Final Stats

California rallied from a 15-0 deficit in the fourth quarter and withstood 42-yard field goal attempt by Craig Burgess (Medina, Ohio/Highland) in the first overtime period to post an 18-15 victory over IUP in the 2nd Annual Coal Bowl Saturday at Adamson Stadium.

IUP dropped its fourth straight and fourth in a row to the Vulcans and is 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the PSAC West. California, ranked No. 12 in the American Football Coaches Association poll, rebounded from its first loss of the season last week at Mercyhurst to improve to 8-1 and 5-1 in the division.

The Crimson Hawks must win their final two games at home vs. Lock Haven and West Chester to avoid their second straight losing season after not finishing below the .500 mark from 1983-2008.

In the first overtime period, IUP held California on three downs after the Vulcans reached the 4-yard line, and Marc Domonkos kicked a 17-yard field goal to give the hosts their first lead of the game. Three Crimson Hawk plays did not produce a yard, and Burgess pushed a potential tying field goal wide left from 42 yards out to give the Vulcans the win.

IUP had won all seven of its previous overtime games. The four-game losing streak to California is the longest for the Crimson Hawks vs. a PSAC West opponent since dropping five in a row to Clarion from 1977-81.

Trailing 15-0, California drove 82 yards on 11 plays, including a 3rd-and-13 conversion on a 22-yard pass from Josh Portis to Mike Williams. The duo connected again on a 19-yard scoring pass that cut the IUP lead to 15-7 with 10:11 remaining in regulation.

After neither team was able to score on their next possession, the Vulcans took over at their 39 with 2:16 left. California converted a fourth down on a 12-yard pass to Blake Williamson and a 3rd-and-10 on a 13-yard run by Portis to the IUP 2. The 13-play, 61-yard drive culminated with a 1-yard pass to Chedrick Cherry with just 5.2 seconds on the clock.

Portis then scrambled to his right and threw back across the field to a wide open Cherry in the back of the end zone for the 2-point conversion that forced overtime. Prior to their final two drives, the Vulcans had managed only 128 yards of total offense against a stingy IUP defense.

Harvie Tuck (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary) led the Crimson Hawk offense with 112 yards on 28 carries including a 44-yard run that moved to ball to the California 1 in the first quarter. But the Vulcans held IUP out of the end zone on four plays, with Tuck stopped on fourth down. It was still scoreless when the Crimson Hawks took over at their 33 as the first quarter came to a close.

Facing a 4th-and-4, Jared Kaufmann (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) passed out of punt formation and completed a 10-yard pass to Evan Battallio (Norristown/Norristown) to keep the drive alive. Tuck squeezed out a first down on a 4th-and-2 run to the California 19, and then scored from the 1 with 3:12 left in the first half. Burgess missed the extra point to leave IUP in front 6-0.

It stayed that way at halftime when Domonkos missed a 27-yard field goal with 56 seconds remaining before intermission, but IUP added to its lead at the outset of the second half when Terrell Washington blocked a Derek Fiorenza punt, scooped it up at the California 7 and went untouched into the end zone to make it 13-0 with less than two minutes expired in the third quarter.

IUP could not move the ball after the free kick, and Kaufmann sent his punt out of bounds at the California 2. That led to two more points when Larry Gooden (McKeesport/McKeesport) sacked Portis in the end zone to increase the Crimson Hawk lead to 15-0 with 10:18 left in the third quarter. IUP reached the Vulcan 33 on its next drive, but Erik Harris picked off a Bo Napoleon (Carson, Calif./Carson) pass to spark the California comeback.

Portis completed 21 of 31 passes for 210 yards but was sacked five times, including three by Mike Gee (Englewood, N.J./Dwight Morrow), to keep IUP in the game. Gee, who had nine tackles, has three-straight multiple sack games and a total of seven in that span. Mike Katch (Lansdale/North Penn) paced the Crimson Hawks with 12 tackles.