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CALIFORNIA (Nov. 14) – Behind five rushing touchdowns and an aggressive defensive attack, the No. 22 Vulcans earned an impressive 42-13 victory over Fayetteville State (N.C.) in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Division II Playoffs at Adamson Stadium on Saturday.

The California University of Pennsylvania football team, who entered the tournament as the third seed in the region, improves to 9-3 on the season and advances to face No. 17 Shippensburg (9-2) in the second round of the playoffs. The game marks a rematch of last weekend's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship, won by the Red Raiders 42-35. Meanwhile, sixth-seeded Fayetteville State ends its season with an 8-4 record.

Senior running back Freddie Bacco (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) rushed for a career-high three touchdowns in the win, while junior fullback Shawn Johnson (Yorktown, Va./Grafton) added a pair of 1-yard touchdown plunges. The Vulcan defense limited the Broncos to only 217 yards of total offense, registered three sacks and made two interceptions.

In the win, senior wide receiver AJ Jackson (Lehigh Acres, Fla./Lehigh/Sequoias) set the single-season school record for receptions. He now has 82 catches this year, breaking the record of 80 set last season by Marcel Pestano. Jackson needs only 39 more yards to break the single-season receiving yards (1,176) set by Pestano in 2008. He finished the game against the Broncos with eight receptions for 111 yards with a five-yard touchdown.

Cal U set the tone of the game early, as senior defensive back Terrence Johnson (Braddock, Pa./Woodland Hills) intercepted a pass on the second play of the game near midfield. The Vulcans capitalized on the short field when Shawn Johnson scored his first touchdown of the game, 7-0.

The Vulcans capped a 50-yard drive at the end of the first quarter when Jackson caught a 5-yard pass from graduate student quarterback Josh Portis (Woodland Hills, Calif./William H. Taft/Maryland). Portis finished the game with 196 passing yards on 13-of-21 attempts with no interceptions. He now ranks second in single-season school history with 2,947 yards of total offense, trailing only the record of 3,196 yards set last season by Kevin McCabe.

After taking a 21-0 lead into halftime, Cal U added to its lead on the first three drives of the second half behind touchdown runs by Bacco to take a 42-0 lead with 11 seconds left in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Fayetteville State avoided the shutout with a pair of scores by quarterback Benjamin Williams (one passing, one receiving). Midway through the quarter, sophomore defensive back Shawn Anderson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) halted a Bronco drive near midfield with his first career interception.

Linebackers Dontey Brown (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport/Penn State), Matt McClellan (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) and Brandon Livsey (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) led the Vulcan defense with six tackles each. Brandon Livsey also added 1.5 tackles for loss (TFL). Four different Cal U defenders registered a sack in the game, while the Vulcans also tallied four quarterback hurries.

Cal U now travels to face Shippensburg in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 21. Kickoff at Seth Grove Stadium is set for 12 p.m.

Notes:
The Vulcans now own a 5-2 all-time record in the NCAA Playoffs, but will make their first road appearance in the post-season next week … Junior running back Windell Brown (Duquesne, Pa./Duquesne) led Cal U with 79 rushing on 15 attempts, while Bacco added 59 yards on 10 carries … The Vulcans held a sizeable +17 minute advantage in time of possession (38:22-21:38) … Cal U allowed Fayetteville State to convert only 2-of-12 third downs