November 30th, 2024 3:40pm
CALIFORNIA (Nov. 30) – The third-seeded Vulcans overcame a 12-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter and then registered a pair of pivotal interceptions in a span of just over a minute to earn a 34-33 win over Ashland in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs at Adamson Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
With the victory, the California (PA) football team improves to 10-2 overall and will host fourth-seeded Slippery Rock in the Super Region One Championship on Saturday, Dec. 7. The Vulcans advance to regional championship for the fifth time in history (2007-09, 2016) after claiming their fourth victory this season by four points or less. Meanwhile, Ashland finishes the campaign with a 9-4 mark after making its second appearance in the NCAA Playoffs in the last three years.
The Vulcans scored three touchdowns in the second half after trailing by a 27-14 margin with 7:47 left in third quarter. Cal finished the game with 434 yards of total offense and registered three interceptions against an Ashland quarterback that went four-straight games without an interception.
Senior quarterback Davis Black posted 275 passing yards on 17-of-27 attempts with three touchdowns and one interception, plus rushed for a touchdown. He accounted for all three of his scores in the second half after throwing an interception at the Ashland four-yard line late in the first quarter. Black now sits fifth in single-season school history with 3,224 yards of total offense, plus ranks ninth in single-season school history with 2,858 passing yards.
The Eagles took a 33-21 lead in the opening 90 seconds of the fourth quarter with a 23-yard touchdown run (PAT kick missed). Midway in the quarter, sophomore running back Bobby Boyd, Jr. scampered 40 yards on the initial play of a drive to advance Cal inside the red zone. Black later connected with senior wide receiver Omari Hopkins for an eight-yard touchdown with 7:01 remaining on third-and-five to cut the deficit to a 33-27 margin (PAT kick missed).
The Vulcans then forced a punt and started the eventual, game-winning drive at their own 33-yard line with 4:35 left to play. Boyd posted a 19-yard run on the opening play of the drive and Black followed with a 48-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Demonte Martin at the 3:49-mark to give Cal its first lead since midway through the second quarter.
Ashland crossed midfield on the next possession before redshirt junior defensive back Rafiqe Hilliard made his first interception since Week 2 of the 2021 season at the Cal 14-yard line with 1:46 remaining. The Vulcans forced the Eagles to call their remaining timeouts on the ensuing possession and punted with 45 seconds left in regulation. Ashland regained possession at its own 47-yard line before junior defensive back Rashan Murray sealed the victory with his team-leading fourth interception of the year on the opening play of the drive.
Boyd finished the game with 95 rushing yards on 15 attempts. He now leads the team with 839 rushing yards in his first year as a starter – the most since Nelson Brown eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in back-to-back years (2018, 2019).