ERIE, Pa. (Oct. 29) – The Vulcans scored on all five of their drives in the first half and finished with over 500 yards of total offense while cruising to a 44-20 victory at Mercyhurst on Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.

With the victory, the California (PA) football team improves to 5-4 this season behind a 4-2 mark in divisional play. The Vulcans are now one-game back of first place in the PSAC West standings following a loss by previously unbeaten IUP at Gannon on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Lakers fall to 2-7 overall and remain winless in league action with a 0-6 record.

Junior Davonte Williams (McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox) and senior Mylique McGriff (Havre de Grace, Md./McDonogh) both eclipsed 100 rushing yards on Saturday. Williams finished with a team-high 116 yards and one touchdown on a career-high 22 attempts, while McGriff amassed 112 yards and one score on just 10 carries. Overall, the Vulcans finished with 268 rushing yards with four different players scoring rushing touchdowns against the Lakers.

Senior quarterback Noah Mitchell (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) posted 220 passing yards on 23-of-29 attempts with one touchdown and no interceptions. He completed passes to seven different players and led the offense to five-consecutive scoring drives in the first half. Mitchell, who completed nearly 80 percent of his passes on Saturday, has now surpassed 2,000 passing yards in all four seasons of his career.

Junior JaQuae Jackson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Serra Catholic) recorded 117 receiving yards on eight catches and scored two touchdowns (one rushing) in the victory. He has posted at least 100 receiving yards six times this season and ranks second in the PSAC with 14 total touchdowns (two rushing). Senior wide receiver Cam Tarrant (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) finished with eight receptions for 59 yards and one touchdown, plus threw a first-quarter touchdown to Jackson.

Cal forced Mercyhurst into negative-seven rushing yards on 17 attempts after tallying five sacks. Junior linebacker Noah Dillow (Alum Bank, Pa./Chestnut Ridge) led the team with nine tackles (four solo) and tallied 2.5 TFL and 1.5 sacks. Senior defensive lineman Derick Korboi (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby) finished with five stops (two solo), 2.0 TFL and 0.5 sack, while junior linebacker Matt Tobey (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks South) posted four stops (two solo) and 2.0 TFL.

The Vulcans took a 7-0 lead on the opening drive of the game when Tarrant connected with Jackson for a 19-yard touchdown with 10:41 left in the first quarter. The defense then forced a three-and-out before Cal stretched the lead to 13-0 on a nine-yard touchdown run by McGriff at the 7:34 mark (PAT missed). The Lakers countered with a 59-yard touchdown pass on third-and-long before the Vulcans capped a 12-play drive with a two-yard touchdown run by Jackson early in the second quarter.

Mercyhurst followed with a 49-yard touchdown pass on second-and-20 with 9:15 left before halftime, 20-13 (PAT blocked). The Vulcans responded with a four-yard touchdown run by Williams to take a 27-13 lead with 5:02 remaining in the second quarter. Cal later executed a two-minute drill on the final drive of the first half and took a 30-13 lead into the break after a 33-yard field goal by sophomore Anthony Beitko (White Oak, Pa./McKeesport) as time expired.

The Lakers converted multiple third downs on their opening drive of the third quarter and cut the deficit to 30-20 at the 11:28-mark. The teams traded field position for the remainder of the quarter with Cal mounting a five-minute scoring drive that was capped with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell to Tarrant with 13:29 left in the fourth quarter. The Vulcans posted the final touchdown of the game with 4:22 left to play on a four-yard rushing score by sophomore running back Eric McKan III (Washington, D.C./Bullis (Md.)).

Cal returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 5, when it hosts Gannon in PSAC West action at Adamson Stadium with kickoff set for 12 p.m.

Notes:
The Vulcans have featured multiple 100-yard rushers in a game twice this season … Jackson is the first wide receiver with multiple rushing touchdowns in a season in recent program history (since 2003) … Cal finished with over a 19-minute advantage in time of possession … Tarrant, who attempted a pass as a redshirt freshman in 2018, is the first non-quarterback with a touchdown pass since the 2009 season … The Vulcans forced an opponent into negative rushing yards for the first time this year … Gannon is tied with IUP and Slippery Rock for first place in the PSAC West standings entering the final weekend of divisional play