EDINBORO, Pa. (Sept. 28) – The Vulcans yielded just over 150 yards of total offense on Saturday afternoon while opening Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action with a 24-7 victory over Edinboro at Sox Harrison Stadium.

With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania football team improves to 3-1 overall and begins divisional play with a 1-0 mark for the 15th-straight year. Meanwhile, the Fighting Scots remain winless and drop to 0-4 this season with a 0-1 record in league action.

The Vulcans allowed just 154 yards of total offense on 47 plays and forced the Fighting Scots into negative rushing yards. Edinboro finished the game with minus-four rushing yards, which ranks as the sixth-lowest total in school history, on 21 attempts. The Fighting Scots were limited to only six first downs and converted 1-of-12 third downs on Saturday.

Sophomore linebacker Israel Xavier (Cleveland, Ohio/Mayfield) and redshirt senior linebacker Julian Cox (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) tied for the team lead with seven tackles in the victory. Xavier set career highs with 3.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks, plus recorded one forced fumble, while Cox tallied 1.5 TFL. Senior defensive back Lamont McPhatter II (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) posted four stops (one solo), 0.5 TFL and one pass break-up at Edinboro.

Sophomore quarterback Noah Mitchell (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) finished with a season-high 307 passing yards on 26-of-43 attempts with two touchdowns and one interception. He completed passes to nine different receivers in the victory and also set season-best marks for completions and attempts. Mitchell has now posted 1,053 passing yards and 11 touchdowns this year while completing 56.7 percent (76-of-134) of his attempts.

Junior wide receiver Tyson Hill (New Kensington, Pa./Valley) led all players and set a career high with 136 receiving yards on eight catches. Senior Jordan Dandridge (Duluth, Ga./Duluth) made four receptions for 58 yards, while redshirt freshman JaQuae Jackson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Serra Catholic) posted 25 receiving yards and one touchdown on four catches.

Midway through the first quarter, Xavier recorded a sack on third-and-six and a short punt gave Cal U possession just outside the red zone. The Vulcans then took a 3-0 lead at the 4:22-mark on a 24-yard field goal by freshman Keaton Hier (Harrison City, Pa./Penn-Trafford).

Edinboro advanced inside the 10-yard line on its initial drive of the second quarter before redshirt freshman linebacker Noah Dillow (Alum Bank, Pa./Chestnut Ridge) made his first career interception in the end zone. The Vulcans mounted a late scoring drive in the final minute of the quarter to take a 10-0 lead at halftime. Mitchell started the drive with a 16-yard pass to Hill before a penalty advanced the ball to the Edinboro 35-yard line. Mitchell and Hill again connected for a 30-yard completion before Mitchell later found sophomore wide receiver Cam Tarrant (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) for a two-yard touchdown with 26 seconds left.

The Fighting Scots cut the deficit to 10-7 in the opening minute of the third quarter with a 20-yard touchdown pass after recording an interception on the previous play. Cal U later answered with a two-yard touchdown run by senior running back Nelson Brown (Salisbury, Md./Wicomico) with 7:23 left in the third quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, freshman punter Joey Hood (Annapolis, Md./DeMatha Catholic) pinned Edinboro back at its own 11-yard line. The Vulcans forced a three-and-out and a short punt, plus a penalty, gave Cal U starting field position at the Edinboro 21-yard line. Mitchell then connected with Jackson for a 10-yard touchdown to stretch the lead to 24-7 with 8:14 left to play. Cal U later regained possession at the 6:36-mark and converted a pair of fourth downs to seal the victory.

The Vulcans return to action on Saturday, Oct. 5, when they travel to face No. 21 IUP in the 11th-annual Coal Bowl with kickoff at 2 p.m.

Notes:
Cal U extended its winning streak in the series with Edinboro to 15-consecutive games, including seven-straight wins at Sox Harrison Stadium … The Vulcans are now allowing just 17.2 rushing yards per game this season … Brown led the team with 58 rushing yards and one touchdown on 22 attempts … Cal U finished with over a 20-minute advantage in time of possession behind 27 first downs … The teams combined for 18 punts