Grant Jones
Don Wright

Football Matthew Kifer, Sports Information Director

Game Notes: Cal U at IUP

Full Game Notes (PDF)

CAL U (4-2, 2-1) @ IUP (4-1, 3-0)
• When: Saturday, October 17, 2015
• Where: Indiana, PA
• Stadium: George P. Miller Stadium (6,0000)
• Kickoff: 6 p.m.
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM) I WQMU (92.5 FM)
• Live Video: Backlight TV
• Live Stats: Fan Stats I Media Stats

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: IUP leads 60-25-2
• First Meeting: 1918 - IUP won 20-2
• Last Meeting: Oct. 18, 2014 @ California - Cal U won 21-13 I Recap I Box Score
• Streak: Cal U +1

CAL U NOTES
• Cal U plays the second of back-to-back road games on Saturday when it travels to face IUP in the seventh-annual Coal Bowl. The Vulcans suffered a 56-21 loss last week at Slippery Rock. Meanwhile, IUP extended its win streak to four games with a 47-10 victory at Seton Hill.

• The Vulcans committed four turnovers, including twice in the red zone, and allowed over 600 yards of total offense last week in a 56-21 loss at Slippery Rock. The Rock scored 42-unanswered points in the victory and finished with 297 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. Early in the fourth quarter, the Vulcans blocked back-to-back punts with both resulting in touchdowns, including a 40-yard blocked punt return by junior Jordan Bowman. Sophomore linebacker DeVonte Suber led the team with nine tackles, while Bowman tallied eight stops and 1.0 TFL.

• After 25-plus years as an assistant coach, Curt Cignetti is in his fifth season as head coach at IUP. He has posted a 38-13 overall record with the Crimson Hawks, winning at least seven games in each of his first three seasons. Cignetti was named PSAC West Coach of the Year in 2012 after leading the program to the PSAC Championship and its first appearance in the NCAA Playoffs since 2007.
 
• IUP boasts the top rushing offense in the PSAC this year at 316.4 yards/game, which ranks fourth in NCAA Division II. Sophomore Chris Temple leads the team and sits fifth in the league with 518 rushing yards and just two weeks ago set a school record with six rushing touchdowns. Classmate Luigi Lista-Brinza, the team's leading rusher last year, has posted 274 rushing yards despite missing the last two weeks. Freshman quarterback Lenny Williams, a transfer from Temple, set a PSAC record last week with 205 rushing yards on 16 attempts and ranks seventh among NCAA Division II quarterbacks with 87.6 rushing yards/game. In addition, Williams has passed for nearly 600 yards while completing 56.3 percent of his attempts. Sophomore Walt Pegas leads the team with 26 receptions for 307 yards after being All-PSAC West First-Team return specialist in 2014. The Crimson Hawks again feature one of the top defenses in the league, as they rank among the top three in scoring (18.4), total (337.8) and rushing defenses (68.4). Junior linebacker Kevin Clarke leads the team with 39 tackles (18 solo) after finishing second in the PSAC in stops last season, while senior defensive lineman Karon Gibson has tallied 30 tackles (six solo), 7.5 and 3.5 sacks. IUP paces the league with a staggering 13 interceptions in just five games and leads the country with five interception returns for touchdowns, including three against Mercyhurst three weeks ago.
 
• The Vulcans were picked to finish fourth in the preseason PSAC West poll after tying for third place in the divisional standings in each of the last three seasons. Cal U had earned at least a share of the top spot in the preseason divisional poll every year from 2005-12. Meanwhile, IUP was picked to finish fifth in the PSAC West after losing four of its last five games last season.
 
• Last week, Cal U and Slippery Rock combined for 1,133 yards of total offense while running a combined 166 plays, including 91 rush attempts. It marked the fourth time in the last 14 games in which the Vulcans were involved in a game that featured over 1,000 yards of total offense. Prior to the first occurrence last year, Cal U previously was involved in that feat during the semifinals of the 2009 NCAA Playoffs - a span of 49 games.
 
• Sophomore John Franklin III is the only player in the PSAC to rush for at least one touchdown in each game this year. He was held to a season-low 26 rushing yards last week yet ranks fourth in the league with 526 rushing yards. Franklin is tied for second in the PSAC with nine rushing touchdowns and is one of three players with 100 rushing attempts this season (111).
 
• Last week, the Vulcans suffered their largest margin of defeat since suffering a 45-7 loss to Minnesota Duluth in the semifinals of the 2008 NCAA Playoffs. It also marked the largest margin of defeat in a PSAC West contest since the final game of the 2003 season when Shippensburg cruised to a 35-0 victory behind three rushing touchdowns by current Green Bay Packer John Kuhn.
 
• Senior quarterback James Harris surpassed the 300-yard mark last week for the seventh time in his career, which is the most since Peter Lalich accomplished the feat nine times from 2011-12. Harris also moved into fifth place all-time in school history with 6,097 passing yards and is just 42 yards shy of eclipsing Lalich for fourth overall. Harris sits third in NCAA Division II this season with a 16.9 yards/completion.
 
• Cal U recorded punt blocks on back-to-back drives last week early in the fourth quarter against Slippery Rock, marking the sixth game with multiple blocked kicks since 2012. On the first play of the fourth quarter, senior Errol Brewster recorded a punt block and junior Jordan Bowman returned the ball 40 yards for a touchdown. Senior Derrick Fiore then blocked a punt on the ensuing drive and Cal U scored on the next play.
 
• Last week, the Vulcans allowed 297 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns on 53 carries (5.6 yards/attempt) against Slippery Rock. It marked the most rushing yards allowed in a game since the semifinals of the 2009 NCAA Playoffs when Northwest Missouri State totaled 306 yards on the ground. IUP enters the weekend having rushed for over 200 yards in each game with three 300-yard games in the last four weeks.
 
• Senior defensive lineman Errol Brewster returns to IUP this weekend after making 15 starts for the Crimson Hawks from 2010-12. As a sophomore, he finished second on the team with a career-high 10.0 TFL and posted 45 tackles (23 solo) while at IUP. Brewster, who set his career best with 10 tackles in the 2011 Coal Bowl, is tied for second on the Vulcans this year with 3.0 sacks and is among the team leaders with 4.5 TFL.
 
• At Slippery Rock last week, Cal U set a season high with eight offensive plays that went for at least 20 yards yet none resulted in touchdowns. The Vulcans have tallied a combined 32 'explosive plays' this season, including 18 in the second half of games. Wide receivers Garry Brown, Kowan Scott and Luke Smorey have combined for 23 'explosive plays' with nine of those plays resulting in touchdowns.
 
• Sophomore linebacker DeVonte Suber has led the team in tackles twice in the last three weeks. He ranks third on the team with 41 tackles (22 solo) despite posting just one stop in the season-opener. Suber has started all six games this fall after playing primarily on special teams as a true freshman last year.
 
• Senior wide receiver Kowan Scott has recorded back-to-back 100-yard games for the first time in his career. He sits third in the PSAC with 589 receiving yards behind a career-high 23.6 yards/reception, which ranks eighth in the country. Scott is ranked fifth in school history with 2,231 career receiving yards and enters the weekend just 27 shy of moving past Mike Williams (2009-13) for fourth place despite over 40 less catches.
 
• Last weekend at Slippery Rock, junior defensive back Jordan Bowman scored his third career touchdown and posted eight tackles (four solo) with 1.0 TFL. He has scored one touchdown in each of his three years with the program (fumble return, two blocked punt return), in addition to recording eight career interceptions. Bowman has posted 36 stops (21 solo) this season, which is just three shy of matching his career high.
 
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Players Mentioned

Jordan Bowman

#10 Jordan Bowman

DB
6' 0"
Junior
Garry Brown

#9 Garry Brown

WR
6' 1"
Junior
Derrick Fiore

#3 Derrick Fiore

RB
5' 11"
Senior
John Franklin III

#25 John Franklin III

RB
6' 0"
Sophomore
James Harris

#5 James Harris

QB
6' 2"
Senior
Kowan Scott

#15 Kowan Scott

WR
6' 4"
Senior
Luke Smorey

#6 Luke Smorey

WR
6' 0"
Sophomore
DeVonte Suber

#21 DeVonte Suber

LB
6' 0"
Sophomore
Errol Brewster

#14 Errol Brewster

DL
6' 3"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Jordan Bowman

#10 Jordan Bowman

6' 0"
Junior
DB
Garry Brown

#9 Garry Brown

6' 1"
Junior
WR
Derrick Fiore

#3 Derrick Fiore

5' 11"
Senior
RB
John Franklin III

#25 John Franklin III

6' 0"
Sophomore
RB
James Harris

#5 James Harris

6' 2"
Senior
QB
Kowan Scott

#15 Kowan Scott

6' 4"
Senior
WR
Luke Smorey

#6 Luke Smorey

6' 0"
Sophomore
WR
DeVonte Suber

#21 DeVonte Suber

6' 0"
Sophomore
LB
Errol Brewster

#14 Errol Brewster

6' 3"
Senior
DL