Full Game Notes  I Digital Program

#11/12 SLIPPERY ROCK (11-1) @ #20/18 CALIFORNIA (PA) (10-2)
• When: Saturday, Dec. 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: Slippery Rock leads 51-31-3 I History
• First Meeting: 1919 - California won 7-0
• Last Meeting: Oct. 19, 2024 @ California – California won 28-7 | Recap | Box Score I Video Highlights
• Streak: California +1

NOTES
• California hosts fellow PSAC-member Slippery Rock for the Super Region One Championship on Saturday afternoon at Adamson Stadium. The Vulcans and The Rock both posted single-point victories last week in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Playoffs.

• The Vulcans overcame a 12-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter and registered a pair of late interceptions to earn a 34-33 win over Ashland in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs. Senior Davis Black posted 275 passing yards on 17-of-27 attempts and accounted for four touchdowns (one rushing). Redshirt freshman Naquan Crowder led the team with a season-high 10 tackles with 2.0 TFL. Junior Rashan Murray sealed the with an interception with just four seconds left.

• The Vulcans and The Rock are meeting for the second time this season - both in California. Slippery Rock has won seven of the last 10 meetings in the series, while Cal has won three of the last five games at Adamson Stadium.

• A longtime assistant coach with the program, Shawn Lutz has posted an 81-20 record in nine years as head coach with The Rock. He has led the program to double-digit wins in five of the last six seasons with six-consecutive appearances in the NCAA Playoffs. Lutz served an assistant coach at Slippery Rock for two decades before being appointed head coach following the 2015 season.

• Slippery Rock has made the NCAA Playoffs nine times in the last 11 seasons and 12 times overall in program history. The Rock has advanced to the regional championship for the sixth time in school history, including the fifth time since 2015. Slippery Rock featured 12 All-PSAC West selections this fall, highlighted by Todd Hill being chosen PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year. He is tied for second in the league with 14.5 TFL while totaling 69 tackles and 6.5 sacks after previously playing at Duquesne (2019-22) and Pitt (2023). Senior Munchie Johnson, a two-time All-PSAC West First-Team honoree, is tied for fifth in the PSAC with 13.0 TFL and has added 60 stops and 3.5 sacks. Seniors Eddie Faulkner IV and Josh Stokes were repeat All-PSAC West selections in the secondary after combining for nine interceptions in 2023. Offensively, senior Brayden Long is one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country with a 153.46 career mark. He is a two-time finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy, plus is a national finalist for the 2024 William V. Campbell Trophy that is presented next week in Las Vegas. Long averages nearly 245 passing yards/game while throwing 22 touchdowns and four interceptions on 381 attempts. Seniors Idris Lawrence and Chris D'Or, both All-PSAC West selections, have combined for nearly 1,500 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Sophomore Kylon Wilson earned All-PSAC West honors at both wide receiver and return specialist behind over 110 all-purpose yards/game.

• The Vulcans are facing a team for the second time in the same year for the first time playing IUP twice in the 2016 campaign. Cal has played an opponent twice in the same season four times since the reinstatement of the PSAC Championship in 2008. The Vulcans previously hadn't faced a team twice in the same year since 1984.

• Cal is facing a fellow PSAC member in the NCAA Playoffs for the sixth time in eight post-season appearances. The Vulcans will be facing a league member in the regional final for the first time. The PSAC boasts both teams in the Super Region One Championship for the fourth-straight season; however, this marks the first meeting of Western Division teams since 1991 (IUP 52, Shippensburg 7).

• Junior Eric Willis III became the 11th different player to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in a season last week. He has made 15 receptions this year of at least 20 yards with 10 catches of 35 yards or more. A two-time, All-PSAC West First-Team selection, Willis ranks eighth all-time in school history with 2,204 receiving yards after making 120 catches over the last two years.

• This weekend features the top-two quarterbacks in the PSAC West over the last two seasons. Seniors Davis Black and Brayden Long were tabbed the PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Year in 2024 and 2023, respectively, and combined to earn all four slots on the All-PSAC West Teams during that span. Additionally, Black and Long were both regional candidates for the Harlon Hill Trophy this season.

• Cal has advanced to the regional championship behind a pair of victories by a combined four points. The Vulcans hold a 4-2 record in the NCAA Playoffs in games decided by six points or less with four of the six being against fellow PSAC programs.

• The Vulcans have faced one of the toughest schedules in Super Region One this fall, as their opponents boast a combined .593 winning percentage (80-55). Cal has faced three conference champions this year (Ashland, Charleston [WV], Kutztown) and played five teams with at least nine wins.

• Last week, redshirt freshman defensive lineman Naquan Crowder led the team with a season-high 10 tackles and tied his season high with 2.0 TFL. Additionally, he blocked a PAT attempt against Ashland - his second blocked kick this fall - at the end of the second quarter. Crowder has combined to make 26 stops with 4.0 TFL over the last three weeks and is now tied for fourth on the team with 49 tackles this season.

• Super Region One is the lone region in NCAA Division II with a pair of seeded teams advancing to the regional championship. Valdosta State (SR2) and Ferris State (SR3), both top seeds in their respective regions, are the only other remaining seeded teams left in the quarterfinals of the 2024 NCAA Playoffs. Super Region Four features a pair unseeded teams in Bemidji State and Minnesota State playing for the regional title.

• Senior wide receiver Omari Hopkins posted a pair of touchdowns in last week's victory over Ashland. He also paced the team with 83 receiving yards and seven catches - both season highs - against the Eagles. Hopkins leads the team with seven receiving touchdowns this fall and has scored 13 touchdowns in his two years with the program behind five multi-touchdown games.

• Junior Rashan Murray has established himself as one of the top defensive backs in Super Region One this year. He leads the team with four interceptions after sealing the victory last week with an interception in the final seconds against Ashland. Murray, who also had a pass break-up in Cal territory last week on the previous Eagle drive, ranks seventh in the nation this season with 1.4 passes defended/game.

• The Vulcans are playing their seventh-consecutive game at Adamson Stadium after starting the year with five of six games on the road. Cal has posted a 94-20 mark (.825) at home since the 2005 season. Additionally, Cal holds an 8-4 record at Adamson Stadium in the NCAA Playoffs and boast a 3-1 all-time mark in the quarterfinals.

• Senior Davis Black has elevated his play in his second fall with the program, as he was chosen the PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Year. He ranks among the top 10 in single-season school history in both passing yards and total offense, plus is within reach of posting the eighth 3,000-yard passing season in school history. Black also sits third among all players in Super Region One with 12 rushing touchdowns this year.