CLARION, Pa. (Oct. 1) – Junior wide receiver JaQuae Jackson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Serra Catholic) accounted for four touchdowns on Saturday afternoon, as the Vulcans also scored touchdowns on defense and special teams while cruising to a 59-14 win at Clarion in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.

With the victory, the California (PA) football team improves to 3-2 overall behind a 2-0 mark in divisional action. The Vulcans have won the last 16 meetings against the Golden Eagles dating back to the 2004 campaign. Meanwhile, Clarion falls to 1-4 this season with a 0-2 record in conference play under first-year head coach Raymond Monica, who was previously a two-time PSAC East Coach of the Year while at Kutztown.

Jackson finished with 170 receiving yards and a career-high three touchdowns on seven catches. He also added a one-yard touchdown run on Saturday, as he became the first player with four touchdowns in a game since Lamont Smith in Week 5 of the 2010 season. Jackson already has eight receiving touchdowns this fall, which matches his total from last year, and has eclipsed the century mark in receiving yards four times in five games.

The Vulcans limited the Golden Eagles to a season-low 56 rushing yards on 38 attempts after they entered play averaging nearly 200 rushing yards per game. Junior linebacker Matt Tobey (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks South) tied for the team lead with eight tackles (six solo) and registered a 57-yard interception return for a touchdown, his second career interception. Sophomore defensive back Taiyan Lobban (West Philadelphia, Pa./Upper Merion) also tallied a team-high eight stops (seven solo), while freshman linebacker Ibrahim Sanogo (Darby Twp., Pa./Academy Park) recorded 3.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks on Saturday.

Senior quarterback Noah Mitchell (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) finished with 267 passing yards and three touchdowns on 15-of-20 attempts with no interceptions. He now ranks among the top 15 all-time in PSAC history with 9,293 passing yards. Mitchell also eclipsed the all-time school record with 1,286 pass attempts after the previous mark set by Sam Mannery stood for three-plus decades.

Clarion took a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter on a 20-yard touchdown pass after the drive started deep inside California territory following a shanked punt. The Vulcans tied the score in the closing seconds of the quarter on a three-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell to Jackson after the duo connected for a 42-yard completion earlier in the drive.

In the opening minutes of the second quarter, junior linebacker Noah Dillow (Alum Bank, Pa./Chestnut Ridge) posted a 30-yard interception return to the Clarion 2-yard line. Cal took the lead three plays later when Jackson scored his first career rushing touchdown with 11:48 left in the first half. Tobey halted the next drive by the Golden Eagles with his first career interception return for a touchdown, 21-7. The Vulcans built upon the momentum with a punt block by sophomore John Hutchinson (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) before sophomore running back Eric McKan III (Washington, D.C./Bullis (Md.) stretched the lead to 28-7 on a two-yard touchdown run with 5:46 left in the second quarter. Cal scored its fourth touchdown of the quarter when Jackson caught a four-yard pass from Mitchell with 1:20 remaining before the break, 35-7.

The Vulcans scored a field goal on the initial drive of the second half before Mitchell and Jackson connected for a 68-yard touchdown with 5:22 left in the third quarter, 45-7. Clarion later scored on an interception return for a touchdown before Cal countered with a blocked punt on the opening play of the fourth quarter. Junior Gabe Miller (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) blocked the punt by the Golden Eagles and sophomore Josh Miller (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley), his younger brother, recovered the loose ball and returned it 25 yards for a score, 52-14. Cal posted the final touchdown of the game with 7:31 left to play on a 32-yard run by junior Davonte Williams (McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox).

Cal returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 8, when it hosts rival IUP for the 13th Coal Bowl at 12 p.m.

Notes:
Cal recorded 5.0 sacks for the fourth time in five games this season … Jackson became the first wide receiver with at least one receiving touchdown and one rushing touchdown in a game since Garry Brown in Week 5 of the 2016 campaign … The Vulcans scored on all five trips to the red zone … Williams led the team with 71 rushing yards and one touchdown on 12 attempts … Cal was playing its first game at Memorial Stadium since the 2018 season