INDIANA, Pa. (Oct. 5) – The Vulcans trailed by just four points late in the fourth quarter on Saturday afternoon before suffering a 17-6 loss at No. 19 IUP in the 11th-annual Coal Bowl in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania football team drops to 3-2 this year with a 1-1 mark in league action. The home team has won the last eight meetings in the history of the Coal Bowl. Meanwhile, IUP remains undefeated this season and improves to 5-0 overall with a 2-0 record in divisional play.

The Vulcans held the Crimson Hawks to a season-low 85 rushing yards on 32 attempts and without a rushing touchdown for the first time this year. Redshirt senior linebacker Julian Cox (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) set a season high with 12 tackles (seven solo) and also registered 1.5 TFL and one interception. He now leads the team with 36 stops and 8.5 TFL, plus is tied for the team lead with two interceptions, this season. Sophomore defensive lineman Gerald Brown (Duquesne, Pa./West Mifflin) added nine tackles (two solo) and 2.0 TFL in the losing effort.

Senior running back Nelson Brown (Salisbury, Md./Wicomico) finished with a game-high 114 rushing yards on 21 attempts on Saturday. He ranks third in the league this season with 456 rushing yards after reaching the century mark three times. Brown is the first player to rush for at least 100 yards against IUP this fall after the Crimson Hawks entered the weekend ranked among the top 15 in the country in rushing defense.

The Vulcans worked over seven minutes off the clock taking a 3-0 lead on a 28-yard field goal by freshman kicker Keaton Hier (Harrison City, Pa./Penn-Trafford) with 3:23 left in the first quarter. Cal U mounted another lengthy drive at the beginning of the second quarter before missing a 37-yard field goal with 10:21 remaining before halftime. The Crimson Hawks managed only 75 yards of total offense on their initial three drives of the game before totaling 73 yards on their next drive. IUP advanced inside the Cal U 10-yard line in the final minute of the second quarter before sophomore Jermal Martin, Jr. (South Philadelphia, Pa./Academy Park) blocked a 24-yard field goal with 49 seconds remaining.

Midway through the third quarter, IUP converted a third-and-eight with a 60-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Duane Brown to take a 7-3 lead. The Vulcans crossed midfield on the ensuing possession and were facing a third-and-three before a strip sack forced them back into their own territory. Following an intentional grounding by the Crimson Hawks, Cox recorded an interception and returned the turnover to the IUP 15-yard line. Cal U then cut the deficit to 7-6 with 14:55 left in the fourth quarter on a 37-yard field goal by Hier.

The Crimson Hawks countered with a 23-yard field goal on the next drive to increase the lead to 10-6 with 11:43 remaining in the game. IUP stretched the lead to 17-6 at the 3:56-mark on a 34-yard touchdown pass to Duane Brown on a third-and-11 after the Crimson Hawks converted a pair of third-and-twos earlier in the drive. The Vulcans were forced to a three-and-out on the ensuing drive before the Crimson Hawks sealed the victory by working nearly three minutes off the clock before turning the ball over on downs in the final 15 seconds of the game.

Cal U returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 12, when it faces Clarion on Homecoming at 4 p.m.

Notes:
The Vulcans hold a 7-4 advantage in the history of the Coal Bowl despite posting a 2-4 record at George P. Miller Stadium … Cal U was held without a touchdown for the first time since Oct. 16, 2011, which is a span of 87-consecutive games … The Vulcans were limited to under 100 passing yards for the first time since Oct. 16, 2004 … IUP wide receiver Duane Brown now has 12 total touchdowns this season on 32 offensive touches … Both teams were flagged 11 times on Saturday