Nov 1, 2012 4 min read

When California University’s football team walked off the field at Adamson Stadium last week, stung by a 28-26 loss to Slippery Rock, it might have felt like all was lost. But that is not the case.The Vulcans still can decide their fate Saturday in Erie, where they play PSAC opponent Mercyhurst with a noon kickoff.”I told the team what I told (the media) after the game, that all of our goals are still in front of us,” said California University head coach Mike Kellar. “That was the state of the union for our team in camp: win the PSAC West, win the PSAC championship and get into the playoffs. I told them the season is not over.”Cal is tied with Indiana and Mercyhurst with 5-1 conference records. By beating Mercyhurst, Cal would eliminate the Lakers from any chance of playing in the State Game. Thanks to a 26-24 win over the Crimson Hawks in Week 4, the Vulcans would go to the State Game even if the two teams are tied at 6-1 after Saturday’s games. IUP plays Gannon in a noon kickoff.”If we find a way to beat Mercyhurst, then we are in the PSAC (State Game),” said Kellar. A loss to Mercyhurst would probably be devastating to Cal’s playoff chances. Though it has happened in the past, taking four teams into the NCAA Division II playoffs is not something Cal wants to bank on. “Mercyhurst is a very good team,” said Kellar. “They are well-coached, and they like to run the football.”The Lakers are third, behind Indiana and Bloomsburg, rushing the football, averaging 215 yards per game. Cal is 12th at 132.Brandon Brown-Dukes, a 5-7, 175-pound redshirt-freshman, has gained 1,097 yards in nine games. He ranks fourth in the conference. Allen Jones, a transfer from Youngstown State University, is averaging 5.8 yards per carry and ranks eighth.Anthony Vendemia, a 6-3 junior, is in his second season as the Lakers’ starting quarterback. He has completed 51 percent of his passes for 1,368 yards and 13 touchdowns. He only has six interceptions.Two of the top three defenses in the conference will be on the field Saturday: California is ranked second and Mercyhurst third.”They are a little different with a three-man front,” said Kellar. “That’s not easy to prepare for. It’s not like the 3-4 the Steelers use. It’s a 3-3 stack, or sometimes a 3-3-5 or a 3-2-6.”California will again be without quarterback Peter Lalich, who is still recovering from a staph infection in his leg. Cody Schroeder, a 6-2, redshirt-freshman will make his fourth start. Last week, Schroeder completed 23 of 46 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown. He also threw an interception on Cal’s final drive at the Slippery Rock 15.”He made big throws in the game for us,” Kellar said. “He hit one fourth-and-12 play for a first down to Kowan Scott. A redshirt-freshman throwing to a redshirt-freshman. It was like watching the spring game again. I think he played real confident early in the game. He knew what he was going to do. He had that interception, trying to make a play. We were a spike and field goal attempt away from possibly winning the game. But there is no guarantee we make the field goal.”The storm that hit the East Coast made for cold and wet practices, but Kellar said it was not an interruption.”You can’t go quite as long (in practice) when it’s spitting snow,” he said. “We were outside, and I think that helps get you ready.”

If Washington & Jefferson College’s football team is to realize its goal of winning the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, the Presidents must first take care of Geneva Saturday in a 7 p.m. kickoff.The Presidents (5-1, 6-2) are a game-and-a-half behind undefeated Waynesburg (7-0, 9-0), which is idle this week. A win over Geneva creates a showdown Nov. 10 for the PAC title. A win in each of the next two weeks would mean the Presidents would be tied with the Yellow Jackets, but W&J would get the automatic bid because head-to-head breaks the tie. Waynesburg could still earn a berth with a 9-1 record.W&J has clinched its 29th consecutive winning season. The Presidents’ streak currently ranks fifth among NCAA schools of all divisions behind Linfield (57), Florida State (36), Mount Union (34) and Florida (33).