CALIFORNIA (Nov. 12) – The No. 6 Vulcans captured the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship and capped an undefeated regular season on Saturday afternoon with a 49-7 win over Kutztown on Senior Day at Adamson Stadium.

With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania football team improves to 10-0 overall with six victories at home. The Vulcans earned the league title for the first time since 2008 and finished with their first undefeated season since 2007. Cal U entered the weekend slotted first in the latest NCAA Super Region One rankings with the NCAA Selection Show scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 13. Meanwhile, the Golden Bears finish the year with a 7-4 record behind a 7-0 mark in PSAC East play.

Junior linebacker Luke Hrapchak (Fairmont, W.Va./Fairmont Senior) was named the PSAC Championship MVP after leading all players with 15 tackles (11 solo). He also registered 1.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and two pass break-ups in the victory. Hrapchak helped anchor a defense that nearly recorded a shutout in the PSAC Championship, as the Golden Bears were held scoreless until the final minute of the game.

Junior quarterback Michael Keir (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic) finished with 251 passing yards and five touchdowns on 21-of-32 attempts with one interception. He now ranks second in single-season school history with 35 touchdown passes, which is just one shy of the record set by Josh Portis over 15 games in 2009.

Senior wide receiver Garry Brown (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) registered his third-straight 100-yard game, posting 103 yards and two touchdowns on nine receptions. He is now tied with A.J. Jackson (2009) for first place in single-season school history with 18 receiving touchdowns. Brown, who has scored multiple touchdowns in eight games, ranks fourth in single-season school history with 126 points.

Kutztown mounted its longest drive of the first half on its opening possession of the game. The Golden Bears advanced inside the red zone behind a pair of plays that totaled 55 yards before missing a 30-yard field goal. Kier was intercepted near midfield on the ensuing drive before the Cal U defense forced a three-and-out. On the first play of the drive, Keir found Brown for a 30-yard completion and later connected with junior wide receiver Tom Greene (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) for a 21-yard completion. Junior running back John Franklin III (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester) capped the six-play drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown with 3:27 left in the first quarter. On the next drive, Kutztown was facing a third-and-one before back-to-back false start penalties. Senior linebacker Jordan Lardani (Kennett Square, Pa./Kennett) and senior defensive lineman Jawan Turner (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) then combined to record a sack.

The Vulcans added to their lead with a 12-yard touchdown reception by Brown with 9:09 left before Cal U forced a turnover on downs following an incomplete pass on fourth down in Vulcans' territory. Cal U then mounted a 10-play scoring drive with Keir finding junior wide receiver Luke Smorey (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) on a fourth-and-five for a 23-yard score with 1:12 remaining in the first half. Kutztown was forced to punt after just three plays over 22 seconds and a 23-yard punt return by senior Aaron Terry (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) gave Cal U field position in Golden Bears' territory. Cal U advanced inside the red zone on only two plays and a penalty before Keir connected with freshman wide receiver Chad Livingston (Lemont Furnace, Pa./Laurel Highlands) with only 23 seconds left in the second quarter.

The Golden Bears advanced into Cal U territory on the opening drive of the second half before a strip sack and recovery by Hrapchak near midfield. Kutztown converted a pair of third downs on its next drive before turning the ball over on downs inside the red zone. The Vulcans then forced the Golden Bears into a third-and-15 on their next drive before a strip sack by Lardani and fumble recovery and return by sophomore linebacker Brendan Blair (McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox) setup the offense inside the Kutztown 10-yard line. On the next play, Keir connected with Brown for a nine-yard touchdown with 1:59 left in the third quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, Cal U mounted a 50-yard scoring drive that was capped with a 21-yard touchdown reception by Greene with 12:04 left to play. The teams then traded field position before sophomore Jimmy Wheeler (West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin) posted a pair of lengthy runs, including a 20-yard touchdown with 4:19 remaining to stretch the lead to 49-0. The Golden Bears then mounted their lone scoring drive of the game, as they scored on a 19-yard reception with 49 seconds left to play.

The Vulcans limited the Golden Bears to only 53 rushing yards on 38 attempts after Kutztown entered the weekend ranked second in the PSAC in rushing at 243.9 rushing yards per game. In addition to Hrapchak, sophomore Nigel Garnett (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) and Turner both finished with six tackles. Junior linebacker Cameron Tarver (Columbus, Ohio/Central Crossing) added five stops (three solo) with 2.0 TFL and 1.0 sack, while Lardani finished with 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble.

The NCAA Selection Show is scheduled for tomorrow evening on NCAA.com at 5 p.m. Additional information, including a direct link to the show, will be available tomorrow morning.

Notes:
The Vulcans improve to-3-1-1 in the PSAC Championship (1968, 1984, 2008, 2009) … Cal U finished with 170 rushing yards on 37 attempts with junior Nick Grissom (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods) leading the team with 58 yards on 13 carries … Greene finished with a career-high 84 receiving yards and one touchdown on seven catches … Kutztown running back Craig Reynolds was limited to 38 rushing yards on 15 attempts after ranking second in the PSAC with over 1,150 rushing yards … Cal U honored 15 seniors prior to the game that have combined to start over 250 games