Full Game Notes

CALIFORNIA (PA) (4-4, 3-2) @ MERCYHURST (2-6, 0-5)
• When: Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022
• Where: Erie, Pa.
• Stadium: Saxon Stadium (1,100)
• Kickoff: 12 p.m.
• Live Video: PSAC Network (CUTV/Hurst Feeds) I CUTVSports1 (YouTube)
• Live Stats: Click HERE

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: California leads 9-4 I History
• First Meeting: Nov. 1, 2008 @ Mercyhurst – California won 17-6 I Recap I Box Score
• Last Meeting: Oct. 2, 2021 @ California – California won 37-0 | Recap | Box Score I Video Highlights
• Streak: California +6

NOTES
• Cal makes its final road trip of the season on Saturday when it travels to Erie. The Vulcans suffered a 42-24 loss on Homecoming to nationally-ranked Slippery Rock last weekend. Meanwhile, the Lakers dropped a 49-14 contest last week to crosstown rival Gannon in the Niagara Cup.
 
• The Vulcans trailed 21-3 midway through the second quarter last week before falling by a 42-24 margin to Slippery Rock on Homecoming. Senior quarterback Noah Mitchell set a season high with 302 passing yards on 30-of-44 attempts with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Junior JaQuae Jackson led the team with 84 receiving yards on seven catches, including two touchdowns. Defensively, Cal limited Slippery Rock to a season-low 42 rushing yards. Senior Kavon Morman and junior Noah Dillow tied for the team lead with seven tackles.
 
• The Vulcans have won the last six meetings against the Lakers and will be making their first trip to Saxon Stadium since 2018. Mercyhurst won four of five meetings in the series from 2010-14, including three-straight victories at home.
 
• After spending a decade as an assistant with the program, Ryan Riemedio has posted a 2-6 record in his first seasons as head coach of the Lakers. He was named head coach in waiting at the beginning of the 2021 campaign after serving as the defensive coordinator since 2020. Riemedio joined the program in 2012 as a graduate assistant and was hired as the defensive line coach in 2014.
 
• Mercyhurst won its opening two games of the season before losing its last six games, including a pair by a combined five points. The Lakers have utilized graduate student Joe Carter and senior Michael Lowery at quarterback this season with both posting similar numbers. The duo has combined for over 1,300 passing yards with 11 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions. Junior Trevon Tate leads the team with 271 receiving yards on 20 catches with a pair of touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Cameron Barmore has posted 260 yards and four receiving touchdowns, including three over the last two weeks. The Lakers also return two-time All-PSAC West First-Team tight end Jason Armstrong, who has 11 career touchdown receptions. Redshirt junior Dustin Shoaf and sophomore David Alize, an All-PSAC West selection last year, have combined for 800 rushing yards this season with Shoaf ranking fourth in the league with seven rushing touchdowns. Defensively, Mercyhurst is anchored by returning All-PSAC West linebackers Jacob Holl and Thomas Zacharyasz. Holl ranks second in the league this year with 87 tackles, plus has registered 7.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks and two interceptions. Zacharyasz has tallied 76 stops after leading the PSAC in 2021 with 107 total tackles. Freshman Marquis Mauney leads the defense with three interceptions this season. On special teams, graduate student kicker Brian Alsobrooks ranks third in the league with eight field goals while scoring 48 points this fall.
 
• The NCAA released a list of 10 teams in Super Region One currently in consideration for post-season play on Monday with the teams listed in alphabetical order. The group is highlighted by a trio of undefeated teams and an additional three teams with a single loss. The PSAC leads the region with four teams under consideration, all opponents for the Vulcans this season.
 
• Senior quarterback Noah Mitchell registered his 13th career 300-yard game last week while becoming only the 10th player in PSAC history to reach 10,000 passing yards. He also ranks ninth among active players in all NCAA divisions with 10,083 passing yards and No. 11 with 86 passing touchdowns. Mitchell enters the weekend only 77 yards shy of reaching 2,000 passing yards for the fourth time in his career.
 
• The Vulcans are returning to Saxon Stadium for the first time since 2018 when severe weather and multiple lightning delays forced the game to be played over two days. Cal held a 6-0 lead with 2:39 left to play in the second quarter on Saturday before the teams played the final 32-plus minutes on Sunday.
 
• Cal enters the weekend ranked fourth in NCAA Division II in rushing defense this year, allowing just 65.5 yards per game. The Vulcans limited Slippery Rock to a season-low 42 rushing yards after averaging over 170 rushing yards per game. Cal has allowed an opponent to eclipse the century mark on the ground just twice this season, both of which totaled over 40 rushing attempts.
 
• Junior JaQuae Jackson finished with two receiving touchdowns last weekend, marking his fourth multi-score game this season. He ranks second in the country with 11 receiving touchdowns and also sits among the top 10 with both 57 receptions and 872 receiving yards. Jackson is the first player with double-digit receiving touchdowns since Garry Brown set the single-season school record in 2016.
 
• Senior defensive back Kavon Morman has tallied a career-high seven tackles in each of the last two games. He tied for the team lead in stops and registered his first career sack last weekend against Slippery Rock. In his second year as a starter, Moran ranks fourth on the team with 31 tackles and has added 3.0 TFL and one forced fumble. The Pittsburgh native made his first career start at Mercyhurst in 2018.
 
• Last weekend, senior Noah Mitchell made his 40th career start - all consecutive - at quarterback. He joins former offensive linemen Tyler Peerson (2013-16) and Eric Hudanick (2017-21) as the only players in the last decade to start at least 40 games in a career. Starting with the 2010 senior class, a total of 10 Vulcans have started at least 40 games with Nick Picciorillo (2007-10) holding the record of 51 career starts.
 
• Mercyhurst enters the weekend as the least penalized team in the PSAC this year, committing a total of 29 penalties for 298 yards. The Lakers are tied for the second-fewest penalties in the country this year after committing 72 penalties in 2021. Meanwhile, the Vulcans have been flagged 63 times for nearly 600 yards this season.
 
• Over the last three weeks, junior defensive back Noah Hamlin has registered a combined 16 tackles with four pass break-ups. He set a career high with seven stops at Seton Hill in Week 7 before tallying four tackles and two pass break-ups against Slippery Rock last weekend. An all-state selection at the scholastic level, Hamlin previously played in 18 games at the NCAA FBS level between Cincinnati and Toledo.
 
• Mercyhurst quarterback and kicker Brian Alsobrooks previously played at Cal from 2017-18. Alsobrooks was selected a CoSIDA Second-Team Academic All-American at kicker as a sophomore. He finished with 68 points on nine field goals and 41 PAT attempts, plus averaged nearly 35 yards per punt, in 2018. Alsobrooks totaled 215 passing yards and two touchdowns while a reserve quarterback at Cal.
 
• Junior Davonte Williams led the team with 80 rushing yards on 17 attempts with one touchdown last weekend. He posted a 26-yard rush in the third quarter for his fourth carry this season of at least 20 yards. Williams has accounted for 313 rushing yards and three scores on 45 attempts in three games this fall after playing wide receiver last season. The Sto-Rox product was previously a defensive back at West Liberty in 2019.
 
• Last weekend, sophomore defensive back Jacob Seigle registered his first career interception midway through the second quarter against Slippery Rock. He has started five games this season as the nickel back after playing in all 10 games as a reserve in 2021. Additionally, the Harrisburg native has totaled 15 tackles and 2.0 TFL this fall. Seigle was a two-time, two-way all-conference standout at the scholastic level.