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CALIFORNIA (Oct. 17) – After scoring 28 unanswered points in the second half, the California University of Pennsylvania football team registered an impressive 38-14 Homecoming win against No. 12 Edinboro on Saturday at Adamson Stadium to claim sole first possession of first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West standings.
The win marked the 200th career victory for head coach #John Luckhardt#, who is in his eighth season with the Vulcans after serving 17 years as the head coach at nearby Washington & Jefferson. Luckhardt is one of only six active head coaches in NCAA Division II to reach the 200-win milestone.
With its sixth-straight victory, Cal U improves to 6-2 overall and 5-0 league play. The win gives the Vulcans a one-game lead in the PSAC West standings with two weeks left in the regular season. Meanwhile, Edinboro drops to 6-2 this season and 4-1 in divisional action.
After trailing 14-3 midway through the second period, the Vulcans scored touchdowns on five-consecutive possessions to seize control of the game. In the second half, Cal U attacked the Fighting Scots on the ground as it totaled 191 rushing yards and three touchdowns behind the play of running back #
Windell Brown# (Duquesne, Pa./Duquesne) and quarterback #
Josh Portis# (Woodland Hills, Calif./William H. Taft/Maryland).
Brown established a season and career high with 148 rushing yards and two touchdowns (19, 20) on 21 carries. In the third quarter, the 6-0 running back posted a dominant 104 yards and two scores on 12 carries before sitting out most of the fourth quarter. Since returning from an early-season injury, Brown has rushed for 280 yards and four touchdowns on 43 attempts (6.5 yards per attempt) in the last three games.
Portis totaled 258 yards of total offense against the Fighting Scots behind 177 passing yards and 81 rushing yards. Through the air, Portis completed 10-of-16 attempts with one touchdown and no interceptions and has now thrown 19 touchdown passes during the Vulcans' six-game-winning streak. On the ground, the Maryland transfer rushed eight times for 81 yards with a nine-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
The Cal U defense limited Edinboro to only 250 yards of total offense after the Fighting Scots entered the game second in the PSAC with over 400 yards per game. In the second half, the Vulcans' limited the Fighting Scots to only four first downs, nine rushing yards and 80 yards of total offense. Senior quarterback Trevor Harris, the top passer in the league, was sacked twice and pressured five times by Cal U. Harris finished the game with 191 yards and two touchdowns on 20-of-36 passing.
In the final minute of the first half, the Vulcans regained momentum when Portis capped an 11-play, 93-yard drive with a nine-yard quarterback draw for a touchdown, 14-10.
On its first two possessions of the second half, Cal U took its first lead since the game's opening drive after Brown ended back-to-back drives with touchdown runs of 19 and 20 yards, respectively.
The Vulcans sealed the win early in the fourth quarter when senior running back #
Freddie Bacco# (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) posted a one-yard plunge into the end zone. After forcing a turnover on downs, Cal U added an insurance touchdown with 3:38 left in the game when Portis connected with sophomore wide receiver #
Chedrick Cherry# (Cincinnati, Ohio / Moeller/South Florida) on a 16-yard touchdown.
Sophomore linebacker #
Brett Diamond# (Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) led the defensive attack for Cal U with eight tackles (five solo). Senior defensive end #
Brandon Gordon# (Alliance, Ohio/Alliance) registered six stops (four solo) with 3.0 tackles for loss (TFL) and 1.0 sack. Classmate #
Josh Menendez# (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Chagrin Falls/Dayton) added six tackles, while further Vulcans added five stops.
The Vulcans continue PSAC West play when they travel to face rival Slippery Rock on Saturday, Oct. 24, at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium. The game is scheduled for a 12 p.m. kickoff. The Vulcans have won three-straight games over The Rock.
Notes:
Neither team committed a turnover in the game ... After posting 1.5 TFL against Edinboro, senior defensive lineman #
Willie Walker# (Aliquippa, Pa./Aliquippa) now ranks fourth in school history with 28.0 TFL ... Cal U rushed for a season-high 268 yards and four touchdowns on 48 attempts ... Senior wide receiver #
AJ Jackson# (Lehigh Acres, Fla./Lehigh/Sequoias) led the Vulcans with 113 yards on six receptions
