• Box Score
• Game Notes (.pdf)

CALIFORNIA (Oct. 25)—The No. 6 California University of Pennsylvania football team earned at least a share of its fourth-straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West title with a 31-10 victory over Slippery Rock University at Adamson Stadium on Saturday afternoon in PSAC West action.

The Vulcans move to 8-1 overall and 6-0 in divisional play and hold a 1.0-game lead in the standings going into the final PSAC West game of the season next Saturday against second-place Mercyhurst College. The Rock falls to 4-5 overall and 2-4 in league play after losing three of their last four games.

After a sluggish first quarter in which Slippery Rock held a 10-3 lead, Cal U claimed control of the game with three touchdowns in the second quarter. Senior running back Daine Williams (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver Falls/Howard) gave the Vulcans a 10-7 lead with 12:00 minutes left before halftime, capping a nine-play, 52-yard drive.

Williams finished the game with 99 yards and a career-high three touchdowns (3, 4 and 1) on 25 attempts.

The Vulcan defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing Rock possession before the Cal U offense engineered a 12-play, 68-yard drive that Williams finished with a four-yard touchdown score. The defense again was able to stop Slippery Rock on its next possession when defensive back Antwjuan Cox (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands) registered a sack on fourth-and-two at the Vulcans' 35-yard line.

Cal U converted the defensive stop into points with a 41-yard scoring scamper by sophomore Windell Brown (Duquesne, Pa./Duquesne). The Rock added a field goal in the final seconds of the half, but the Vulcans held a 24-10 lead going into the break.

Williams scored his final touchdown with 2:45 left in the third quarter which concluded a 15-play, 92-yard drive for the Vulcans, who finished with a 21-plus minute advantage in time of possession.

The Cal U defense posted one of its best performances of the season in the second half, allowing only 54 yards on 21 plays and forcing two turnovers in the final two quarters. Following the final Williams' touchdown in the third quarter, senior free safety Juan Butler (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) forced a fumble on a third-and-two play with the fumble being recovered by junior outside linebacker Matt McClellan (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport). Butler then halted a Rock drive in the fourth quarter with his second interception of the season.

Butler, freshman inside linebacker Brett Diamond (Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) and graduate student linebacker Dontey Brown (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport/Penn State) led the defensive charge for the Vulcans with six tackles each. Junior defensive lineman Willie Walker (Aliquippa, Pa./Aliquippa) added three stops (all solo) with 1.0 tackle for loss (TFL), while four different Cal U players registered a pass break-up.

The Vulcans finish divisional play next Saturday, Nov. 1, with a 1 p.m. kickoff against PSAC-newcomer Mercyhurst at Tullio Field in Erie, Pa.

Notes:
Vulcans' quarterback Kevin McCabe (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland/Virginia) completed 16-of-28 attempts for 174 yards with no interceptions, while wide receiver Marcel Pestano (Lehigh Acres, Fla./Lehigh/Pittsburgh) finished the game with four receptions for 54 yards…Cal U ran for 212 yards on 57 attempts, which led to a time of possession of 40 minutes, 41 seconds.. .Vulcans' punter Derek Fiorenza (Dowingtown, Pa./Bishop Shanahan/Villanova) averaged 46.8 yards per punt on four punts with three inside the 20-yard line, including two that were downed at The Rock 1-yard line.