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EDINBORO, Pa. (Nov. 6) – Senior quarterback Josh Portis (Woodland Hills, Calif./William H. Taft/Maryland) threw three second-half touchdowns and the defense allowed only 79 yards of total offense on Saturday afternoon, as the No. 12 Vulcans earned a 24-0 shutout at Edinboro in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play at Sox Harrison Stadium.
With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania football team improved to 9-1 overall and clinched a share of the PSAC West title with a 5-1 mark in divisional action. With a win by Mercyhurst on Saturday, the Vulcans will now host Cheyney for Senior Day next Saturday, Nov. 13, at 1 p.m. Meanwhile, the Fighting Scots drop to 6-4 overall this season with a 3-4 record in league play.
Portis finished the game with 240 passing yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, while completing 17-of-27 attempts. With his performance, the 6-4 senior moved past Hall of Famer Jeff Petrucci (1966-68) for fourth place in school history with 5,562 yards. Portis also now has 61 career touchdowns, only three behind Hall of Famer Sam Mannery (1987-90) for second place.
Defensively, Cal U forced Edinboro into a season-low minus-4 rushing yards on 21 attempts behind five sacks. The Vulcans also limited the Fighting Scots to only four first downs and allowed them to convert only 2-of-11 third-down conversions. Junior linebacker Brett Diamond (Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) and senior defensive lineman Sam Fikaris (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) each collected a team-high seven tackles. Fikaris also registered career highs with 3.0 tackles for loss (TFL) and 1.5 sacks.
The first quarter was a defensive struggle with neither team managing a drive of more than seven plays and 17 yards. The Vulcans halted the Fighting Scots' opening drive when sophomore defensive back Scott Wallace (Avondale, Pa./Saint Marks (Del.)/Massachusetts) intercepted a pass deep in Cal U territory. After a six-play drive halted at the Vulcans' 33-yard line, Cal U shifted the battle of field position with a season-long 59-yard punt by senior Derek Fiorenza (Downingtown, Pa./Bishop Shanahan/Villanova).
Cal U broke the scoreless tie with a 20-yard field goal by senior Marc Domonkos (Johnstown, Pa./Bishop McCort/Lock Haven) with 2:39 remaining in the first half. The kick capped a 12-play, 47-yard drive that spanned over six minutes on the clock and benefited from a fourth-and-one conversion by sophomore running Lamont Smith (Penn Hills, Pa./Central Catholic/Phoenix) at the Edinboro 24-yard line. The Vulcans halted a last-minute scoring drive by the Fighting Scots when redshirt freshman defensive lineman Darnell Harding (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) registered a sack and fumble that was recovered by Edinboro in the final seconds.
In the third quarter, Cal U extended its lead to 10-0 on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Portis to sophomore Blake Williamson (Houston, Pa./Chartiers-Houston) with 6:58 left in the quarter. The score was set-up by an impressive 21-yard, one-handed catch by redshirt freshman wide receiver Mike Williams (Hershey, Pa./Milton Hershey), who finished with a career-high 94 yards on five receptions.
After enforcing a three-and-out on the next Fighting Scots' possession, the Vulcans capped a 79-play drive with a 22-yard touchdown connection between Portis and senior wide receiver Terrance Moore (Key West, Fla./Key West/Mesa C.C.) with 1:27 remaining in the third quarter.
Cal U again forced a three-and-out against Edinboro before Portis found junior wide receiver Chedrick Cherry (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) for a five-yard touchdown with 11:12 left in the game. Cherry now leads the team in all three major receiving categories, including eight touchdowns.
The Vulcans capped the afternoon when Wallace, who made his first career start, registered his second interception of the game with 8:35 remaining.
Cal U concludes the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 13, when they host Cheyney at 1 p.m. The Vulcans have won 13 of the 14 all-time meeting against the Wolves, including 57-0 victory in 2007. The game will broadcast live on Pittsburgh CW with the weekly coach's show broadcasting at 12:30 p.m. on Pittsburgh CW. Fans can also follow the game on-line through live stats, watch it live on both ESPN3.com and America One (formerly B2 Networks) and listen live on WCAL (91.9 FM).
Notes:
Smith finished the game with a team-high 73 yards on 24 carries … Cal U finished with a 17-minute advantage in time of possession (38:32-21:28) … Edinboro's most sustained drive of the game covered only 23 yards on seven plays … The Vulcans converted 10-of-20 third downs
