Full Game Notes (PDF)

CAL U (2-1, 0-0) @ EDINBORO (0-3, 0-0)
• When: Saturday, September 26, 2015
• Where: Edinboro, PA
• Stadium: Sox Harrison Stadium (6,000)
• Kickoff: 12 p.m.
• Live Video: ETV
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM) I WFSE (88.9 FM)
• Live Stats: Fan Stats I Media Stats

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: Cal U leads 44-35-2
• First Meeting: 1927 - Edinboro won 27-6
• Last Meeting: Sept. 27, 2014 @ California - Cal U won 34-16 I Recap I Box Score
• Streak: Cal U 10

CAL U NOTES
• Cal U starts PSAC West play on Saturday when it travels to face Edinboro. The Vulcans are coming off a 34-26 victory against Shippensburg after scoring 27 points in the second quarter. Meanwhile, Edinboro remains winless this season after suffering a 56-12 loss at East Stroudsburg.

• Cal U erupted for 27 points in the second quarter and withstood a 16-point comeback in the second half to earn a 34-26 victory over Shippensburg. Sophomore John Franklin III led all players with 114 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 27 attempts, all career highs. He helped the Vulcans take a 34-10 lead at halftime after rushing for 94 yards on 19 carries, including two scores, in the first half. On the final play of the first half, junior Aaron Terry posted a 97-yard punt return for touchdown. Sophomore linebacker Luke Hrapchak led the team and set a career high with 16 tackles (11 solo).

• After a 20-year career as an assistant coach with the Fighting Scots, Scott Browning has posted a 57-46 overall record in 10 seasons as head coach. He ranks second in school history with 57 career victories, highlighted by back-to-back nine-win seasons in 2008 and 2009. Browning has been a member of the coaching staff on all eight of Edinboro's appearances in the NCAA Playoffs (last 2009).

• Despite seven starters returning on offense, Edinboro has been held under 14 points in each game this season. The Fighting Scots rank next to last in the 16-team PSAC in rushing offense at 96.0 yards/game with junior transfer Cory Bell leading the team with 134 rushing yards. Sophomore quarterback Jake Sisson averages over 200 passing yards/game, but has thrown twice as many interceptions (six) as touchdowns (three). Edinboro boasts one of the top wide receivers in the league in junior Darren Massey, who set the school record with 80 receptions last year after being the 2013 PSAC West Freshman of the Year. He tallied a combined 25 catches for 295 receiving yards in the opening two weeks before being limited to a pair of receptions last weekend. Edinboro also is next to last in the league in passing defense, allowing 286.7 yards/game. Sophomore defensive back DeVon Groves leads the team with 27 tackles (12 solo), while four other players have registered at least 16 stops. Two-time All-PSAC West linebacker Mike Shansky, who played for the Vulcans in 2012, suffered a season-ending injury late in the season-opener. On special teams, Edinboro ranks third in the PSAC in net punting with sophomore Austin Reese averaging 38.6 yards on 15 punts.

• Cal U has won its last 10, and 11 of its last 15, divisional-opening games. Since 2005, the Vulcans have won in dominating fashion in their openers against PSAC West opponents, beating divisional foes by an average score of 38-11. Cal U has limited opponents to 16 points or less in all but one of the last 10 divisional openers.

• 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. Meanwhile, Edinboro was picked to finish seventh in the PSAC West after posting three-straight losing seasons for the first time since 2000-02.

• Senior Kowan Scott is on pace to become the eighth player in school history with 2,000 receiving yards in a career. He enters the weekend less than 100 yards shy of the milestone that was last reached by Mike Williams (2009-13). Scott has averaged nearly 90 receiving yards/game over the last two seasons and boasts an impressive 19.1 yards/reception for his career.

• In each of their last two games, the Vulcans have built a double-digit halftime lead before being held scoreless in the second half. Prior to this season, Cal U hadn't been held scoreless in the second half of a game since 2012. The Vulcans have been out-scored by a staggering 40-7 margin in the second half this year despite holding a sizeable 75-22 advantage in the first half. 

• Sophomore Taylor Nikithser has started all three games at center this year after making two 'spot' starts at right guard last season. Since the start of the 2011 season, the Vulcans have only started three different players at center (Eric Kush, Jack Abercrombie).

• Sophomore linebacker Luke Hrapchak established a career high in tackles for the second-straight week, as he registered 16 stops (11 solo) last week against Shippensburg. He is the first player with more than 15 tackles in a game since linebacker Dontey Brown tallied 18 stops in 2009. Hrapchak is tied for third in the PSAC with team-high 34 tackles (22 solo) and is one of eight players in the league to average over 10.0 stops/game.

• The Vulcans utilized three different punters against Shippensburg last week. Sophomore Ian Patterson opened the game with a 40-yard punt in the second quarter before classmates Michael Keir (backup quarterback) and Luke Smorey (starting wide receiver) attempted punts for the first time in their college careers during the second half. Keir averaged 39.4 yards on five punts and Smorey posted a 65-yard punt.

• Cal U was penalized a season-high 12 times for 131 yards in the win last week against Shippensburg. The Vulcans are the third-most penalized team in the PSAC this season yet lead the league with 113.0 penalty yards/game behind nine personal fouls. Cal U, which also ranked first in the PSAC with 85.2 penalty yards/game last year, has surpassed 100 yards in penalties twice this fall - both victories.

• After starting the year as a defensive back, senior Derrick Fiore shifted back to offense last week due to lack of depth at running back. Against Shippensburg, he finished with four carries for 18 yards and also made one reception for nine yards after playing the last two years on offense. Utilized primarily as a third-down back, Fiore paced the running backs last season with 14 receptions while also rushing for nearly 200 yards.

• In last week's victory, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Cameron Tarver and senior defensive lineman Errol Brewster each recorded 2.0 sacks. Tarver, who made his first start since playing at Concord in 2009 under then-head coach Mike Kellar, finished with four stops (three solo) and team-high 3.0 TFL. Brewster collected five tackles (three solo) and 2.0 TFL, including his first sacks since the 2012 season when he played at IUP.

• Sophomore running back John Franklin III set career highs with 27 attempts, 114 rushing yards and two touchdowns in last week's victory against Shippensburg. He eclipsed the century mark for the first time in his career and became the first player with at least 25 carries in a game since 2011. Franklin sits seventh in the PSAC with 244 rushing yards and has scored at least one touchdown in each game this year.

• Last week, junior Aaron Terry posted a 97-yard punt return for a touchdown on the final play of the first half. The Vulcans previously scored on a punt return during the final game of both the 2013 and 2014 seasons after not returning a punt for a touchdown since 2010. In addition, Cal U allowed a punt return for touchdown in the game for the first time since the 2009 season.

• Freshman Jimmy Wheeler made his college debut last week against Shippensburg, totaling a team-high 128 all-purpose yards. He averaged 8.8 rushing yards/attempt and also handled kick return duties. As a senior in 2013, Wheeler led the WPIAL with 2,616 rushing yards at West Mifflin and totaled 56 touchdowns over his last two seasons.