• Cal U scored 21 points in the first quarter and registered six interceptions in a 42-28 win over previously undefeated Clarion. Six different players recorded an interception against the Golden Eagles, who entered the game having only thrown five interceptions on 245 pass attempts. Late in the third quarter, defensive lineman Cameron Tarver scored on a 50-yard interception return and another interception on the ensuing drive led to another touchdown by the Vulcans. Junior defensive back Vondel Bell and sophomore linebacker Corey Bopp each led the team with seven tackles.

• The Vulcans have won each of six all-time meetings against the Golden Knights. The two programs never faced until Gannon joined the PSAC in 2008.

• A nine-year veteran of the program, Brad Rzyczycki is in his fourth season as head coach at Gannon. He has posted a 23-17 overall record with the Golden Knights and led the program to a share of the PSAC West title last year, while tying the school record for wins in a season. Rzyczycki served as the defensive coordinator at Gannon for five years before being appointed head coach in 2012.

• Gannon boasts two of the most prolific offensive playmakers in the PSAC in seniors Liam Nadler and Brock Jones. Nadler has started 41-consecutive games at quarterback and ranks third among active players in NCAA Division II with a school-record 10,705 career passing yards. He ranks fourth in the PSAC this year with 2,186 passing yards and is tied for fifth with 20 touchdown passes. Jones leads the league with 964 rushing yards and ranks third with 13 rushing touchdowns after being selected the 2014 PSAC West Offensive Player of the Year. He has totaled over 3,000 all-purpose yards and 30 touchdowns during the last two seasons. Senior wide receiver Jesstin Hamm sits third in the PSAC this fall with 12 touchdown receptions and ranks fifth in the league with a team-leading 49 catches. Defensively, the Golden Knights have allowed 28 points or more in five of their last six games. Senior linebacker Joshua Wiechelt leads the team and ranks second in the PSAC with 81 tackles (22 solo), while also pacing the team with 7.0 TFL. Junior defensive back Mike Zanders, an All-PSAC West First-Team selection last year, sits second on the team with 67 stops (29 solo) and is one of four players in the league with four interceptions. Gannon ranks second in the PSAC in kickoff returns this fall behind an average of 27.5 yards/kick return by sophomore Brandon Mansell. However, the Golden Knights rank third-to-last in the 16-team league with 34.4 yards/punt.

• The initial Super Region One rankings were released on Monday and the PSAC features four teams - all from the Western Division - in the rankings. The region consists of four conferences - PSAC, MEC, CIAA and NE-10 - and no league earns an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Playoffs. Starting this fall, the regional playoffs will feature seven teams and only the top team in the final regional rankings will receive a first-round bye.

• Senior quarterback James Harris enters the weekend ranked fourth all-time in school history with 6,741 passing yards and needs just 38 yards to eclipse Kevin Russell (1982-84) for third place. Harris, who has posted a 17-7 overall record (.708) as a starter, also is four touchdown passes shy of becoming the fifth quarterback in school history with 50 career touchdown passes.

• In the three series meetings in Erie, the Vulcans have out-scored the Golden Knights by a dominating 117-31 margin with each win being by at least 18 points. Cal U has also limited Gannon to under 210 yards of total offense in each game. The Vulcans are making their first trip to the bayfront since 2012 when it cruised to a 41-0 victory after forcing four turnovers and limiting the Golden Knights to 164 yards of total offense.

• Sophomore running back John Franklin III registered his third 100-yard game of the season last week against Clarion. Franklin and freshman Jimmy Wheeler already have combined to eclipse the century mark four times this season, which is the most by the Vulcans since the 2011 campaign. Cal U holds a 17-0 record when featuring at least one 100-yard rusher in a game over the last five years.

• Cal U forced six turnovers in last week's win over Clarion, marking the most turnovers forced in a game since the final week of the 2011 regular season. Each of turnovers were via interception and each was by a different player (three defensive backs, two defensive linemen, one linebacker). The Vulcans are now tied for second in the PSAC with 13 interceptions this season, which already exceeds last year's total of 12 in 10 games.

• Sophomore John Franklin III rushed for a pair of touchdowns last weekend to extend his streak of consecutive games with a rushing touchdown to eight, which matches the streak reached by Terrell Roberson last season. Franklin now ranks fourth in the PSAC this year with 12 rushing touchdowns with all coming from 6 yards or closer, including eight scores of either 1 yard or 2 yards.

• Last week, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Cameron Tarver registered a 50-yard interception return for touchdown. It marked the first interception return for touchdown since defensive back Dewey McDonald accomplished the feat three times in 2013. Tarver leads the team this season with 4.5 sacks and ranks second with 6.5 TFL while playing for the first time since the 2009 season when he played for head coach Mike Kellar at Concord.

• After defending 51 pass attempts last week, Cal U opponents have attempted over 50 passes three times this season with the Vulcans winning each time. The Vulcans are a 9-1 when an opponent throws more than 50 times in a game since 2012. Despite opponents averaging 35.5 pass attempts/game, the Vulcans have allowed the sixth-fewest passing touchdowns in the league (16).

• Junior wide receiver Garry Brown posted a pair of touchdown receptions last week for his second multi-touchdown game of the season and fourth of his career. He ranks fourth in the PSAC with 99.3 receiving yards/game and is tied for eighth in the league with 42 receptions despite missing time due to injury. Brown enters the weekend less than 50 yards shy of becoming the ninth player in school history with 2,000 career receiving yards. 

• The Vulcans were flagged 15 times for a season-high 165 yards against Clarion just one week after committing only three penalties. Cal U has surrendered over 100 yards in penalties four times this season, ironically all victories. The Vulcans are the second-most penalized team in the PSAC this year with 78 penalties, including 18 personal fouls (six last week), accounting for 753 yards.

• Last weekend, junior defensive back Jordan Bowman halted the final drive of the game for Clarion just outside the goal line with his third interception of the season. He now has registered nine career interceptions, which is the second-most among active players. Bowman has established career highs this year with 49 tackles (26 solo) and 5.5 TFL and is one interception shy of matching his total from last season.

• Clarion, IUP and Slippery Rock are tied for first place in the PSAC West with two weeks of league play remaining. The Golden Eagles still have to face IUP and Slippery Rock and The Rock holds the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Crimson Hawks. Gannon and Cal U are tied for fourth place in the standings and sit one game back of the first place.