CALIFORNIA (Oct. 22) – The Vulcans were downed by 42-24 margin by No. 17 Slippery Rock on Homecoming at Adamson Stadium in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play on Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, the California (PA) football team falls to 4-4 this season behind a 3-2 mark in divisional action. The Vulcans lost on Homecoming for only the second time in the last 17 years. Meanwhile, The Rock improves to 7-1 overall and remains tied for second place in the league standings with a 4-1 record.

Senior quarterback Noah Mitchell (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) set a season high with 302 passing yards on 30-of-44 attempts with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He completed passes to eight different players while making his 40th-consecutive start. Mitchell also became only the 10th quarterback in PSAC history to reach 10,000 passing yards in a career (10,083).

Junior wide receiver JaQuae Jackson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Serra Catholic) led the team with 84 receiving yards and two touchdowns on seven catches. He has made multiple touchdown receptions four times this season and is tied for the league lead with 11 touchdown receptions. Senior Cam Tarrant (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) paced the team with nine receptions and finished with 79 yards.

The Vulcans limited The Rock to a season-low 42 rushing yards on 29 attempts after entering play averaging over 170 rushing yards per game. Senior defensive back Kavon Morman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) and junior linebacker Noah Dillow (Alum Bank, Pa./Chestnut Ridge) tied for the team lead with seven tackles on Saturday. Junior linebacker Gabe Miller (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) tallied six stops (three solo) and 2.0 TFL, while junior defensive back Noah Hamlin (Clairton, Pa./Clairton) finished with four tackles (all solo) and two pass break-ups.

Cal lost a fumble on the opening drive of the game before Slippery Rock took a 7-0 lead on a 10-yard touchdown pass with 9:24 left in the first quarter. The Vulcans then trimmed the deficit to 7-3 on a 30-yard field goal by sophomore Anthony Beitko (White Oak, Pa./McKeesport) at the 6:53-mark. The Rock later countered with an 85-yard touchdown pass to take a 14-3 lead with 1:08 left in the first quarter.

The teams traded field position in the opening minutes of the second quarter until a 45-yard touchdown pass by The Rock with 8:17 remaining before halftime. Cal responded with a four-yard touchdown run by junior Davonte Williams (McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox) with 5:36 left in the second quarter. Sophomore defensive back Jacob Seigle (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township) then made an interception on the second play of the ensuing drive at the Cal 39-yard line. Late in the first half, the Vulcans forced a fourth down which resulted in a first-down completion by The Rock punter following an errant snap and a scrambled play. Slippery Rock capitalized on the momentum with a 59-yard touchdown pass on the next play to stretch the lead to 21-10 with 2:05 remaining in the second quarter. Cal nearly advanced to the red zone in the final seconds of the first half before Slippery Rock halted the drive with an interception.

The Rock extended the lead to 35-10 on the initial drive of the third quarter before the Vulcans answered with a five-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell to Jackson at the 9:33-mark. Later in the quarter, Slippery Rock started a drive in California territory before scoring on a four-yard touchdown run to stretch the lead to 42-17. The Vulcans advanced into the red zone in the final minutes of the quarter before losing possession on a fumble.

Late in the fourth quarter, Cal capped an eight-play drive with an 11-yard touchdown reception by Jackson from Mitchell on fourth down with 2:22 left to play.

The Vulcans return to action on Saturday, Oct. 29, when they travel to face Mercyhurst in Erie, Pennsylvania, at 12 p.m.

Notes: The Rock has won nine of the last 11 meetings against the Vulcans, including five-straight contests … Williams finished with a game-high 80 rushing yards on 17 attempts … Cal out-gained Slippery Rock by a 398-347 margin while running 25 more plays … The Vulcans committed a season-high four turnovers … Mitchell eclipsed the 300-yard mark for the 13th time in his career … Cal faced its third nationally-ranked opponent of the season … Jackson is the first player with double-digit receiving touchdowns since Garry Brown in 2016