Aug 21, 2022 4 min read

By Joe Tuscano

Staff writer

jtuscano@observer-reporter.com

Ask Gary Dunn about not making the NCAA Division II playoffs last year and you get the same answer everyone else gets.

“Last year was last year,” he says.

Don’t be fooled. Cal should have been in the playoffs, but the single loss to Slippery Rock kept the Vulcans out of the PSAC State Game and, ultimately, the NCAA playoffs.

“Each year is a separate year,” Dunn said. “We’re just excited to be playing on September 1st. That’s really all we’re worried about.”

Kutztown defeated Slippery Rock in the State Game, then watched as it and The Rock were asked into the NCAA playoffs while the same courtesy was not extended to the Vulcans.

Kuztown was chosen as the region’s top seed and earned a first-round bye. Shepherd, Notre Dame (Ohio), New Haven (Conn.), Bentley (Mass.), Slippery Rock and Findlay rounded out the remainder of the Super Region One playoff field.

The Vulcans were the only one-loss team in Division II to not be selected to the NCAA playoffs.

Cal had previously qualified for the playoffs every time it has earned at least nine wins in a year with the exception of 1946. The NCAA Division II Championships started in 1973.

“Obviously, we weren’t happy about it,” said Dunn. “The past is the past. There’s nothing we can do about it. We’re going to control what we can control and move on to the future.”

Because of the COVID-19 shutdown of the season two years ago, Cal will have a handful of players coming back for an extra season. Leading the way is quarterback Noah Mitchell, a fifth-year senior who is 1,940 passing yards shy of 10,000 for his career.

Mitchell is coming off a strong season in which he completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,937 yards. He passed for 26 touchdowns and threw only six interceptions in 393 attempts.

“Any time you’re bringing back your starting quarterback that allows me to sleep a little easier,” Dunn said. “Noah has been here five years and is a four-year starter.

“Noah was committed to this area. He stayed here five years. He’s grown into a leader for our team. He’s obviously more mature. He’s really dedicated himself this offseason to be a better athlete. So I’m excited to see his progress.”

One area that could stand improvement is the rushing game. The Vulcans averaged only 79.2 yards rushing per game and just 2.4 a carry.

One player who might help is Mylique McGriff, who transferred in from Clarion over the spring. McGriff played three games before injuries ended his season last year. Still, he managed to rush for 221 yards, including a 100-game against Shippensburg, and averaged 4.2 yards per carry.

“He transferred in for the spring semester,” Dunn said of the 5-10, 200-pound senior. “He’s been an all-conference runner in our league so we’re excited to get to work with him.”

The top two receivers return in JaQuae Jackson and Cam Tarrant. Jackson, a junior, caught 58 passes for 744 yards and eight touchdowns and Tarrant, a senior, snagged 49 receptions for 413 yards and four touchdowns. Graduation did claim Tyson Hill and Derek Lockhart, who combined for 81 catches, 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The offensive line returns nearly intact with senior Bryce Perkins (6-3, 285) anchoring at center. Junior Jake Smetak (6-4, 300) is at left guard and senior Noel Brouse (6-4, 310) is at left tackle. Senior Edmond Fritz-Kelly (6-5, 315) returns at right guard.

The middle of the defense is back with senior Derick Korboi (6-0, 255) at tackle, junior Noah Dillow (6-1, 225) and junior Matt Tobey (5-11, 225) back at inside linebacker and sophomore Dominick Solomon (6-1, 215) at safety.

“We bring a number of guys back on defense and it probably starts up the middle for us with Korboi, Dillow, Tobey and Solomon,” Dunn said. “We feel we’ll be strong up the middle.”

Cal was picked to finish in third place in the PSAC West’s preseason poll.

IUP and Slippery Rock are the preseason favorites, as both schools received three first-place votes. The Crimson Hawks featured a program-record 17 players on the All-PSAC West teams last season.

Cal was slotted third and Gannon was positioned fourth to round out the top half of the poll.

Edinboro and Seton Hill were tied for fifth, while Mercyhurst and Clarion – both schools with first-year head coaches – ranked seventh and eighth, respectively.