Full Game Notes I Digital Program

#-/21 EAST STROUDSBURG (10-1) @ #20/18 CALIFORNIA (PA) (8-2)
• When: Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024
• Where: California, Pa.
• Stadium: Adamson Stadium (6,500)
• Kickoff: 1 p.m.
• Live Video: ESPN+
• Live Stats: Click HERE
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: California leads 5-4-1 I History
• First Meeting: Nov. 16, 1968 @ California – Tie 28-28
• Last Meeting: Nov. 11, 2023 – East Stroudsburg won 37-30 | Recap | Box Score
• Streak: East Stroudsburg +1

NOTES
• California hosts East Stroudsburg in the opening round of the NCAA Playoffs on Saturday afternoon at Adamson Stadium. The Vulcans are returning to the post-season for the first time since the 2017 campaign, while the Warriors are back in the NCAA Playoffs for a consecutive year.

• Cal scored a touchdown in the final two minutes last week while suffering a 21-14 loss against No. 3 Kutztown in the PSAC Championship. The Vulcans were appearing in the tile game for the first time since 2016, also versus the Golden Bears. Kutztown repeated as the PSAC Champion and captured its third league title in four years. The Vulcans held the Golden Bears to a season low in points and redshirt freshman Naquan Crowder led the team with a season-high nine tackles. Senior Davis Black finished with 193 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

• The Vulcans and Warriors are meeting for the fourth time in the last seven seasons, including the third-straight year. ESU snapped a five-game losing streak in the series in the final week of the 2023 regular season.

• One of the most prolific quarterbacks in NCAA Division II history, Jimmy Terwilliger has posted a 35-23 record in six years as head coach with the Warriors. Terwilliger won the 2005 Harlon Hill Award after finishing his career with nearly 150 passing touchdowns and over 14,000 passing yards. Last year, he guided ESU back to the NCAA Playoffs for the first time since 2009.

• ESU has reached double-digit victories for the sixth time in program history after finishing the regular season with a 10-1 overall record. The Warriors boast the top-scoring offense in the PSAC this year at 34.2 points per game. ESU averages a league-best 202.4 rushing yards per game behind the tandem of Tyriq Lewis and Tahir Mills, both All-PSAC West First-Team selections. Lewis ranks third in the conference with 74.5 rushing yards per game and Mills sits fourth at 72.3 rushing yards per game. Quarterback Sean McTaggart paces the PSAC with a 167.7 passing efficiency and ranks second in the PSAC with both 2,372 passing yards and 24 passing touchdowns. Wide receiver John Siggins ranks second in the league with eight touchdowns while averaging 60.8 yards per game. Defensively, ESU sits third in the PSAC in scoring defense after allowing 14.6 points per game. Linebacker Raymond Simmons IV leads the team and ranks fifth in the league with 92 tackles (46 solo). Defensive back Everette Dingle is tied for the conference lead with five interceptions and has tallied 50 stops (30 solo), while defensive lineman Terrell Reynolds has registered 6.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. On special teams, kicker Ty Quintois leads the PSAC with 78 total points after converting 11-of-15 field goals, including three-of-four of 40 yards or more. Return specialist Justin Cook sits third in the league with an average of 25.8 yards per kick return, including a 99-yard return for a touchdown.

• Head coach Gary Dunn was chosen the PSAC West Coach of the Year for the first time in his career this fall. He led the Vulcans to an 8-2 overall record during the regular season behind a 6-0 mark in divisional play, only the fifth undefeated league record in school history. Dunn, who ranks second in school history in wins, has guided the program back to the NCAA Playoffs for the first time in six seasons.

• The Vulcans feature a veteran group of five senior captains this season, including second-year captain and defensive back Dominic Solomon, Jr.. The quintet has combined to start 134 games in their careers with each starting at least 19 games. Solomon leads the team with 38 starts and center Jaheim Bassham paces the offense with 34 career starts.

• Senior quarterback Davis Black was voted the PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Year this week and earned All-PSAC West laurels for a consecutive season. He ranks among the top 15 in the country with 267.6 yards of total offense per game. He also enters the post-season ranked second in the league with 15.8 points responsible for per game after accounting for 26 total touchdowns (nine rushing) this season.

• Earlier this week, junior defensive back Rashan Murray was tabbed to the All-PSAC West First-Team. He leads the conference and ranks fifth in the nation with 1.5 passes defended per game. He has registered 15 passes defended in his second year as a starter while also leading the team with three interceptions.

• Senior Anthony Beitko became only the fifth player in school history to earn All-PSAC West honors in four-consecutive years. He sits second among active kickers in NCAA Division II with both 47 career field goals and an .855 career field-goal percentage (55 attempts). Beitko ranks third all-time in school history with 291 points, which is just three points shy of tying the record for points by a kicker held by Cody Nuzzo (2011-14).

• Junior wide receiver Eric Willis III leads the team with 923 receiving yards behind 13 catches of at least 20 yards, including six receptions of 40 or more yards. He sits third in the PSAC with 92.3 receiving yards per game while making 5.8 receptions per game. Willis enters the post-season ranked 10th all-time in school history with 2,121 receiving yards after totaling nearly 115 catches the last two years.

• The PSAC boasts four selections to the 2024 NCAA Playoffs with two teams from both the Eastern and Western Divisions. The remainder of the post-season field is comprised of one school from the G-MAC, MEC and NE-10. Defending-regional champion Kutztown received the top seed and first-round bye after being one of two teams (Charleston) in the region to finish the regular season with an undefeated record.

• In his first year as a starter, senior Armani Caraballo paces the PSAC and ranks seventh in the nation with 0.90 sacks per game. He has registered 9.0 sacks this fall after totaling at least 1.0 sack six times, including 2.5 sacks in Week 10 versus Edinboro. Caraballo has set a career high with 27 tackles this year after making five stops in three of the last five games.

• This fall, sophomore Bobbie Boyd, Jr. and senior Eric McKan III have combined for over 1,000 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Boyd leads the team with a career-high 667 rushing yards and five touchdowns in his first year as the starter. McKan has over 1,700 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns on 400-plus carries in his career and was an All-PSAC West selection in 2022.

• Cal placed a total of 13 selections on the All-PSAC West Teams this week, including nine first-team honorees. The Vulcans featured their most selections on the All-PSAC West Teams since 2016. Additionally, nine of the 13 selections received laurels from the conference for the first time in their careers.

• The Vulcans enter the weekend with the fortune of starting the same five offensive linemen at the same position in all 10 games this season. Seniors Jaheim Bassham and Nashawn Jackson both were tabbed to the All-PSAC West First-Team for the first time in their careers this week. Bassham made the transition to center from left guard this fall and Jackson has started 21-straight games at right guard.

• Cal is playing its fifth-straight game at Adamson Stadium after starting the year with five of six games on the road. The Vulcans are hosting in the NCAA Playoffs for the first time since the 2016 Super Region One Championship. Cal holds a 6-4 record at Adamson Stadium in the NCAA Playoffs. Additionally, the Vulcans are facing a fellow PSAC school in the post-season for the fifth time in school history (3-1).