About The Game:
PSAC State Game FAQ (.pdf)
SHIP Game Notes (.pdf)
CAL Game Notes (.pdf)

Media Previews:
Allentown Morning-Call
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Chambersburg Public Opinion
Washington Observer-Reporter

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - Shippensburg University will host the PSAC Championship football game on Saturday at 1 p.m. as the outright Eastern Division champion Red Raiders renew an old rivalry with the outright PSAC Western Division champion Vulcans of California (Pa.).

The “State Game,” in its second year after a rebirth, will be broadcast by the PA SportsFEVER television network. According to SportsFEVER, the game will air on WGCB-TV DT, 49.1 Comcast Basic and Digital Cable Channel 18 or Comcast Channel 21 in the Carlisle Market. This game will also be broadcast on WTVE-TV Channel 51, Reading and WQMY-TV FOX 56, Williamsport.

Replays of the PA SportsFEVER broadcast will air on FSN-Pittsburgh (Monday night; 7 p.m.), Time Warner Cable 20 in Erie (Thursday night; 7 p.m.) and Armstrong Cable Channel 19 in Meadville (Thursday night; 7 p.m.).

The game is also being broadcast live on Shippensburg University's student television station SUTV (21-local, 75-campus) and an audio feed will be simulcast on the radio (WSYC 88.7 FM) and on the internet here.

It is also the fifth home game that will be Webcast to the Internet and can be viewed for free here. Fans can log on and watch archived copies of all home games this season.

Shippensburg is also hosting 'Take a Kid to the Game' Day on Saturday, as a youth ticket is free with the purchase of a $6 adult ticket.

ABOUT THE GAME

Shippensburg and California share four common opponents this season: Bloomsburg, West Chester, Edinboro and Lock Haven. The Red Raiders have a 4-0 record against those teams, while the Vulcans are 3-1. SU has totaled 125 points against those common opponents, while Cal has totaled 126 points. Additionally, the Red Raiders have allowed just 67 points to those four teams, while the Vulcans have allowed 68 points.

The Red Raiders have scored at least 23 points in all 10 games this season, a feat never before achieved in 105 seasons of organized football at the university. Shippensburg has also beaten two ranked opponents: No. 3 Bloomsburg and No. 15 Edinboro.

The Red Raider Wing-T has thrived with ball control, ranking first in the conference with an average time of possession at 33:13 per game and ranking fourth in the conference with an average of 172.8 rushing yards per game.

The matchup pits the top two offenses in the PSAC, as California averages 34.3 points per game while Shippensburg averages 33.0 points per game. The two teams rank fourth and fifth in total offense while the Vulcans also boast the second-best scoring defense in the conference (17.4 ppg).

Shippensburg (8-2, 6-1 PSAC East) earned its first divisional championship since 2004 and will be playing in its first conference championship game in 28 years. By virtue of West Chester's 30-14 victory over Bloomsburg last weekend, the Red Raiders earned their first outright divisional title since winning the Western Division in 1981.

The Vulcans are making their second-straight appearance and fourth overall in the PSAC Championship after earning a 47-36 victory over West Chester last year when the “State Game” was played for the first time since 1987.

California has won the PSAC Western Division for five consecutive seasons, including three consecutive outright titles. In fact, Cal has posted three straight undefeated seasons in divisional play and won its last 19 games against Western Division opponents.

THE COACHES

William M. “Rocky” Rees is in his 20th season at the helm of the Red Raider football program and currently ranks tenth among active Division II coaches with 153 career victories. Rees reached the '150' mark with a win on October 10 over Kutztown. With that total, Rees ranks seventh in the history of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) for career coaching victories.

Rees has a long and distinguished career in football that spans 37 years. The all-time leader for coaching victories in Red Raider football history, Rees has totaled an SU career record of 117-103-1 at Shippensburg. Overall, he owns a career mark of 153-118-2. In 2006, he became the first coach in school history to win 100 games with a 28-21 victory at Slippery Rock.

Rees ranks fourth in tenure among conference head coaches behind Denny Douds of East Stroudsburg (36th season), Danny Hale of Bloomsburg (22nd season) and Dr. George Mihalik of Slippery Rock (22nd season). Additionally, Rees ranks sixth in career games coached among his active Division II brethren.

John Luckhardt is one of just six active NCAA Division II head coaches with over 200 career coaching victories. Prior to his arrival at California (Pa.), he compiled a 137-37-2 record with Washington & Jefferson College – winning 13 conference titles and making 11 appearances in the NCAA Playoffs during his 17 seasons as the head coach of the Presidents.

In his eighth season as head coach of the Vulcans, Luckhardt is the winningest coach in program history with a 65-26 record (.711). He has guided Cal U to four-consecutive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West crowns with back-to-back NCAA Division II Semifinal appearances and consecutive Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Lambert Trophies.

SERIES HISTORY

Shippensburg leads the all-time series with California (Pa.), 42-29-1, but the Vulcans have won three consecutive meetings. Before California's 41-13 victory at Seth Grove Stadium in 2005, the Red Raiders had won 14 consecutive games between the two teams.

Since the inaugural season Seth Grove Stadium in 1972, Shippensburg has posted a mark of 13-6 against California (Pa.) compared to a mark of 8-10 in its 18 games at home prior to the stadium's opening.

The two teams had met every year since 1954, a string of 54 consecutive meetings, before last season's scheduled contest was adjusted due to the Vulcans qualifying for the “State Game.” One of the more memorable games in the series came during the 1994 season when Shippensburg won at home in an offensive shootout, 63-47.

Head Coach Rocky Rees is 14-4 against the Vulcans, while California head coach John Luckhardt is 3-2 against the Red Raiders.

NATIONAL RANKINGS

Shippensburg has garnered a national ranking for the first time since the Red Raiders were No. 10 in the nation heading into the 2004 playoff contest against West Chester. On Monday, the AFCA released its newest poll that put SU at No. 23. California (Pa.) is ranked No. 18 in Division II.

The full Division II Top 25 poll can be viewed here.

SUPER REGION ONE RANKINGS

(D-II record in parentheses)

1. West Liberty State 9-1 (8-1)
2. California (Pennsylvania) 8-2 (8-2)
3. Shippensburg 8-2 (8-2)
4. Bentley 8-1 (7-1)
5. Bloomsburg 8-2 (8-2)
6. East Stroudsburg 7-3 (7-3)
7. Edinboro 7-3 (7-3)
8. Charleston (WV) 8-2 (8-2)
9. Clarion 7-3 (7-3)
10. Fayetteville State 7-3 (7-3)

* Additional Game notes and additional information will be available as the week progresses.