ERIE, Pa. (Oct. 9) – Junior quarterback Noah Mitchell (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) tied his career high with four touchdown passes on Saturday afternoon, as the No. 15 Vulcans claimed a 38-17 victory against Gannon at McConnell Family Stadium in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.

With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania football team improves to 6-0 overall with a 3-0 mark in league action. The Vulcans have opened PSAC West play with three-straight victories for the sixth time in the last 10 seasons. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights fall to 2-4 this season and 1-2 in conference play.

Mitchell set a season high with 382 passing yards and established career highs of 35 completions and 53 attempts in the victory. He matched his career high of four touchdown passes for the fourth time while completing passes to nine different players. Mitchell ranks second in the PSAC this season with nearly 1,900 passing yards and is completing a career-high 69 percent of his passes (160-of-232).

Junior wide receiver Cam Tarrant (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) led the team with career highs of 11 receptions and 124 receiving yards with one touchdown. Senior wide receiver Tyson Hill (New Kensington, Pa./Valley) eclipsed the century mark for the third time this year, as he finished with 102 receiving yards on seven catches. Sophomore JaQuae Jackson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Serra Catholic) totaled 70 receiving yards and two touchdowns on six receptions on Saturday.

Cal U limited Gannon to a season-low 296 yards of total offense, including 83 rushing yards – which is almost half of its season average. The trio of redshirt sophomore linebacker Gabe Miller (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley), sophomore defensive back Naszhir Taylor (Rankin, Pa./Woodland Hills) and sophomore linebacker Matt Tobey (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks South) led the team with six tackles. Sophomore linebacker Noah Dillow (Alum Bank, Pa./Chestnut Ridge) posted five stops (four solo) with 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sacks and one force fumble in the victory.

Gannon took a 3-0 lead on the game's opening possession with a 31-yard field goal after Dillow recorded a strip sack on second-and goal. On the next drive by the Golden Knights, junior defensive back Jermal Martin, Jr. (South Philadelphia, Pa./Academy Park) posted a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown with 8:18 left in the first quarter. The Vulcans added to the lead on their next offensive possession when Mitchell connected with Jackson for a 23-yard touchdown on third down, 14-3. Cal U forced another turnover on the ensuing possession when sophomore defensive back Micah Tillman (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville North) made an interception along the sideline near midfield.

Mitchell found Hill for a 21-yard completion while just outside the red zone on third-and-17. On the initial play of the second quarter, Cal U stretched the lead to 21-3 on a one-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell to sophomore wide receiver Jackson Daugherty (Laughlintown, Pa./Ligonier Valley). The Golden Knights later started a drive with back-to-back first downs that accounted for over 35 yards and crossed into Cal U territory before the Vulcans forced a turnover on downs. The Vulcans then mounted a 12-play scoring drive that was capped with a 32-yard field goal by freshman Anthony Beitko (White Oak, Pa./McKeesport) with 3:32 left in the first half, 24-3. Gannon returned the kickoff to midfield and the Golden Knights capitalized on the field position with a 25-yard touchdown run to trim the deficit to 24-10 with 1:58 remaining in the second quarter. Cal U responded with a three-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell to Jackson with one second left in the first half to take a 31-10 lead at the break.

Midway through the third quarter, the Vulcans converted a pair of third downs before Mitchell found Tarrant for a 30-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 38-10. The teams traded field position for the remainder of the quarter before Cal U forced a turnover on downs inside its own five-yard line early in the fourth quarter. The Golden Knights cut the deficit to 38-17 with 8:07 left to play after converting a pair of fourth downs on the drive. Cal U looked to counter in the final minute of the game after advancing to the Gannon three-yard line before turning the ball over on downs.

Cal U returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 16, when it hosts Clarion at Adamson Stadium with kickoff at 4 p.m.

Notes:
The win secured the 17th-consecutive winning season for the Vulcans … Gary Dunn becomes only the fourth head coach in program history to earn at least 40 career victories … Cal U improves to 11-1 overall in the all-time series with Gannon, winning all seven meetings in Erie … The Vulcans featured multiple 100-yard receivers for the first time since Week 3 of the 2019 season … Martin has totaled 14 points this season after scoring on a punt return, interception return and defensive PAT … Mitchell joins Sam Mannery (1987-90), Joe Ruggiero (2004-07) and James Harris (2013-15) as the only quarterbacks in school history to eclipse 7,000 passing yards in a career … Cal U finished with over a 12-minute advantage in time of possession