Full Game Notes (PDF)

#7/11 CAL U (5-0, 3-0) @ CLARION (2-4, 1-2)
• When: Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016
• Where: Clarion, Pa.
• Stadium: Memorial Stadium (5,000)
• Kickoff: 6 p.m.
• Live TV: SPORTSfever (click HERE for channel listing)
• Live Stream: ESPN3
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM) I WCCR (92.9 FM / WKQW (96.3 FM)
• Live Stats: Stats

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: Cal U leads 45-38-3
• First Meeting: 1923 - Cal U won 65-0
• Last Meeting: Oct. 24, 2015 @ California - Cal U won 42-28 I Recap I Box Score
• Streak: Cal U +11

NOTES
• Cal U returns to the road after back-to-back home wins over nationally-ranked teams. Last week, the Vulcans posted a 31-28 victory over IUP in the eighth-annual Coal Bowl. Meanwhile, Clarion allowed 17-unanswered, fourth-quarter points in a 27-23 loss at Seton Hill.

• The Vulcans scored 10-staight points in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning 39-yard field goal by Will Brazill in the final minute, to earn a 31-28 victory over then-No. 6 IUP. Junior quarterback Michael Keir was named Coal Bowl MVP after posting nearly 340 yards of total offense and three touchdowns (two rushing). The Vulcans trailed 28-21 entering the fourth quarter before mounting a pair of lengthy, time-consuming scoring drives to claim the victory. Junior linebacker Luke Hrapchak led the team with eight tackles and eight other players collected at least five stops.

• The Vulcans lead the all-time series that started in 1923 by a 45-38-3 margin. Cal U has won the last 11 meetings against Clarion, which previously won three-straight meetings at Memorial Stadium (2001, 2002, 2004).

• A former All-American quarterback for the Golden Eagles, Chris Weibel is in his second year as head coach at his alma mater. He previously served 11 years as an assistant coach at Clarion, serving as the offensive coordinator in 2013-14. Weibel, who holds the school's all-time records for passing yards and touchdowns, helped guide Clarion to an 11-3 record in 1996 after advancing to the semifinals of the NCAA Playoffs.

• Clarion won its first seven games last year to mark its best start in more than three decades, but has won just twice in its last 10 games. The Golden Eagles rank fifth in the PSAC in passing offense this year at 277.5 yards per game despite senior quarterback Connor Simmons missing last week. Simmons has passed for nearly 7,000 yards and 60 touchdowns in his career. Junior running back Delrece Williams, who also missed last week, sits second in the league with 110.4 rushing yards per game. Clarion features some of most prolific wide receivers in the PSAC this year, as three boast 24 or more receptions. Seniors Matt Lehman and Kevin Genevro have combined for almost 1,000 yards and Genevro leads the team with seven touchdowns. Clarion ranks next to last in the 16-team league in total defense, allowing 508.5 yards per game. Sophomore linebacker Layne Skundrich leads the team with 44 tackles, while senior Jacob Craig has tallied 41 stops and four pass break-ups. On special teams, senior kicker Phil Esposito returns after being an All-PSAC West selection last year and has made four-of-six attempts with a long of 42 yards. Fellow senior Scott Ayers is averaging 36.0 yards per punt while placing nine of 28 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line.
 
• Cal U was picked to finish third in the preseason PSAC West poll after ranking third place in the divisional standings in each of the last four years. Meanwhile, Clarion was chosen to finish fourth and received one first-place vote after posting its winningest season since 2009.

• The Vulcans vaulted up eight spots to No. 7 in the AFCA Top 25 this week following back-to-back wins over then-top-10 teams. Cal U has reached its highest position in the AFCA poll since 2012 when it was ranked as high as No. 6 in the country for three-straight weeks. The Vulcans boast a 23-7 all-time record when featured in the top 10 of the AFCA poll with three of the losses coming during the NCAA Playoffs.

• Cal U has been penalized the most times (62) and for the most yards (569) of any team in the PSAC this season. Of the 170 NCAA Division II programs, the Vulcans rank next to last in the country in fewest penalty yards per game, surrendering 113.8 penalty yards per game. In comparison, Clarion averages just 56.0 penalty yards per game and has been flagged only a combined 37 times over six games.

• Senior Zach Morehead has started at right guard in each of the past two weeks after opening year with three starts at left tackle. He has made 26-consecutive starts and has started at three different positions along the offensive line in his career. As a sophomore, he started all 10 games at left guard before shifting to left tackle last year and started all 11 games at the position.

• Despite being held under 50 points by IUP, the Vulcans continue to lead NCAA Division II, and rank fourth among all NCAA divisions, with 56.4 points per game.

• In the early 2000s, Cal U lost three-straight meetings against Clarion at Memorial Stadium before winning the last 11 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 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.

• Senior wide Garry Brown posted his second-straight 100-yard receiving game against IUP last week. He also climbed into third place all-time in school history with 155 receptions and enters the weekend just three catches shy of moving past Mike Williams (2009-13) for second place. Brown is also on pace to became the first player in school history, and 17th in league history, to surpass 3,000 career receiving yards.

• Junior linebacker Luke Hrapchak has led the team in tackles in each of the last four weeks and paces the team with 34 tackles (17 solo) this season. He set a career high with 51 stops last year despite missing five-plus games due to injury. Hrapchak has recorded at least 10 tackles in a game four times while making only 10 career starts. The West Virginia native set a career high last year with 16 tackles against Shippensburg.

• In last week's win, junior Nick Grissom set a career high with 24 carries and finished with a team-high 121 rushing yards. He became the first player with at least 20 rushing attempts in a game since last October, also against IUP. Grissom, who missed all of last season due to injury, has posted at least 20 carries in a game only three times in his career. The Cincinnati native is averaging a career-high 83.4 rushing yards per game this year.

• Junior kicker Will Brazill made the game-winning, 39-yard field goal last week with less than one minute left in regulation. It marked the first game-winning field goal for Cal U since Cody Nuzzo made a 30-yard attempt to win the 2012 Coal Bowl.  Brazill, whose previous career long was 37 yards, ranks fourth in the PSAC this year with 10.4 points per game after making five-of-five field goals and 37-of-38 PAT attempts.

• The Vulcans are playing their second-straight night game this weekend after playing under the lights only once since the 2013 season-opener. Over the last 10 seasons, Cal U has posted an 11-5 record in games with kickoff set for 6 p.m. or later. The Vulcans previously played under the lights at the Memorial Stadium in 2010.

• Cal U features two of the top playmaking safeties in the country in seniors Jordan Bowman and Aaron Terry. Both standouts are among the active career leaders in NCAA Division II with 12 interceptions, which are the most since Terrence Johnson (2007-10) finished with 16 career interceptions. Bowman and Terry have also combined for five career touchdowns and 56 career starts.

• This weekend the Vulcans will be playing a LIVE televised game through a partnership with SPORTSfever. The game will be airing live on affiliates across Pennsylvania and will also be available on ESPN3. Please check below to find the appropriate channel in your area.

ESPN 3 (Accessible on line to more than 99 million households at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One)

ESPN College Extra (Live TV available to AT&T Uverse, DirecTV, Bright House Networks, Cox, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS and select NCTC  subscribers)

WHP 21.2 (21.1 over-the-air, Comcast 19, Armstrong 15, Blue Ridge 133, Nittany 99, Verizon 21, DirecTV 22) Harrisburg/Lancaster/York/Carlisle/Lebanon

WPNT 22 (22 over-the-air, Comcast SD 10/HD 812, Comcast Clarion SD 12/HD 812, Armstrong SD 22/HD 105, Atlantic Broadband SD 8/HD 707, Citizens SD 12/HD 812, Time Warner SD 22/HD 1022, Verizon SD 10/ HD 510, Consolidated SD 10/HD 710, DirecTV 22, Dish Network 22) Pittsburgh

DELAY TBA
SPORTS TIME OHIO (Erie Time Warner 21-23/HD308-1308, Armstrong 47/HD177, Sharon Time Warner 76/HD 308-1308, DirecTV 662, Dish Network 431) Erie, Meadville, Sharon, Cleveland, Columbus, Akron, Toledo, Huntington, Charleston, Youngstown & Buffalo