CALIFORNIA (Sept. 26) – Facing the highest scoring offense in the country, the Vulcans raced out to a 13-point lead before suffering a 41-26 loss against No. 10 Slippery Rock on Saturday afternoon to open Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.
NOTES
• The Vulcans (2-2, 0-1) and The Rock have split the last four meetings in the series over the last three years with the teams playing twice in 2024.
• Slippery Rock entered the weekend averaging 58.0 points per game and 562.7 yards of total offense per game, which was second-most in the nation.
• Senior linebacker
Wilfredo Diaz led the team with a season-high 14 tackles (10 solo) and 2.5 TFL.
• Junior linebacker
Tajuan Bandy and sophomore defensive back
Ruben Gordon, Jr. both added five stops.
• Senior quarterback
Eric Gibson, Jr. finished with 237 passing yards and one touchdown on 21-of-44 attempts with two interceptions.
• Sophomore
Lloyd Penn posted seven receptions for 84 yards, while classmate
Kenny Lewis IV added 77 receiving yards on seven catches and one touchdown.
• Senior
Amire Spencer led all players with 85 receiving yards on five catches with one touchdown.
• Junior
Bobbie Boyd, Jr. finished with 87 rushing yards and one touchdown on 16 attempts.
• The Vulcans and The Rock were whistled for a combined 22 penalties totaling 251 yards.
• Cal finished with a nine-plus minute advantage in time of possession after maintaining possession for over 21 minutes in the first half.
• Slippery Rock senior JayJay Jordan was held to 66 rushing yards on 17 attempts after entering the weekend as the league leader with 131.0 rushing yards per game.
• Rock junior quarterback DaOne Owens finished with four total touchdowns (two rushing) and 245 passing yards, plus 116 rushing yards on nine carries.
RECAP
• Cal scored on its opening possession of the game when Gibson found Spencer for a 30-yard touchdown with 10:37 left in the first quarter.
• The Vulcans added to the lead with a 22-yard field goal by junior
Harry Radcliffe at the 4:57-mark.
• Cal halted the next Slippery Rock drive with an interception by sophomore defensive back
Donte London at the Vulcans' 2-yard line before Radcliffe converted a 27-yard field goal with 13:00 left in the second quarter.
• The Rock then scored touchdowns on three-consecutive drives over a seven-minute span to take a 21-13 lead with Owens scoring on touchdown runs of 45 yards and 53 yards.
• Slippery Rock looked to add to the lead late in the third quarter before sophomore
Micah Smith blocked a 32-yard field goal at the 4:27-mark.
• The Vulcans cut the deficit to 21-19 when Boyd scored on a 20-yard touchdown run with 2:01 left in the quarter (two-point conversion failed).
• On the second play of the fourth quarter, Slippery Rock scored on a two-yard touchdown run by Jordan before Smith blocked the PAT attempt, 27-19.
• The Rock added touchdowns on its next two drives to extend the lead to a 41-19 margin with 6:01 left to play.
• Cal scored the final points of the game when senior quarterback
Sam Stoner found Lewis for a five-yard touchdown at the 1:13-mark.
NEXT
• Cal returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 3, when it travels to face Seton Hill in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, at 4 p.m.
• The Griffins (1-3, 0-1) opened the year with a pair of losses by a combined 11 points before dropping a 35-7 contest at IUP on Saturday.
