CALIFORNIA (Nov. 23) – Senior kicker Anthony Beitko converted the game-winning, 29-yard field goal as time expired on Saturday afternoon, as the third-seeded Vulcans claimed a 30-27 victory over East Stroudsburg in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs at Adamson Stadium.

With the win, the No. 20 California (PA) football team improves to 9-2 this season and will host Ashland (Ohio) of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) in the second round on Saturday, Nov. 30. The Vulcans advance to the second round of the NCAA Playoffs for the first time since 2016 after posting their third win this year by four points or less. Meanwhile, ESU finishes the year with a 10-2 overall record after making a consecutive appearance in the NCAA Playoffs.

Beitko made the walk-off field goal from the middle of the field as time expired in the fourth quarter. He previously converted a season-long 44-yard field goal in the first quarter and added a 20-yard field goal late in the second quarter. Beitko also broke the all-time school record for points by a kicker on Saturday, becoming only the second player in program history to reach 300 career points. The McKeesport product has converted 50-of-58 field goals in his career to become just the fourth kicker in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) history to make at least 50 field goals.

The Vulcans scored on all three of their possessions in the second half and tallied points on six of their seven drives on Saturday (excluding kneel at end of first half). Cal finished with 390 yards of total offense after converting 9-of-13 third downs and maintained possession for nearly 32 minutes.

Senior quarterback Davis Black posted 239 passing yards on 23-of-27 attempts with no interceptions. He also added 33 rushing yards on 10 attempts, including a pair of touchdowns. The PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Year, Black ranks third in the league with 11 rushing touchdowns this fall after tallying at least one rushing score in five-consecutive games.

Cal tied the score at 27-27 with 12:44 left in the fourth quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by Black and a successful two-point conversion pass from Black to senior wide receiver Omari Hopkins. ESU then mounted a nearly eight-minute drive and was just outside the red zone before a pair of penalties forced a third-and-25 from the Cal 36-yard line. The Warriors completed a 21-yard pass to prompt a potential go-ahead, 32-yard field goal with 4:45 remaining; however, the kick hit off the left upright.

The Vulcans picked up a pair of first downs and were at their own 45-yard line at the two-minute timeout. Two plays later, Black found Hopkins for an 18-yard completion on third-and-three to advance to the ESU 30-yard line. Black then connected with senior wide receiver Demonte Martin for a nine-yard gain before a penalty on the next play advanced the ball the 11-yard line. After a pair of ESU timeouts, Cal centered the ball in the middle of the field for the game-winning field goal by Beitko as time expired.

Defensively, sophomore linebacker Samuel Hobbs led the team with eight tackles (six solo) in his fourth career start. Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Naquan Crowder finished with seven stops (four solo), 2.0 TFL and 1.0 sack, while sophomore defensive back Keith Charney posted five tackles (four solo) and 1.0 TFL.

ESU, which entered play as both the top-ranked scoring offense and rushing offense in the PSAC, took a 7-0 lead on the initial drive of the game with a 44-yard rushing touchdown. The Vulcans responded with a 44-yard field goal by Beitko that capped a 12-play drive with 5:56 left in the first quarter. The Warriors were then held to a three-and-out before the Vulcans took a 10-7 lead when sophomore running back Bobbie Boyd, Jr. posted a 15-yard touchdown run on the opening play of the second quarter.

The Warriors countered with a three-yard rushing touchdown on the ensuing possession to reclaim the lead by a 14-10 margin with 9:01 left before halftime. Cal later cut the deficit to 14-13 on a 20-yard field goal by Beitko with 1:48 remaining in the second quarter. ESU successfully converted a two-minute drill with a three-yard touchdown pass to take a 21-13 lead into the break.

On the opening drive of the second half, Cal scored on a one-yard touchdown run by Black before an unsuccessful two-point conversion left the score at 21-19 at the 10:22-mark. The Warriors responded with a 12-play, 90-yard touchdown drive but missed the PAT attempt to leave the score at 27-19 with 3:52 left in the third quarter.

The Vulcans host G-MAC Champion Ashland in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs on Saturday at Adamson Stadium with kickoff at 1 p.m. The Eagles upset second-seeded and No. 6 Charleston (WV) in the opening round – also on a field goal as time expired in regulation.

NOTES: ESU was 48-of-49 on PAT attempts this season prior to the miss in the third quarter … Boyd finished a team-leading 77 rushing yards on 16 attempts … Martin led the team with 56 receiving yards on five catches … Black completed passes to eight different players in the victory … Cal has won at least nine games four times in eight seasons under head coach Gary Dunn … The Vulcans hold a 7-4 record at Adamson Stadium in the NCAA Playoffs … Cal will be facing a current G-MAC member for the first time since the 2018 season-opener … Ashland will mark the third conference champion on the schedule for the Vulcans this year