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CALIFORNIA (Nov. 8) – The No. 7 Vulcans secured their position in the NCAA playoffs for a second-straight year on Saturday with a 47-36 victory over No. 17 West Chester University at Adamson Stadium in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship game, which was played for the first time since 1987.

The California University of Pennsylvania football team entered the contest ranked as the No. 1 team in “Super Regional One” and now will await the NCAA selection show tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 9, to see its positioning in the upcoming NCAA playoffs. The top two seeds in all the regions receive a first-round bye and the No. 1 seed holds home-field advantage throughout regional play. The Vulcans now hold a 10-1 overall record, including a 4-1 mark against Top 25 teams. The Golden Rams fall to 8-3 this season with two of their losses to Cal U.

In the victory, graduate student quarterback Kevin McCabe (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland/Virginia) set a single-game school record with 443 passing yards and tied the single-season school record with 25 touchdown passes. The win also tied head coach John Luckhardt for first place in school history with 55 wins, presently sharing the mark with Ted Nemeth (1950-61).

McCabe completed 25-of-34 attempts (73.5 percent) for 443 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. The Harlon Hill Trophy candidate completed passes to six different receivers and threw for 154 yards on 9-of-13 attempts with a touchdown in the third quarter. McCabe, a transfer from Virginia, now ranks third in single-season school history with 2,606 yards in his first year with the Cal U program.

The Vulcans featured a pair of 100-yard receivers in graduate student Marcel Pestano (Lehigh Acres, Fla./Lehigh/Pittsburgh) and junior AJ Jackson (Lehigh Acres, Fla./Lehigh/Sequoias). Pestano finished the game with 170 yards and three touchdowns on a game-high 11 catches, which ties him for second place in single-game school history. Jackson set a career high with 193 receiving yards and a touchdown on six receptions (32.2 yards per catch). His 193 yards ranks as the third-highest total in school history.

The match-up between the two nationally-ranked programs featured over 1,000 yards of combined total offense (Cal U – 640, West Chester – 440). The 73 combined points ranks as the second-highest total in the history of the “State Game,” which was played from 1960-87 before PSAC membership determined to place more emphasis on access into the playoffs, resulting in divisional titles.

The Golden Rams held a 16-13 lead with 4:16 left in the first half before the Vulcans countered with a go-ahead, 1-yard touchdown plunge by junior running back Freddie Bacco (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin). Cal U carried the momentum into the second half, scoring 10 points on its first two possessions of the third quarter. Bacco posted a 3-yard score before the Vulcans recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. The turnover led to a 30-yard field goal by freshman kicker Kevin Hagerman (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland).

The two teams continued to pile up the points with Cal U expanding its lead to 40-29 on a 34-yard field goal by Hagerman. West Chester cut the deficit to 40-36 with a 76-yard punt return by Dan DePalma with 10:17 remaining in the game. The Vulcans responded with an 11-play drive that was capped with a 14-yard touchdown pass from McCabe to Pestano.

West Chester looked to again respond with points, driving the ball to the Cal U 39-yard line before the Vulcans held on to a fourth-down attempt.

Defensive backs Terrence Johnson (Braddock, Pa./Woodland Hills), Josh Menendez (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Chagrin Falls), and Juan Butler (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) all led the defensive effort for the Vulcans with four tackles each. Johnson also registered his team-leading fifth interception of the season against West Chester.

The NCAA will announce the 24-team field for the 2008 football championships tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 9, between 3 and 3:30 p.m. on ESPNNEWS. The bracket will also be available on the NCAA website at the conclusion of the bracket announcement.

Notes:
Golden Rams' wide receiver Mike Washington moved into third place on the NCAA Division II career list with 4,560 receiving yards … Washington, also a Harlon Hill Trophy candidate, finished the game with seven receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown ... With injuries to the top two rushers, junior Windell Brown (Duquesne, Pa./Duquesne) led Cal U with 90 rushing yards on 17 attempts … The Vulcans held a significant advantage in time of possession, collecting 31 first downs on 84 offensive plays to cover over 40 minutes.