• Full Game Notes (PDF)

#11/10 IUP (10-1) @ #6/8 CAL U (10-0)
• When: Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016
• Where: California, Pa.
• Stadium: Adamson Stadium (6,500)
• Kickoff: 1 p.m.
• Live Video: SIDEARM Sports
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM) I WJPA (1450 AM) I WQMU (92.5 FM)
• Live Stats: Click HERE

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: IUP leads 61-26-2
• First Meeting: 1918 - IUP won 20-2
• Last Meeting: Oct. 8, 2016 @ California - Cal U won 31-28 I Recap I Box Score
• Streak: Cal U +1

NOTES
• Cal U returns to the NCAA Playoffs for the first time since 2011. The Vulcans earned the top seed in Super Region One and received a first-round bye. Meanwhile, IUP posted a 62-13 victory at Fairmont State in the first round of the playoffs last week to extend its win streak to six games.

• Cal U is making its sixth all-time appearance in the NCAA Playoffs, all since 2007. The Vulcans were awarded the top seed in Super Region One after posting an undefeated regular season, which included a 49-7 victory in the PSAC Championship and three victories over top-25 programs. Cal U set a school record this year with 19 All-PSAC West selections, including 12 first-team honorees. Senior Garry Brown was chosen the PSAC West Offensive Player of the Year and earned All-PSAC West First-Team status at both wide receiver and return specialist.

• The Crimson Hawks lead the all-time series that started in 1918 by a 61-26-2 margin. Cal U has won eight of the last 12 meetings. However, this marks the first time the programs are meeting in the NCAA Playoffs.

• After 25-plus years as an assistant coach, Curt Cignetti is in his sixth season as head coach at IUP. He has posted a 53-16 overall record with the Crimson Hawks and now has won at least nine games in four of his six seasons. Cignetti has led IUP to the NCAA Playoffs three times in the past five years and the program has advanced to at least the second round in each appearance.

• IUP is one of only three schools in Super Region One to make the NCAA Playoffs in both 2015 and 2016. The Crimson Hawks rank fourth in NCAA Division II in both rushing offense (287.0 yards/game) and scoring offense (48.4 points/game). Freshman Samir Bullock and junior Chris Temple have combined for nearly 1,750 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns this season. Temple has posted three-consecutive 100-yards games and has scored seven rushing touchdowns over the last two weeks. Sophomore quarterback Mike Pietropola has started the last two games following an injury to Harlon Hill candidate Lenny Williams. Pietropola has passed only a combined 24 times in the last two weeks while committing just one turnover. Junior wide receiver Walt Pegues is the team's top receiver this season, averaging 103.2 yards/game and 22.7 yards/reception. Pegues has posted eight receiving touchdowns and has scored at least one touchdown in each of the last four weeks. Defensively, IUP ranks second in the country with 35 turnovers forced behind a staggering 24 interceptions. Senior linebacker Kevin Clarke leads the team with 100 tackles (37 solo) despite missing two games this year. Junior Takhi Turner has posted 62 stops and three interceptions, while senior Steve Franco has recorded 57 tackles and three interceptions. Junior defensive back Jay Watkins is tied for third in NCAA Division II with seven interceptions. On special teams, senior Jordan Spangler averages 40.3 yards/punt and senior kicker Ryan Stewart has a long of 32 yards.
 
• The Vulcans are making their sixth all-time appearance in the NCAA Playoffs, while the Crimson Hawks are in the post-season for the 17th time in school history. IUP has advanced to the national semifinals six times with its last appearance in 1999. Cal U returns to the post-season for the first time since 2011 after advancing to the national semifinals in three-consecutive years from 2007-09.

• Cal U and IUP combined for 32 All-PSAC West selections this season, which is over 55 percent of the players recognized on the teams. The Vulcans set a school record with 19 All-PSAC West honorees, including 12 first-team selections. The Crimson Hawks boasted 13 All-PSAC West recipients with five being tabbed to the first-team. The two programs combined for eight of the 10 All-PSAC West honorees along the offensive line. 

• The Vulcans are facing a fellow PSAC member in the NCAA Playoffs for the fourth time in six post-season appearances. Cal U has posted a 2-1 mark against league opponents in the NCAA Playoffs with both wins occurring in the second round. Meanwhile, the Crimson Hawks have tallied a 5-1 record against fellow PSAC members in the post-season with the last occurrence coming in 2007.

• This weekend, Cal U will be facing a team for the second time in the same year for the first time since 2009. The Vulcans played a pair of opponents twice in 2008 before facing Shippensburg in the PSAC Championship and in the NCAA Playoffs in 2009. Prior to 2008, Cal U hadn't played a team twice in the same year since 1984.

• Senior Garry Brown enters the weekend tied for the single-season school record with 18 receiving touchdowns. He leads wide receivers at all NCAA levels in scoring this year with 126 points, which are the most points by any Cal U player since 2005. Brown was selected the PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Year last week, becoming only the second wide receiver in the division in the last 25 years to earn the honor.

• IUP boasts one of the top rushing offenses in the country, while Cal U sits sixth in NCAA Division II in rushing defense at 81.5 yards/game. The Crimson Hawks have rushed for over 300 yards in a game five times season and has been held under 200 rushing yards only twice. Meanwhile, the Vulcans have allowed only three teams to reach the century mark on the ground this year.

• Two weeks ago, junior linebacker Luke Hrapchak set a season high with 15 tackles against Kutztown in the PSAC Championship. He also registered a strip sack, one fumble recovery, 1.5 TFL and two pass break-ups to garner PSAC Championship MVP honors. Hrapchak leads the team with a career-high 75 tackles (47 solo) after missing the last half of 2015 due to injury.

• Junior quarterback Michael Keir posted five touchdown passes in the PSAC Championship two weeks ago. He is tied for fourth in the country with 35 touchdown passes, which is only shy of tying the single-season school record set by Josh Portis in 2009. Keir has thrown at least one touchdown pass in all 10 games this year, including 17 touchdowns over the last five games.

• With its victory two weeks ago, Cal U completed its first undefeated regular season since 2007 and just the fourth overall in program history. The Vulcans also reached the 10-win mark for the sixth time with the victory, as the program won at least 10 games each year from 2007-11. Head coach Gary Dunn joined Earle Bruce (1946) as the only head coaches in school history to go undefeated in the regular season during their first year.

• The Vulcans enter the weekend on pace to eclipse 2,000 rushing yards for the first time since 2009. Junior Nick Grissom leads the team with a career-high 902 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 155 attempts. Sophomore Jalen Bell has rushed for over 300 yards and classmate Jimmy Wheeler averages almost 7.0 yards/attempt. Junior John Franklin III has posted six rushing touchdowns over the past five weeks.

• Cal U continues to lead NCAA Division II with 52.1 points per game this season. The Vulcans have scored the second-most points in school history this year and are only 13 points shy of the record set of 534 points set in 2009 over 15 games. Through 10 games, the Vulcans have trailed for only a combined total of 7 minutes, 1 second out of a possible 600 minutes (all 7:01 against IUP).

• On Oct. 8 (recap), Cal U rallied for a 31-28 victory against IUP in the eighth-annual Coal Bowl. The Vulcans tied the score early in the fourth quarter before forcing a punt near midfield. Cal U then mounted a 12-play drive capped with the eventual, game-winning field goal by junior Will Brazill with 55 seconds left to play.