CALIFORNIA (Sept. 29) – The Vulcans upset No. 2 IUP in the 10th-annual Coal Bowl with a 36-24 win on Saturday night at Adamson Stadium in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play, marking the highest ranked opponent ever defeated by the program.

With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania football team improves to 3-2 this season with a 2-0 mark in the divisional standings. The Vulcans also improve to 7-3 against the Crimson Hawks in the history of the Coal Bowl behind a 5-0 record at Adamson Stadium. Meanwhile, IUP falls to 4-1 overall and holds a 1-1 mark in league play.

Junior defensive back Lamont McPhatter II (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) was named Coal Bowl MVP after totaling eight tackles (two solo) and recording a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown with 4:45 left to play. He has already totaled four interceptions and scored a pair of touchdowns (fumble return, interception) in three games this season.

Senior linebacker Brendan Blair (McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox) and junior London Cloud (Bedford, Ohio/Bedford) tied for the team lead with 10 tackles on Saturday. Blair also finished with 1.5 TFL, one fumble recovery, one interception and two quarterback hurries. Junior defensive back Aaron Brown (New Oxford, Pa./New Oxford) added eight stops, 1.0 TFL and one pass break-up against the Crimson Hawks.

IUP held a 14-10 halftime lead before committing the first of three second-half turnovers on its initial drive of the third quarter.  Blair intercepted senior Lenny Williams, Jr. in Cal U territory before crossing midfield on the return. The Vulcans capitalized on the turnover with a nine-yard touchdown pass from freshman Noah Mitchell (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) to junior Chad Livingston (Lemont Furnace, Pa./Laurel Highlands) on third down with 8:55 left in the quarter.

Mitchell posted 256 passing yards on 14-of-27 attempts with no interceptions. He also finished with 30 rushing yards on five attempts. Mitchell leads the PSAC with 325.0 passing yards per game and is tied for third in the league with 10 passing touchdowns.

The Crimson Hawks quickly regained the lead, as freshman Qashah Carter posted a 95-yard return for a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff, 21-17. The Vulcans responded on their next drive with junior Nelson Brown (Salisbury, Md./Wicomico) posting a 20-yard touchdown run with 24-21 with 7:18 left in the third quarter.

Brown finished the game with a season-high 143 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 23 attempts. He has now rushed for three touchdowns in three-consecutive games and leads the PSAC with 11 rushing touchdowns this season. A native of Maryland, Brown has also eclipsed the century mark in three-straight weeks and leads the league with 544 rushing yards.

Later in third quarter, IUP converted a third-and-one before Williams found Grant Smith for a 22-yard touchdown on fourth down at the 4:47-mark to tie the score at 24-24. Cal U again countered with a scoring drive with Brown capping a nine-play drive with a 14-yard touchdown run with 1:17 left in the quarter.

Blair recovered a fumble by Williams on the second play of the fourth quarter at the Cal U 25-yard line. However, the teams traded punts until the Crimson Hawks mounted a drive inside the red zone midway through the quarter. IUP advanced to the Cal U 5-yard line before McPhatter intercepted Williams in the end zone and returned the turnover 100 yards for a touchdown with 4:45 left to play, 36-24. The Crimson Hawks looked to cut into the deficit as Williams completed a 46-yard pass on the initial play of the ensuing drive. IUP later moved inside the red zone on a penalty before Cal U called a timeout prior to a fourth-and-sixth with 2:39 remaining. Williams was then tackled behind the line of scrimmage to seal the victory.

Cal U returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 6, when it travels to face Clarion, which is on a four-game winning streak, at 2 p.m.

Notes:
The Coal Bowl has been won by the home team in seven-consecutive years … IUP entered the game on a 21-game regular-season winning streak with its last loss coming against Cal U in 2016 … Sophomore Tyson Hill (New Kensington, Pa./Valley) led all players with 112 receiving yards on just four catches … The Vulcans surrendered a kickoff return for a touchdown for the first time since the 2013 season … Williams completed just 11-of-23 attempts with a pair of interceptions after entering the game ranked fourth in the country in passing efficiency … The teams combined for 30 points in the third quarter … Cal U was facing its highest ranked opponent since playing No. 2 Northwest Missouri State in the 2009 NCAA Semifinals