ERIE, Pa. (Oct. 29) – The No. 6 Vulcans clinched at least a share of the PSAC West title and senior
Garry Brown (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) registered the second-most receiving yards in school history on Saturday afternoon in a 55-14 victory over Mercyhurst at Tullio Field.
With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania football team improves to 8-0 overall this year behind a 6-0 mark in divisional play. The Vulcans, which are slotted second in the initial NCAA regional rankings, last earned at least a share of the PSAC West title in 2011 with their last outright title being in 2009. Cal U continues hold a 1.0-game lead for first place in the PSAC West standings entering the final week of divisional play. Meanwhile, the Lakers fall to 2-7 this season with a 1-5 record against PSAC West opponents.
Brown finished with 265 receiving yards and three touchdowns while setting a career high with 12 catches. He now ranks first and second in single-game school history in terms of receiving yards, as he totaled a school-record 282 receiving yards at Mercyhurst during the 2014 season. Brown finished just one reception shy of tying the single-game school record and the first player with 12 catches in a game since
Thomas Mayo in 2011. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Brown has now posted three receiving touchdowns three times in his career and is now tied for ninth in PSAC with 35 career receiving touchdowns.
Junior quarterback
Michael Keir (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic) accounted for 425 yards of total offense and four touchdowns (one rushing). He set a career high with 343 passing yards and three touchdowns on 18-of-30 attempts while playing only three quarters. Keir also led the team with a career-high 82 rushing yards on five carries, highlighted by a 41-yard touchdown run – the longest run by a quarterback since 2004.
The Vulcans finished with 265 rushing yards and three touchdowns on nearly 50 attempts, as five different players totaled at least 25 rushing yards. In addition to Keir, sophomore
Jalen Bell (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) posted 61 rushing yards on a team-high 14 carries and classmate
Jimmy Wheeler (West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin) added 48 yards on nine carries.
Cal U limited Mercyhurst to only 173 yards of total offense and allowed only of 1-of-12 third-down conversions. The Lakers also finished with negative-nine rushing yards after surrendering six sacks. Senior defensive back
Aaron Terry (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) and junior linebacker
Luke Hrapchak (Fairmont, W.Va./Fairmont Senior) tied for the team lead with four tackles and each posted 1.0 TFL. Senior defensive lineman
Jawan Turner (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) registered 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery for a touchdown – his second scoop-and-score of the year.
The Vulcans scored on each of their initial seven drives of the game and held a 48-7 halftime lead after scoring points on eight of their nine first-half drives. On the opening drive of the game, Cal U capped a 13-play drive with a 22-yard field goal by junior
Will Brazill (Kansas City, Mo./Park Hill). The Vulcans forced a fumble on a sack on the ensuing drive and junior linebacker
Cameron Tarver (Columbus, Ohio/Central Crossing) recovered the fumble at the Mercyhurst 12-yard line. Cal U capitalized on the turnover with a four-yard rushing touchdown by junior
Nick Grissom (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods) with 7:45 left in the first quarter. The Vulcans later stretched the lead to 17-0 on a 10-yard touchdown run by junior
John Franklin III (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester) on a third-and-one with 1:25 left in the quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Mercyhurst cut the deficit to 17-7 on a two-yard touchdown run before Cal U answered with a 56-yard touchdown pass from Keir to Brown with 12:00 left before halftime. The Vulcans added to the lead less than 20 seconds later when Turner recorded a strip sack and a scoop-and-score to take a 31-7 lead with 11:41 remaining in the second quarter. After forcing a three-and-out, Keir posted a 41-yard rushing touchdown before Brazill added a 20-yard field goal on the next drive to give Cal U a 41-7 lead with 2:50 left before halftime. The Vulcans started their final drive of the first half at midfield before Keir rushed 23 yards before finding Brown for a 27-yard touchdown on the final play before the break, 48-7.
The Vulcans forced a turnover on downs late in the third quarter before closing a nine-play drive with a 36-yard touchdown from Keir to Brown with 50 seconds remaining in the quarter. Midway through the fourth quarter, Cal U advanced inside the red zone before a 31-yard field goal missed wide left. The Vulcans maintained possession of the ball on their next drive for nearly five minutes before the Lakers blocked a punt and returned the ball for a touchdown with 1:59 left to play, 55-14.
Cal U closes out PSAC West play on Saturday, Nov. 5, when it hosts Edinboro at Adamson Stadium with kickoff set 1 p.m.
Notes:
The Vulcans snapped a three-game losing streak at Tullio Field, as they recorded their first road win the series against Mercyhurst since 2008 … Brown has totaled 547 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 20 catches in two career games at Tullio Field … Cal U finished with 13-plus minute advantage in time of possession after totaling 608 yards of total offense on 81 plays … The Vulcans allowed their first blocked punt return for a touchdown since 2010 … The top-seven teams featured in the initial NCAA regional rankings all posted victories this weekend
