Full Game Notes (PDF)

CAL U (3-2, 2-0) @ CLARION (4-1, 2-0)
• When: Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018
• Where: Clarion, Pa.
• Stadium: Memorial Stadium (5,000)
• Kickoff: 2 p.m.
• Live Video: Stretch (Clarion Feed)
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM) I WCCR (92.9 FM) I WKQW (96.3 FM)
• Live Stats: Click HERE

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: Cal U leads 47-38-3
• First Meeting: 1923 - Cal U won 65-0
• Last Meeting: Oct. 14, 2017 @ California - Cal U won 21-19 I Recap I Box Score
• Streak: Cal U +13

NOTES
• Cal U returns to the road this weekend after playing back-to-back home games. Last week, the Vulcans posted a 36-24 upset victory over rival IUP in the 10th-annual Coal Bowl. Meanwhile, Clarion extended its winning streak to four games with a 19-16 victory at Seton Hill.
 
• Cal U forced three second-half turnovers, including a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown by junior defensive back Lamont McPhatter II, to earn a 36-24 victory over then-No. 2 IUP. McPhatter was named Coal Bowl MVP after also tallying eight tackles. Linebackers Brendan Blair and London Cloud tied for the team lead with 10 tackles. IUP held a 14-10 halftime lead before the teams combined for 30 points in the third quarter with the Vulcans taking a 30-24 lead with 1:17 left in the quarter. Junior Nelson Brown finished with 143 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
 
• The Vulcans lead the all-time series that started in 1923 by a 47-38-3 margin. Cal U has won the last 13 meetings against Clarion, which previously won three-straight meetings at Memorial Stadium (2001, 2002, 2004).
 
• A former All-American quarterback for the Golden Eagles, Chris Weibel is in his fourth year as head coach at his alma mater. He previously spent 11 years as an assistant coach at Clarion, serving as the offensive coordinator in 2013-14. Weibel, who holds the school's all-time records for passing yards and touchdowns, helped guide Clarion to an 11-3 record in 1996 after advancing to the semifinals of the NCAA Playoffs.
 
• After winning just one game in 2017, Clarion is off to its best start since the 2015 season when it opened the year with seven-consecutive wins. The Golden Eagles feature one of the top defenses in the PSAC this fall, ranking third in both scoring defense and total defense. Senior linebacker Layne Skundrich and senior defensive lineman Alec Heldreth are tied for the team lead with 32 tackles after both were All-PSAC West selections in 2017. Heldreth sits among the top five in the league with 7.5 TFL and 4.5 sacks this season. Senior defensive lineman Brandon Vocco has tallied 28 stops and 3.0 TFL after also earning All-PSAC West status last year. Junior defensive back Sam Fareri has registered three interceptions and one forced fumble, while also making 22 stops. Offensively, Clarion ranks in the bottom three of the PSAC in total offense, rushing offense and third-down conversion percentage. Juniors Jeff Clemens and Jovante Seard have split time at quarterback this year, combining for over 1,050 passing yards and eight touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver Marcus McCoy leads the team with 217 receiving yards and three touchdowns after making only five catches last year. Sophomore running back Mylique McGriff leads the team with 167 rushing yards and also has posted 119 receiving yards on eight catches. On special teams, junior James Metzgar has converted six-of-seven field goals with a long of 40 yards after leading the PSAC in total punts last season.
 
• Last week, Cal U claimed a 36-24 victory over defending-NCAA Regional Champion and then-No. 2 IUP in the 10th-annual Coal Bowl. It marked the highest-ranked opponent ever defeated by the Vulcans and snapped a five-game losing streak to top-25 teams. Prior to last week, the highest-ranked opponent Cal U upset was IUP in 2016 when the Crimson Hawks were No. 6 in the country.
 
• Junior Lamont McPhatter II helped seal the win over IUP last week with a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. He broke the school record for the longest interception return after the previous mark of 94 yards was set by DeWayne Griffin in 2000. McPhatter is the first player to record a play of 100 yards since Terrell Roberson posted a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in 2013.
 
• Junior running back Nelson Brown finished with three rushing scores for the third-consecutive game last week against IUP. He is the first player since Roberson in 2014 to record three rushing touchdowns in three games during a season. The last player to post back-to-back three touchdown games was Antoine Bagwell in 2004. Brown enters the weekend ranked second in the country this year with 11 rushing touchdowns.
 
• Last weekend, the Vulcans surrendered a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown midway through the third quarter. It marked the first kickoff return for a touchdown by a Cal U opponent since the 2013 season when West Chester countered the Roberson 100-yard touchdown with a 97-yard return on the ensuing kickoff.

• The Vulcans and Golden Eagles enter the weekend with an incredible difference in terms of strength of schedule to this point in the year. The five opponents for Clarion this season hold a combined 3-22 record with three teams yet to win a game in 2018. Meanwhile, Cal U opponents have tallied an 18-6 mark this fall and three teams have been ranked at least one week in the top-25 poll.
 
• Senior linebacker Brendan Blair played a pivotal role last week in the upset over IUP. He tied for the team lead and set a career high with 10 tackles, while registering both a fumble recovery and an interception in the second half. Blair also matched his career high of 1.5 TFL and 1.0 sack in the win. The Sto-Rox product ranks second on the team with a career-high 34 stops, making at least five tackles in the last four weeks.
 
• Cal U faced one of the top pass rushes in NCAA Division II last week, as IUP entered the game ranked fifth in the country with 4.5 sacks per game. However, the Crimson Hawks were held without a sack on 27 pass attempts. The Vulcans are tied for second in the nation with only two sacks allowed on 188 pass attempts. Cal U has started the same five offensive linemen at the same position in every game this year.
 
• The Vulcans forced three turnovers without committing a turnover last weekend against IUP. It marked the first time since Week 8 of last season in which Cal U didn't commit a turnover. The Vulcans have forced a combined 11 turnovers, returning three for touchdowns, during their current three-game winning streak after not forcing a turnover in their previous three games dating back to last year.
 
• Cal U enters the weekend as the NCAA Division II leader, and ranks sixth among all NCAA divisions, with a .575 third-down conversion percentage. The Vulcans have converted at least 50 percent of their third downs in four games this year. Meanwhile, Clarion sits No. 13 in the country in third-down conversion percentage defense, allowing opponents to convert third downs only 25.7 percent of the time.
 
• Sophomore wide receiver Tyson Hill continued his breakout campaign last week, recording the second 100-yard game of his career. He led the team with 112 receiving yards on just four catches for an average of 28.0 yards per reception. Hill ranks third in the PSAC with 465 receiving yards this season and is also fourth in the league with 29 receptions. The 6-foot-1 sophomore has posted six catches this year of at least 20 yards.
 
• The Vulcans have started five freshmen (four defense) this season that have combined for 14 starts. Quarterback Noah Mitchell has started all five games, while defensive lineman Gerald Brown and defensive back Jermal Martin, Jr. have both started three games. Defensive lineman Derick Korboi earned his first career start last week.
 
• From 2008-12, LIU Post (then C.W. Post) was an affiliate member of the PSAC in football and competed in the Eastern Division. This week, it was announced the LIU athletic programs, Post and Brooklyn, will combine and compete solely as LIU beginning in the 2019-20 academic year. LIU will compete as a NCAA Division I athletics program, becoming a FCS program in football, and each campus will be the host of certain sports.