches), two tight ends (two catches) and two running backs (three catches) with freshman wide receiver Luke Smorey scoring his first career touchdown. This season, Harris has thrown touchdown passes to six different players.

• The Cal U defense has tallied an impressive nine takeaways over the last two weeks, posting three interceptions against both Slippery Rock and IUP. The Vulcans are now tied for the league lead with 10 interceptions this year with junior Chaz Veal and sophomore Jordan Bowman tied for the team lead with three interceptions. Bowman was named Coal Bowl MVP after registering a fumble recovery and an interception last week, while Veal sealed the victory with an interception in the end zone in the final minute.

• Sophomore wide receiver Garry Brown recorded his second-straight 100-yard game last week against IUP. He finished with eight receptions for 105 yards and added one rush attempt in the sixth-annual Coal Bowl. Brown, who is the first player with back-to-back 100-yard receiving games since 2012, sits second in the league with 682 receiving yards this season while averaging 15.9 yards/reception.

• Sophomore defensive lineman Jawan Turner registered 3.0 sacks in last week's victory over IUP in the Coal Bowl. He became the first Cal U player in recent program history to be selected the PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week three times in a season. Turner ranks second in the league with 7.5 sacks, including a combined 6.5 sacks in two games, and is tied for sixth in the PSAC with 9.5 TFL.

• Junior quarterback James Harris leads all PSAC West quarterbacks, and ranks third overall in the league, with 1,987 passing yards, 14 touchdown passes and a 152.0 quarterback efficiency. He also is tied for the overall league lead with only three interceptions this year behind a streak of 164-straight attempts without throwing an interception. Harris has also passed for at least one touchdown in every game this season.

• Sophomore defensive back Arnel Farmer, Jr. led the team and set a career high with 13 tackles (seven solo) against IUP last week. He has posted at least eight tackles in each of the last three weeks and ranks second on the team this season with 52 stops (35 solo). Farmer has started all seven games this year after playing primarily on special teams as a redshirt freshman in 2013.

• West Chester and Bloomsburg will play on Saturday with the winner taking sole possession of first place in the PSAC East, as both teams enter the weekend tied for first place in the PSAC East standings at 7-0 overall.