CALIFORNIA (Oct. 11) – The Vulcans moved into a tie for first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West standings with a 48-26 Homecoming victory over No. 19 Slippery Rock at Adamson Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania football team improves to 5-1 overall this season. The Vulcans are now tied with rivals IUP, next week's opponent, and Slippery Rock for first place in the divisional standings with a 4-1 mark in league play. Meanwhile, The Rock drops to 5-1 overall after opening the year with five-straight wins for the first time since 1962.

The Vulcans amassed 500 yards of total offense and scored 31 points in the second quarter while posting their first victory over a nationally-ranked opponent since 2012. Cal U forced four turnovers and limited Slippery Rock to a season-low 66 rushing yards after entering play ranked eighth in NCAA Division II with 287.2 rushing yards per game.

Junior quarterback James Harris (Woodstock, Ga./Etowah) finished with 326 passing yards, his second 300-yard game of the season, on 19-of-35 attempts. He established a career high with four touchdown passes, including three in the first half, while extending his streak of consecutive attempts without an interception to 134 passes (four games).

Sophomore wide receiver Garry Brown (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) caught a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and finished with game highs of 111 receiving yards and nine catches. Junior wide receiver Kowan Scott (Easton, Pa./Wilson) posted four receptions for 86 yards and one touchdown, while sophomore tight end Paul Butler (Reynoldsville, Pa./DuBois) added 81 yards on four catches with one touchdown.

Sophomore running back Nick Grissom (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods) posted his second 100-yard rushing game of the season, totaling 121 yards and one touchdown on a career-high 21 attempts. Senior Terrell Roberson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) finished with 49 rushing yards on 14 carries with one touchdown, his fourth-straight game with at least one score.

The Vulcans posted a touchdown on their initial possession of the game when Harris connected with Butler for a 32-yard score with 11:27 left in the first quarter. The teams then traded field positions for the next several minutes before Slippery Rock made a 41-yard field goal with 2:49 remaining in the quarter. The Vulcans responded with a seven-play scoring drive capped by a 25-yard touchdown run by Grissom on the opening play of the second quarter to take a 14-3 lead.

Cal U then added to its lead with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Harris to Brown with 12:44 left before halftime. The Rock advanced inside the red zone on their next possession before the Vulcans forced a turnover on downs on a fourth-and-one. Cal U continued to stretch its lead in the second quarter when Harris connected with Brown for a 5-yard touchdown with 6:42 remaining in the second quarter. Slippery Rock then countered with a 17-yard touchdown pass with 4:48 left in the first half to trim the deficit to 28-10. On The Rock's next possession, sophomore defensive lineman Jawan Turner (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) posted an interception on a deflected pass deep in Slippery Rock territory. Cal U capitalized on the turnover with a four-yard touchdown run by Roberson with 2:34 left in the second quarter before Slippery Rock answered with a two-yard touchdown run and only 45 seconds remaining. On the ensuing kickoff, Roberson initially muffed the kickoff before posting a 74-yard return that setup a 24-yard field goal by senior Cody Nuzzo (Bradford, Pa./Bradford) to stretch the lead to 38-17 with three seconds left before halftime.

The third quarter featured a pair of turnovers by Slippery Rock deep in Cal U territory, including a fumble inside the red zone. The Vulcans were flagged for a holding call in the end zone late in the third quarter that resulted for a safety. Slippery Rock was held without a first down following the free kick before Cal U capped a nearly four-minute drive – the longest of the game – with a 23-yard field by Nuzzo on the second play of the fourth quarter.

The teams then traded touchdowns with the Vulcans taking a 48-26 lead with 10:11 left to play when Harris and Scott connected for a 33-yard score. Cal U halted the next Slippery Rock drive with an interception by sophomore defensive back Jordan Bowman (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) after The Rock crossed midfield. The teams traded field position for the remainder of the game with Cal U maintaining possession for over 10 minutes in the fourth quarter.

Senior linebacker Spencer Lynn (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) led the team with 11 tackles, while sophomore defensive back Arnel Farmer, Jr. (Pittsburgh, Pa/Central Catholic) and Turner both added nine stops. Junior defensive back Chaz Veal (Cleveland, Ohio/Hamilton) collected seven tackles (five solo) and senior linebacker Jeff Knox, Jr. (Pittsburgh, Pa./DeMatha Catholic (Md.)) finished with six stops (all solo), 1.0 TFL, 1.0 sack and two forced fumbles.

Cal U returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 18, when it hosts rival IUP in the sixth-annual Coal Bowl with kickoff set for 1 p.m.

Notes:
The teams combined to run 166 plays with Slippery Rock totaling 91 plays … Nuzzo has already tied his career high with 11 field-goals made after converting both attempts on Saturday … The longest Rock drive of the game lasted only 2:22 and six drivers lasted less than one minute … Slippery Rock committed six fumbles in the loss while only losing possession on one fumble … Cal U has won its last 10 games on Homecoming, including three victories over Slippery Rock … The Vulcans have won four-consecutive home games against nationally-ranked teams … Cal U snapped a three-game losing streak to Slippery Rock after winning seven of eight meetings from 2003-10 … Rock running back Shamar Greene finished with just 55 rushing yards after entering play ranked third in the country with 832 rushing yards this season