Full Game Notes (PDF)

#6/9 CAL U (7-0, 5-0) @ MERCYHURST (2-6, 1-4)
• When: Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016
• Where: Erie, Pa.
• Stadium: Tullio Field (2,300)
• Kickoff: 12 p.m.
• Live Video: CUTV YouTube
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM)
• Live Stats: Fan Stats | Media Stats

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: Series tied at 4-4
• First Meeting: Nov. 1, 2008 @ Mercyhurst - Cal U won 17-6 I Recap I Box Score
• Last Meeting: Nov. 7, 2015 @ California - Cal U won 31-21 I Recap I Box Score
• Streak: Cal U +1

NOTES
• In its final road trip of the regular season, Cal U travels to face Mercyhurst in Erie on Saturday afternoon. Last week, the Vulcans posted a 35-14 victory over Gannon on Homecoming. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst suffered a 55-45 loss at Seton Hill for its third-straight loss.

• The Vulcans scored touchdowns on four-consecutive drives, including two off turnovers, in the middle of the game to claim a 35-14 Homecoming victory against Gannon. Senior Garry Brown set the all-time school record for receptions, as he finished with 95 receiving yards and one touchdown on nine catches. Cal U forced and recovered a pair of fumbles in the victory, while limiting Gannon to less than 150 passing yards. Junior linebacker Luke Hrapchak led the team and set a season high with 11 tackles, while senior Jordan Lardani registered a career-high 3.0 sacks.

• The Lakers have won four of the last six meetings against the Vulcans. The two programs never met until Mercyhurst joined the PSAC in 2008.

• The longest tenured coach in school history, Marty Schaetzle is in his 15th season as head coach at Mercyhurst. He has posted a 76-86 overall record with the Lakers and was named PSAC West Coach of the Year twice in his first three years in the league, including 2010 when the program set a school record for wins and captured the PSAC Championship.

• Mercyhurst has lost its last three games, and five of its last six games, yet half of its games this season have been decided by four points or less. The Lakers sit in the middle of the PSAC with 233.3 passing yards per game behind the play of redshirt freshman quarterback Doug Altavilla. He set career highs with 406 passing yards and four touchdowns last week in a loss at Seton Hill. Junior Danavian Clay leads the team with 34 receptions after posting 10 catches, including two touchdowns, last week. Classmate Brad Novak paces the team with 522 receiving yards and five touchdowns while ranking second in the league with 20.9 yards per reception. Senior Richie Sanders, the 2011 PSAC West Freshman of the Year, sits ninth in the PSAC with 564 rushing yards this year and is on pace to eclipse 2,000 career rushing yards. Mercyhurst ranks next to last in the 16-team league in both total defense (486.4 yards per game) and passing defense (296.5 yards per game). Junior defensive back Akeel Marsh leads the team with 61 tackles (41 solo), while senior defensive lineman Benji Abercrombie is tied for seventh in the PSAC with 10.0 TFL and ranks third on the team with 39 stops. On special teams, senior Dylan Kondis ranks third in the league with 40.5 yards per punt and has also made 8-of-10 field goals with a long of 39 yards. Sanders leads NCAA Division II with 908 combined kick return yards and also paces the country with 207.8 all-purpose yards per game.
 
• The initial Super Region One rankings were released on Monday and the PSAC features three teams in the rankings with Cal U slotted second. The region consists of four conferences - PSAC, MEC, CIAA and NE-10 - and no league earns an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Playoffs. Starting last fall, the regional playoffs feature seven teams and only the top team in the final regional rankings will receive a first-round bye.

• Cal U and Mercyhurst have split their eight all-time meetings with the Lakers winning three of four games at Tullio Field. In 2014, the teams combined for almost 50 fourth-quarter points before the Vulcans dropped a 59-49 contest after entering the week tied for first in the divisional standings. In 2012, Cal U suffered a 40-7 loss after entering the last week of divisional play tied for first in the PSAC West standings. In 2010, the Vulcans committed four turnovers in a 31-21 loss while being No. 3 in the country.

• The Vulcans jumped two places to No. 6 in the AFCA Top 25 poll this week, as a pair of top-10 teams lost to unranked teams. This week, Cal U has matched 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 25-7 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 ran 63 offensive plays last week against Gannon, totaling 32 passing attempts and 31 rushing attempts. The Vulcans were limited to a season-low 82 rushing yards yet extended their streak of multiple rushing touchdowns to 13 games. Cal U is one of only four teams in the PSAC to average at least 5.0 rushing yards per attempt.

• Last week, senior Garry Brown broke the all-time school record for career receptions against Gannon. He broke the record late in the second quarter before finishing the game with a season-high nine receptions. The previous mark of 165 career receptions was held by Perry Kemp for 30-plus years. Brown now holds the all-time school records for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. 

• Senior defensive lineman Jawan Turner tied his career high with nine tackles last week versus Gannon. He also recorded one forced fumble and 1.0 TFL to move past former All-American Willie Walker for third all-time in school history with 32.0 TFL. An All-PSAC West selection in each of the last two years, Turner ranks third on the team this year with 28 tackles (16 solo) and also sits third with both 7.0 TFL and 3.5 sacks.

• Cal U scored a touchdown on all five of its trips inside the red zone last week at Gannon. The Vulcans lead the PSAC and are tied for fourth in the country in red zone offense at 95.0 percent after scoring points in all but two of their 40 red-zone trips this year. Cal U has scored a combined 32 touchdowns (16 rushing, 16 passing) from inside the red zone and has also made six field goals after reaching the opponent's 20-yard line.

• Senior offensive lineman Tyler Peerson figures to make his 40th career start, all consecutive, this weekend at Mercyhurst. The last time the Vulcans featured a player with at least 40 starts was in the 2012 season when three players closed their careers with over 40 starts. Peerson made 21 starts at right tackle as a freshman and sophomore before moving to left guard last season and earned All-PSAC West First-Team status.

• Last week, senior linebacker Jordan Lardani registered a career-high 3.0 sacks against Gannon with each coming in the fourth quarter. He is the first player with at least 3.0 sacks in a game since Jawan Turner accomplished the feat against IUP in the 2014 campaign. Lardani leads the team and is tied for third in the PSAC with 7.5 sacks this season, while also ranking No. 12 in the country with 1.07 sacks per game.

• Mercyhurst features a pair of starters with recognizable names for those familiar with the PSAC West. Defensive lineman Benji Abercrombie is the younger brother of former Cal U center Jack Abercrombie, who is currently the offensive line coach at Gannon. Quarterback Doug Altavilla is the cousin of former Mercyhurst All-American pitcher Dan Altavilla, who made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners this season.

• The Vulcans and Lakers feature two of the top special team units in the PSAC this year. Cal U paces the league in kickoff coverage at 48.4 yards and ranks third in net punting at 36.4 yards. In comparison, Mercyhurst sits second in both kickoff coverage at 46.7 yards and net punting at 37.0 yards. Additionally, Garry Brown of Cal U and Richie Sanders of Mercyhurst rank second and third, respectively, in kickoff returns.

• Junior wide receiver Tom Greene has posted five receptions in each of the last three games and set a career high with 82 receiving yards against IUP. In his first year as a starter, he ranks second on the team with 434 receiving yards and 31 catches. Greene entered the year with only a combined eight receptions over the last two years.