CALIFORNIA, Pa. – Being less than a quarter away from a first-ever NCAA Division II second-round playoff win, the No. RV Ashland University football team lost 34-33 to No. 20 California, Pa., on Saturday (Nov. 30) afternoon.
The Eagles' season ends at 9-4, and the Vulcans move on at 10-3.
"I'm extremely proud of our team, the way they fight," said Ashland head coach
Doug Geiser. "They fought like real Ashland men, and right until the end, they didn't give a real good Cal team anything. They made them earn everything."
The Vulcans went three-and-out to open the game, and the ensuing punt put the Eagles at their 35 to start their first drive. Senior quarterback
Trevor Bycznski found redshirt freshman wide receiver
Luke Brenner for a 36-yard touchdown pass, after Brenner broke an initial tackle attempt.
Brenner's first collegiate TD put Ashland up 7-0 just 3:30 into the game.
On its second drive of the game, California went for it on fourth down, and the result was a tying 37-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Davis Black to wide receiver Omari Hopkins at the 9:21 mark of the opening period.
The Vulcans went no-huddle on their third drive, but the possession ended on an interception by junior safety
Bobby Young at the four-yard line. Cal then took nearly seven minutes in the second quarter on another drive, but the Eagles forced a turnover on downs at the 30.
On the next play, the Vulcans got the ball back on an interception at Ashland's 33 – and the short field led to a 23-yard scoring run by running back Eric McKan III.
Trailing 14-7 inside of the six-minute mark of the first half, the Eagles started their next drive at the one-yard line following the ensuing kickoff. No matter, as sophomore tailback
Ty'aris Stevenson ended the 99-yard drive with a 47-yard touchdown run to knot the score at 14.
Then, with 89 yards to go and less than two minutes in which to do it, a 40-yard run by sophomore tailback
Olando Kamara set up a 37-yard Hail Mary major from Bycznski to junior wide receiver
Tyler Davis – giving AU a 20-14 lead despite a blocked extra point going into the warmth of the locker room.
"It's something we practice every single Thursday," Geiser noted. "You practice it with the hope that you don't have to use it."
Davis said, "I'm running down the field, and I saw the ball was thrown a little more left on my side. I made a play, jumped up and caught it."
Ashland's second drive of the third quarter was aided by a Cal fourth-down penalty, then a tipped pass which landed in Davis' hands at the Vulcan 28-yard line. On the next play, Bycznski's third TD toss of the day – a 28-yarder to senior wide receiver
Tony Pannunzio – extended the Eagle advantage to 27-14.
California came back with a long drive of its own, and made the score 27-21 on a three-yard touchdown pass from Black to Hopkins. But, for the second consecutive week in a postseason game, Kamara went in for a TD on a fourth-quarter run – this one from 23 yards out – to extend the Ashland lead to 33-21 with 13:43 to go after another missed PAT.
The Vulcans weren't going to go away, as they marched down the field and scored on Black's eight-yard scramble – leaving AU ahead at 33-27 with 7:01 to play thanks to Cal's own missed kick.
An incomplete third-down pass and a 19-yard punt left the Vulcans with the ball at their 33 with 4:35 left. Black's third TD pass – a 48-yarder to wide receiver Demonte Martin – put California ahead, 34-33, after a drive which took just 46 seconds.
At the two-minute timeout, Ashland had the ball at the Vulcan 45. The Eagle rally ended when Cal safety Rafiqe Hilliard intercepted a pass at the 14-yard line. AU then forced a punt with 45 ticks to go, leaving a chance with no time outs from its 47.
Cal cornerback Rashan Murray, however, picked off a pass at the 15-yard line to end the contest.
…AND THE REST OF THE STORY
- Davis had his first 100-yard receiving game, ending with seven catches for 141 yards and the Hail Mary score.
- Bycznski was 19-for-31 for 319 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.
- Kamara ran 19 times for 113 yards and a score.
- "I want to thank the Lord for this opportunity," Kamara said. "I want to thank the seniors, the offensive line, the whole coaching staff for believing in me."
- Saturday's game started with a temperature of 25 with a touch of snow.
