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Wednesday, September 18, 2002

By Phil Axelrod, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Two games, both wins, do not a season make, but it certainly makes for more excitement than normal this time of year at California University.

The Vulcans are new and improved.

It all starts with Coach John Luckhardt, who was out of football the past three seasons after a glorious 17-year stint at Washington and Jefferson. He faces a daunting task at California, which hasn't had a winning season since 1984.

"It's great being back on the sideline," said Luckhardt, whose Vulcans (2-0) play host to West Virginia Wesleyan (0-2) at 7 p.m. Saturday. "We know we're not there yet. You better give us some time.

"The game hasn't changed. Hopefully, I've gotten smarter."

Luckhardt rebuilt his staff and brought in seven players from Texas, one from Chicago and a transfer from Tulsa. The new coaches are offensive coordinator Dale Ploessl and defensive coordinator Mike Conway.

California, which has outscored its first two opponents, 59-6, has a rejuvenated quarterback and four new starters on offense. The quarterback is Brandon LeDonne, a senior from Aliquippa whose three touchdown passes are one more than he threw last season. LeDonne, who completed 44 percent of his passes a year ago, is 34 of 51 for 324 yards.

"Instead of being traditional, we're a multiple-formation offense, and we'll throw the ball anytime," Luckhardt said.

Two junior college transfers from Texas lead the Vulcans -- Garvin Graves (18 catches, 160 yards, 1 TD) and Claude Whitaker (172 yards, 2 TDs).

Up front, the Vulcans have gotten a big boost from junior-college transfer Fred Garrido (6-4, 305) and Ron Frederick (6-5, 280), a transfer from Tulsa who graduated from Southmoreland High School.

"It's too early to put up a banner saying 'California's back,' " Luckhardt said. "The kids are developing faith in each other, and hopefully, they have faith in the coaches."

Howard at Northeastern

Quarterback Cecil Howard, who left Syracuse in August and spent three days of practice at Youngstown State, has enrolled at Northeastern University in Boston and will sit out this season with three years of eligibility remaining. Howard, a standout at McKeesport High School, will practice with the Huskies but can't play in games. He was a redshirt freshman last season at Syracuse and then lost a year of eligibility because of his brief stay at Youngstown State.

Northeastern, which offers athletic scholarships and is a member of the Atlantic 10 Football Conference, is 2-0 and ranked 18th in NCAA Division I-AA.

Duquesne's Loebig iffy

Niel Loebig, who aggravated an injured shoulder and sat out after playing only the first series in a 17-7 victory against Siena, is questionable for Duquesne's home game Saturday against Marist. Loebig, a redshirt sophomore from South Fayette, was injured in a 35-14 victory against Bucknell two weeks ago. Freshman Ben Palumbo replaced Loebig and completed 12 of 24 passes for 171 yards against Siena and was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference rookie of the week.

By the numbers

Washington and Jefferson wideout Todd Fry had a school-record 12 catches for 145 yards in a 28-25 loss to Allegheny. ... Edinboro's Sean McNicholas leads NCAA Division II in punting with a 51.8-yard average. ... W&J senior quarterback Brian Dawson set his 20th school record with 963 passing attempts.

The rankings

Youngstown State (1-1) is 11th in the Sports Network Major Division I-AA poll. Duquesne (2-0) is No. 2 and Robert Morris (1-1) No. 6 in Mid-Major I-AA. ... IUP (2-1) is No. 15 in American Football Coaches Association Division II, ... W&J (1-1) is No. 20 in AFCA Division III.

The big game

New Haven (1-1) at IUP (2-1), 7 p.m. -- This completes a grueling non-conference schedule for IUP, which has won two in a row and is ranked 15th in NCAA Division II.