INDIANA, Pa. (Oct. 17) – The Vulcans were in position to take the lead multiple times late in the fourth quarter on Saturday night during the seventh-annual Coal Bowl before suffering a 20-15 loss at IUP in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania football teams falls to 4-3 this season and 2-2 in league action. The Vulcans are now tied with for fourth place in the divisional standings with three weeks of conference play remaining. Meanwhile, IUP improves to 5-1 this season and remains tied for first place in the conference standings with a 4-0 mark.

The Crimson Hawks rushed for a staggering 388 yards on 55 carries (7.1 yards per attempt) and finished with just seven pass attempts. Sophomore Chris Temple set a career high with 255 rushing yards, which was just one yard shy of matching the Coal Bowl record, and three touchdowns on 37 attempts. Freshman quarterback Lenny Williams added 134 rushing yards on 14 carries after setting the single-game PSAC record for rushing yards by a quarterback last week.

Cal U took a 6-0 lead (PAT failed) on the opening possession of the game when freshman Jimmy Wheeler (West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin) scored on a 12-yard touchdown run. The Crimson Hawks responded with a touchdown run by Temple to take a 7-6 lead with 8:00 left in the first quarter. Cal U then mounted a 12-play scoring drive that was capped by a 20-yard field goal by sophomore William Brazill (Kansas City, Mo./Park Hill) following back-to-back incomplete passes to the end zone.

On the first play of the second quarter, IUP reclaimed the lead at 13-10 with a 1-yard touchdown run by Temple. The teams traded field position for the majority of the quarter, as they combined for only four first downs. The Vulcans mounted the only sustained drive of the quarter when they advanced inside the red zone before turning the ball over on downs after failing to convert a fourth-and-two.

The teams continued to trade field position throughout the opening 10 minutes of the third quarter before the Crimson Hawks increased their lead to 20-9 with a 15-yard score by Temple, which capped an 83-yard drive (10 plays, all runs). On the ensuing drive, Cal U nearly converted a third-and-15 and forced IUP to call a timeout after lining up on offense on a fourth-and-two at its own 36-yard line in the final seconds of the quarter. After the timeout, senior quarterback James Harris (Woodstock, Ga./Etowah) connected with junior wide receiver Garry Brown (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) for a six-yard completion.

Harris finished the game with 185 passing yards on 15-of-30 attempts with one touchdown and one interception. Brown posted his third 100-yard game of the season and the eighth of his career, posting 128 receiving yards on eight catches.

On the initial play of the fourth quarter, Harris found Brown for a 38-yard completion before Cal U turned the ball over on downs after failing to convert a fourth-and-eight from the 18-yard line. On the ensuing IUP drive, sophomore linebacker DeVonte Suber (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) recovered a fumble. The Vulcans capitalized on the turnover with a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore John Franklin III (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester) to cut the deficit to 20-15 (two-point conversion failed) with 9:46 left to play.

Cal U quickly regained possession after recovering the kickoff at the Crimson Hawks 38-yard line after the ball glanced off an IUP player. The Vulcans were in position to either cut into the deficit or take the lead when Harris was intercepted at the 1-yard line on a third-and three. IUP was held to a three-and-out before the Vulcans regained possession in Crimson Hawks territory with 5:33 left to play. Cal U was tackled behind the line of scrimmage on third-and-one before a fourth-down pass to the end zone fell incomplete. The Crimson Hawks then sealed the victory by rushing for a first down on the ensuing drive.

Sophomore linebacker Corey Bopp (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) led the team and set a career high with 11 tackles (five solo) while making his third career start. Junior defensive backs Jordan Bowman (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) and Aaron Terry (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) both finished with 10 stops in the loss.

The Vulcans return to action on Saturday, Oct. 24, when they host undefeated and PSAC West-leading Clarion for Homecoming at 3 p.m.

Notes:
The Coal Bowl has been won by the home team in each of the past four seasons … Wheeler rushed for team-high 95 yards and one touchdown on 22 attempts … The Vulcans converted just 2-of-14 third downs (2-of-5 fourth downs) and scored only three times in seven red-zone chances …  Sophomore Luke Smorey (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin), who started the game at wide receiver, registered a punt of 80 yards early in the third quarter … Cal U was penalized just three times for 15 yards after entering play averaging 95.5 penalty yards per game … The Vulcans allowed an opponent to rush for over 350 yards for the first time since the 2004 season (Shippensburg, 370)