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CALIFORNIA (Nov. 20) – The No. 7 Vulcans rallied for a last-minute touchdown against No. 20 Bloomsburg, but suffered a 28-26 loss on Saturday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs at Adamson Stadium after being unable to convert the ensuing two-point conversion and onside kick.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania football team finishes the season with a 10-2 mark after making its fourth-straight appearance in the NCAA post-season. Meanwhile, Bloomsburg improves to 10-2 this year and will travel to second-seeded Mercyhurst on Nov. 27 for the second round of the playoffs. The Huskies and Vulcans have now met six times in the last five seasons with Bloomsburg having won four times.

Senior quarterback Josh Portis (Woodland Hills, Calif./William H. Taft/Maryland) posted his fifth career 300-yard game, finishing with 300 yards and three touchdowns (27, 29, 28) on 26-of-48 attempts. Against the Huskies, he set the all-time school record with 69 passing touchdowns to surpass the previous mark of 67 set by Joe Ruggiero (2004-07). In only two years with the program, Portis finished his career also ranked fourth with 6,072 passing yards and posted the top two single-season touchdown performances (36, 33).

Junior wide receiver Chedrick Cherry (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) caught a pair of scores (27, 28) to finish the year with a career-high 13 touchdowns. He tied his career high with eight receptions for 130 yards, his fourth 100-yard game of the season.

The Vulcans held a six-point lead entering the fourth quarter before the Huskies took a 21-20 lead with 9:19 remaining on a 57-yard pass from tight end Ben Weaber to sophomore Kyle Fisher. Quarterback Pat Carey tossed to Weaber behind the line of scrimmage and Weaber then found Fisher downfield for the go-ahead score.

On the ensuing drive, Cal U was forced back to punt from its own three-yard line following a penalty and back-to-back sacks. After a penalty on the return, Huskies' redshirst freshman Franklyn Quiteh scampered 38 yards for a touchdown with 5:32 left in the game.

The nation's leading rusher and a Harlon Hill regional candidate, Quiteh finished the game with 141 yards and two scores on the ground. He enters next week only 117 yards shy of reaching 2,000 rushing yards this season.

The Vulcans responded with a 14-play, 93-yard drive capped with 28-yard touchdown from Portis to Cherry. Cal U converted a pair of third downs through the air with Portis finding wide receivers Terrance Moore (Key West, Fla./Key West/Mesa C.C.) and Mike Williams (Hershey, Pa./Milton Hershey) for first downs. The comeback attempt seemed over when Portis failed to connect on a four-and-10 from the Bloomsburg 42-yard line; however, the Huskies were penalized for pass interference that resulted in an automatic first down. Following the touchdown, Portis was unable to complete a pass for the two-point conversion. Cal U was then unable to recover the ensuing on-side kick and Bloomsburg ran out the clock to seal the two-point victory.

Defensively, senior linebacker Anthony Roberts (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg/Iowa Central C.C.) led the team with nine tackles (two solo) with 1.0 sack and sophomore defensive back Rontez Miles (Braddock, Pa./Woodland Hills) added eight stops (three solo). Senior defensive back Tommie Campbell (Aliquippa, Pa./Aliquippa/Edinboro) made a pair of interceptions, while junior defensive back Shawn Anderson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) registered his team-best fifth interception of the year.

With the score tied at 7-7 in the final minutes of the first half, Cal U marched 44 yards on 10 plays and took the lead on a 30-yard field goal by senior kicker Marc Domonkos (Johnstown, Pa./Bishop McCort) as time expired. Following the break, Domonkos gave the Vulcans a 13-7 lead with a career-long 46-yard field goal with 6:57 left in the third quarter.

Bloomsburg responded with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Carey to sophomore Ryan Dickerson to take a slim 14-13 lead. On the ensuing drive, Portis broke the school touchdown record when he connected with Moore for a 29-yard score with 35 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Notes:
The last six meetings between the Vulcans and Huskies have been decided by single digits five times … Cal U had five scoring drives of 90-plus yards this season … Domonkos finished his career with 168 points, second-most among kickers in school history … Senior center Nick Piccirillo (Mayfield, Ohio/Mayfield) made his 51st consecutive start … Cal U was limited to a season-low 54 rushing yards, its lowest total since Oct. 2005 … The Vulcans' seniors finished their career as the winningest class in school history at 46-9 overall (.836)