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CALIFORNIA (Aug. 27) – The No. 8 Vulcans committed three turnovers and allowed a safety in a 23-17 season-opening loss on Thursday night to Saginaw Valley (Mich.) at Adamson Stadium.

The California University of Pennsylvania football team rallied to take a 17-14 lead before Saginaw Valley scored nine-straight points to close out the game.

In his Vulcan debut, graduate student quarterback Josh Portis (Woodland Hills, Calif./William H. Taft/Maryland) led the team with 82 rushing yards on 12 carries and threw for 145 yards. The 6-4 signal caller completed 14-of-31 passes with two interceptions – both off deflections and no touchdowns.

Cal U took the game's first lead late in the first period when it mounted a seven-play, 88-yard drive capped by a 19-yard touchdown by senior running back Freddie Bacco (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin), who finished with 42 yards on seven attempts. During the drive, Portis completed three-of-four passes for 64 yards, including a 40-yard completion to senior wide receiver AJ Jackson (Lehigh Acres, Fla./Lehigh/Sequoias), who led the team with five receptions for 71 yards.

The Cardinals tied the game at 7-7 early in the second quarter on a 1-yard plunge by Xavier Walker. Cal U reclaimed the lead on the next Saginaw Valley possession when graduate student Dominique Curry (Philadelphia, Pa./George Washington/Cheyney) blocked a punt that rolled through the back of the end zone for a safety, 9-7.

Saginaw Valley responded quickly when it recovered a fumble on the ensuing free kick on the safety. Benefiting from the good field position, the Cardinals took a 14-9 lead on a 12-yard reverse by senior tight end Galen Stone with 7:23 remaining in the half.

The Vulcan defense set up an early third-quarter touchdown when sophomore defensive back Erik Harris (New Oxford, Pa./New Oxford) recovered a fumble forced by redshirt linebacker Terrance Hemsley (Cheltenham, Md./Gwynn Park). The turnover led to a 12-yard touchdown run by Bacco and a successful two-point conversion pass from Portis to Jackson.

Saginaw Valley responded with a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Charles Dowdell to Stone, 21-17 with 2:17 left in the third quarter. In his first game as a Cardinal, Dowdell passed for 208 yards and rushed for 62 yards on 14 attempts.

The Cal U defense prevented the deficit from getting any larger when they prevented the Cardinals from scoring on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. However, Saginaw Valley responded with a safety on the first play on the Vulcans' ensuing drive to take a 23-17 lead with 5:04 remaining in the game.

On their final drive of the game, the Vulcans moved the ball to the Cardinals' 32-yard line before a Portis pass was intercepted near the end zone with just over a minute left in the game.

Graduate student linebacker Dontey Brown (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) registered a game- and career-high 11 tackles (seven solo) with 3.0 tackles for loss (TFL), while sophomore Sam Fikaris (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield)also established a career mark with 10 stops, 1.5 TFL and 1.0 sack. In his first career start, Harris finished with seven tackles (four solo) with one interception and one forced fumble.

Cal U returns to Adamson Stadium next Saturday, Sept. 5, when it hosts nationally-ranked Bloomsburg for a 7 p.m. kickoff in a rematch of last season's NCAA regional championship game. The game will be air tape-delayed on FSN Pittsburgh following the Pittsburgh Pirates' home game.

Notes:
The Vulcans suffered their first season-opening loss since the 2003 campaign … Cal U out-gained Saginaw Valley on the ground (190-103), totaled more yards of total offense (335-311) and held a three-minute edge in time of possession (31:35-28:25) … The Vulcans converted 8-of-16 third-down attempts and two-of-four fourth downs.