CALIFORNIA (Nov. 30) – The third-seeded Vulcans overcame a 12-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter and then registered a pair of pivotal interceptions in a span of just over a minute to earn a 34-33 win over Ashland in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs at Adamson Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

With the victory, the California (PA) football team improves to 10-2 overall and will host fourth-seeded Slippery Rock in the Super Region One Championship on Saturday, Dec. 7. The Vulcans advance to regional championship for the fifth time in history (2007-09, 2016) after claiming their fourth victory this season by four points or less. Meanwhile, Ashland finishes the campaign with a 9-4 mark after making its second appearance in the NCAA Playoffs in the last three years.

The Vulcans scored three touchdowns in the second half after trailing by a 27-14 margin with 7:47 left in third quarter. Cal finished the game with 434 yards of total offense and registered three interceptions against an Ashland quarterback that went four-straight games without an interception.

Senior quarterback Davis Black posted 275 passing yards on 17-of-27 attempts with three touchdowns and one interception, plus rushed for a touchdown. He accounted for three of his scores in the second half after throwing an interception at the Ashland four-yard line late in the first quarter. Black now sits fifth in single-season school history with 3,224 yards of total offense, plus ranks ninth in single-season school history with 2,858 passing yards.

The Eagles took a 33-21 lead in the opening 90 seconds of the fourth quarter with a 23-yard touchdown run (PAT kick missed). Midway in the quarter, sophomore running back Bobbie Boyd, Jr. scampered 40 yards on the initial play of a drive to advance Cal inside the red zone. Black later connected with senior wide receiver Omari Hopkins for an eight-yard touchdown with 7:01 remaining on third-and-five to cut the deficit to a 33-27 margin (PAT kick missed).

The Vulcans then forced a punt and started the eventual, game-winning drive at their own 33-yard line with 4:35 left to play. Boyd posted a 19-yard run on the opening play of the drive and Black followed with a 48-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Demonte Martin at the 3:49-mark to give Cal its first lead since midway through the second quarter.

Ashland crossed midfield on the next possession before redshirt junior defensive back Rafiqe Hilliard made his first interception since Week 2 of the 2021 season at the Cal 14-yard line with 1:46 remaining. The Vulcans forced the Eagles to call their remaining timeouts on the ensuing possession and punted with 45 seconds left in regulation. Ashland regained possession at its own 47-yard line before junior defensive back Rashan Murray sealed the victory with his team-leading fourth interception of the year on the opening play of the drive.

Boyd finished the game with 95 rushing yards on 15 attempts. He now leads the team with 839 rushing yards in his first year as a starter – the most since Nelson Brown eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in back-to-back years (2018, 2019).

Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Naquan Crowder led the team with a career-high 10 tackles (six solo) and tied his career high of 2.0 TFL. Sophomore defensive back Khalil Taylor finished with six stops, while Hilliard and sophomore defensive lineman Julien Laventure both made five tackles. Laventure also tallied 2.0 TFL in the victory.

The Eagles took a 7-0 lead after scoring on a 36-yard touchdown pass on their opening drive of the game. Cal countered with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Black to Hopkins on fourth-and-five to tie the score at 7-7 with 9:21 left in the first quarter. The Vulcans advanced to the five-yard line of the Eagles on their next drive before an interception two plays later.

Hopkins led the team with a season-high 83 receiving yards and two touchdowns on seven caches. He has caught multiple touchdowns three times this fall and six times over the last two years.

Midway in the second quarter, Cal turned the ball over on downs at the Ashland 31-yard line after converting a third-and-seven and fourth-and-one earlier on the drive. Sophomore linebacker Brandon Choi made his first career interception on the initial play of the Ashland drive and the Vulcans capitalized on the turnover with a 23-yard rushing touchdown by senior Eric McKan III with 5:58 left before halftime. The Eagles responded with a 47-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 14-14 just over two minutes later. Ashland eventually took a 20-14 lead at halftime after completing a 37-yard Hail Mary touchdown on four-and-three as time expired in the second quarter (PAT blocked by Crowder).

The Eagles stretched the lead to 27-14 with a 28-yard touchdown pass with 7:47 remaining in the third quarter. The drive was extended after Cal was penalized for illegal substitution on a punt near midfield. The Vulcans countered with a three-yard touchdown pass from Black to Hopkins at the 3:05 mark, 27-21, after Black found junior wide receiver Eric Willis III for a 39-yard completion two plays earlier.

Cal hosts Slippery Rock in the Super Region One Championship of the NCAA Playoffs on Saturday at Adamson Stadium with kickoff at 1 p.m. The Rock upset top-seeded and No. 3 Kutztown in the second round after successfully converting a hook-and-ladder for a two-point conversion to earn a 25-24 overtime victory.

Notes
The Vulcans have reached double-digit wins for the seventh time in school history, all since 2007 … Willis became the 11th different player to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in a season (1,006) … Black went 152 attempts without throwing an interception, a streak that spanned back to the second quarter in Week 6 at Seton Hill … Black has rushed for at least one touchdown in six-consecutive games and leads the team with 12 rushing touchdowns, the third-most by any player in Super Region One this year … Crowder has combined to make 26 tackles with 4.0 TFL over the last three weeks … Ashland finished the game with 501 yards of total offense, the most allowed by Cal this year … The Eagles converted 32-of-36 PAT kick attempts this year prior to a pair of unsuccessful kicks on Saturday … The Vulcans improve to 8-4 at Adamson Stadium in the NCAA Playoffs … Cal will be facing its second PSAC opponent in the post-season this year and will be playing an opponent for the second time in a season for the first time since 2016 (IUP)