• Box Score
• Game Notes (.pdf)

MILLERSVILLE, Pa. (Nov. 16) – Freshman Nick Grissom (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods) rushed for three touchdowns and the defense scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, as the Vulcans closed the season with a 48-14 victory at Millersville on Saturday evening.

With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania football team finishes the year with a 7-4 overall record. The Vulcans are one of only two teams in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) to have posted at least seven wins every season since 2005. Meanwhile, the Marauders posted a 1-10 mark under first-year head coach Greg Breitbach.

Grissom rushed for 48 yards and three scores on 16 attempts on Saturday. He became the first player with three rushing touchdowns in a game since Lamont Smith accomplished the feat against Elizabeth City State in the 2011 NCAA Playoffs. Grissom also finished with four receptions for 55 yards versus Millersville.

The Vulcans defense forced four turnovers, including three interceptions, and limited the Marauders to only 70 passing yards. Freshman Jordan Bowman (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) posted an 80-yard fumble return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter before senior Dewey McDonald (Ranson, W.Va./Jefferson) registered a 26-yard interception return for a score less than 90 seconds later.

Senior wide receiver Mike Williams (Hershey, Pa./Milton Hershey) tallied a game-high six catches on Saturday to move into second place in school history with 157 receptions. He finished his career behind only the all-time record of 165 catches held by former All-American and five-year NFL veteran Perry Kemp (1980-83).

Grissom posted a 1-yard touchdown run on the game's opening possession before Millersville countered with a touchdown drive on the ensuing possession. The teams traded field position for the remainder of the first quarter before the Vulcans took a 14-7 lead with 13:14 left in the first half on a 1-yard score by sophomore running back Derrick Fiore (Monongahela, Pa./Ringgold).

With the Marauders near midfield, senior defensive back CJ Townes (Joppatowne, Md./Joppatowne) recorded an interception and the Vulcans capitalized on the turnover with a 10-yard touchdown by Grissom with 5:42 left in the second quarter. Millersville looked to respond on the ensuing drive after having a first-and-goal from the 3-yard line before Bowman made an interception. Cal U managed to move just inside the red zone with a 25-yard completion to Williams before junior kicker Cody Nuzzo (Bradford, Pa./Bradford) made a 36-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.

Millersville cut the deficit to 24-14 on the opening possession of the second half and nearly scored on its next possession before a 29-yard, field-goal attempt missed wide left. The Vulcans responded with a 70-yard scoring drive, including two 20-plus yard plays by senior Trey Johnson (Rochester, Pa./Rochester), that was capped with a 27-yard field goal by Nuzzo.

Early in the in the fourth, Millersville recovered a blocked punt inside the red zone before Bowman returned a fumble 80 yards for a score. On the ensuing drive, McDonald posted his third interception return for touchdown this season to stretch the lead to 41-14 with 11:23 left to play. The Vulcans later mounted a 12-play scoring drive over seven minutes with Grissom posting his third touchdown of the game with 1:57 remaining.

McDonald led the team with 12 tackles (five solo) on Saturday and finished the season tied for ninth in the league with a team-high 89 stops (42 solo) this year. Senior defensive lineman Noah Taylor (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) added eight tackles (all assisted) against the Marauders, while Bowman recorded seven stops (two solo), one interception and one fumble recovery.

Notes:
McDonald is the first Cal U player with three interceptions returned for touchdowns in a season in over a decade … Sophomore quarterback James Harris (Woodstock, Ga./Etowah) passed for 233 yards on 21-of-28 attempts after not playing since the second half on Nov. 2 … With two field goals on Saturday, Nuzzo finished with 11 field goals in back-to-back years, tying for second-most in the PSAC this season … Millersville senior Ian Sadon rushed for 192 yards to become the seventh the 1,000-yard rusher in the league this year … Cal U was playing at Millersville for the first time since 1986