FAIRMONT, W.Va. (Sept. 2) – The Vulcans scored 20-unanswered points and allowed less than 150 yards of total offense on Thursday night while opening the season with a 23-14 win at Fairmont State in non-conference play.

With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania football team starts the year with a 1-0 mark and has won 14 of its last 17 season-openers. The Vulcans were playing their first game since Nov. 16, 2019 after the 2020 campaign was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the Fighting Falcons open the season with a 0-1 record after being selected sixth in the preseason Mountain East Conference (MEC) poll.

The sophomore linebacker tandem of Noah Dillow (Alum Bank, Pa./Chestnut Ridge) and Matt Tobey (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks South) led the defensive effort with a combined 22 tackles, 3.5 TFL and 2.0 sacks. Dillow, who was tabbed the 2019 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Freshman of the Year, set a career high and led all players with 13 stops (seven solo) and tallied 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack and one forced fumble. Tobey collected nine stops (five solo), 1.5 TFL and 1.0 sack while making his first career start.

Cal U held Fairmont State to 145 yards of total offense in the contest. The Fighting Falcons managed just one first down over five drives in the first half. The Vulcans allowed a scant 42 rushing yards on 32 attempts after leading NCAA Division II in rushing defense in 2019.

Senior wide receiver Tyson Hill (New Kensington, Pa./Valley) finished with nine receptions for 155 yards, the second-most in his career. A two-time All-PSAC West First-Team selection, he accounted for first downs on seven of his nine catches in the season-opener. Hill also eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark in his career while climbing into seventh place all-time with 2,142 receiving yards on Thursday.

Junior quarterback Noah Mitchell (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) recorded the sixth 300-yard game of his career, posting 301 yards on 29-of-48 attempts with one touchdown and two interceptions. He completed passes to nine different players in the victory. In the first half, Mitchell went 15-of-22 passing for 134 yards and directed three scoring drives, including two of which lasted at least 12 plays.

On the second play from scrimmage, Dillow forced a fumble that was recovered by the Vulcans and led to a 20-yard field goal by freshman kicker Anthony Beitko (White Oak, Pa./McKeesport). Cal U mounted a 12-play drive midway through the first quarter to take a 10-0 lead on a two-yard touchdown run by senior running back Kyle Brunson (Farmington, Mich./Farmington).

The Vulcans engineered a lengthy 15-play drive that lasted nearly the final eight minutes of the second quarter to take a 13-0 lead into the break on a 25-yard field goal by Beitko. Cal U converted three third-downs on the drive, including a third-and-18 (penalty) and third-and-13 while in its own territory.

Cal U extended the advantage to 20-0 on the initial drive of the third quarter with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell to junior wide receiver Cam Tarrant (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills), who made a career-high nine receptions. The Fighting Falcons responded with a 95-yard kickoff return for touchdown on the ensuing play. Fairmont State used a pair of lengthy pass plays, totaling 61 yards, on its next drive to cut the deficit to 20-14 with 2:18 left in the third quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Fighting Falcons recorded a nearly 50-yard interception return to setup a drive inside the red zone. The Cal U defense responded with three-straight negative plays, including back-to-back sacks, to force Fairmont State to attempt an unsuccessful 46-yard field goal with 9:00 remaining in the game.

Mitchell found Hill for a 53-yard gain on third-and-10 on the ensuing drive to setup a 31-yard field goal by Beitko with 7:27 left. Cal U then forced a game-sealing turnover on downs near midfield with 2:39 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Vulcans return to action on Sept. 11 when they host Lock Haven in league crossover play at Adamson Stadium with kickoff set for 1 p.m.

Notes:
Cal U scored on all five of its trips to the red zone … Head coach Gary Dunn stands at 4-1 overall in season-openers … The Vulcans allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown for the first time since Week 11 of the 2018 campaign … Mitchell led the team in rushing for the first time in his career with 19 yards, as Cal U was held to 46 rushing yards on 24 attempts … Beitko converted all three of his field-goal attempts (20, 25, 31) … The Vulcans recorded five sacks in the victory