Dontey Brown leads the California University of Pennsylvania football team in tackles with 40, quarterback sacks with three and is tied for tackles for loss with six.

No surprise there. Brown, a McKeesport High School product and transfer from Penn State two years ago, has been a terror from his inside linebacker spot for the Vulcans when he has been healthy.

What is impressive is that Brown has managed those totals while playing in just five of California's seven games. Imagine what his stats would have been like if he had played the past two weeks.

Brown will be back in the lineup today and just in time as California entertains Edinboro in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division showdown. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. at Adamson Stadium, and FSN Pittsburgh is televising the game.

Both teams are 4-0 in the West Division and tied for first place. Edinboro is 6-1 overall and ranked No. 15 by D2Football.com. California is 5-2, has won its past five games and is ranked No. 23.

It will be a major test for Brown and his defensive teammates because Edinboro has the top passing offense, averaging 266 yards a game, in the PSAC and the second-best total offense of 404 yards a contest.

Quarterback Trevor Harris leads the Fighting Scots, who have averaged 33 points a game the past four weeks and scored 41 and 38 the past two games against Lock Haven and IUP. A senior, Harris has passed for 1,827 yards and 13 touchdowns and leads the PSAC in total offense with 2,051 yards, an average of 293 a game.

"He's good whether he's in the pocket or scrambling around," said Brown, who has been sidelined with a hip pointer and sprained foot. "What we've got to do is apply the pressure. We can't let him be comfortable back there.

"We need everybody to do their job, so that he doesn't hurt us if he has to run."

California has a pretty good quarterback of its own in Josh Portis. He has passed for 1,425 yards and 19 touchdowns with just four interceptions, and he is second on the team with 215 yards rushing. Receiver A.J. Jackson has hauled in 39 passes for 531 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The Vulcans' defense has been solid and is fourth overall in the PSAC. But it is eighth in passing defense, allowing 183 yards a game.

With so much on the line -- this game easily could decide the PSAC West champion since each team will have just two division games remaining -- there was no way Brown was going to miss this one.

"I was going to play regardless," he said.

He has been a defensive stalwart since coming to California before the 2008 season. Brown started his career at Penn State, where he was a redshirt his first year. He saw considerable action as a redshirt freshman and sophomore, then dislocated his left elbow against Michigan in the third game in 2007 and was done for the season.

"I talked with Joe [Paterno] after that season, and he said he didn't know if there would be a spot for me the next year," said Brown, who is 6 feet 2 and 235 pounds. "I didn't want to stop playing because I still had eligibility remaining and I didn't want to go to another Division I school because I'd have to sit out.

"My brother [Kendrick] was here [California], and I talked to the coaches and they said I could probably get a medical redshirt so I'd have two years left. So, I decided to make the move, and it's worked out."

A graduate student going after a master's in sports management, Brown would like to keep playing and hopes to get a tryout with a pro team. As for today, his main interest will be shutting down Harris and Edinboro's offense.

"We've been playing well lately," he said. "This is the game when we need to put it all together."

Mercyhurst at Clarion, 1 p.m., Memorial Stadium, Clarion: Both are 4-3 overall, 3-1 in the PSAC West and right behind California and Edinboro in the standings. The winner will remain in the hunt for the West title. ... The pass-catch combo of Tyler Huether and Jacques Robinson paces Clarion's offense. Huether has thrown for 1,462 yards and seven scores, while Robinson has caught 46 passes for 495 yards.

Saint Francis at Robert Morris, noon, Joe Walton Stadium: The Colonials (0-6) will be out to end their losing streak against Saint Francis (1-5) in the Northeast Conference contest. Robert Morris has a 12-2-1 record against the Red Flash and has won the past three meetings.

Central Connecticut State at Duquesne, noon, Rooney Field: The Dukes (2-4) have won both of their home games this season but never have beaten Central Connecticut (4-1). ... Duquesne freshman running back Larry McCoy has rushed for 548 yards on 116 attempts but scored just three times. Quarterback Connor Dixon has passed for 786 yards and five scores. ... The Dukes' defense has allowed opponents an average of 4.4 yards per rush and 5.3 yards per offensive play.

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