CALIFORNIA (Sept. 12) – The California University of Pennsylvania football team scored the opening 13 points and were in position to tie the game late in the fourth quarter before suffering a 20-13 loss to Bloomsburg at Adamson Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, the Vulcans move to 1-1 this season and have now lost six of the last eight meetings against Bloomsburg since 2004. Meanwhile, the Huskies improve to 1-1 overall after suffering their first loss at home in a season-opener since 1999.

The Huskies amassed 255 rushing yards on 55 attempts in the contest after being held under 100 yards on the ground last week. Bloomsburg relied almost exclusively on the run in the second half, posting 163 yards on 36 carries, while only attempting nine passes. Juniors Lawrence Elliott, Jr. and Joe Parsnik combined for 240 rushing yards on 48 attempts in the victory with Elliott posting a game-high 166 yards after entering the game with only 180 career rushing yards.

Cal U moved inside the red zone on its second drive of the game before Bloomsburg intercepted a first-down pass in the end zone. Following a Huskies punt, the Vulcans responded with a 91-yard scoring drive capped by a three-yard touchdown run by sophomore John Franklin III (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester). On the drive, senior quarterback James Harris (Woodstock, Ga./Etowah) connected with junior tight end Desimon Green (Clairton, Pa./Clairton) and junior wide receiver Garry Brown (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) on back-to-back plays of 20 and 34 yards, respectively.

The Vulcans stretched the lead to 10-0 with a 37-yard field goal by sophomore kicker William Brazill (Kansas City, Mo./Park Hill) with 8:49 left in the second quarter. Cal U then forced a turnover at midfield when junior defensive lineman Jordan Lardani (Kennett Square, Pa./Kennett) registered a strip-sack and senior defensive lineman Errol Brewster (Harlem, N.Y./Springbrook (Md.)) recovered the loose ball. Harris found sophomore wide receiver Luke Smorey (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) for a 21-yard gain on the initial play of the drive before the Vulcans settled for a 33-yard field goal by Brazill with 2:53 remaining in the first half. Bloomsburg countered with a 35-yard field goal following a 53-yard run by Elliott to open the drive. The teams then traded interceptions in the final minute of the half with senior defensive back Chaz Veal (Cleveland, Ohio/Hamilton) halting the Huskies near the end zone as time expired in the second quarter.

On the opening drive of the second half, the Huskies capped a nearly six-minute drive with a 38-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 13-6. Harris then threw his third interception of the game, the most of his career, on the next drive and Bloomsburg capitalized with a nine-play, five-minute drive to tie the score at 13-13 on a 1-yard run by senior quarterback Tim Kelly.

The Vulcans lost possession on downs just passed midfield following an incomplete pass on the opening play of the fourth quarter. Bloomsburg then used over six-plus minutes off the clock and advanced inside the 10-yard line before missing a field goal with 8:24 left to play. The Vulcans were held to a three-and-out before a short punt gave the Huskies possession inside Cal U territory. Bloomsburg mounted a four-minute drive with Elliott scoring on a 24-yard run to give the Huskies their first lead of the game at 20-13 with 2:40 remaining.

On the ensuing possession, Harris was sacked on first down and following two incompletions was sacked again on fourth down at the Vulcans 39-yard line with 1:52 left in the fourth quarter. Cal U, which still had all three of its timeouts remaining, forced a turnover on downs following an incomplete pass at its 35-yard line. Taking possession with just over 90 seconds left, Harris was again sacked to open a drive before connecting with senior wide receiver Kowan Scott (Easton, Pa./Wilson) for a 39-yard gain while facing second-and 22. The Vulcans eventually advanced to the Huskies 17-yard line on a third-down completion before an incomplete pass forced a turnover on downs.

Sophomore linebacker Luke Hrapchak (Fairmont, W.Va./Fairmont Senior) and Veal tied for the team lead with 15 tackles, which is the highest single-game total since September 2013. Veal also posted the fifth interception of his career and added one quarterback hurry, while Hrapchak totaled 2.0 TFL in his second career start.

The Vulcans continue league crossover action on Saturday, Sept. 19, when they host Shippensburg at Adamson Stadium with kickoff set for 1 p.m.

Notes:
Harris finished with 263 passing yards on 17-of-33 attempts with three interceptions … Franklin led the team with 77 rushing yards on 14 attempts … Eight different players finished with at least one reception for Cal U … The Huskies finished with over a 14-minute advantage in time of possession after controlling the clock for over 21 minutes in the second half … Bloomsburg junior Joe Wetty registered 3.0 sacks in the victory, all in the final 2:35 of the game … The Vulcans committed 10 penalties for 90 yards and have now been penalized for over 200 yards in two games this season