CALIFORNIA (Nov. 10) – Junior Nelson Brown (Salisbury, Md./Wicomico) rushed for over 200 yards and three touchdowns, as the Vulcans closed the season on Saturday afternoon with a 28-13 victory against Bloomsburg on Senior Day at Adamson Stadium.

With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania football team finishes the year with a 7-4 overall record. The Vulcans have posted at least seven victories every season since 2005, which is the longest active streak among all Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) members. Meanwhile, the Huskies close the season with a 6-5 mark after entering play having won four-consecutive games.

Brown finished with a season-high 214 rushing yards on 33 attempts and three rushing touchdowns, his fifth three-touchdown game this year. He posted the program's first 200-yard game since Nick Grissom totaled 258 rushing yards at Clarion in Week 7 of the 2016 season. Brown finished the year tied for the league lead with 21 rushing touchdowns, which is the second-highest single-season total in school history. The Maryland native also ranked fourth in the PSAC this season with 1,201 rushing yards, which is the most by a Cal U player in over a decade and ranks seventh all-time.

Junior linebacker London Cloud (Bedford, Ohio/Bedford) led all players with a career-high 17 tackles (seven solo), which are the most since Dontey Brown finished with 18 stops against Mercyhurst in 2009. Senior linebacker Brendan Blair (McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox) tallied eight stops (fix solo) with 2.5 TFL and 1.0 sack, while junior defensive back Lamont McPhatter II (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) registered five tackles (four solo), 2.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass break-up.

The Huskies scored on a four-yard touchdown run with 4:33 left in the first quarter to cap their initial drive of the game. Cal U answered back with a 16-yard touchdown run by Brown on the ensuing drive to tie the score at the 2:09-mark of the quarter.

Bloomsburg was threatening early in the second quarter before freshman defensive back Jermal Martin, Jr. (South Philadelphia, Pa./Academy Park) recorded an interception inside the red zone. Martin returned the turnover back to the Bloomsburg 31-yard line and the Vulcans eventually took a 14-7 lead when Brown scored on a 23-yard run while facing a fourth-and-two. Cal U looked to add to its lead on the next drive before a 39-yard field goal attempt was blocked with 7:43 left before halftime. The Vulcans advanced inside the Bloomsburg five-yard line late in the second quarter before missing a 30-yard field goal and eventually took a 14-7 lead into the break.

The Vulcans stretched the lead to 21-7 early in the third quarter when freshman quarterback Noah Mitchell (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) connected with sophomore wide receiver Tyson Hill (New Kensington, Pa./Valley) for a 31-yard touchdown.

Mitchell finished the game with 170 passing yards on 15-of-29 attempts with one touchdown and one interception. He set the freshman school record this year with 2,759 passing yards, which also ranked second overall in the PSAC in 2018.

Cal U managed to tip a punt midway through the third quarter to start its drive near midfield. The Vulcans converted on the field position by taking a 28-7 lead on a two-yard touchdown run by Brown at the 4:42-mark. Bloomsburg answered quickly with Alex Gooden posting an 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to trim the deficit to 28-13 (PAT failed).

The Vulcans were in position to add to its lead on multiple drives before a missed field goal and an interception inside the Bloomsburg 10-yard line resulted in no points. Cal U managed to force a turnover on downs on the last Bloomsburg drive after the Huskies were first-and-goal from the 6-yard line. Following a false start, McPhatter recorded his second strip sack of the game and Bloomsburg recovered the ball at the 17-yard line. The Vulcans then forced three-straight incompletions to preserve the 28-13 victory.

Notes:
Brown finished with the most rushing touchdowns since Antoine Bagwell also posted 21 scores in 2005 … Wes Cates set the single-season school record with 23 rushing touchdowns in 1999 … Hill led the team with 70 receiving yards on five catches and finished the year with team-best marks of 61 receptions and 905 receiving yards … The teams were just a combined 5-for-22 on third downs … The Vulcans snapped a four-game losing streak to Bloomsburg that dated back to the 2008 NCAA Playoffs … Cloud led the team with 92 tackles, 15.5 TFL and 5.0 sacks this season