CALIFORNIA (Oct. 18) – Behind an interception in the end zone with less one minute remaining, the Vulcans claimed sole possession of first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West standings with a 21-13 victory over rival IUP in the sixth-annual Coal Bowl at Adamson Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The California University of Pennsylvania football team improves to 6-1 overall and has won five of the six all-time meetings of the Coal Bowl. With three weeks of league play remaining, the Vulcans hold a one-game lead in the divisional standings with a 5-1 mark. Meanwhile, IUP falls to 5-2 this season and is tied with Slippery Rock and Gannon for second place with a 4-2 league record.

The Vulcans forced five turnovers and limited the Crimson Hawks to 111 rushing yards, which was over 70 yards less than their season average. Cal U also registered six sacks, including 3.0 sacks by sophomore defensive lineman Jawan Turner (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills), the reigning PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week.

Sophomore defensive back Jordan Bowman (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) was named the Coal Bowl MVP after registering two takeaways and six tackles (three solo). He posted an interception near the red zone late in the second quarter and returned the interception 42 yards. Bowman, who is the first defensive player to receive the Coal Bowl MVP, later recovered a fumble in the third quarter near midfield when IUP attempted a quarterback sneak on a third-and-one.

Fellow sophomore Arnel Farmer, Jr. (Pittsburgh, Pa/Central Catholic) posted a game-high 13 tackles (six solo), while senior linebackers Branko Busick (Steubenville, Ohio/Steubenville) and Spencer Lynn (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) each finished with 12 stops. Junior Rodney Gillin (West Lawn, Pa./Wilson) tallied nine tackles (seven solo) and Turner registered seven stops (four solo) with 3.0 TFL and one forced fumble.

The Crimson Hawks took a 3-0 lead on their first possession of the game with a 20-yard field goal with 9:52 left in the first quarter. The Cal U defense limited IUP to the field goal after the Crimson Hawks had first-and-goal from the 1-yard line. The Vulcans responded with a 23-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback James Harris (Woodstock, Ga./Etowah) to freshman wide receiver Luke Smorey (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) with 5:37 remaining in the first quarter. On the ensuing drive, Turner forced a fumble on a sack near midfield and freshman defensive lineman Tyler Haddock (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) recovered the fumble. Cal U looked to add to its lead late in the first quarter before losing a fumble out of bounds in the end zone.

Midway through the second quarter, senior running back Terrell Roberson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) posted a 1-yard touchdown run with 7:56 left before halftime. The play was set up by a 44-yard completion from Harris to sophomore wide receiver Garry Brown (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South), who recovered his own fumble on the play at the 1-yard line. IUP nearly moved into the red zone on the ensuing possession before Bowman registered his third interception of the season. On their next possession, the Crimson Hawks threatened to trim the deficit late in the second quarter before sophomore defensive back Aaron Terry (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) recorded an interception in the end zone.

On the initial possession of the second half, IUP moved inside red zone before Gillin blocked a 20-yard field goal attempt. Senior Corey Ford (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) recovered the blocked kick and posted a 48-yard return for a touchdown with 8:47 left in the third quarter. Bowman halted the next Crimson Hawks possession with a fumble recovery near midfield before IUP trimmed the deficit to 21-6 with a 25-yard field goal with 14:09 remaining in the game.

The Crimson Hawks followed with a 5-yard touchdown pass on their next drive, making the score 21-13 with 7:51 left in the fourth quarter. Cal U ran nearly four minutes off the clock before being forced to punt from its 28-yard line. Taking possession with just under four minutes remaining, IUP completed four-straight passes to move inside the red zone before senior linebacker Jeff Knox, Jr. (Pittsburgh, Pa./DeMatha Catholic (Md.)) registered a sack to force the Crimson Hawks to call their last timeout with 1:33 left to play. IUP later faced a fourth-and-eight from the 14-yard line before junior defensive back Chaz Veal (Cleveland, Ohio/Hamilton) sealed the victory with an interception in the end zone.

Cal U returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 25, when it travels to face Clarion at 1 p.m.

Notes:
Harris finished the game with 238 passing yards on 19-of-30 attempts with one touchdown … Brown registered his second-straight 100-yard game, totaling 105 receiving yards on eight catches … The Crimson Hawks finished with nearly a 10-minute advantage in time of possession after controlling the ball for 22-plus minutes in the second and third quarters … IUP, which featured two different 100-yard receivers, amassed 470 yards of total offense compared to 298 yards of total offense by Cal U … Except for a 53-yard run in the first quarter, the Crimson Hawks totaled just 58 rushing yards on 32 attempts