• Box Score
• Game Notes (.pdf)

GREENSBURG, Pa. (Oct. 19) – The Vulcans scored 24 points in the second quarter and yielded only 173 yards of total offense on Saturday afternoon while posting a 33-7 win over league-newcomer Seton Hill in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.

With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania football team improves to 5-2 overall. The Vulcans also move into a tie with Gannon and Slippery Rock for first place in the PSAC West standings with a 3-1 league mark. Meanwhile, the Griffins remain winless this season at 0-7 overall and 0-4 in divisional play.

Sophomore quarterback James Harris (Woodstock, Ga./Etowah) passed for two touchdowns and junior running back Jeff Knox, Jr. (Pittsburgh, Pa./DeMatha Catholic (Md.)) accounted for two scores in the victory. Playing primarily three quarters, Harris completed 16-of-24 attempts for 221 yards with no interceptions while making his third-straight start. Knox rushed for a game-high 80 yards with one rushing touchdown on 13 attempts and also returned a fumble for a score.

Cal U needed just 51 seconds to score the game's first touchdown with Knox posting a 15-yard touchdown run (PAT missed). The drive was set-up with an 86-yard kickoff return by junior Terrell Roberson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills), who tied the school record with a 100-yard return on Oct. 5. The teams traded field position until midway through the first quarter when the Vulcans advanced near the red zone before losing possession on a fumble.

Seton Hill converted the turnover into its only points of the game, capping a 14-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run on fourth down with 14:11 left in the second quarter. The Vulcans countered on the next drive with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Harris to redshirt freshman tight end Desimon Green (Clairton, Pa./Clairton), as the score was set-up with a 15-yard penalty and a 34-yard run by Knox. On the next Cal U drive, Harris connected with senior wide receiver Nadir Brown (East Orange, N.J./East Orange) for a 58-yard touchdown on the first play to stretch the lead to 20-7 with 7:55 remaining in the first half. The Vulcans added a 35-yard field goal by junior Cody Nuzzo (Bradford, Pa./Bradford) with 2:14 left in the second quarter to take a 23-7 lead and held the Griffins to a three-and-out on the ensuing drive. Seton Hill had a poor snap on the punt before Knox recovered a loose ball and raced 11 yards for his second touchdown of the game, 30-7.

Cal U lost fumbles on its opening two drives of the second half, but the defense allowed only 36 yards of total offense on three Seton Hill drives in the third quarter. The Vulcans later sustained their longest drive of the game with a 35-yard field goal by Nuzzo capping a 12-play drive with 13:31 left in the fourth quarter. Seton Hill managed only one first down the remainder of the game, while suffering its 20th-consecutive loss dating back to the 2011 season.

Senior defensive back Ja'wan Bryant (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) led the team with a career-high eight tackles (four solo) and also recorded 2.5 TFL. Fellow seniors CJ Townes (Joppatowne, Md./Joppatowne) and Dewey McDonald (Ranson, W.Va./Jefferson) added seven and six stops, respectively, while true freshman defensive lineman Blake Bell (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) finished with five tackles (three solo) and 2.0 sacks.

The Vulcans continues divisional play on Saturday, Oct. 26, when they host Gannon in a pivotal game in the PSAC West standings at 12 p.m.

Notes:
Seton Hill passed for only a combined 40 yards while using two quarterbacks … Senior Trey Johnson (Rochester, Pa./Rochester) finished with 151 all-purpose yards in the victory, posting a game-high 75 yards on five receptions and 76 yards on five punt returns … The Vulcans maintained possession for nearly 18 minutes in the second half after scoring 24 points in five-plus minutes during the second quarter … Seton Hill recorded three punts of over 50 yards, but finished with a net average of 33.0 yards per punt