EDINBORO, Pa. (Sept. 26) – The California University of Pennsylvania football team built a 21-point lead midway through the third quarter before withstanding another second-half rally to earn a 37-30 victory at Edinboro in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action on Saturday afternoon.

With the win, the Vulcans improve to 3-1 this season with a 1-0 mark in divisional action. Cal U has now won its opening game in PSAC West play for 11-consecutive years. Meanwhile, the Fighting Scots remain winless this season at 0-4 overall and 0-1 in league action.

Cal U finished the game with 308 rushing yards on 52 attempts, marking the first 300-yard game on the ground since the 2008 season. Sophomore John Franklin III (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester) led the team with 196 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 31 attempts, all career highs. He rushed for 131 yards on 15 attempts and one score during the second half, as the Vulcans maintained possession for nearly 19 minutes on six drives. Franklin posted the highest single-game rushing total since Daine Williams accounted for 234 rushing yards during the 2007 NCAA Playoffs.

In addition, freshman Jimmy Wheeler (West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin) totaled 72 rushing yards on nine attempts and senior Derrick Fiore (Monongahela, Pa./Ringgold) finished with 40 yards on seven carries.

The Vulcans took an early 6-0 lead (PAT failed) on a 1-yard touchdown run by Franklin after the drive started deep in Edinboro territory following a short punt. Cal U again started in Edinboro territory on its next drive after senior defensive back Chaz Veal (Cleveland, Ohio/Hamilton) recovered a fumble forced by junior defensive back Jordan Bowman (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin). Franklin capped an eight-play drive with another 1-yard score to give the Vulcans a 13-0 lead with 7:42 left in the first quarter. The Fighting Scots advanced near the red zone on the ensuing drive before senior defensive lineman Errol Brewster (Harlem, N.Y./Springbrook (Md.)) registered a sack on third down to force a punt that gave the Vulcans field position at their 9-yard line. Two plays later, Edinboro recorded a sack in the end zone for a safety to cut the deficit to 13-2 with 2:00 remaining in the first quarter.

The Fighting Scots looked to again trim the deficit early in the second quarter with a 43-yard field goal that was blocked by junior Vondel Bell (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park). The teams then traded turnovers with Cal U getting the ball back on an interception by Bowman near midfield before sophomore kicker William Brazill (Kansas City, Mo./Park Hill) made a 34-yard field goal with 3:08 left before halftime. Edinboro answered on the ensuing drive with a two-yard touchdown reception by junior wide receiver Darren Massey to cut the deficit to 16-9 with only 30 seconds remaining in the second half.

On the opening possession of the second half, the Vulcans capped a 73-yard drive when senior quarterback James Harris (Woodstock, Ga./Etowah) connected with junior wide receiver Garry Brown (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) for a 4-yard touchdown. Cal U then forced a three-and-out before stretching the lead to 30-9 on a 29-yard touchdown reception by sophomore wide receiver Luke Smorey (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin), which capped a 10-play drive over nearly four minutes. The Fighting Scots responded with a two-play scoring drive on a 27-yard touchdown reception by Massey with 5:56 left in the third quarter before recovering a fumble near midfield on the ensuring drive. Massey caught another touchdown with 1:52 remaining in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 30-23.

Cal U stretched the lead to 37-23 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter when Franklin capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run. The Fighting Scots answered with a three-play touchdown drive to make it a one-possession game at 37-30 with 11:09 left to play. The teams then traded interceptions with Harris being intercepted inside the red zone before junior defensive back Aaron Terry (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) halted Edinboro near the goal line with 4:53 remaining in the game. The Vulcans worked over four-plus minutes off the clock before punting from near midfield. Edinboro started the final drive of the game at its 9-yard line and was unable to cross midfield before the end of regulation.

Sophomore linebacker DeVonte Suber (Coatesville, Pa. Coatesville) led the team and set a career high with 10 tackles (six solo). The trio of Bowman, Terry and Veal each collected six tackles and Bowman added 1.0 TFL, one interception and one forced fumble.

The Vulcans return to action on Saturday, Oct. 3, when they host Seton Hill at Adamson Stadium with kickoff set at 1 p.m.

Notes:
Cal U finished with the advantage in time of possession for the first time this season … Brown posted his seventh career 100-yard receiving game, posting 107 yards on 10 catches after missing last week due to injury … The Vulcans scored on all five of their trips inside the red zone … Cal U was flagged a season-high 15 times for 135 penalty yards, marking the third time this season in which the Vulcans have committed over 100 yards in penalties … Massey became only the second player in the last six years to score three receiving touchdowns in a game against the Vulcans