Full Game Notes (PDF)

CAL U (5-2, 2-2) @ GANNON (3-4, 2-2)
• When: Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017
• Where: Erie, Pa.
• Stadium: McConnell Family Stadium (2,500)
• Kickoff: 12 p.m.
• Live Video: CUTVSports1 YouTube I Stretch (Gannon)
• 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 8-0
• First Meeting: Oct. 18, 2008 @ Gannon - Cal U won 42-24
• Last Meeting: Oct. 22, 2016 @ California - Cal U won 35-14 I Recap I Box Score
• Streak: Cal U +8

NOTES
• Cal U makes its first trip of the year to Erie County on Saturday by traveling to face Gannon. The Vulcans posted a 21-19 victory last weekend over Clarion. Meanwhile, Gannon set a school record for points and the PSAC record for rushing yards in a 76-31 victory at Seton Hill.

• Cal U scored 21 points in the second quarter before staving off Clarion for a 21-19 win on Homecoming. The Vulcans allowed just 84 yards of total offense and five first downs while holding the Golden Eagles scoreless in the first half. Senior linebacker Luke Hrapchak paced the team with 12 tackles and was one of seven players to record at least 1.0 TFL. Fellow senior DeVonte Suber added 10 stops and classmate Justin Baker finished with nine tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack and a blocked PAT kick. Senior quarterback Michael Keir finished with 203 yards on 20-of-32 attempts and one touchdown.

• The Vulcans have won each of eight all-time meetings against the Golden Knights. The two programs never faced until Gannon joined the PSAC in 2008.

• An 11-year veteran of the program, Brad Rzyczycki is in his sixth season as head coach at Gannon. He has posted a 31-30 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.

• Featuring perhaps the most dominating player in all of college football this year, Gannon ranks among the top 15 in the country in scoring offense, total offense and rushing offense. Junior running back Marc Jones has burst onto the national scene this year and leads all NCAA divisions with 1,540 rushing yards, 1,761 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns. He has rushed for at least 200 yards four times this year while averaging an incredible 10.2 yards per attempt. Jones also has added 16 receptions for 221 yards and two touchdowns this season. Redshirt freshman Jimmy Keefe has started the last five games at quarterback for the Golden Knights, passing for over 900 yards and six touchdowns. Senior Tyler Palka leads the team with 401 receiving yards and 32 catches after playing quarterback last season. He also rushed for 175 yards and four touchdowns last week on nine carries. Defensively, Gannon ranks next-to-last in the PSAC in passing defense and allows over 30 points per game. An All-PSAC West selection last year, junior linebacker Anthony Howard ranks among the top 10 in the league with 62 tackles. He also paces the team with 7.5 TFL and has registered 3.0 sacks. Junior linebacker James Simms has collected 49 stops, while sophomore defensive lineman Andrew Berger leads the team with 5.0 sacks. On special teams, senior Karch Holland has made just two-of-eight field goals this year, however, four attempts have been from 40-plus yards.

• Senior wide receiver Luke Smorey posted his second 100-yard game of the season last week, finishing with 103 yards on nine receptions and one touchdown. He is tied for fourth in the PSAC with 45 receptions after making at least five catches in six of seven games this year. Smorey, who has 15 career touchdown receptions, also sits ninth in the league this season with a career-high 525 receiving yards.

• Last week, senior linebacker DeVonte Suber tallied a season-high 10 tackles against Clarion to become the ninth player in recent program history to eclipse 200 career tackles. Suber, who has registered at least 49 tackles in each of the past three years, and classmate Luke Hrapchak have both reached the milestone this season, as the Vulcans feature multiple 200 tacklers for the first time since 2012.

• Entering the last three weeks of divisional play, the PSAC figures to have an intriguing finish in both divisions. The PSAC East currently features four teams tied for first place with a 3-1 league record, including preseason-favorite West Chester. In the PSAC West, four teams are tied for third place at 2-2 after IUP took sole possession of first place last week and is the last undefeated team in the league.

• Senior defensive lineman Justin Baker was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week following his play against Clarion. He set a career high with nine tackles, registered 2.0 TFL and 1.0 sack, and blocked a pivotal PAT attempt late in the fourth quarter.  Baker has already established a career high with 41 tackles in his third year as a starter after making at least five stops in each of the last five games.

• Senior quarterback Michael Keir completed passes to eight different players last week with only two players making more than two receptions. He finished the game with 20 completions with 13 going to wide receivers, five to running backs and two to tight ends. This season, 12 different players have made at least one reception yet only two have more than 15 catches.

• Last week, Cal U allowed Clarion to convert just 4-of-16 on third down and forced the Golden Eagles to turn the ball over on downs four times, including three times inside the 10-yard line. The Vulcans are tied for sixth in the PSAC this year in opponents' third-down conversion and sit third in opponents' fourth-down conversion. Gannon leads the league by converting on third down nearly 52 percent of the time.

• The Vulcans enter play having recorded at least one blocked kick in five-consecutive games, which is the longest streak in recent program history. Cal U is also tied for the lead in NCAA Division II this year with six blocked kicks. Since the start of the 2011 season, the Vulcans have blocked a staggering 42 kicks while tallying at least five blocks in each of the past seven years.

• Last week, Cal U scored all 21 of its points in the second quarter before finishing with a 21-19 victory against Clarion on Homecoming. The Vulcans accounted for the three touchdowns in just under seven minutes, as the offense scored on back-to-back possessions before the defense returned an interception for a touchdown.

• Seniors Taylor Nikithser and DeVonte Suber enter the weekend having both started 30-consecutive games, which is the longest active streak on the team. Nikithser and Suber started their streaks with the opening game of the 2015 season after Nikithser started twice in the middle of the 2014 campaign. Additionally, senior Luke Smorey is the team's active leader with 33 career starts.

• The Gannon coaching staff features a pair of former Cal U offensive linemen in Jack Abercrombie and Zach Morehead. Abercrombie is in his second year as the offensive line coach and was a standout for the Vulcans from 2011-14, receiving the Division II Rimington Award as a senior. Morehead serves as the offensive tackles and tight ends coach after starting 33 games along the left side of the Cal U offensive line from 2014-16.

• Junior defensive back Brendan Edwards recorded an interception return for a touchdown last week against Clarion. He ranks second on the team with three interceptions after entering the year with one interception in 18 career games. Edwards is the second player in the last three weeks to return an interception for a touchdown after the Vulcans posted three 'pick-sixes' last year.

• Gannon standout Marc Jones is on pace for one of the most prolific seasons in PSAC history. He broke a 35-year old PSAC record last month with 354 rushing yards and also set a school record with 449 all-purpose yards in a 49-45 loss to Slippery Rock. Last year, Jones recorded the longest play from scrimmage against the Vulcans when he scampered 59 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.