The Lock Haven University football team is set to hit the road this Saturday for a PSAC West clash at No. 15 California (Pa.) University. The Vulcans have won eight straight games over Lock Haven.

Full Game Notes (PDF)

Cal Game Notes (*when available)

Week #7
Lock Haven (0-6, 0-3 PSAC West) at No. 15 California (Pa.) (5-1, 3-0 PSAC West)
3:30 p.m. kickoff Admanson Stadium (6,500 / ProGrass (Artificial) surface)

Setting the stage:
Coming off their best performance of the 2012 season at Mercyhurst last Saturday, the Bald Eagles will look to keep the momentum going into Cal this weekend. Lock Haven got a tremendous defensive effort last Saturday, but fell victim to a late-game Laker rally and lost 19-10.

Cal, ranked No. 15 in the latest American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top-25 poll is coming off a 41-22 win at Clarion. The Vulcans (3-0) are tied at the top of the PSAC West standings with Mercyhurst.

California ranks fourth in the PSAC in total offense and second in passing offense. The Vulcans are led by QB Peter Lalich who has passed for 2,143 yards and 17 TDs on the season. He's 154-for-244 (63.1 percent) and averages 357.2 yards/game on the year.

The series:
Cal controls the 86-year-old series 39-26-1. Cal, who has won eight straight over LHU won the first-ever meeting in 1926 (28-0). Lock Haven last beat Cal in 2003(30-25).

Last time vs. Cal:
California won last year (10/1/11) 54-13 in Lock Haven.

The Bald Eagles took the early 6-0 lead thanks to a big special teams play early in the first quarter. After receiving the opening kickoff it looked as if the Bald Eagles would go three-and-out, but California muffed the punt and Lock Haven took over at the Cal 39-yard line.

Four plays later, LHU went up 6-0 after Jarryd Burkett connected with Jesse Hoover for a nine-yard touchdown. The celebration was short lived as Cal blocked the extra point and returned it for two points.

The Vulcans scored the next 28 points of the game and their four touchdowns made it 30-6 with 4:33 left in the half.

With 28 seconds left in the half, Burkett hit Devin Sims for a seven-yard touchdown pass. The touchdown capped off a nine-play, 52 yard drive.

Cal wasn't done in the first half and with no time left, the Vulcans made it 37-13 at the break. Two third period TDs had California cruising in the second half.

Despite a slow start on the ground, Brandon Brader finished with 80 yards.

Burkett finished 12-for-17 passing for 87 yards. He had the two TD passes and no interceptions.

Hoover finished with 30 yards receiving on three catches. Jay Hartman hauled in two catches for 29 yards.

The Haven's defense was led by senior captain Ryan Good, who had a game-high seven tackles. He had four solo stops and forced a fumble. George Christas and Raymond Mosby both finished with six tackles.

Cal's Peter Lalich was solid under center. He passed for 292 yards and three touchdowns.

Listen / Watch / Live Stats:

LISTEN LIVE –
ESPN Williamsport will broadcast the game live at http://www.espnwilliamsport.com/
Join Joe Putnam (play-by-play) & Ian Catherine (analyst) on the call starting at 3:15 p.m.

WATCH –
http://www.americaonesports.com/partner_members.asp?id=80

LIVE STATS –
http://www.sidearmstats.com/cup/football/scoreboard.aspx

LHU storylines, streaks and sidebars:
- Saturday's PSAC West game at Cal marks the second consecutive road game for The Haven.

- Next Saturday (October 2) marks Lock Haven's 2012 Homecoming, LHU will host Clarion at noon.

-Returning All-PSAC tailback Brandon Brader moved into sole possession of No. 9 on the Bald Eagles all-time career rushing list with his 43 yards at Mercyhurst.

- The nine-point loss at Mercyhurst (19-10) was the slimmest losing margin of the year for LHU, who is 0-6. The Bald Eagles have never beaten Mercyhurst. The Lakers are 5-0 vs. LHU. The two teams began playing annually in 2008, when Mercyhurst joined the PSAC as a full-time member. 

- Saturday marked the first time since Week 3 of the 2010 season (at Kutztown) where LHU led after one quarter. The Haven led Mercyhurst 3-0. The field goal marked the first of the year for senior Noah Heimer, who started the year on the Fred Mitchell Award watch list.

- The loss to Mercyhurst marked the 48th consecutive loss for Lock Haven, which is the longest active losing streak in college football. The loss in Week 5 to Shippensburg (47th) broke the all-time Division II record for consecutive losses. Lock Haven's last win came in the 2007 season-finale at Clarion.

-Defensively, Lock Haven got huge games from James Goins and George Christas, who each had 11 tackles.

-It marked the second TD pass of the year for fifth-year QB Jarrett Kratzer, who made his 19th career start under center.

-Jon Engroff made his 30th career start last Saturday on the offensive line.

Brader leading the way:
Redshirt-junior running back Brandon Brader needed 42 yards last Saturday to move into ninth-place on Lock Haven's all-time list for career rushing yards. He got 43 yards, which put him at 1,499, one ahead of Pat Cahill (1,498 -1984-87). Brader needs 154 to move into eighth all-time, which is currently held by Kevin Brown at 1,653 (1992-95). Brader was an All-PSAC Second Team selection after carrying the ball 253 times for 942 yards last season.  He tallied five 100-yard performances on the season. His 94.2 yards per game was the fifth-best mark in the PSAC. Brader's 942 yards were the most rushing yards in a season for a Bald Eagle since the 1999 season.

D-FENCE:
Led by James Goins and George Christas, who each had 11 tackles, Lock Haven got its best defensive effort in a long time at Mercyhurst. Christas, a sophomore, leads LHU with 42 tackles on the year. Goins has 37 stops on the season as the pair lead Lock Haven's speedy and physical defensive unit.

Allen's second year as head coach:
2012 marks the second season for head coach John Allen. The 1996 James Madison graduate was no stranger to LHU when he took over the program in March 2011, as he was previously on the Bald Eagle coaching staff as an assistant from 1996-2003. While at LHU, he assisted in all phases of the game including wide receivers and special teams' coordinator (1996-99), defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator (1999), offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2000-03). Allen served as the head coach of NFL Europes Berlin Thunder in 2007 and prior to coming to LHU he was the coordinator for player development at Penn State.

LHU Honors Faculty at Faculty Appreciation Day:
LHU honored its faculty members during the game with Shippensburg by celebrating Faculty Appreciation Day at The Haven. All of Lock Haven's student-athletes wanted to take time to “THANK” the 260-plus LHU faculty members that have helped shape the lives of 25,000 living alumni.

LHU Coaching Staff Promotes Coach to Cure MD:
LHU head coach John Allen and his coaching staff helped promote “COACH TO CURE MD” this season. Coach Allen and the LHU staff joined coaches all over America in wearing a patch on their left arms to help defeat a terrible genetic disorder. It's called COACH TO CURE MD. The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) is working to raise awareness and research funding to cure Duchenne (doo-SHEN) Musular Dystrophy, the most prolific genetic killer diagnosed in children. Visit, CoachToCureMD.org for more information.

Community Day a success:
LHU's week four home-opener against Edinboro marked Lock Haven's second-annual “Community Day.” Because of the generosity of the sponsors, admissions and parking was free for all. The 2012 Community Day sponsors were Bill Macintrye Chevrolet Buick, Nittany Travel, the LHU Bookstore, 92.1 WSQV / AM 1230 WBPZ and The Express.

Playing the East:
Shippensburg marked Lock Haven's second PSAC East opponent of 2012. LHU fell to East Stroudsburg 31-0 in Week 2 and the Bald Eagles are scheduled to close out the season at home vs. Cheyney on November 10.

Trio of All-PSAC selections:
Along with Brader, two other All-Conference selections from a year ago return including junior guard Anthony Herko and senior defensive tackle Skyler Wool.

Herko was the leader on the offensive line last year for LHU as he started all 10 games.

Wool, who was nominated for the Gene Upshaw Division II Linemen of the Year award last year returns after a breakout 2011 season. Wool got the starting nod in week two and never looked back last year; making 31 tackles (22 solo), 5.5 TFL, one sack and he added a fumble recovery.

The road ahead:
Next Saturday, October 20, the Bald Eagles host Clarion at noon. Saturday marks Lock Haven's 2012 Homecoming game and celebration.

Clarion (3-3) hosts Slippery Rock this weekend.