#24 EDINBORO Fighting Scots (8-1, 5-1 PSAC West) at #6 CALIFORNIA(PA) Vulcans (8-0, 6-0) 
Date: Saturday, November 5, 2016
Site: California, Pa.
Stadium: Adamson Stadium (6,000)
Kickoff: 1:00 p.m.
Live Stats: www.sidearmstats.com/cup/football/
Radio: WFSE 88.9 (Streamed on www.edinboronow.com)
TV: ESPN3

Edinboro Game Notes
California(Pa.) Game Notes
 
The Game Story
 
A year ago, Edinboro was 0-9 and on its way to the worst season in school history at 0-11. Three months ago, the Fighting Scots were picked to finish eighth in the PSAC West. Now they enter week ten with an 8-1 record, climbing into the AFCA Division II Coaches' Poll in 24th place.  Edinboro has a chance to tie for first place in the Western Division, but standing in their way is a powerful California(Pa.) team that is ranked sixth in Division II with a perfect 8-0 record. In an NCAA Division II Showcase Game that will be streamed on ESPN3, an Edinboro win would snap an 11-game losing streak to the Vulcans. 
 
The Justin Lustig Era continues to reach new heights in its first season. The Fighting Scots are 8-1 after the 2015 squad went 0-11.  Edinboro opened the season with road wins at Saint Joseph's(In.) (31-30) and at Lock Haven (44-38), followed by a classic 54-51 double overtime win over West Chester in the home opener. The Fighting Scots opened PSAC West action with a 56-28 loss to then ninth-ranked Indiana(Pa.), but righted themselves nicely with an impressive 62-14 win at Clarion.  That was followed by back- to-back wins over local rivals Gannon and Mercyhurst, a 41-17 Homecoming win over the Golden Knights, and a 45-16 win at Mercyhurst three weeks ago. Edinboro then won a 37-35 decision at Slippery Rock, snapping a six-game losing streak to The Rock. A week ago, the Fighting Scots ran their winning streak to five straight with a come-from-behind 42-34 win over Seton Hill.  The last time Edinboro got off to an 8-1 start was 2008. Edinboro has now clinched a winning season for the first time since 2011.

Edinboro debuted in the AFCA Division II Coaches' Poll this week after receiving votes a week ago. The Fighting Scots are ranked 24th, marking their first appearance in the national rankings since October 3, 2011. 

Long-time PSAC power California(Pa.) was picked to finish third in the PSAC West after posting an 8-3 finish in 2015. First-year coach Gary Dunn has led the Vulcans to a perfect 8-0 record, and they have been dominant in the process. Cal has scored 50-or-more points five times while leading Division II at 52.5 ppg. The Vulcans have had just one game less than a three touchdown margin. That was a 31-28 victory over Indiana(Pa.), the only team to beat Edinboro this year. Cal entered the AFCA national rankings in week number four and has since climbed to number six.

Edinboro has now won five straight road games for the first time since the 2003 season.  They began the year losers of eight straight road games dating back to October 2014. The Fighting Scots' win at Saint Joseph's in the season opener snapped an 11-game losing streak after Edinboro had suffered its first winless season since 1951 and the seventh in school history.  The Fighting Scots finished 0-11 a year ago, the most losses in school history.

The Fighting Scots are ranked seventh in the NCAA's Super Region One poll. LIU Post is first and California(Pa.) is second.

Edinboro was picked to finish eighth in the PSAC West in the coaches' preseason poll after being picked to finish seventh a year ago.  California(Pa.) was picked to finish third.

Youth is featured on the 2016 roster, along with a touch of seniority. After having just five seniors in 2015, this year's roster has six redshirt seniors and nine seniors. However, 50 of the 83 players on the opening day roster have a year experience or less. That breaks down to 24 freshman, nine redshirt freshmen, and 17 sophomores. The youth was evident in the season opener, with two redshirt freshmen starting and a total of three true freshmen and six redshirt freshmen playing.

Jake Sisson continues to rank among the NCAA leaders in passing and total offense.  The junior quarterback has been named the PSAC?West Offensive Player of the Week three times, and has been named the D2Football.com Offensive Player of the Week twice. He was responsible for a school-record seven touchdowns at Clarion. Sisson currently ranks second in NCAA Division II in points responsible for (246) and is second in passing touchdowns (37). He ranks second in the PSAC and third nationally in yards passing (3,193) and passing yards per game (354.8), while ranking second and fourth, respectively, in total offense (367.7 ypg.).    


On Radio ...
The Edinboro-California(Pa.) game can be heard live on WFSE FM 88.9, with Drew Patrick providing the play-by-play and George Schmidt the commentary. The WFSE stream can be heard at www.edinboronow.com.  In addition, all Edinboro radio broadcasts will be aired by the Keystone Sports Network. The games will be broadcast on WWCB 1370 AM in Corry, Pa. and WLOA 1470 AM in Greenville, Pa. The Keystone Sports Network streams live at www.keystonesports.net.

... and TV
The  NCAA announced on Monday that the Edinboro-California(Pa.) game has been picked up as an ESPN3 Flex Game as part of the Division II Football Showcase.  The Football Showcase selects games that highlight some of the best matchups and atmospheres in Division II football to be shown on ESPN3 and WatchESPN.


The All-Time Series
California(Pa.) leads 45-35-2
California(Pa.) holds a 45-35-2 lead in the all-time series with Edinboro thanks to winning the last 11 meetings.  After two straight years playing at Cal's Adamson Stadium, the series moved back to Sox Harrison Stadium a year ago. Six of the losses during the 11-game streak have come at Adamson Stadium. The last time Edinboro defeated Cal was 2004, a 42-28 win at Sox Harrison Stadium.   


The Last Meeting
2015 -- California(Pa.) 37, Edinboro 30 
Trailing 30-9 in the third quarter, the Fighting Scots mounted a rally that almost saw them put an end to what became an 11-game losing streak against California(Pa.) in their PSAC?West opener. Edinboro would pull to within 37-30 and had the ball at the Cal 13. However, an interception near the end zone with just under five minutes to play spelled an end to the comeback hopes and also spoiled an otherwise outstanding day by Jake Sisson. The sophomore quarterback threw for a then career-high 281 yards, completing 22 of 32 passes with 4 TDs, and added 53 yards rushing. Three of Sisson's touchdown strikes went to Darren Massey (2, 27, and 11 yards). The junior ended with 10 receptions for 93 yards. Alex Caratelli hauled in the fourth TD pass, a beautiful 57-yard bomb that pulled the Scots to within 37-30 with just over 11 minutes to play. Caratelli had 6 catches for 147 yards. Domenic Principale accounted for Edinboro's other two points with a safety on a sack. Edinboro was unable to slow down the powerful Cal offense, giving up 546 yards, including a season-high 308 yards on the ground. The defense did force three turnovers. The offense posted season-highs across the board with 412 total yards, 281 yards passing, and 131 yards rushing. 


Last Week
Edinboro 42, Seton Hill 34
Trailing 34-21 midway through the third quarter, Edinboro turned up the defense and scored the final 21 points to hand Seton Hill a 42-34 defeat.  Edinboro trailed 21-7 with 6:42 left in the first quarter after Seton Hill scored touchdowns on each of their first three possessions. The Griffins totaled 241 yards after one quarter and 377 at the half, as they led 28-21 at intermission. Seton Hill boosted the lead to 34-21 with 7:46 left in the third quarter. Those would be the last points of the game for Seton Hill, as the Edinboro defense rose up and held the Griffins on their final six possessions. In fact, in the fourth quarter Seton Hill was held without a first down while managing just 15 yards. Edinboro would score the final three touchdowns. Walter Fletcher made it 34-28 on a one-yard touchdown run with just under five minutes to play in the third quarter. The first of two Zuril Hendrick interceptions led to a beautiful 19-yard scoring pass from Jake Sisson to James Clark on the second play of the fourth quarter. Austin Reese's extra point gave Edinboro their first lead at 35-34. Hendrick's second pickoff on the next series set up the final score, a two-yard pass to Jordan Williams from Sisson. Sisson ended the day with five touchdowns while completing 38 of 62 passes for 463 yards. For the second time in three weeks, three receivers caught 100 yards in passes, with James Clark showing 10 receptions for 141 yards, Ta'Nauz Gregory 8 for 113, and Alex Caratelli 7 for 119. 

      
California(Pa.) 55, Mercyhurst 14
The sixth-ranked Vulcans clinched at least a share of the PSAC West crown with a dominating win at Mercyhurst. Cal jumped out to a 17-0 lead after one quarter, and built the lead to 48-7 at the half with a 31-point second quarter. The Vulcans scored on each of their first seven possessions. Quarterback Michael Keir accounted for 425 yards of total offense and four touchdowns (one rushing). He set a career-high with 343 yards passing, completing 18 of 30 passes. He also led the team with a career-high 82 yards rushing on five carries.  Keir's favorite target was Garry Brown. The senior recorded the second-most receiving yards in school history, catching a career-high 12 passes for 265 yards with three TDs, covering 56, 27, and 36 yards.  The Cal defense limited Mercyhurst to 173 total yards, including minus nine yards rushing. The Vulcans sacked Mercyhurst quarterbacks six times.     
 
 
The Coaches
Justin Lustig (Bucknell '00) took over as Edinboro's 14th head coach on January 11, 2016. This marks Lustig's first head coaching position after serving as an assistant coach at Ball State since 2011. A native of western Pennsylvania who played his high school football at nearby Cathedral prep, Lustig also has served as an assistant coach at Louisiana-Lafayette, Eastern Illinois, Christopher Newport, and Villanova.  Lustig has been a part of four teams that earned bowl eligibility in eight years at the FBS level. He was an assistant on five teams that won conference championships in 14 years in the profession, including six NCAA playoff appearances and two bowl games. Five of the teams he has been associated with have been ranked in the top 25. Finally, he has helped develop 37 all-conference performers, including 12 at Ball State. Most recently, Lustig was the special teams coordinator/ running backs coach at Ball State since 2011, along with earning the title of assistant head coach prior to the 2015 season. The Cardinals played in two bowl games during Lustig's tenure. They faced UCF in the Beef O'Brady's Bowl in 2012, then earned a spot in the 2013 GoDaddy Bowl against Arkansas State. Ball State finished with a 10-3 record in 2013 and 9-4 in 2012. In addition, Ball State posted wins over four BCS conference teams -- Indiana twice, South Florida, and Virginia.     
 
Gary Dunn (California, Pa. '95) is in his first season as the head coach at California(Pa.).  A former four-year starter for the Vulcans and a veteran offensive coordinator at the FCS level, Dunn spent the previous six seasons as the offensive coordinator at Duquesne following a 13-year stint at Morehead State (Ky.), where he spent the last 11 seasons as offensive coordinator. He played at Cal from 1991-94 before starting his coaching career as a graduate assistant with the Vulcans. In 2015, the Dukes finished with an 8-4 overall record and made the program's first appearance in the FCS Playoffs. Dunn helped Duquesne post a winning season five times in his six years with the program, while earning at least a share of three NEC titles (2011, 2013, 2015).  While at Morehead State, Dunn served as the offensive coordinator for 11 seasons after spending two seasons as the offensive line and tight ends coach. 
  
    
Lustig Comments ... on the Fighting Scots
"Once again our team showed a never-give-up attitude after being down early against Seton Hill. This team is a bunch of talented believers. Last week, it was our offense stepping up big late in the fourth quarter. This week, our defense stepped up big in the fourth, only allowing 15 yards of total offense in the last quarter."

 

Lustig Comments ... on the Vulcans
"We will prepare this week like every other week this season. Cal is a very talented team on both sides of the ball. They have explosive playmakers on offense and defense. This will be one of the greatest challenges we've faced all year. Coach Dunn has done a great job in his first year implementing his systems in all three phases of the game."