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CALIFORNIA (Nov. 9) – The Vulcans tied the score twice in the second half on Saturday afternoon before suffering a 23-20 loss on a last-minute field goal by Mercyhurst at Adamson Stadium in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania football team falls to 6-4 overall and closes divisional play with a 4-3 mark. The Vulcans finished tied for third in the PSAC West standings for the second-straight year after earning at least a share of seven-consecutive divisional titles. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst has won five of its last six games to improve to 6-4 this season behind a 4-3 record in league play.

The Lakers took a 7-0 lead on their opening possession of the game with a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Anthony Vendemia. Cal U was forced to punt on its ensuing possession, but freshman long snapper Mitchell Baublitz (York, Pa./Red Lion) forced and recovered a fumble on the return to set-up the Vulcans with possession at the 27-yard line of Mercyhurst. Utilizing the short field, Cal U trimmed the deficit to 7-3 behind a 26-yard field goal by junior Cody Nuzzo (Bradford, Pa./Bradford) with 1:59 left in the first quarter.

The Vulcans capped a 10-play drive early in the second quarter with a 24-yard field goal by Nuzzo, who moved into second place in school history with 26 career field goals on Saturday. Mercyhurst countered with a 41-yard field goal on the ensuing drive to take a 10-6 lead with 5:39 left before halftime. Following an interception by the Vulcans, the Lakers stretched their lead to 13-6 on a 24-yard field goal with 2:10 remaining in the second quarter.

Cal U advanced to midfield on its opening drive of the second half before sophomore quarterback Cody Schroeder (Avon, Ohio/Avon) was intercepted at the 27-yard line; however, the defender lost possession of the ball and Mercyhurst recovered the loose ball at its 14-yard line. With Mercyhurst deep in its own territory, freshman Garry Brown (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) blocked a punt and senior Trey Johnson (Rochester, Pa./Rochester) posted a 12-yard return for touchdown with 3:57 left in the third quarter to tie the score at 13-13.

On the next drive by the Vulcans, Johnson scampered 38 yards on a third-and-nine and Cal U advanced into the red zone before Schroeder threw an interception at the 8-yard line. Mercyhurst then mounted a 16-play drive that lasted eight-plus minutes with running back Richie Sanders scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Lakers a 20-13 lead with 4:09 left to play. Cal U answered with a quick, four-play touchdown drive, as Schroeder connected with senior Mike Williams (Hershey, Pa./Milton Hershey) for a 20-yard touchdown with 3:06 remaining.

Williams finished with a game-high 84 yards and one touchdown on four receptions. A two-year starter, he moved into third place all-time in school history with 151 receptions and now ranks fourth with 2,190 receiving yards.

Mercyhurst responded with the game-winning drive, as senior Steven Wakefield made a 22-yard field goal with 40 seconds left. The Vulcans were flagged for a personal foul on the first play of the drive before the Lakers later posted a 38-yard run down to the 3-yard line. Without a timeout on their last drive, the Vulcans crossed midfield on the first play with a 15-yard completion and 15-yard penalty. Following a sack and quarterback spike, Cal U missed on two final pass attempts to the end zone in the closing seconds.

Senior defensive lineman Noah Taylor (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) led the team with a career-high 11 tackles (three solo), while freshman defensive back Aaron Terry (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) also established a career high with 10 stops (five solo). Senior linebacker BJ Stevens (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) finished with six tackles and 2.0 sacks in the loss.

The Vulcans conclude the season on Saturday, Nov. 16, when they travel to face Millersville at 4 p.m.

Notes:
Schroeder passed for 190 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions while making his first start since Sept. 28 … Stevens, who already has the school record for career sacks, is just 0.5 TFL shy of tying the all-time school record …. Mercyhurst finished with a 13-minute advantage in time of possession behind three scoring drives lasting over five minutes … The teams combined to make all five field-goal attempts … The Lakers were without reigning PSAC West Freshman of the Year Brandon Brown-Dukes, who entered the weekend ranked fifth in the PSAC with 953 rushing yards ... Mercyhurst, who posted its first-ever win at Adamson Stadium, has won three of the last four meetings against Cal U