• Game Notes (.pdf)

CAL U (1-1, 0-1) @ SHIPPENSBURG (2-0, 1-0)
• When: Saturday, September 20, 2014
• Where: Shippensburg, PA
• Stadium: Redman Stadium (7,000)
• Kickoff: 12 p.m.
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM) I WSYC (88.7 FM)
• Live Video: Click here
• Live Stats: Fan Stats I Media Stats
 
GAME INFORMATION
• Directions to Shippensburg
• Campus Map

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: Shippensburg leads 42-29-1
• First Meeting: 1926 - Shippensburg won 9-7
• Last Meeting: Nov. 21, 2009 @ Shippensburg - Cal U won 26-21 I Recap I Box Score
• Streak: Cal U +1
 
CAL U NOTES
• Cal U returns to action on Saturday afternoon when it travels to former PSAC West-rival Shippensburg. The Vulcans are coming off a 24-21 loss in overtime at nationally-ranked Bloomsburg. Meanwhile, Shippensburg tallied a 47-21 victory in its home opener over Edinboro.
 
• The Vulcans suffered a 24-21 loss at Bloomsburg after Cal U forced overtime when senior kicker Cody Nuzzo made a 50-yard field goal as time expired. Cal U committed a turnover on its first play of overtime, while Bloomsburg earned the win by converting a 32-yard field goal on its overtime possession. The Vulcans converted a pair of fourth downs in the last two minutes on the game-tying drive. Senior linebacker Branko Busick set a career high with 12 tackles and 4.0 TFL in the loss, while fellow linebacker Spencer Lynn added 11 stops.
 
• Entering his 14th overall season with the program, Mark Maciejewski has posted a 27-10 overall record in four years as head coach. He has guided the Red Raiders to the most wins in school history in a three-year period, highlighted by a historic 2012 season when Shippensburg earned its first victory in the NCAA Playoffs in over two decades. Maciejewski helped mentor the development of quarterback Zach Zulli, who received the Harlon Hill Award in 2012 after leading all NCAA divisions with 54 touchdown passes and 4,747 passing yards.
 
• Shippensburg returns 15 starters, including nine on offense, from a team that finished in a three-way tie for first place in the PSAC East last year. The Red Raiders lead the league and rank among the top 10 in the country in both scoring offense (51.0 points/game) and total offense (596.0 yards/game). Shippensburg features one of the most prolific wide receivers in PSAC history in senior Trevor Harman, who leads all active players in NCAA Division II with 324 career points after catching a combined 41 touchdowns in 2012-13. He enters the weekend ranked first in the league this season with 24 receptions and 253 receiving yards. The Red Raiders also boast the league's leader in all-purpose yards in senior running back Blair Brooks, who has rushed for over 300 yards while averaging nearly 8.5 yards/attempt this season. Despite the graduation of 2013 PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year Jake Metz, Shippensburg ranks second in the PSAC in rushing defense (51.0 yards/game). Senior linebacker James Brennan, a four-year starter, leads the team with 14 tackles and five other players have already reached double-digit tackles. Junior linebacker Cortlin Dell, the team's leading tackler in 2013, registered 3.0 TFL in last week's victory over Edinboro. On special teams, senior Michael Lloyd is handling both the kicking and punting duties this season after setting the single-season school for points by a kicker in 2013.
 
• Beginning this season, the PSAC adopted a new rule that counts all league-mandated crossover games (Week 2, Week 3) towards conference records. Previously, only games against divisional opponents were reflected in the league standings.
 
• Since 2004, Cal U holds a combined 25-9 record against PSAC East opponents. The Vulcans and Red Raiders last met during the 2009 season, playing in both the PSAC Championship and NCAA Playoffs - both at Seth Grove Stadium. Shippensburg claimed the league title with a 42-35 victory despite Cal U scoring 21-unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Two weeks later, the Vulcans claimed a 26-21 win in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs despite allowing nearly 500 yards of total offense.
 
• 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. Shippensburg was picked to finish fourth in the PSAC East after earning a share of the divisional title in 2013.
 
• Senior Cody Nuzzo has been one of the most active kickers in the country this season. He is one of only two kickers in NCAA Division II with six field goals and is also tied for second among kickers in the country with 22 points. Last weekend at Bloomsburg, Nuzzo broke the school record with a 50-yard field goal as time expired to send the game into overtime. He eclipsed the previous record of 49 yards set by Gary Amos in 2003.

• Cal U played its first overtime game since the 2011 season last weekend. The Vulcans had won their previous four overtime games since 2002 with only one contest occurring on the road (Saginaw Valley, 2010). Including last weekend, each of the last five Cal U overtime games have been decided on the first possessions of overtime.
 
• Since the 2011 season, Shippensburg has averaged an astounding 46.0 points per game at Seth Grove Stadium under Mark Maciejewski. The Red Raiders have scored at least 40 points at home 13 times during that span and Maciejewski boasts a 15-3 record as a head coach at home, highlighted by a 7-0 mark during the 2012 season.
 
• Senior linebacker Branko Busick has led the team in tackles in each of the last two weeks, reaching double-digits both times. He ranks fifth in the PSAC with 22 stops (11 solo) after entering the year as the team's top returning tackler with 45 tackles (19 solo) in 2013. Last weekend, Busick became the first player to record at least 4.0 TFL in a game since defensive back Rontez Miles tallied 4.5 TFL against Cheyney in 2010.
 
• The Vulcans have utilized a committee of running backs this season in senior Terrell Roberson, junior Derrick Fiore and sophomore Nick Grissom. Last weekend, the trio combined to rush for 173 yards on 32 attempts with 127 rushing yards in the first half, which was plagued by rainy conditions. Roberson, who is in his first year at running back, leads the team with 153 rushing yards and is averaging 5.7 yards/attempt.
 
• Cal U will be facing another stiff challenge on defense this week, as Shippensburg ranks among the top 10 in the country in scoring and total offense. The Red Raiders have finished either first or second in the PSAC in passing offense in each of the last two years. In comparison, last week's opponent, Bloomsburg, has led the league in rushing offense in each of the past four seasons.
 
• Sophomore tight end Desimon Green has played an increase role in the offense this season, having almost equaled his reception total from last year. He leads the team with 13 receptions, including a career-high eight catches last week at Bloomsburg. Green, who stands at 6-foot-5, set a career best two weeks ago with 76 receiving yards on five catches versus Virginia State.
 
• A reserve running back last year, sophomore Jordan Lardani has started both games on the defensive line this season. He is tied for fifth on the team with 10 tackles (five solo) and has recorded 1.0 TFL in both games. Lardani played in all 11 games last season, primarily on special teams, after a standout career as a running back at Kennett High School, which is about 15 miles south of West Chester.
 
• Junior quarterback James Harris has passed for over 250 yards in both games this season after accomplishing the feat only once last season while starting six games. He set a career high with 280 passing yards in the season-opener and passed for 252 yards last week, including 200 yards in the second half. Excluding his start at Slippery Rock last year, Harris has completed over 65 percent of his passes while averaging nearly 240 passing yards per game as a starter.