Full Game Notes (PDF)

#-/22 CAL U (9-2) @ #15/15 ASSUMPTION (9-1)
• When: Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017
• Where: Worcester, Mass.
• Stadium: Multi-Sport Stadium (1,200)
• Kickoff: 1 p.m.
• Live Video: Click HERE
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM)
• Live Stats: Click HERE

TICKET INFORMATION
• Adults - $12
• Seniors or Children under 12 - $7
• College Students with ID - $3
• Tailgate Information - Click HERE

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: First Meeting

NOTES
• Cal U earned the sixth seed in Super Region One after closing the regular season on a five-game winning streak following a 31-14 victory at East Stroudsburg last week. Meanwhile, Assumption received the third seed after suffering a 35-31 loss to Bentley - its only loss of the regular season.

• Senior quarterback Michael Keir passed for 350 yards and two touchdowns last week, as Cal U finished the regular season with a 31-14 victory at East Stroudsburg. Senior wide receiver Luke Smorey led all players with 119 yards and tied his career high with 10 catches. The Vulcans controlled the ball for over 33 minutes and finished with a 200-yard advantage in total offense. Senior linebacker Luke Hrapchak led the team with nine tackles, while classmate Cameron Tarver registered 2.0 sacks. Sophomore Lamont McPhatter II added seven stops, one forced fumble and two pass break-ups.

• The Vulcans and Greyhounds are meeting for the first time on Saturday. Cal U has previously faced an NE-10 opponent in the NCAA Playoffs just once in six previous appearances (2007).

• In five seasons, Bob Chesney has posted a 42-15 record as head coach of the Greyhounds. Over the last three years, he has led the program to a pair of NE-10 Championships and three appearances in the NCAA Playoffs. Chesney previously coached at the NCAA Division III level, serving as head coach at Salve Regina (R.I.) from 2010-12, and was a four-year letter winner at Dickinson (Pa.).

• Assumption is one of only two teams in the country to rank among the top 10 in both scoring offense and scoring defense. Senior Dylan Oxsen and sophomore Khaleed Exum-Strong have combined for over 1,300 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns this season. The Greyhounds are tied for the NE-10 lead with 23 rushing touchdowns with five players accounting for at least three touchdowns. Senior Marc Monks has passed for nearly 1,600 yards and 15 touchdowns, but has missed the last two-plus games. Classmate Brendan Tobey has combined for almost 600 passing yards and four touchdowns since taking over at quarterback. The Greyhounds boast three wide receivers with at least 500 receiving yards that have combined 19 receiving touchdowns. Senior Ashton Grant leads the team with 757 yards and eight scores on 50 receptions, while junior Deonte Harris has posted 562 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Assumption has held opponents to 10 points or fewer seven times this year. Linebacker Bryce Jacob leads the team with 65 tackles, while defensive backs Joe Kim and Kaleb Silva both have tallied at least 55 stops. Senior defensive lineman Ray Sarkodieh has registered team highs of 12.5 TFL and 11.0 sacks this season, while senior Andrew Benson has posted a combined 15 interceptions over the last two years. On special teams, Harris is one of the premier returners in the country, totaling 788 combined return yards and a staggering six touchdowns.

• The Vulcans are making their seventh all-time appearance in the NCAA Playoffs, while the Greyhounds are in the post-season for the third time in school history. Cal U and Assumption were both eliminated from the NCAA Playoffs last year by two-time, defending-regional champion Shepherd. The Greyhounds suffered a 48-31 loss on the road in the first round, while the Vulcans dropped a 41-30 contest at home in the regional final.

• Cal U will be making its first-ever trip to Massachusetts this weekend, as the Vulcans have never faced a team from the Bay State. The program will be facing a current NE-10 program for the first time since 2011 when the Vulcans posted a 41-13 win over LIU Post, which was an associate member of the PSAC from 2008-12. Overall, the Vulcans hold a 4-4 record against current NE-10 football programs.

• Assumption has become familiar with Pennsylvania in recent years, as the Greyhounds have opened the last three seasons with victories over Kutztown. Assumption also faced Slippery Rock during the 2015 campaign, suffering a 41-39 road loss in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs. Head coach Bob Chesney has Pennsylvania ties, having played at Dickinson and served as an assistant at King's and Delaware Valley.

• Senior wide receiver Tom Greene eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career last weekend. He ranks fourth in the PSAC with 1,032 receiving yards and is sixth in the league with 62 receptions while matching his career high of six touchdowns. The Vulcans have featured at least one 1,000-yard receiver in eight of the last 10 seasons after the milestone was reached only once in program history prior to 2008.

• Senior quarterback Michael Keir reached a pair of milestones by passing for 350 yards and two touchdowns last week at East Stroudsburg. He became only the second player in school history with multiple 3,000-yard seasons and moved into fifth place all-time with 6,357 passing yards. Keir also is just one of three quarterbacks in program history with at least 60 career touchdown passes.

• Cal U and Assumption feature two of the top special team units in the country. The Vulcans rank second in NCAA Division II with a combined nine blocked kicks, as their streak of eight-consecutive games with at least one blocked kick ended last week. Meanwhile, Assumption junior Deonte Harris leads all NCAA divisions with 26.3 yards per punt return and five punt return touchdowns.

• Last week, senior linebacker Luke Hrapchak became the first player to record at least 100 tackles in consecutive seasons since Jim Lukacs in 2000 and 2001. Hrapchak leads the team with a career-high 104 stops (49 solo) this season after making at least eight tackles in the last eight games. A native of West Virginia, he also is the first player since Lukacs to surpass 260 tackles in a career.

• Senior Will Brazill reached 100 points for the second-straight year last week at East Stroudsburg. He is the fourth kicker in NCAA Division II to reach the milestone this year after converting 19-of-22 field goals and all 43 PAT attempts. Brazill is the only kicker in school history to total 100 points multiple times in a career and moved into fourth place all-time in school history with 276 points.

• Last weekend, senior Luke Smorey eclipsed 100 receiving yards for a consecutive game and for the fourth time this season. He matched his career high with 10 receptions for 119 yards with one touchdown at East Stroudsburg. Smorey leads the team and is fourth in the PSAC with 71 catches after entering the year with 67 career receptions and also ranks seventh in the league this season with 893 receiving yards.

• Senior linebacker Cameron Tarver registered six tackles, 2.0 sacks and one fumble recovery last week at East Stroudsburg. He has combined for 10.5 TFL and 6.5 sacks during the team's current five-game winning streak. Tarver ranks fourth in the PSAC this year with 15.5 TFL and 7.5 sacks, both career highs.

• Senior offensive lineman Taylor Nikithser made his first career start at left tackle at East Stroudsburg last weekend. He sits second on the team with 34-straight starts, as he started 33-consecutive games at center dating back to the 2015 season-opener. A regional nominee for the Gene Upshaw Award, Nikithser also made a pair of starts at right guard as a redshirt freshman before transitioning to center.

• Last week, juniors Jalen Bell and Jimmy Wheeler combined for 130 rushing yards and each posted one touchdown. Wheeler set a season high with 87 yards and Bell scored his team-leading sixth rushing touchdown of the year. The Vulcans finished with 141 rushing yards at East Stroudsburg, their highest total since Week 4 of the season.