CLARION, Pa. (Oct. 25) – The Vulcans scored four early touchdowns and overcame a dozen penalties on Saturday afternoon to post a 43-32 win against Clarion at Memorial Stadium in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.

With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania football team improves to 7-1 overall and 6-1 in league play. The Vulcans continue to hold a one-game lead over Gannon, next week's opponent, and Slippery Rock in the PSAC West standings with two games left in conference action. Meanwhile, Clarion falls to 2-6 this season behind a 2-5 record in league play.

Junior quarterback James Harris (Woodstock, Ga./Etowah) finished with 284 passing yards on 18-of-33 attempts. He passed for three first-half touchdowns, each to a different wide receiver, and threw his first interception since Sept. 13, which ended a streak of 182-straight attempts without an interception.

Senior Terrell Roberson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) and sophomore Nick Grissom (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods) combined for 152 rushing yards against the Golden Eagles. Roberson totaled 83 yards on 19 attempts and two touchdowns, while Grissom posted 73 yards on 15 carries.

On the opening play from scrimmage, senior defensive back Corey Ford (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) forced and recovered a fumble near midfield. The Vulcans capitalized on the turnover when Harris connected with freshman wide receiver Tom Greene (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) for a 25-yard touchdown with 13:09 left in the first quarter. Clarion later answered with a 9-yard rushing touchdown and converted a two-point conversion to take an 8-7 lead with 5:20 remaining in the quarter. Less than two minutes later, the Vulcans countered with a 1-yard score by Roberson that was set up by a 43-yard rush by Grissom. Cal U halted the next Clarion drive near midfield when sophomore defensive back Aaron Terry (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) registered an interception with nine seconds left in the first quarter.

The Vulcans increased their lead to 21-8 in the opening minutes of the second quarter when Harris found sophomore wide receiver Garry Brown (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) for a 22-yard touchdown. After Clarion was held to a three-and-out, Harris threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Kowan Scott (Easton, Pa./Wilson) with 10:47 left before halftime. Late in the second quarter, Clarion twice converted on fourth down, including a fourth-and-13, before scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run with 2:15 remaining in the second quarter. The Golden Eagles again attempted a two-point conversion which was unsuccessful when Ford intercepted the pass attempt. Cal U later missed a 40-yard field goal attempt as time expired in the first half after Terry gave the Vulcans possession across midfield after a 20-yard punt return.

On the opening possession of the second half, Harris threw an interception that was returned to the Cal U 6-yard line and Clarion scored a touchdown on the next play to trim the deficit to 28-20 with 13:01 left in the third quarter. The Vulcans countered with a 10-play scoring drive that was capped by a 20-yard field goal by senior kicker Cody Nuzzo (Bradford, Pa./Bradford) to take a 31-20 lead. Clarion responded on the ensuing possession with a 73-yard touchdown pass before Cal U answered with a 3-yard touchdown by Roberson to take a 38-26 lead with 6:00 left in the third quarter.

The Vulcans capped a nearly five-minute drive with a 20-yard field goal by Nuzzo with 13:00 remaining in the game. Clarion followed with a 16-play drive that resulted in a four-yard touchdown run to trim the deficit to 41-32 with 7:00 left to play. On the drive, the Golden Eagles converted a fourth-and-11 near midfield on a 15-yard run by the quarterback. Cal U forced a turnover on downs on the next Clarion possession deep in Golden Eagles territory after an intentional grounding penalty. The Vulcans moved to the 2-yard line on the ensuing drive before losing possession on downs after an incomplete pass on fourth-and-goal. Senior linebacker Jeff Knox, Jr. (Pittsburgh, Pa./DeMatha Catholic (Md.)) and sophomore defensive lineman Jawan Turner (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) combined on a quarterback sack in the end zone on the opening play of the Clarion drive to take a 43-32 lead with 44 seconds remaining.

Senior linebacker Spencer Lynn (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) led the team with 12 tackles (three solo) and Knox posted career highs of 11 stops (seven solo), 3.5 TFL and 1.5 sacks. Terry finished with six tackles (five solo), 1.0 TFL, one interception and one forced fumble in the win.

The Vulcans return to action on Saturday, Nov. 1, when they host Gannon at Adamson Stadium with kickoff set for 1 p.m.

Notes:
Brown led the team with 73 receiving yards on four catches … Senior punter Andrew Cerett (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) averaged 51.8 yards per punt and placed three of his four punts inside the 20-yard line … The Vulcans were issued 12 penalties for 114 yards, marking the fourth time this season they have been penalized for over 100 yards … Clarion finished with a season-high 376 passing yards, which was over double its season average