ETTRICK, Va. (Sept. 5) – Senior quarterback
James Harris (Woodstock, Ga./Etowah) passed for nearly 400 yards and four touchdowns and junior wide receiver
Garry Brown (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) totaled almost 250 all-purpose yards and two scores, as the Vulcans posted a 35-16 season-opening victory at Virginia State on Saturday afternoon.
The California University of Pennsylvania football team has now won 12 of its last 15 season-openers and head coach
Mike Kellar improves to 6-0 all-time as a head coach in season-openers. Meanwhile, Virginia State opens the year with a loss after advancing to the NCAA Playoffs for the first time in program history in 2014.
Harris finished with 387 passing yards and four touchdowns while completing 12-of-14 attempts. He helped the Vulcans jump out to a 28-9 lead after passing for 299 yards and three scores in the first half. Harris, who averaged over 27 yards per attempt on Saturday, has now eclipsed 300 passing yards five times in his career and the 387 yards rank as the ninth-most in single-game school history.
A preseason All-American, Brown posted 203 receiving yards and two touchdowns on just four catches against the Trojans. He totaled a staggering 177 yards on his touchdown receptions and added a 40-yard return on the game's opening kickoff. Brown is the first player in school history with multiple 200-yard receiving games and the 203 yards rank as the fourth-highest in single-game school history.
The Vulcans raced out to a 7-0 lead on the game's opening play from scrimmage when Harris connected with senior wide receiver
Kowan Scott (Easton, Pa./Wilson) for a 50-yard touchdown with 14:45 left in the first quarter. Virginia State failed to convert a fourth down in the red zone on the ensuing drive before Brown scored on a 90-yard touchdown reception midway through the first quarter
Cal U stretched the lead to 21-0 when Harris found Brown for an 87-yard touchdown on the initial play of the second quarter. The Trojans then mounted an 80-yard scoring drive (failed two-point conversion) before the Vulcans responded with a three-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back
John Franklin III (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester), which was setup by a 56-yard completion from Harris to Scott. Virginia State later cut the deficit to 28-9 following a 23-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter.
The Trojans failed to convert a fourth down on the opening drive of the second half before the Vulcans capped a 13-play, six-minute drive with a 31-yard touchdown pass from Harris to sophomore wide receiver
Luke Smorey (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin).
Cal U recorded the lone turnover of the game when junior defensive back
Jordan Bowman (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) intercepted a fourth-and-goal pass in the end zone with just over four minutes left in the game. Virginia State managed a 27-yard touchdown in the final minute of the game to cut the deficit to 35-16.
Sophomore defensive lineman
Tyler Haddock (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) finished with five tackles (all solo), 3.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks, while junior defensive lineman
Jawan Turner (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) added five stops (all solo) and 2.0 TFL. A trio of players collected four tackles in the victory and eight different players registered at least 1.0 TFL.
The Vulcans return to action on Saturday, Sept. 12, for their home-opener against Bloomsburg at Adamson Stadium with kickoff at 1 p.m.
Notes:Cal U finished with 476 yards of total offense and averaged 10.3 yards per play … Harris completed five passes that went for at least 30 yards … The Vulcans scored touchdowns on four of their six possessions in the first half … Virginia State finished with a nearly 10-minute advantage in time of possession and ran nearly 20 additional plays … The Vulcans registered five sacks and limited the Trojans to 70 rushing yards, which was over 100 yards less than last year's season average
