BLOOMSBURG, Pa. (Nov. 13) – The No. 15 Vulcans forced four turnovers and allowed just over 200 yards of total offense while closing the regular season with a 24-9 win at Bloomsburg in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action on Saturday afternoon.
With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania football team improves to 9-1 overall. The Vulcans were slotted seventh in the latest NCAA Super Region One rankings with the field for the NCAA Playoffs set to be released via webcast tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 14, at 5 p.m. Meanwhile, the Huskies fall to 3-8 this season.
The Vulcans forced a season-high four turnovers and limited the Huskies to 214 yards of total offense, which was 100 yards less than their season average. Sophomore linebacker
Matt Tobey (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks South) led the team with 12 tackles (five solo) and added 1.5 TFL and two pass break-ups. Junior defensive back
Jermal Martin, Jr. (South Philadelphia, Pa./Academy Park) tallied eight stops (four solo) and 1.0 sack, while junior linebacker
Israel Xavier (Cleveland, Ohio/Mayfield) posted six stops (two solo), 2.5 TFL and 1.0 sack. Redshirt freshman defensive back
Dominic Solomon, Jr. (Clairton, Pa./Clairton) recorded one interception and one fumble recovery on Saturday.
Junior quarterback
Noah Mitchell (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) tied the all-time school record with 69 touchdown passes in the victory. Playing in slippery conditions, he was held to a season-low 142 passing yards on 16-of-34 attempts with one touchdown and two interceptions. Mitchell also now ranks eighth in single-season school history with 2,937 passing yards while matching his career high of 25 passing touchdowns.
Midway through the first quarter, Cal U recovered a fumble just outside the red zone and advanced inside the five-yard line before losing possession on a fumble. The Vulcans took a 7-0 lead on their next drive when junior running back
Isaiah Cameron (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) scored on a two-yard touchdown run with 3:49 left in the quarter.
Mitchell threw an interception near midfield in the opening minutes of the second quarter to snap a streak of 196-consecutive passes without an interception. Late in the quarter, Cal U lost possession of a fumble near midfield and Bloomsburg looked to capitalize on the turnover by advancing to just outside the red zone. Solomon then recovered a fumble and returned the loose ball 65 yards to the Bloomsburg 12-yard line with 1:06 left before halftime. The Vulcans stretched the lead to 10-0 when freshman
Anthony Beitko (White Oak, Pa./McKeesport) converted a 24-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter.
Cal U opened the second half with a scoring drive capped by Mitchell finding sophomore running back
Richie Sykes (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) for a 15-yard touchdown on a third-and-eight. With the score, Mitchell tied
Josh Portis (2009-10) for the all-time school record with 69 touchdown passes.
The Huskies avoided the shutout early in the fourth quarter with a 27-yard touchdown run by quarterback Ben Ries, 17-7. Cal U responded with a five-yard touchdown run by junior wide receiver
Derek Lockhart (Liberty, Pa./South Allegheny) out of the wildcat formation with 8:46 left to play. The score was setup by a 48-yard kickoff return by Lockhart and a pair of third-down completions by Mitchell. On the ensuing Bloomsburg drive, Solomon recorded an interception inside the five-yard line before an errant snap on the next play resulted in a safety, 24-9. The teams traded interceptions in the final minutes of the game with junior defensive back
Kavon Morman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) recording his third interception of the year.
The NCAA Selection Show is scheduled for tomorrow evening on NCAA.com at 5 p.m. Additional information, including a link to the show, will be available tomorrow on calvuclans.com.
Notes:
Cal U posted its first road victory in the series with Bloomsburg since the 2008 NCAA Playoffs (four of five subsequent meetings have been at Adamson Stadium) … Redshirt freshman
Eric McKan III (Washington, D.C./Bullis (Md.)) led the team with 60 rushing yards on 15 attempts, both career highs … The Vulcans finished with a season-low 236 yards of total offense … The teams combined for eight turnovers (four interceptions, four fumbles) … Prior to Saturday, Mitchell threw his last interception on Oct. 2 in the second quarter against Mercyhurst … Cal U has earned at least nine victories in a season eight times since the 2007 season
