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KUTZTOWN, Pa. (Sept. 8) – The No. 10 Vulcans scored the first 27 points of the game on Saturday night and twice scored the go-ahead touchdown in the final five minutes of the game to secure a 48-45 victory over No. 11 Kutztown at University Field.

With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania football team opens the year at 2-0 with both victories coming against nationally-ranked opponents and defending-conference champions. Meanwhile, Kutztown falls to 1-1 this year after winning the first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) title in school history in 2011.

Senior quarterback Peter Lalich (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) registered his fifth career 300-yard game and established a career high on Saturday with 398 passing yards, which ranks as the fifth-highest single-game total in school history. He tied his career high with 30 completions and eclipsed the single-game school record with 59 attempts, breaking the mark of 57 set by Sam Mannery in 1990. Lalich accounted for three touchdowns in the win, including a rushing score in the second quarter.

Senior running back Lamont Smith (Penn Hills, Pa./Central Catholic) led all players with 109 rushing yards and one touchdown on 19 attempts, marking his 13th career 100-yard game. Sophomore Jeff Knox, Jr. (Pittsburgh, Pa./DeMatha Catholic (Md.)) rushed for a pair of touchdowns for the fourth time in his career and classmate Cody Cook (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver Falls) added 46 yards and one score on 10 carries.

Junior Mike Williams (Hershey, Pa./Milton Hershey) led the team with 138 receiving yards on nine catches, both career highs. Senior tight end Blake Williamson (Houston, Pa./Chartiers-Houston) tied his career high in receptions with seven for 61 yards, while redshirt freshman Kowan Scott (Easton, Pa./Wilson) finished with four catches for 75 yards and one touchdown.

After punting on their first drive of the game, the Vulcans scored touchdowns on four of their next five drives to take a 27-0 lead with 11:59 left in the first half. Smith registered the game's first score on a nine-yard rush midway through the first quarter before Lalich found redshirt junior Nadir Brown (East Orange, N.J./East Orange) for a three-yard touchdown at the 3:12-mark. Cal U then added to its lead with rushing touchdowns by Cook and Lalich with the final score being set up following an interception by senior defensive back Greg Cochrane (Chandler, Ariz./Chandler).

Trailing 27-0, the Golden Bears scored 17-straight points over the final 10-plus minutes of the first half. During that stretch, Cal U lost possessions via turnover on downs, fumble and missed field goal.

Following halftime, Kutztown continued its rally by eventually scoring 38 unanswered points with three touchdowns in the third quarter. The Vulcans struggled on special teams in the third with errant snaps on punts resulting in an interception and an intentional grounding – both positioning the Golden Bears inside the red zone following the possession change.

Cal U began to regain momentum early in the fourth quarter when the Kutztown punter was ruled down deep in KU territory when picking up a low snap. Benefiting from the short field, the Vulcans cut the deficit to 38-33 when Knox scored his first rushing touchdown of the game (two-point conversion failed).

The two teams traded interceptions before Kutztown was forced to punt midway through the fourth quarter. The Vulcans reclaimed the lead at 41-38 with a 10-play, 61-yard drive capped with a four-yard touchdown run by Knox. Lalich then found Williamson in the end zone for a successful two-point conversion.

The Golden Bears responded with a seven-play touchdown drive to take a 45-41 lead with 1:51 remaining. On the next drive, Lalich completed three-straight passes capped by the eventual game-winning 39-yard touchdown to Scott to give Cal U a 48-45 lead with 1:02 left. The Vulcans secured the victory by forcing the Golden Bears to turn the ball over on downs after not picking up a first down on the drive.

Defensively, freshman defensive back Rodney Gillin (West Lawn, Pa./Wilson) led the team with seven tackles (five solo). Junior defensive lineman Darnell Harding (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) posted six stops (five solo), tied his career high with 3.5 tackles for loss (TFL) and established a career high with 2.5 sacks. Cochrane and junior CJ Townes (Joppatowne, Md./Joppatowne) both added six tackles in the victory.

Cal U opens PSAC West play on Saturday, Sept. 15, when it travels to face Edinboro at 6 p.m. The Vulcans have won the last seven meetings against the Fighting Scots, including a 34-28 victory last year.

Notes:
The Vulcans last defeated nationally-ranked opponents in back-to-back weeks in the 2009 NCAA Playoffs … Cal U has posted a 4-1 record over the last two years when Lalich passes for 300 yards … The Vulcans ran a staggering 102 offensive plays, converted 12-of-20 attempts on third down and held a 12-minute advantage in time of possession … Kutztown was limited to only 17 rushing yards on 21 attempts