EDINBORO Fighting Scots (3-0, 0-0 PSAC West) at CALIFORNIA(PA) Vulcans (1-2, 0-0 PSAC West)
Date: Saturday, September 22, 2018
Site: California, Pa.
Stadium: Adamson Stadium (6,500)
Kickoff: 1:00 p.m.
Live Stats: Click Here
Live Video: Click Here
Radio: WFSE 88.9
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Edinboro Game Notes
California(Pa.)
Game Notes
Scouting the Teams
On Radio and TV
The Edinboro-California(Pa.) game can be heard live on WFSE FM 88.9, with Chris Rosato handling the play-by-play and Luke Boniger providing the color commentary. The WFSE stream can be heard at www.edinboronow.com.
The All-Time Series
California(Pa.) leads 47-35-2
California(Pa.) holds a 47-35-2 lead in the all-time series with Edinboro thanks to winning the last 13 meetings. Three of the last five meetings took place at Adamson Stadium, where the Fighting Scots have not won since 2002 (38-22). The last time Edinboro defeated Cal was 2004, a 42-28 win at Sox Harrison Stadium.
Last Year's Game
California(Pa.) 30, Edinboro 13
California(Pa.) scored the final 20 points of the game to extend its winning streak to 13 games against Edinboro. The Vulcans snapped Edinboro's three-game winning streak in the process. One week after totaling a school record 826 yards against Seton Hill, the Edinboro offense was limited to a season-low 176 yards by a Cal defense that recorded six sacks and stopped Edinboro on two drives inside their ten yard-line in the fourth quarter. The Vulcans were able to take advantage of a pair of breakdowns in the punting game plus a fumble to score 13 points on short drives. The loss was the first at Sox Harrison Stadium this season and spoiled Senior Day for seven seniors. The Edinboro defense held Cal to 279 total yards, including just 57 yards on the ground. Walter Fletcher saw his string of 100-yard rushing games come to an end as he finished with 90 yards on 24 carries. Jake Sisson completed 16-of-33 passes for 131 yards, with touchdown passes of 26 yards to Ta'Nauz Gregory and six yards to Blake Reddick. Cal's Michael Keir was 17-of-32 for 222 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Luke Smorey burned the Fighting Scots for 7 catches for 124 yards, including a three-yard TD pass early in the third quarter after Cal led just 17-13 at the half.
Last Week
Edinboro 49, East Stroudsburg 24
Walter Fletcher ran for three short touchdowns and
Ta'Nauz Gregory caught a pair of touchdown passes and threw for another as Edinboro handed East Stroudsburg a 49-24 defeat in the first game at Sox Harrison Stadium in 2018. The Fighting Scots improved to 3-0 with the decisive PSAC crossover victory. Gregory accounted for Edinboro's first score thanks to a little trickeration, completing a 25-yard pass to quarterback
Andrew Tomko following a lateral. The junior wide receiver would later add touchdown catches of 59 and 12 yards while posting career highs with 11 receptions for 162 yards. Fletcher scored on runs of 1, 3, and 6 yards and has now opened the season with three straight 100-yard games after rushing for 110 yards on 20 carries.
Kyle Galyk also topped 100 yards with a career-high 132 yards on 12 carries, capped by a 77-yard touchdown run. Tomko recovered from a subpar effort at Bloomsburg to burn the Warriors for 282 yards passing, completing 22-of-35 passes. Edinboro led 35-3 at the half and boosted the lead to 42-3 before a sloppy fourth quarter led to three ESU scores. The Fighting Scots finished with a season-high 569 yards, with 262 yards rushing and 307 yards passing. East Stroudsburg totaled 392 yards, most of that through the air (311 yards). After rushing for 239 yards and 6 TDs a week ago against Seton Hill, ESU tailback Jaymar Anderson was held to 68 yards on 21 carries. The defense turned in another outstanding effort, forcing six turnovers (five interceptions) and recording a pair of sacks.
Billy DePaul had a pair of interceptions and
Derek Dorr accounted for both sacks. The defense also limited ESU to 2 third-down conversions in 13 attempts.
California(Pa.) 57, Shippensburg 14
California(Pa.) intercepted five passes, returning one for a touchdown, and rushed for five scores to post an impressive 57-14 victory at Shippensburg in a PSAC crossover contest. The five interceptions led to 28 points. The defense also limited Shippensburg to 92 yards rushing. Jermal Martin, Jr. had 10 tackles and a pair of interceptions and Jimmy Pierce returned an interception 71 yards for a touchdown. The offense wasn't too shabby, either, finishing with 518 total yards. Nelson Brown set season highs with 132 rushing yards and three touchdowns (3, 18, 43 yards) on 23 attempts. Freshman quarterback Noah Mitchell eclipsed 300 passing yards for the third consecutive week, completing 21-of-30 passes for 325 yards with two touchdowns. He added a seven-yard rushing touchdown. The Vulcans raced out to a 20-0 lead after one quarter and 34-0 lead at halftime. Mitchell's touchdown passes covered 16 yards to Jordan Dandridge and 71 yards to Tyson Hill. Jalen Bell capped the scoring with a nine-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. The Vulcans converted an incredible 13-of-17 third-down plays.
The Coaches
Wayne Bradford (Salisbury St. '90) was named Edinboro's 15th head coach on March 29, 2017 and led Edinboro to a 7-4 record in his first season. After serving as interim head coach in 2017, that tag was removed after less than a week after the conclusion of the season. With his tenth win as head coach coming last week against East Stroudsburg, Bradford is the fastest coach to reach 10 wins at Edinboro. Bradford has worked under four different head coaches and was an assistant at Edinboro for 18 years before taking over as the interim head coach. He has spent a majority of his time as the Fighting Scots' defensive coordinator. Bradford has master-minded some brilliant defensive performances over the years in a day and age when offense has taken over. For instance, in 2011 the Fighting Scots ranked eighth in Division II in scoring defense (17.0 ppg.), 11th in pass efficiency defense, and 18th in total defense (292.6 ypg.). Edinboro gave up fewer than 20 points in seven of its 11 games. A year ago, his Edinboro defense finished first in the PSAC and fourth in Division II in tackles for losses, and second in the PSAC and sixth in the country in sacks. Edinboro finished the 2016 campaign with a 9-2 record, marking the fifth time an Edinboro team with Bradford on the staff tied the school record for victories (9). Three of Edinboro's teams during his tenure have reached the NCAA playoffs, including the 2009 team, which finished at 9-4 and reached the Super Region One semifinals. All told, he has been a part of 117 wins.
Gary Dunn (California, Pa. '95) is in his third season as the head coach at California(Pa.). He has a 21-6 record after leading Cal to back-to-back NCAA playoff appearances. The Vulcans were 11-1 his first season and 9-3 a year ago. 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.
The Game Stories
- Edinboro opens up PSAC West action while playing on the road for the third time in the first four games. They face a Vulcans team that has been their nemesis of late, winning the last 13 meetings. Edinboro last defeated the Vulcans in 2004 by a 42-28 score, and has not won at Adamson Stadium since 2002, when they posted a 38-22 victory.
- The Fighting Scots opened the season with a pair of victories on the road for the second time in the last three years. The 2016 team also started with back-to-back road wins. The Fighting Scots opened the season with a dominating 69-0 win at Lake Erie, followed by a hard-fought 21-6 triumph at Bloomsburg. Edinboro claimed its home opener with an impressive 49-24 win over East Stroudsburg last Saturday.
- Edinboro finished with a 7-4 record and went 4-3 in the PSAC West with Wayne Bradford serving as interim head coach in 2017. The interim tag was pulled from his title the week after the season ended. A total of 19 starters return from last year's squad -- 8 of offense, 10 on defense, and one on special teams. The roster features 18 seniors.
- California(Pa.) owns a deceiving 1-2 record while playing each of the first three weeks on the road. The Vulcans lost back-to-back games to start the season by a total of eight points -- 28-23 to an Ohio Dominican team that was ranked 12th in the AFCA Division II Top 25, and 34-31 to Kutztown. The two teams combined for 15 wins last year. They got victory number one last Saturday, totally dominating a Shippensburg team that won 10 games last year, 57-14. Cal had not started 0-2 since 2009.
- The Fighting Scots were picked to finish fourth in the Western Division in the PSAC Coaches' Preseason Poll for the second straight year. Edinboro finished fourth in the Western Division last year. Indiana(Pa.) is the preseason favorite in the PSAC West, with California(Pa.) picked second. The Vulcans finished with a 9-3 record a year ago, making the NCAA Division II Playoffs.
- Edinboro was ranked in a pair of preseason publications. The Fighting Scots were 18th in Lindy's Sports College Football National 2018 Preview. and 24th in the Street &Smith's College Football Magazine Preseason Top 25. Cal was ranked 14th by Lindy's. Edinboro is currently among "others receiving votes" in the latest AFCA Division II Top 25.
- A trio of Edinboro players earned All-American honors a year ago. Walter Fletcher was a consensus All-American, including second team Associated Press Division II All-America honors, after ranking second in Division II in rushing. Zuril Hendrick and James Clark were named to the Don Hansen All-America Team, with Hendrick named to the first team after leading Division II in interceptions, and Clark a third team choice after ranking third in Division II in receptions per game.
- Edinboro had six players earn All-PSAC?West honors last year, and all six return. Walter Fletcher (RB), James Clark (WR), and Brandon Anderson (SS) were accorded first team honors, while Derek Dorr (DT), Ta'Nauz Gregory (RS) and Zuril Hendrick (CB) were named to the second team.
Next for the Fighting Scots
HOMECOMING -- Saturday, September 29 vs. Gannon -- 2:00 p.m.
