GREENSBURG, Pa. (Sept. 24) – Junior quarterback Michael Keir (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic) tied the single-game school record with six touchdown passes on Saturday afternoon, as the Vulcans opened Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play with a 59-17 win over Seton Hill at Offutt Field.

With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania football team starts the year with a 3-0 record for the first time since 2013. The Vulcans also start divisional play with a 1-0 mark for the 12th-consecutive year. Meanwhile, Seton Hill falls to 3-1 this season after opening the year with three-straight wins for the first time since 2008.

Keir finished with a career-high 311 passing yards and six touchdowns in three-plus quarters of action. He becomes the fourth quarterback in school history to throw six touchdowns in a game and is the first since Todd Hirt accomplished the feat against Shippensburg in 1994. Keir also set career marks with 19 completions and 31 attempts while making his third career start.

Senior wide receiver Garry Brown (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) and junior wide receiver Luke Smorey (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) both caught a pair of touchdowns from Keir, who completed passes to seven different players. Brown posted 93 receiving yards on four catches and Smorey totaled 77 yards on four receptions.

The Vulcans limited the Griffins to only 17 points after Seton Hill entered play averaging 44 points and over 580 yards of total offense per game. Junior linebacker Luke Hrapchak (Fairmont, W.Va./Fairmont Senior) led the team with a season-high 10 tackles (eight solo) and registered 1.5 TFL, while senior defensive back Arnel Farmer, Jr. (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) tallied seven stops (five solo). Senior Jordan Lardani (Kennett Square, Pa./Kennett) also registered 2.5 TFL and a strip sack and junior Cameron Tarver (Columbus, Ohio/Central Crossing) posted 2.0 TFL, a strip sack and a fumble recovery in the victory.

Brown returned the opening kickoff of the game 60-plus yards before Cal U capitalized on the field position with a three-yard touchdown run by junior Nick Grissom (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods) with 13:31 left in the first quarter. The Griffins advanced past midfield on the ensuing drive before a strip sack by Lardani and a recovery by Tarver halted the drive. Keir found Brown on a 1-yard touchdown pass on third-and-goal after the two previously connected for a 43-yard completion earlier in the drive. The teams then exchanged punts before Cal U stretched its lead to 17-0 with a 30-yard field goal by junior Will Brazill (Kansas City, Mo./Park Hill) with 47 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

The Griffins advanced inside the red zone early in the second quarter before a sack by junior linebacker DeVonte Suber (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) forced Seton Hill to settle for a 42-yard field goal, 17-3. Midway through the second quarter, Brown registered a 43-yard punt return to eventually setup another three-yard touchdown run by Grissom with 4:45 left before halftime. Tarver posted a strip sack on the next drive by the Griffins and senior defensive back Aaron Terry (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) returned the turnover to the Seton Hill 24-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Keir found Smorey for a touchdown with 3:23 remaining in the second quarter. Cal U forced Seton Hill to a three-and-out on the ensuing drive before the Vulcans added another touchdown, an eight-yard pass from Keir to sophomore running back Jalen Bell (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) on third-and-four, with 40 seconds left before halftime.

On its initial possession of the second half, Cal U took a 45-3 lead when Keir found Brown for a six-yard touchdown with 12:08 left in the third quarter. The Griffins answered with an eight-play scoring drive, as the Vulcans allowed their first touchdown of the year with 9:15 remaining in the quarter. Cal U forced a turnover on downs on the next Seton Hill possession with junior defensive lineman Justin Baker (Ashburn, Va./Briar Woods) recording a sack inside the red zone. On the initial play of the ensuing drive, Brown rushed 35 yards to midfield before Keir capped the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Paul Butler (Reynoldsville, Pa./DuBois) with 2:21 left the third quarter, 52-10.

The Vulcans scored their final touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter when Keir found Smorey for an 18-yard score. Seton Hill then countered with a 79-yard scoring drive before the teams traded field position for the remainder of the game.

Cal U finished with 221 rushing yards in the victory, as four players posted at least 35 yards. Sophomore Jimmy Wheeler (West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin) led the team with 55 yards on seven attempts and Bell totaled 48 rushing yards on eight attempts. Grissom finished with 48 yards and two touchdowns on 15 attempts.

The Vulcans return to action on Saturday, Oct. 1, when they host two-time, defending-league champion and No. 10 Slippery Rock at Adamson Stadium with kickoff at 1 p.m

Notes:
Brown led all players with a season-high 234 all-purpose yards on nine touches (26.0 yards per touch) … Keir also posted a 46-yard punt in the victory … Cal U and Seton Hill committed a combined 27 penalties that totaled nearly 225 yards … The Vulcans scored on nine of their 12 drives prior to the fourth quarter … Gary Dunn becomes only the fourth head coach in program history to start his career with three-straight victories