CALIFORNIA (Nov. 16) – The No. 17 Vulcans scored a touchdown in the final two minutes on Saturday afternoon before suffering a 21-14 loss against No. 3 Kutztown in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship at Adamson Stadium.

With the loss, the California (PA) football team falls to 8-2 overall after suffering its first loss since Sept. 7. The Vulcans remain in contention to receive a possible berth to the NCAA Playoffs with the selections and pairings announced tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 17, via a live web stream at 6 p.m. EST. Cal lost its two games in the regular season by a combined 11 points against two of the only three remaining undefeated teams in in the country. Meanwhile, Kutztown finishes the regular season with a perfect 11-0 record and becomes the first team since Slippery Rock in 2014-15 to repeat as PSAC Champions.

The Golden Bears entered the weekend ranked second in NCAA Division II in scoring defense at 8.3 points per game after allowing only 11 offensive touchdowns this year. Cal scored a pair of touchdowns in the second half on Saturday while finishing the game with 296 yards of total offense.

Senior quarterback Davis Black posted 193 passing yards on 14-of-29 attempts with no interceptions, plus rushed for 42 yards and two touchdowns on 15 attempts. He now leads the team with nine rushing touchdowns this year, in addition to 17 passing touchdowns.

Junior wide receiver Eric Willis III paced all players with 89 receiving yards on five catches. He moved into No. 10 all-time in school history with 2,121 receiving yards, surpassing former teammate JaQuae Jackson (2018-22) on Saturday.

Kutztown was held to a season-low 21 points after entering play as the second-ranked scoring offense in the PSAC. Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Naquan Crowder led the team with a season-high nine tackles (eight solo) and redshirt junior defensive back Rafiqe Hilliard made seven tackles (six solo).

The Golden Bears scored a touchdown on the game's opening possession following an eight-yard completion on third-and-goal. Cal advanced into Kutztown territory on its initial two drives and appeared to convert a fourth-and-six on the second play of the second quarter. However, the Vulcans were ruled to have fumbled at the KU 26-yard line with the Golden Bears recovering to halt the drive.

On the ensuing drive, Kutztown advanced to the Cal 10-yard line before being forced into fourth-and-goal at the 14-yard line following a sack by sophomore defensive back Keith Charney and back-to-back stops by Crowder. The Golden Bears then missed a 31-yard field goal; however, the Vulcans were flagged for running into the kicker, to prompt a 26-yard attempt, which also was missed. Kutztown again crossed midfield on its next possession before attempting an unsuccessful 50-yard field goal after being forced backwards following a sack by senior linebacker John Hutchinson. On the final drive of the first half, Cal crossed midfield following a roughing the passer penalty and first-down run by Black before a false start and incomplete pass closed the second quarter.

The Vulcans tied the score at 7-7 with an eight-yard touchdown run by Black on the opening drive of the third quarter. He connected with Willis for a 37-yard completion to convert a third-and-seven during the drive. Kutztown responded with a 41-yard touchdown run by Jaedyn Stewart on third-and-one with 6:54 left in the quarter. On the next drive, Black found Willis for a 40-yard completion and Cal later advanced to the KU 11-yard line before a sack forced a fourth-and-13. The Vulcans attempted to cut the deficit with a 35-yard field goal; however, the Golden Bears were flagged for 12 men on the field on the unsuccessful attempt. Cal then also missed a 30-yard attempt on the next play.

Late in third quarter, Kutztown completed a 51-yard pass before taking a 21-7 lead on a two-yard touchdown run with 13:21 left in the fourth quarter. The Golden Bears advanced to the Cal 28-yard line on their next drive before a delay of game and sack by senior linebacker Armani Caraballo forced Kutztown to punt from midfield. The Vulcans moved inside the KU 10-yard line on the ensuing drive after converting a pair of third downs. Cal was forced to a fourth-and-goal from the 21-yard line following back-to-back sacks. The Vulcans then finished five yards short of the end zone after a completion from Black to senior wide receiver Demonte Martin.

Cal held Kutztown to just five yards on three rushes and started the drive at the KU 9-yard line following a 25-yard punt return by redshirt freshman Deontae Williams and personal foul on the play. The Vulcans cut the deficit to 21-14 on a three-yard touchdown run by Black with 1:52 remaining. Cal was then unable to convert the onside kick attempt to seal the victory for Kutztown.

The Vulcans have won at least eight games 14 times over the last two decades after finishing with an undefeated record in divisional play for the first time since 2016. Cal has been slotted third in each of the last two editions of the NCAA Super Region One rankings and are vying to return to the NCAA Playoffs for the first time in seven years.

NOTES: The Vulcans were making their first appearance in the PSAC Championship since 2016, also against Kutztown … Cal holds a 2-2 mark in the PSAC Championship since it was reinstated prior to the 2008 campaign … Stewart was named PSAC Championship MVP after finishing with 115 rushing yards and one touchdown on 14 attempts … The Golden Bears have won the PSAC Championship three times in the last four seasons … Cal was shutout in the first half for the first time since Week 4 of the 2013 season … The Vulcans have played a team ranked in the top-10 of the AFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll nine times since 2016 … Kutztown played only its second game this season decided by seven points or less