CLARION, Pa. – California (Pa.) scored 28 first-half points while battling a nearly two-hour lightning delay on Saturday afternoon before earning a 41-27 win at Clarion in PSAC West play on Homecoming at Memorial Stadium.
(Photo of Mylique McGriff. Photo courtesy of Clarion University Athletics)
With the victory, Cal football team extends its winning streak to four games and improves to 4-2 overall. The Vulcans remain tied with Slippery Rock for first place in the PSAC West standings with a 3-0 mark in divisional play. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles fall to 4-2 this season behind a 2-1 record in league action. The loss ended a four-game win streak for Clarion.
Cal freshman quarterback Noah Mitchell finished with 204 passing yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-32 attempts with no interceptions. He helped the Vulcans build a 28-6 halftime lead on Saturday after tossing three touchdowns while completing 13-of-17 attempts. Mitchell now has posted 1,829 passing yards on a 60.9 completion percentage (134-of-220) with 13 touchdowns this season.
The Vulcans scored touchdowns on five of their initial seven drives in the first half, including each of their opening three drives. Cal U took a 7-0 lead on the initial drive of the game when junior Nelson Brown scored an eight-yard rushing touchdown with 10:19 left in the quarter. The Golden Eagles countered with a touchdown on the ensuing drive at the 5:37-mark on a Mylique McGriff one-yard run before the PAT attempt was blocked by freshman Gerald Brown. The Vulcans later took a 14-6 lead with 26 seconds left in the quarter when Mitchell connected with senior wide receiver Craig Thompson for an 11-yard touchdown while facing a third-and-10.
At the conclusion of the first quarter, the teams were forced to leave the field for nearly two hours due to lightning. Once play resumed, Cal U needed just four plays in the quarter to take a 21-6 lead when Mitchell found Nelson Brown for a seven-yard touchdown with 13:22 left. The Vulcans then forced a three-and-out and extended the lead to 28-6 on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell to junior wide receiver Chad Livingston at the 9:38-mark. The teams traded field position for the remainder of the first half with redshirt junior linebacker Breon Coke halting a drive by the Golden Eagles inside the red zone with an interception.
McGriff scored his second touchdown for the Golden Eagles on the opening drive of the third quarter to cut the deficit to 28-13 at the 10:28-mark, but Cal U then answered with a 22-yard field goal by sophomore Brian Alsobrooks with 6:49 left in the third quarter.
The Golden Eagles crossed midfield on the next drive before junior defensive back Lamont McPhatter II recorded his fifth interception of the year, matching his total from last year. McPhatter returned the turnover to the Clarion 27-yard line before the Vulcans turned the ball over on downs with just over one minute left in the quarter.
On the second play of the fourth quarter, McPhatter registered a punt block and recovered the loose ball at the Clarion 18-yard line. The Vulcans converted the short field into points with a 33-yard field goal by Alsobrooks with 13:15 remaining. Cal U later stretched the lead to 41-13 on a 1-yard touchdown run by redshirt senior Nick Grissom at the 7:39-mark.
The Golden Eagles scored a touchdown on each of their last two drives to cut the final score to 41-27.
First, Dana Jackson caught a 68-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Clemens and then Khali Weber brought in a six-yard pass from Clemens.
Clemens was 13 of 25 for 282 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Jackson had four catches for 126 yards and a touchdown. McGriff, in his first action since Week Three, ran for 20 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
For Cal, Nelson Brown finished with 88 rushing yards and one touchdown on 19 carries. Sophomore Tyson Hill led the team with 78 receiving yards on eight catches.
NOTES — The Vulcans scored on all seven trips inside the red zone (five touchdowns, two field goals) … Cal U converted 10-of-15 third downs after entering the weekend as the NCAA Division II leader in the category … The teams combined for 22 penalties and 226 penalty yards … The average starting field position for the Vulcans was their own 47-yard line.
