Full Game Notes (PDF)

GANNON (4-3, 1-3) @ #8/11 CAL U (6-0, 4-0)
• When: Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016
• Where: California, Pa.
• Stadium: Adamson Stadium (6,500)
• Kickoff: 3 p.m.
• Live Video: SIDEARM Sports
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM) I WERG (90.5 FM)
• Live Stats: Fan Stats | Media Stats

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: Cal U leads 7-0
• First Meeting: Oct. 18, 2008 @ Gannon - Cal U won 42-24
• Last Meeting: Oct. 31, 2015 @ Gannon - Cal U won 42-21 I Recap I Box Score
• Streak: Cal U +7

NOTES
• Cal U returns to Adamson Stadium for Homecoming on Saturday afternoon. Last week, the Vulcans remained undefeated after posting a 48-20 victory at Clarion. Meanwhile, Gannon snapped a three-game losing streak with a 34-12 win over Seton Hill.

• Junior Nick Grissom rushed for over 250 yards and the Vulcans finished with 600-plus yards of total offense in a 48-20 win at Clarion last weekend. Grissom finished with 258 rushing yards on 33 attempts with two touchdowns, as Cal U totaled 308 rushing yards in the victory. Junior Michael Keir posted 307 passing yards and three touchdowns, including two to senior wide receiver Garry Brown. The Vulcans limited the Golden Eagles to only 147 passing yards and registered three interceptions. Clarion converted just two-of-nine third downs and finished with 248 yards of total offense.

• A 10-year veteran of the program, Brad Rzyczycki is in his fifth season as head coach at Gannon. He has posted a 28-23 overall record with the Golden Knights and led the program to a share of the PSAC West title in 2014, 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 won its opening three games of the year before losing three-consecutive games. The Golden Knights rank sixth in the PSAC in rushing offense with 185.3 rushing yards/game behind senior Tyler Johnson and sophomore Zach Phillips. Johnson sits eighth in the league with 533 rushing yards and has scored three rushing touchdowns in a game twice this year. Phillips has tallied over 400 rushing yards while also passing for over 1,100 yards in his first season as a starter. Brothers Quad and Nico Law have combined for over half of the team's 103 receptions and Quad Law also paces the team with 362 receiving yards. Gannon ranks among the top five in the PSAC in both scoring defense (25.9 points/game) and rushing defense (107.6 yards/game). Sophomore linebacker Anthony Howard leads the team and is tied for second in the league with 67 tackles. Senior defensive back Mike Zanders II has tallied 58 tackles, two interceptions and two fumble recovers after being an All-PSAC West First-Team selection in each of the past two years. Linebackers Nathan Adams, a transfer from Eastern Michigan, and Geremy Paige have combined for 16.5 TFL and 6.5 sacks. On special teams, junior kicker Karch Holland has made one of the longest field goals in the PSAC this year at 47 yards.
 
• Cal U was picked to finish third in the preseason PSAC West poll after ranking third in the divisional standings in each of the last four years. Meanwhile, Gannon was chosen fifth in the poll after finishing last season with three-straight losses to teams that won a combined 23 games in 2015. 

• The Vulcans slipped one spot to No. 8 in the AFCA Top 25 this week, as all of the top-10 teams won or were idle. Last week, Cal U 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 24-7 all-time record when featured in the top 10 of the AFCA poll with three of the losses coming during the NCAA Playoffs.

• Last week, junior Nick Grissom registered the fifth-most rushing yards in school history, as he finished with 258 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries. He is the first player to eclipse the 200-yard mark since the 2007 NCAA Playoffs. Grissom, who posted three runs of 20 yards or longer last week, ranks third in the PSAC with 112.5 rushing yards per game and has rushed for at least 100 yards in each of the past three games.

• Cal U limited Clarion to 94 rushing yards last week, marking the fourth time an opponent was held under the century mark on the ground. The Vulcans rank second in the PSAC and No. 10 in the country this year in rushing defense, allowing only 89.5 rushing yards per game. In comparison, Cal U surrendered 182.3 rushing yards per game last year and limited opponents to under 100 rushing yards in a game only twice.

• Cal U tallied its second blocked kick in three weeks while at Clarion, as junior Luke Smorey blocked a punt by the Golden Eagles early in the third quarter.

• The Vulcans host Gannon for Homecoming for the first time since the Golden Knights joined the PSAC in 2008. Cal U has won each of its last 11 Homecoming contests, including a 42-28 victory against then-No. 25 Clarion last season. The Vulcans last suffered a loss on Homecoming in 2004 (Shippensburg).

• Senior Garry Brown moved into second place all-time in school history in career receptions last week at Clarion. He set a season high with eight receptions and is now just two catches shy of tying the all-time record of 165 receptions held by Perry Kemp. Brown also caught a pair of touchdowns against the Golden Eagles and now ranks seventh in the nation with a league-leading 10 touchdown receptions.

• The Vulcans enter the weekend ranked third in the PSAC with 23.0 sacks this year. The trio of senior linebacker Jordan Lardani, junior linebacker Cameron Tarver and senior defensive lineman Jawan Turner each rank among the top 15 in the league in sacks with Lardani and Tarver being tied for fourth at 4.5 sacks. A dozen different players have already recorded at least 0.5 sack this season.

• Last week, Cal U amassed a season-high 615 yards of total offense at Clarion behind eight plays of at least 20 yards. The Vulcans have recorded a combined 39 'explosive plays' through six games, including 23 in the first half of games. Wide receivers Garry Brown, Tom Greene and Luke Smorey have combined for 21 'explosive plays' with seven of those plays resulting in touchdowns.

• For a consecutive week, junior kicker Will Brazill set a career long with a successful field-goal attempt. He made a 44-yard field goal in the fourth quarter at Clarion a week after making the game-winning, 39-yard field goal in the final minute against IUP. The Vulcans have now made only six field goals from over 40 yards since the 2007 season. Brazill has already matched his point total of 64 points from last year.

• The Vulcans recorded three interceptions, all by different players, last week at Clarion. Cal U enters the weekend ranked fourth in the PSAC with 10 interceptions, as only senior defensive back Aaron Terry has tallied multiple interceptions this year. The Vulcans lead the league with 264 interception return yards and are tied for the PSAC lead with three interception return for touchdowns, including two in the season-opener at Cheyney.

• Junior quarterback Michael Keir finished with 307 passing yards last week, marking his third 300-yard game in the last four weeks. He also set a career high with 27 completions and finished with a 77.1 completion percentage in the victory. Keir ranks fifth in NCAA Division II this year with a 175.6 passing efficiency behind 21 touchdown passes, as he has thrown at least three scores in four of the six games.

• Cal U has finished with the advantage in time of possession in each of last four games. Last week, the Vulcans registered over an 18-minute advantage in the category while running 85 plays at Clarion. Cal U has vaulted to sixth in the PSAC in time of possession this year despite losing the time of possession battle by nearly a combined 23 minutes in the opening two weeks of the season.