Vulcans score 35 unanswered points in 44-23 win
Evan Sanders
California University of Pennsylvania quarterback Michael Keir (15) looks for an open receiver in the first half of the Vulcans’ NCAA Division II playoff game against Indiana University of Pennsylvania played at Adamson Stadium on Saturday.
Evan Sanders
A host of California University of Pa. defenders (red uniforms) brings IUP running back Chris Temple (27) to the ground in the first half of the Vulcans’ NCAA Division II playoff game against the Crimson Hawks played at Adamson Stadium.
California (Pa.) wide receiver Garry Brown (9) holds on to a pass from quarterback Michael Keir over Indiana (Pa.) defender Mikale Makle (1) in the end zone during the first half of Cal U’s NCAA Division II playoff game against the Crimson Hawks last Saturday at Adamson Stadium.
CALIFORNIA — Trailing 17-0 in the early stages of the second quarter, California University of Pa. rattled off 35 straight points to claim its first postseason victory since 2011, 44-23, over Indiana University of Pa. Saturday afternoon in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs at Adamson Stadium.
After receiving a first-round bye in the playoffs, the Vulcans (11-0) defeated their PSAC West rival for the second time this season and the ninth time in the past 13 meetings against IUP.
“I’m really proud of our guys,” Cal coach Garry Dunn said. “We dug ourselves into an early hole, but I never doubted that our guys could rally back. We were a little tense for this one, and I told the guys to just relax. The coaching staff did a tremendous job with adjustments and our guys made a lot of key plays. We played well in spurts and played well with emotions.”
Cal, which entered the contest ranked sixth in this week’s AFCA Top 25 poll, advances to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2009. The Vulcans will host Shepard, West Virginia, (12-0) next Saturday.
After the Crimson Hawks (10-2) scored the first 10 points of the opening quarter and began the second quarter with a 31-yard touchdown run by Samir Bullock, the Vulcans cut the deficit to 17-7 after an eight-yard scoring toss to Garry Brown from Michael Keir.
“They threw some things at us in the secondary that we didn’t expect early on in the game,” Keir said. “They got some pressure on us and we had to adjust to it. Once we got into the game and ran our offense, we settled into the game.”
Cal’s special teams recorded a critical play on the next drive, as Dymond Thomas blocked a punt and the home team corralled the ball at the 12-yard line.
“We had a good start,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said. “We thought we could jump on them early after their bye week. They just started to chip away and that blocked punt was huge for them. We couldn’t sustain any drives the rest of the way and they have a lot of weapons on offense that we couldn’t contain.”
On the next play Jalen Bell rumbled for a 12-yard score and the Vulcans took their first lead of the day after a four-yard touchdown pass to Luke Smorey from Keir with 19 seconds left before halftime.
Cal opened the third quarter with an 11-play, 68-yard drive that was capped off by a one-yard touchdown pass from Keir to Paul Butler.
Ryan McCauley scored a four-yard touchdown run to start the fourth quarter for Cal, but IUP countered with another touchdown.
After a failed onside kick attempt by the visitors, Cal cemented the postseason triumph with a 15-yard scoring lob to Brown from Keir with 3:52 left in the regulation.
Luke Hrpachak, who had a team-high 11 tackles for the Vulcans, collected a sack in the end zone for the final points of the afternoon with 2:26 remaining in the game.
“We were a little too amped for this one,” Hrapchak said. “We had to settle in and read our assignments. They surprise us at first with a wildcat formation and some trick plays, but we kept calm and played our game. We had to tackle their skilled guys in space. IUP is a good team.”
Keir finished his day with 274 yards on 23-of-28 passing. With his four touchdowns, Keir broke the Cal single-season record with 39 touchdowns. The junior signal caller has had a touchdown in all 11 games this season and has 21 scoring tosses over the last six games.
“We had a good flow on offense,” Keir said. “You got to give a lot of credit to our receivers and our offensive line. They picked it up at the line and our receivers were getting separation. We have a great group on offense and they make my job a lot easier.”
Brown hauled in 11 receptions for 129 yards, while Nick Grissom led Cal with 65 rushing yards.
“Our plan early on was to attack them vertically with our passing game,” Dunn said. “We hit a couple of big pass plays early on and that moved their corners back. We started to hit some curls and slants because they were playing back against us. We just kept on attacking them and we got some good balance on offense in the second half with different guys stepping up.”