MANCHESTER, N.H. (Sept. 6) – The Vulcans forced seven turnovers and scored a pair of touchdowns on defense while cruising to a 59-13 season-opening victory at Saint Anselm on Friday night in non-conference play.
With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania football team opens the year with a 1-0 record and has now won 13 of its last 16 season-openers. The Vulcans scored their most points since earning a 59-17 victory at Seton Hill in Week 4 of the 2016 season. Meanwhile, the Hawks fall to 0-1 to open the year after being picked eighth in the preseason Northeast-10 (NE-10) Conference poll.
Senior defensive back
Lamont McPhatter II (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) and redshirt senior linebacker
Julian Cox (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) both scored defensive touchdowns in the victory. Cox, who suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1 last year, scored on a 17-yard interception return and finished with six tackles (two solo), 1.5 TFL and 1.0 sack. A preseason All-American, McPhatter registered an 85-yard fumble return for a touchdown and tallied three stops (two solo).
The Vulcans forced the Hawks into minus-seven yards rushing on 14 attempts. Three different Cal U players recorded a sack in the victory and Saint Anselm was prevented from rushing for a first down in the entire game.
Sophomore quarterback
Noah Mitchell (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) finished with 239 passing yards and three touchdowns on 15-of-27 attempts with no interceptions. Senior
Jordan Dandridge (Duluth, Ga./Duluth) led the team with five receptions for 72 yards with two touchdowns, while junior
Tyson Hill (New Kensington, Pa./Valley) finished with 104 receiving yards and one score on three catches.
The Vulcans recovered a fumble on the game's opening kickoff and took an early 3-0 lead on a 22-yard field goal by freshman kicker
Keaton Hier (Harrison City, Pa./Penn-Trafford). Cal U quickly regained possession when senior defensive back
Aaron Brown (New Oxford, Pa./New Oxford) registered an interception on the second play of the ensuing drive. Mitchell then found Dandridge for a three-yard touchdown with 7:49 left in the first quarter. After the Hawks converted a field goal, Cox scored a touchdown on a 17-yard interception return in the closing seconds of the quarter, 17-3.
Early in the second, Mitchell connected with Hill for a 79-yard touchdown pass on third down. Cal U started its next drive in Saint Anselm territory following a personal foul on the punt. Senior running back
Nelson Brown (Salisbury, Md./Wicomico) capped the drive with a 20-yard touchdown run with 8:35 left before the break. He finished the game with 75 rushing yards and one touchdown on 14 carries.
On the ensuing drive, McPhatter returned a loose ball 85 yards for a touchdown. The Vulcans later extended the lead to 45-3 on a two-yard touchdown run by junior transfer
Jamorya Cousin (Kannapolis, N.C./Graham (Va.) with 1:59 left in the second quarter. Saint Anselm made a 30-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, as Cal U entered the break with a 45-6 lead.
The Vulcans posted a touchdown on their opening drive of the second half when Mitchell connected with Dandridge for a 33-yard score on third down. Saint Anselm crossed midfield on its next drive before redshirt freshman defensive back
Khalil Brown (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby) halted the drive with an interception.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Cal U stretched the lead to 59-6 when sophomore transfer quarterback
Josh Dale (Concord, N.C./Jay M. Robinson) found sophomore wide receiver
Derrick Caraway (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) for an 11-yard touchdown. The score was setup by a 25-yard interception return by sophomore defensive back
Kavon Morman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour). The Hawks countered with their only touchdown of the game with 7:13 left to play.
Sophomore defensive back
Jermal Martin, Jr. (South Philadelphia, Pa./Academy Park) led the team with seven tackles (six solo) and also posted one fumble recovery. Sophomore defensive lineman
Gerald Brown (Duquesne, Pa./West Mifflin) added six stops (all assisted) in the victory, while sophomore transfer linebacker
Israel Xavier (Cleveland, Ohio/Mayfield) tallied four tackles (three solo) and 1.0 sack.
The Vulcans return to action on Sept. 14 when they host Kutztown at Adamson Stadium with kickoff at 1 p.m.
Notes:
Cal U improves to 16-7 overall in games with kickoffs at 6 p.m. or later since 2010 … McPhatter has now scored five defensive touchdowns in his career … Mitchell tied his career high of three touchdown passes … Cal U finished with nearly a 10-minute advantage in time of possession after controlling the clock for over 22 minutes in the second half … The Vulcans scored on seven of their nine drives in the first half … Cal U finished with 31 points off turnovers
