ERIE, Pa. (Nov. 8) – Sophomore wide receiver Garry Brown (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) and junior quarterback James Harris (Woodstock, Ga./Etowah) both broke single-game school records on Saturday afternoon, as the Vulcans suffered a 59-49 loss against Mercyhurst at Tullio Field in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania football team drops to 7-3 overall and finishes tied for third in the divisional standings with a 6-2 mark. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst improves to 6-4 this season behind its sixth-straight win and closes league play with a 6-2 record.

Brown tallied 282 receiving yards and three touchdowns (76, 75, 47) on only eight catches (35.3 yards/catch). He broke the single-game school record of 226 receiving yards set by Pete Gialames in 1968, which was one of the longest standing records in program history. Brown posted 242 yards and three scores on four receptions in just the fourth quarter.

Harris finished with 473 passing yards and four touchdowns on 21-of-42 attempts with a pair of interceptions. He eclipsed the previous single-game mark of 443 yards set by Kevin McCabe in the 2008 PSAC Championship Game. Harris needed only 10 completions in the second half to total 299 passing yards.

The Vulcans jumped out to a 14-3 lead after scoring touchdowns on their initial two drives of the game. Harris found junior wide receiver Kowan Scott (Easton, Pa./Wilson) for a nine-yard score on the opening possession of the game before senior running back Terrell Roberson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) posted a four-yard rushing touchdown with 3:08 left in the first quarter.

Early in the second, Mercyhurst trimmed the deficit to 14-10 on a three-yard touchdown pass before each team committed a turnover. The Lakers took their first lead of the game at 14-10 with 2:13 left before halftime when they capped an 80-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Brendan Boylan. Cal U responded with a scoring drive on the ensuing possession, as Roberson posted a two-yard touchdown run with 22 seconds remaining in the second quarter. The Vulcans took a 21-17 lead into the break after the first half ended with a sack of Boylan in Cal U territory.

Led by Boylan, the Lakers scored touchdowns on each of their first three possessions of the second half to take a commanding 38-21 lead with 5:03 left in the third quarter. In an attempt to stop the momentum, Cal U went for a fourth-and-10 at the Mercyhurst 44-yard line before Brown was stopped two yards shy of a first down.

Mercyhurst took a 38-21 lead into the fourth quarter before the teams combined to score touchdowns on seven-straight possessions. Brown started the scoring on a 76-yard touchdown with 14:27 remaining before the Lakers countered with a four-yard touchdown pass by Boylan. Harris and Brown then connected for a 75-yard score to cut the deficit to 45-34 with 11:15 left to play. The Vulcans recovered the onside kick attempt and Roberson posted a 1-yard score, his third touchdown of the game, with 9:31 remaining. Boylan answered with a 54-yard touchdown strike before Harris and Brown followed with a 47-yard score to trim the deficit to 52-49 with 6:16 remaining. Mercyhurst then sealed the game with a five-plus minute drive that was capped with a three-yard touchdown run with 1:00 left to play.
 
Senior linebacker Spencer Lynn (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) and senior defensive back Tyrone Taylor (Harbor City, Calif./Narbonne) both finished with a team-high 10 tackles. Senior linebacker Branko Busick (Steubenville, Ohio/Steubenville), along with sophomore defensive backs Arnel Farmer, Jr. (Pittsburgh, Pa/Central Catholic) and Josh Page (Clairton, Pa./Clairton), added seven stops in the loss.

The Vulcans close out the season on Saturday, Nov. 15, when they host Lock Haven on Senior Day at 1 p.m.

Notes:
Boylan set several Mercyhurst single-game records in the victory, including passing yards (544), touchdown passes (six) and total touchdowns (seven) … The teams combined for 1,174 yards of total offense while running a combined 146 plays … Cal U committed a season-low five penalties for 38 yards … The Lakers finished with an 18-plus minute advantage in time of possession, controlling the ball for over 22 minutes in the second half …  The Vulcans have lost four of the last five meetings against the Lakers and have lost three-straight games at Tullio Field