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CALIFORNIA (Oct. 31) – Behind four interceptions by the defense and three touchdown passes by quarterback Josh Portis (Woodland Hills, Calif./William H. Taft/Maryland), the No. 20 California University of Pennsylvania football team clinched its third-straight outright (fifth overall) Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West title on Saturday afternoon with a 28-7 victory against Mercyhurst at Adamson Stadium on Senior Day.

The Vulcans now improve to 8-2 overall this year and finish with an undefeated record (7-0) in divisional play for a third-straight season. Cal U now advances to face Shippensburg (8-2, 6-1), the outright PSAC East champion, in the 2009 PSAC Championship on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Shippensburg. The kickoff time will be announced early next week.

Portis finished the game with 242 passing yards and three touchdowns on 15-of-24 attempts. In the victory, he surpassed the 2,000-yard plateau this season after throwing for over 200 yards in six of the last eight games. Portis leads the 16-team conference with a 152.4 passing efficiency behind a league-best 24 touchdown passes.

Junior wide receiver Terrance Moore (Key West, Fla./Key West/Mesa) posted a season-high 141 yards and two touchdowns (58, 45) on five receptions, while senior AJ Jackson (Lehigh Acres, Fla./Lehigh/Sequoias) finished with nine receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown (4).

Graduate student linebacker Dontey Brown (McKeesport, Pa./ McKeesport/Penn State) anchored the defensive effort with a career-high 18 tackles (eight solo). His 18 tackles are the third-highest single-game total this year in the PSAC and are the most by a Vulcan since Brian Oddi made 20 stops against Shippensburg in 2003.

Overall, the Cal U defense made four interceptions, forced two fumbles and limited Mercyhurst to only 101 passing yards. After the Lakers scored on the first possession of the game, nine of their next 10 possessions ended in punts and interceptions.

Mercyhurst mounted a 12-play scoring drive on its first possession before the Vulcans evened the score at 7-7 when Portis connected with Jackson for a four-yard touchdown with 2:49 left in the first quarter. Cal U then took a 14-7 lead with 7:58 remaining in the second quarter when Portis found Moore on a 58-yard touchdown pass. The Vulcans expanded its lead to 21-7 with 1:48 left in the first half on a one-yard scoring plunge by senior fullback Shawn Johnson (Yorktown, Va./Grafton). The drive was set-up with an interception by senior defensive back Josh Menendez (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Chagrin Falls/Dayton), who finished the game with a career-high 11 tackles (five solo).

The Vulcans opened the second half with a four-play touchdown drive capped with a 45-yard touchdown reception by Moore from Portis. On the ensuing drive, Mercyhurst moved inside the red zone before sophomore linebacker Brett Diamond (Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) halted the scoring opportunity with an interception at the 1-yard line.

Mercyhurst was then driving into Vulcans' territory early in the fourth when sophomore defensive lineman Thomas Mulabah (Sterling, Va./Parkview) returned an interception 55 yards to the Lakers' 15-yard line. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Cal U lost a fumble inside the red zone. The Vulcans again stopped a Laker drive when sophomore defensive back Erik Harris (Nex Oxford, Pa./New Oxford) made his second interception of the year with 1:04 left in the game.

Harris also added a career-high 11 tackles (six solo) with 1.5 tackles for loss (TFL) and 1.0 sack, while Diamond finished with eight stops (four solo) and 1.5 TFL.

The Vulcans will make their second-straight appearance and fourth overall in the PSAC Championship on Saturday, Nov. 7 when they face former divisional rival Shippensburg. Cal U earned a 47-36 victory over West Chester last year after the “State Game” was played for the first time since the 1987 season.

Notes:
Cal U has forced eight turnovers over the last two weeks, including seven interceptions … Junior Windell Brown (Duquesne, Pa./Duquesne) rushed for a team-high 95 yards on 12 attempts … In the loss, Mercyhurst held over a 13-minute advantage in time of possession (36:55-23:05) after Cal U only had the ball for 1:21 in the fourth quarter ... Lakers' senior running back Ben Jennings became the first player this season to post 100-yard game against the Vulcans ... Prior to the game, the Vulcans recognized 14 senior players.