CALIFORNIA, Pa. – The Rock gave sixth-ranked California (Pa.) a stiff challenge Saturday afternoon before being handed a 31-10 loss in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division action.

 

The Vulcans rode touchdown drives on three successive second-period possessions to their eighth win in nine games this fall and sixth in as many PSAC contests.

 

The hosts outgained SRU by a 386-247 margin in total yards behind a 212-191 rushing advantage and a 174-56 passing difference.

 

Rock sophomore running back Ryan Lehmeier (pictured above) rushed for a game-high 141 yards on 13 carries and also completed six of 16 passes for 49 yards with one interception in The Rock's version of the “Wild Hog” attack popularized last fall by the Arkansas Razorbacks.

 

Saturday's loss came one week after SRU – which is now 4-5 overall and 2-4 in division action -- dropped a 35-14 decision to then-No. 15 Edinboro in The Rock homecoming game.

 

Next week, The Rock hosts division rival Lock Haven in a 1 p.m. game at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium.

 

The following week, SRU alumnus Denny Douds leads East Stroudsburg into Thompson Stadium for the season finale.

 

Douds, a 1963 Rock graduate and 1991 SRU Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, is the PSAC's all-time leader in victories with a 216-142-3 mark in 35 seasons as ESU's head coach.

 

Saturday, The Rock defense “bent but did not break” on California's first two offensive series, then held the Vulcans to a field goal on their third drive.

 

The Green and White offense then quickly got the attention of the hosts' defense as Lehmeier scampered 80 yards to the Cal 4-yard line on the first play from scrimmage following the kickoff. Senior running back Corey Manfull burst into the end zone on the next play to give The Rock a 7-3 lead with :03 left in the first period.

 

That seemed to wake a sleeping giant, though, as the Vulcans scored touchdowns on each of their next three possessions to take a 24-7 lead with 1:49 left in the first half.

 

A 28-yard field goal by Rock sophomore kicking specialist #C.J. Bahr# with :05 left before intermission trimmed the deficit to 24-10 at halftime. The boot capped a 13-play, 50-yard drive by The Rock.

 

The Rock finished the first half of action with 193 yards in total offense, 148 on rushing attempts and 45 on passes. The Green and White gained 134 of those yards in their two scoring drives and managed a total of 59 yards on five non-scoring drives.

 

Lehmeier had 108 rushing yards on eight carries in the first half and was also 4-for-11 passing for 38 yards in The Rock's version of the Wild-Hog attack popularized last fall by the Arkansas Razorbacks.

 

Rock starting quarterback Brandon Frohnapple was 1-for-3 passing for seven yards and had one rushing attempt for two yards in the first half.

 

California had 265 total yards at intermission, 147 rushing and 118 passing in the opening two periods.

 

An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against The Rock on the final play of the first half forced Bahr to kick off from his own 15-yard line and allowed California to start its first second-half drive at The Rock 41. But the Vulcans were unable to generate anything from the opportunity and turned the ball over on downs at that spot.

 

That set the stage for a defense-dominated final 30 minutes of action.

 

Neither team generated any offense to speak of on their initial second-half possession before California marched 92 yards in 15 plays and ate up eight minutes of time to extend its lead to 31-10 with 2:45 left in the third period.

 

The Rock had two potential second-half scoring drives killed by turnovers.

 

The first came on SRU's possession following California's scoring march and ended when Lehmeier was stripped of the football at the Vulcans 48.

 

The second came midway through the final period, when a Lehmeier pass attempt was picked off at the Vulcans 9.