CALIFORNIA (Oct. 3) – The Vulcans erased a 17-point halftime deficit by scoring 35 points in the second half before sealing a 38-34 victory over Seton Hill with an interception just outside their end zone in the closing seconds on Saturday afternoon at Adamson Stadium in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.

With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania football team improves to 4-1 overall with a 2-0 mark in divisional action. The Vulcans are joined by Clarion and IUP as the only teams in the PSAC West without a loss after two weeks of league play. Meanwhile, Seton Hill falls to 2-3 this season and stands at 1-1 in divisional action.

Senior quarterback James Harris (Woodstock, Ga./Etowah) finished with 309 passing yards and four touchdowns while completing 17-of-32 attempts with one interception. While leading the second-half comeback, Harris posted 260 yards on 10-of-15 attempts with four scores. Harris has now surpassed 300 passing yards in a game six times in the last two seasons, including twice this year.

Senior wide receiver Kowan Scott (Easton, Pa./Wilson) posted 142 yards and two touchdowns on just four receptions (35.5 yards per catch). Junior wide receiver Garry Brown (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) added 56 yards and one touchdown on four catches.

Freshman Jimmy Wheeler (West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin) registered his first career 100-yard game, finishing with 105 rushing yards on 13 attempts (8.1 yards per carry). He also totaled 86 yards on five kickoff returns, as he set a season high with 191 all-purpose yards on 18 touches.

Trailing 21-3 at halftime, the Vulcans opened the second half with a 44-yard touchdown from Harris to Scott before the Griffins countered with a 20-yard field goal with 10:57 left in the third quarter. Cal U cut the deficit to 24-17 on a 12-yard touchdown reception by senior running back Derrick Fiore (Monongahela, Pa./Ringgold) before Seton Hill answered with a 69-touchdown pass with 6:03 remaining in the quarter. The Vulcans then needed just two plays – a 22-yard run by Wheeler and a 47-yard touchdown reception by Scott – to trim the deficit to 31-24 with 5:29 left in the third quarter.

Early in the fourth, Cal U forced Seton Hill to settle for a field goal after the Griffins were tackled behind the line on a third-and-goal from the 1-yard line. The Vulcans then marched 90 yards on 11 plays with sophomore John Franklin III (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester) capping the drive with a two-yard touchdown run to trim the deficit to 34-31 with 9:43 remaining in the game. On the ensuing drive, Seton Hill was forced to a three-and-out after totaling just one yard on the drive. The Vulcans then faced a fourth-and-one at the Griffins 37-yard line before Harris found Brown near the line of scrimmage before he scored the go-ahead touchdown, 38-34, with 7:12 left to play.

The Griffins turned the ball over on downs after sophomore defensive lineman Tyler Haddock (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) registered a sack with Seton Hill facing fourth-and-seven at its 34-yard line. Cal U then advanced into the red zone before Harris threw an interception with 4:48 left in the game. Seton Hill converted a fourth-and-nine deep in its territory and later picked up another fourth-down conversion at the Cal U 35-yard line. Sophomore defensive linemen Cameron Tarver (Columbus, Ohio/Central Crossing) and Justin Baker (Ashburn, Va./Briar Woods) combined for a sack on second down to force the Griffins to call timeout with 34 seconds remaining. Following the timeout, redshirt freshman defensive back Isaiah Scott (West Orange, N.J./West Orange) sealed the victory with an interception at the Vulcans 1-yard line.

Senior defensive back Chaz Veal (Cleveland, Ohio/Hamilton) and sophomore linebacker Luke Hrapchak (Fairmont, W.Va./Fairmont Senior) tied for the team lead with 12 tackles on Saturday. Junior defensive back Jordan Bowman (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) finished with nine stops (four solo) and 2.0 TFL in the victory.

Cal U returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 10, when it travels to face defending-PSAC Champion Slippery Rock at 2 p.m.

Notes:
The Vulcans scored touchdown on their opening five possessions of the second half … Harris now ranks sixth in school history with 5,748 career passing yards … Kowan Scott, who has six career 100-yard games, became the eighth player in school with 2,000 career receiving yards … The teams combined for 1,045 yards of total offense on 160 plays, including 97 pass attempts … Seton Hill quarterback Christian Strong passed for 473 yards on 44-of-65 attempts and wide receiver Jarvis McClam led all players with 179 yards on 15 catches … The Griffins finished with over a 13-minute advantage in time of possession … Cal U was penalized for a season-low 65 yards on eight penalties