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ERIE, Pa. (Nov. 3) – Entering play in a three-way tie for first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West standings, the No. 22 California University of Pennsylvania football team suffered a 40-7 loss to Mercyhurst at Tullio Field on Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 7-3 overall this season and finish third in divisional standings with a 5-2 mark. Cal U has suffered back-to-back losses against PSAC West opponents for the first time since the 2004 season. Meanwhile, the Lakers improve to 8-2 this year and split the divisional title with No. 14 IUP, who will represent the division in the PSAC Championship Game against No. 7 Shippensburg.

Senior running back Lamont Smith (Penn Hills, Pa./Central Catholic) became just the fourth different player in school history to post at least 3,000 rushing yards in a career. He led the team with 51 rushing yards on nine carries on Saturday and leads the team with 744 rushing yards this season. Smith ranks fourth all-time in school history with 3,023 rushing yards and is the first player to reach the milestone since Brandon Lombardy (2005-08).

Junior defensive lineman BJ Stevens (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) recorded 1.5 tackles for loss (TFL) at Mercyhurst to tie the single-season school record of 19.0 TFL set by Gary Butler in 2007. Stevens now ranks second in single-season school history with 11.5 sacks, which is only 0.5 sack shy of the record set by Butler.

Cal U was limited to a season-low 244 yards of total offense and committed four turnovers, including two fumbles on special teams. Redshirt freshman quarterback Cody Schroeder (Avon, Ohio/Avon) finished with 133 passing yards on 15-of-34 attempts with two interceptions. The Vulcans rushed for 111 yards on 28 attempts in the loss.

The Vulcans lost possession of a fumble on the opening kickoff before junior defensive lineman Darnell Harding (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) recovered a fumble two plays later. Mercyhurst then scored touchdowns on four of its next five possessions, beginning with a 48-yard touchdown pass midway through the first quarter. The Lakers increased the lead to 21-0 with 4:43 left in the first half after two short touchdown runs. Cal U appeared to have prevented the second touchdown run when senior defensive back Rontez Miles (Braddock, Pa./Woodland Hills) made an interception in the end zone on the previous play before an offside penalty negated the turnover.

On the first play of the ensuing Cal U possession, Schroder threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown to increase the lead to 28-0 with 4:26 left in the second quarter. The Vulcans posted their only touchdown of the game on the next drive when sophomore Jeff Knox, Jr. (Pittsburgh, Pa./DeMatha Catholic (Md.)) scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. Mercyhurst countered with a seven-play scoring drive capped by a 44-yard field goal as time expired to take a 31-7 halftime lead.

The Lakers added to their lead early in the third quarter with a rushing touchdown before the Vulcans fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which led to a 31-yard field goal to increase the lead to 40-7.

Redshirt senior linebacker Brett Diamond (Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) finished with eight tackles (five solo) and senior defensive lineman Jason Kates (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) set a career high with eight stops (four solo). Miles and junior defensive back CJ Townes (Joppatowne, Md./Joppatowne) both added seven tackles in the loss.

Cal U finishes the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 10, when it hosts Millersville at 3:30 p.m.

Notes:
Cal U has lost the last two meeting with Mercyhurst at Tullio Field … The Vulcans suffered their largest margin of defeat since losing 45-7 to Minnesota Duluth in the 2008 NCAA Semifinals … Cal U managed its lowest amount of total offense since St. Cloud State in the 2011 season-opener (206 yards) … The Vulcans have committed at least three turnovers in six games this year