CALIFORNIA, Pa. – A 39-yard field goal with 55 seconds remaining gave 15th-ranked California (Pa.) a 31-28 lead, and a pass with under 10 seconds left was ruled down in the field of play as sixth-ranked IUP football fell to the rival Vulcans in the eighth annual Coal Bowl.
 
The loss was the first of the year for the Crimson Hawks, who led 28-21 in the fourth quarter before Cal scored 10 unanswered to earn the win. IUP is now 4-1 overall on the year and 2-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division.
 
Cal is now the only unbeaten in the conference, improving to 5-0, and has sole possession of first in the division at 3-0.
 
IUP grabbed a 28-21 lead late in the third quarter on a 20-yard run by redshirt sophomore quarterback Lenny Williams, Jr. The Vulcans came back to tie the game on a five yard scramble by their quarterback, Michael Keir, with 9:15 to play in the game.
 
Williams and Keir entered the weekend ranked 1-2 in Division II in passer efficiency.
 
On the ensuing IUP drive, however, Williams suffered an injury on a five yard run and was lost for the remainder of the game.
 
The Vulcans took over at their own five yard line after the injury, and put together a 12-play, 73-yard drive that ended in a career-long field goal by Will Brazill with under a minute to play. The drive lasted 5:45 and included one third down conversion as well as a 37-yard pass from Keir to receiver Garry Brown on a second-and-25.
 
IUP backup quarterback Mike Pietropola worked the Crimson Hawks down the field, ripping off scrambles of 10 and 22 yards to get into Cal territory with the clock ticking down. On third and long with under 10 seconds to play, Pietropola found wideout Chris Wuestner along the sideline, who appeared to work his way out-of-bounds at the Vulcans' 31-yard line. The side judge ruled Wuestner down in the field of play, winding the clock as time ran out and Cal came up with the victory.
 
Williams finished his injury-shortened night going 12-of-24 with 162 yards through the air, tossing a touchdown and an interception. He also tallied his first 100-yard rushing game of the year, running 17 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Pietropola was 1-of-3 passing for 15 yards and had three rushes for 25 yards.
 
Keir was named the game's MVP, finishing 19-of-39 for 308 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He also ran for 30 yards and two scores.
 
The Crimson Hawks ran for 235 yards on the night, but were outgained by Cal 481-to-412 in total yardage. Both teams combined for 19 penalties for 158 yards, including 12 for 115 by the Vulcans.
 
Three IUP penalties proved costly early on, as Cal took a 14-0 lead in the opening quarter. The Crimson Hawks owned the second quarter, scoring three straight touchdowns to take a 21-14 lead with less than a minute to play before the half.
 
Williams accounted for two of those scores, running in a draw from nine yards out while also finding receiver JoJo Gause for a seven yard touchdown pass. The third score came as he flipped to slot receiver Allen Wright, who ran the reverse to perfection and crossed the goal line from 22 yards out.
 
Wright, a converted defensive back, also finished with a career-high seven receptions for 97 yards in his first career start at wide receiver.
 
The Vulcans capitalized on a short kickoff, and put together back-to-back pass plays of 33 and 22 yards to get down to the IUP 10-yard line with 17 seconds left in the half. Two plays and two timeouts later, Keir punched it in from two yards out and the game went into the break tied 21-21.
 
Both teams excelled on third down conversion, as IUP went 11-of-17 and Cal was 9-of-16. The Vulcans owned time of possession 34:10 to 25:50, keeping the ball for a total of 19:32 in the second half alone.
 
The IUP defense limited the Vulcans to their worst offensive output of the year. Linebacker Kevin Clarke finished with a season-high 16 tackles, while strong safety Steve Franco had 10 stops and had an interception, a pick at the goal line in the third quarter to end a Cal drive.
 
Linebacker Myles Catlin and free safety Takhi Turner each had eight tackles as the IUP defense broke up six passes and picked off two more. Defensive tackle Jordan Diven had the Crimson Hawks' first pick, a play that came during IUP's first half run and helped change the momentum.
 
This was just the second time in the eight year Coal Bowl history that both teams entered ranked in the national top 25. The only other such meeting came in 2012, with sixth-ranked California defeated 14th-ranked IUP 26-24 on a field goal with three seconds left. That game was also played at Cal's Adamson Stadium.
 
The Vulcans have won six of the eight Coal Bowls, including the first four from 2009-12. IUP won the Coal Pail Trophy in 2013 and 2015, both home games.
 
The Crimson Hawks return home next weekend to host 19th-ranked Slippery Rock on Homecoming. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
 
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP football on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPfootball.