Full Game Notes (PDF)

SLIPPERY ROCK (7-1, 5-0) @ CAL U (5-3, 4-1)
• When: Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018
• Where: California, Pa.
• Stadium: Adamson Stadium (6,500)
• Kickoff: 1 p.m.
• Live Video: Stretch (CUTV Feed)
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM) I 97.7 FM
• Live Stats: Click HERE

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: Slippery Rock leads 47-30-3
• First Meeting: 1919 - Cal U 7-0
• Last Meeting: Sept. 30, 2017 @ Slippery Rock - Slippery Rock won 47-44 (OT) I Recap I Box Score
• Streak: Slippery Rock +1

NOTES
• Cal U returns to Adamson Stadium on Saturday for a pivotal PSAC West contest against Slippery Rock. The Vulcans claimed a 23-0 victory at Mercyhurst over two days last weekend. Meanwhile, Slippery Rock extended its winning streak to six games with a 28-13 win at Clarion.

• The Vulcans posted four interceptions and allowed only 180 yards of total offense in a 23-0 victory at Mercyhurst last week. The game was suspended with 2:39 left in the first half on Saturday with play being completed on Sunday. Cal U held a 6-0 lead prior to play being suspended and sealed the victory with a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Freshman Noah Mitchell finished with 171 passing yards on 17-of-37 attempts, while the Vulcans set a season high with 207 rushing yards. Defensive backs Kavon Morman and Jimmy Pierce tied for the team lead with six tackles.

• The Rock has posted victories in five of the last seven meetings versus the Vulcans. However, since 2003 Cal U has won seven of the eight meetings against Slippery Rock at Adamson Stadium with the only loss being in 2012.

• After spending two decades as an assistant with the program, Shawn Lutz has posted a 22-8 record in three seasons as head coach at The Rock. Prior to being appointed head coach, he served eight years as defensive coordinator and was promoted to associate head coach in 2012. Lutz played a pivotal role in the development of Marcus Martin, who set the all-time NCAA record with 56.0 sacks.

• One of the top offenses in the country, Slippery Rock is averaging 44.0 points during its six-game winning streak. Junior Roland Rivers III has been dynamic at quarterback since taking over as the starter in Week 3. A transfer from Valdosta State, he leads the PSAC with over 330 yards of total offense per game and has 25 total touchdowns (six rushing). The Rock features a balanced receiving corps, as eight players have at least a dozen receptions. Sophomore Henry Litwin paces the team with 560 receiving yards on 34 catches, while classmate Jermaine Wynn, Jr. has totaled 422 yards on 30 receptions. Litwin and Wynn, a transfer from Alderson Broaddus, both have six touchdown catches. Senior transfer Wes Hills posted a season-high 206 rushing yards last week at Clarion and ranks fourth in the PSAC with 109.7 rushing yards per game. He previously totaled over 1,800 yards and scored 14 touchdowns in three seasons at Delaware. The Rock also features one of the top defenses in the league, allowing under 100 rushing yards per game. Junior transfer linebacker Brad Zaffram leads the team with 51 stops and also has 6.5 TFL and six pass break-ups. Sophomore Chad Kuhn and junior Trey Blandford are two of the premier defensive linemen in the league, having combined for 22.0 TFL and 14.5 sacks. Slippery Rock also benefits from one of the most veteran and reliable specialists in the region in junior Jake Chapla. He has made 31 career field goals and received All-PSAC West honors at both kicker and punter last season.

• The PSAC features a de facto semifinal in both divisions on Saturday with the winner of each game controlling its fate of reaching the PSAC Championship. In the East, West Chester travels to face Kutztown in a meeting of undefeated teams. Meanwhile, Slippery Rock holds a one-game lead in the divisional standings, but Cal U would possess the head-to-head tiebreaker with a victory.

• The initial Super Region One rankings were released on Monday and the PSAC features three teams in the rankings. The region consists of the PSAC, MEC, NE-10 and G-MAC. There are a pair of games this weekend between two regionally-ranked teams, one in both the PSAC and the NE-10. The regional playoffs feature seven teams and only the top seed in the final regional rankings will receive a first-round bye.

• Last week, the Vulcans recorded their first shutout since Week 3 of the 2016 season with a 23-0 win at Mercyhurst. Cal U posted four interceptions and forced a turnover on downs three times in the contest. The Lakers were only able to manage one drive of at least 40 yards and never entered the red zone.

• Junior running back Nelson Brown eclipsed the century mark at Mercyhurst last week, finishing with 101 rushing yards and one touchdown on 25 carries. He has posted four 100-yard games since joining the program from Lenoir-Rhyne. Brown sits third in the league with 833 rushing yards and is tied for second with 13 rushing touchdowns, which is fifth-most in NCAA Division II this year.

• Cal U and Mercyhurst took over 24 hours to complete their game last week due to severe weather in Erie. The game was slated to start on Saturday at 12 p.m. but was delayed due to lightning. Once play began there was a delay midway through the first quarter before another delay with 2:39 left in the second quarter forced the game to be suspended. The teams then played the final 32-plus minutes on Sunday without incident.

• Cal U registered four interceptions, all by different players, last week in the shutout victory at Mercyhurst. The Vulcans are now tied for second in the country with 15 interceptions, which already eclipses their total from each of the past two years. Eight different players have made at least one interception for Cal U in 2018 and the Vulcans lead the nation with 353 interception return yards behind a pair of lengthy touchdowns.

• Last weekend, the Vulcans finished with over an 11-minute advantage in time of possession at Mercyhurst. Cal U has controlled the ball for at least 30 minutes in five games this year, including three games of at least 35 minutes. The Vulcans rank fourth in the PSAC in time of possession with an average of 32 minutes, 5 seconds.

• Sophomore Brian Alsobrooks received weekly honors from the PSAC following his performance last week at Mercyhurst. He made three-of-three field goals, including a career-long 36-yard attempt, and also set a career high with six punts, highlighted by a long of 48 yards. Alsobrooks is tied for second in the league this year with nine field goals and is one of only three kickers in NCAA Division II to convert every field goal attempted.

• In the shutout last weekend, Cal U surrendered less than 100 yards both on the ground and through the air at Mercyhurst. The Lakers finished with only 180 yards of total offense in the contest with 96 rushing yards on 26 carries and 84 passing yards on 35 attempts. It marked only the third time since the 2011 season in which the Vulcans limited an opponent to under 100 rushing yards and 100 passing yards in the same game.

• The Vulcans set a season high with 207 rushing yards on 40 carries last week at Mercyhurst. Junior Nelson Brown posted 101 rushing yards on 25 attempts, while redshirt senior Nick Grissom finished with 75 yards on seven carries behind a 50-yard rush in the fourth quarter. It marked the first game for Cal U with at least 200 rushing yards since Week 9 of the 2016 season, which was also at Mercyhurst.
 
• Redshirt sophomore defensive back Jimmy Pierce tied for the team lead with six tackles last week in the shutout victory at Mercyhurst. After missing all of last season due to injury, he ranks fourth on the team with a career-high 38 stops (24 solo) and has recorded 5.0 TFL and a 71-yard interception return for a touchdown. Pierce was a two-time, all-conference honoree at quarterback at the scholastic level while playing at Laurel Highlands.

• In his first year as a starter, sophomore Tyson Hill is tied for second in the PSAC with 50 receptions and ranks third with 704 receiving yards. He has made at least five catches in four of the last five games and has led the team in both receptions and receiving yards in the last three weeks. Last year, Hill posted a 49-yard touchdown reception at Slippery Rock early in the first quarter for the first score of a game that featured 91 points.