GameDay Central
7/8 IUP Crimson Hawks (3-0, 1-0 PSAC West)
vs. RV/25 California (PA) Vulcans (3-0, 1-0 PSAC West)
Saturday, September 28, 2013 | 1:00 p.m.
George P. Miller Stadium I Indiana, Pa.

Complete Game Notes (PDF) | Coal Bowl History

Watch: IUP-TV (CATV Ch. 20) | NMTVSports.com
Listen: WQMU 92.5 FM | u92radio.com
Live Stats: IUPAthletics.com | Fan Stats | Media Stats

PSAC/Division II Coverage
Week 4 PSAC Preview | PSAC Statistics | NCAA.com Preview

Other Links
2013 IUP Schedule | Ticket Information | Tailgating Information

THE GAME: The Crimson Hawks return home to host rival California in the Fifth Annual Coal Bowl on Saturday at George P. Miller Stadium. This marks the second straight year that both teams enter with identical 3-0 overall records, as IUP is ranked 7th in the AFCA Top 25. PSAC West play opened last week with the Crimson Hawks defeating Seton Hill 26-0 on the road and the Vulcans beating Edinboro 20-7 at home.

ON THE AIR: The game will air live on WQMU-FM 92.5 with Jack Benedict serving as the play-by-play announcer and John Flickinger at his side as the color analyst. The two will be joined by sideline reporter Greg Drahuschak. The pregame show begins at 12:30 p.m. You can also listen to the action on the internet at u92radio.com. IUP-TV will make its long-awaited season debut, returning to the booth at Miller Stadium.

HEAD COACH CURT CIGNETTI: IUP head coach Curt Cignetti (West Virginia, '82) enters his third season at the helm after leading the Crimson Hawks to a PSAC championship, a 12-2 record and a berth in the NCAA playoffs in 2012. Through his two-plus seasons, Cignetti has a record of 22-5, going 12-3 in PSAC West play and 2-1 in the NCAA playoffs. He has a record of 11-2 at home and 11-3 on the road. This is Cignetti's 31st year of coaching, with previous stops at Alabama (07-10), NC State (00-06), Pittsburgh (83-84, 93-99) Temple (89-92), Rice (86-88) and Davidson (85).

THE SERIES: The Coal Bowl, which began in 2009, has been dominated by California, as the Vulcans have won each of the four meetings. IUP holds a 55-23-2 advantage over Cal in the program's third longest running rivalry. The Vulcans, however, have owned the series as of late, winning each of the last six meetings dating back to 2007.

NEXT GAME: The Crimson Hawks remain at home next week as they host PSAC East foe Millersville on Homecoming. IUP has owned the Marauders in the all-time series, winning 12 of the 17 previous meetings. This will be the second straight year these two schools have met, with the Crimson Hawks winning last year's matchup 41-7 on the road.

HAWK TALK

REGULAR SEASON STREAKING... IUP has won nine straight regular season games dating back to last season. The streak began with a 41-7 win at Millersville, the first of six wins to close out the regular season. IUP has won 12 of its last 13 games overall.

FEELING AT HOME... IUP is 11-2 under Cignetti at Miller Stadium, including eight straight victories dating back to 2011. The Crimson Hawks have outscored opponents by an average of 31.5-10 in those 13 games, including four shutouts.

IN THE TOP 25... IUP moved up one spot to No. 7 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Poll and 8th in the D2football.com Poll. IUP began the preseason ranked 10th in both polls. The No. 7 ranking in the AFCA poll is the highest ranking the Crimson Hawks have received since Nov. 18, 2003.

DEFENSE STILL DOMINATES... The IUP defense is back to being statistically one of the best in the nation, ranking 1st in scoring and total defense, 10th in passing and 25th in rushing. The Crimson Hawks have recorded back-to-back shutouts for the second straight year and have allowed just 6.7 points per game this year.

APPLYING PRESSURE... R-Jr. DE Shane Meisner (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield ) leads a defensive line unit which has combined 57 tackles, 12.5 TFL and 6.5 sacks this season. Meisner leads IUP with 4 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and along with R-Sr. DE Ali Muhammad (Kingston, Pa. /Wyoming Valley West), has a team-high 2 sacks.

LINEBACKER-RICH... Five IUP linebackers have at least 11 tackles this year, with four being in the top eight statistically on the team. Sr. Carl Fleming (Reisterstown, MD/Franklin) leads the team with 24 tackles in two games while R-Fr. Kevin Clarke (West Mifflin, Pa. /West Mifflin) is 2nd with 20. Sr. Alexander Berdahl (Ashburn, Va./Bishop O'Connell) is 4th with 13 despite playing in just one game and Jr. Dorian Lane (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Woodland Hills) has 12.

STEPPING UP... Clarke and Lane have had to step up in recent weeks, earning their first career starts. Coming in for Fleming at Seton Hill, Clarke had a team-high 13 tackles, with 9 solo,and 2 TFL. Against Cheyney, Lane had 7 tackles (5 solo) and broke up a pass.

PANTHER SAFETIES... R-Sr. Marco Pecora (Johnstown/Richland) and Jr. Eric Williams (Yardley/Pennsbury) have starred at IUP's safety positions after transferring from the University of Pittsburgh. Pecora has 13 tackles (7 solo) with 2 interceptions, 2 TFL and a sack. Williams has 11 stops (8 solo) and his first interception of the year against Seton Hill. He had another pick, but it was wipped out due to a holding penalty.

MULTI-DIMENSIONAL... R-Sr. RB Erik Finklea (Cincinnati, OH/Woodward) has proven valuable after transferring from Miami (OH). As a backup, he's 2nd on the team with 64.0 rushing yards per game, scoring 4 TDs. He's also the personal protector on the punt team, making 3 solo tackles on coverage. He ran for a team-high 76 yards and 2 TDs against Seton Hill.

A CROWDED BACKFIELD... Three different running backs have at least 15 carries for the Crimson Hawks, led by R-Sr. RB De'Antwan Williams (Woodbridge, VA/Woodbridge) who had 41 for 216 yards (5.3/rush) and 3 TDs. Finklea has ran 28 times for 192 yards (6.9/rush) and 4 TDs while Fr. RB Izzy Green (Trotwood, Ohio/Trotwood-Madison) has 15 carries for 73 yards (4.9/rush) and a TD.

O-LINE SHUFFLE...The offensive line has seen three different lineups so far this year, with a total of seven players earning at least one start. LG and C has seen three different starters each and five different linemen have seen time at two positions, including R-Sr. Byron Dovales (Reading/Muhlenberg) (LT, LG), R-Sr. Nick Carnicella (Greensburg/Hempfield) (LG, C), and Sr. Mike Charmo (Hamilton, VA/Loundon Valley) (RG, C).

NOT ENOUGH TIME... IUP has an average time of possession this year of just 26:47, 13th in the PSAC and 139th in Division II. Last year the Crimson Hawks finished 2nd in the nation with a time of 34:16.

SCOUTING THE VULCANS

OFFENSE... The Vulcans offense has relied on QB Cody Schroeder this year as the sophomore has thrown for 725 yards and 7 TDs with just 2 INTs. The PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week in week two, he's completing 60.6 pct. of his passes and averages 12.1 yards per completion. His main targets are WRs Mike Williams, Trey Johnson and Kowan Scott, who have combined for 43 catches and 4 TDs. The bulk of Cal's offense came in week two against Kutztown with 430 of its 1,055 total yards (40.8 pct.) coming against the Golden Bears.

DEFENSE... The Cal defense has been strong so far, allowing just 12.0 points and 60.7 rushing yards per game. LB BJ Stevens is the biggest threat with 5.0 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 20 tackles. The Vulcans have returned two of their 6 INTs for scores, including a 50-yarder by S Dewey McDonald and a 7-yarder by DE Noah Taylor. McDonald has a team-high 25 tackles (14 solo) and DB Aaron Terry has 2 interceptions.

SPECIAL TEAMS... Cody Nuzzo will handle the kicking chores, connecting on 3-5 FGs (long of 34) and 10-10 PATs. Andrew Cerett has averaged 41.0 yards on 14 punts. Johnson is Cal's main punt returner, averaging 15.2 yards on his 5 returns with a long of 25 yards.