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SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- Slippery Rock University rode a length-of the-field scoring drive by its offense and a goal-line stand by its No. 1-ranked defense late in the first half of action Saturday afternoon to a 17-3 win over 14th-ranked California (Pa.) in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division football action at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.

As a result of the win, The Rock (6-1 overall, 4-0 PSAC-West, who received votes in last week's American Football Coaches Association Division II national poll, assumed sole possession of first place in the PSAC-West standings.

The Rock hold a one-game lead over both California (5-2, 3-1) and Indiana (4-2, 3-1) with three division games left to play. The winner of the PSAC-West title earns a berth in the Nov. 12 PSAC Championship game.

SRU marched 97 yards in 17 plays and ate up almost six minutes of time to erase an early 3-0 California lead. Senior quarterback Cody Endres connected with sophomore running back Jimmy Zubik for a two-yard touchdown to cap the drive. Junior kicking specialist Kurt Brackman's extra-point kick pushed The Rock lead to 7-3 with 1:16 left before halftime.

California came right back to march 69 yards in seven plays and had a first-and-goal opportunity on The Rock 10-yard line, but came up dry despite being aided by three defensive holding penalties on the hosts in the span of four plays. On the final play of the first half, California running back Jeff Knox was stopped shy of the goal line on a first-and-goal from The Rock 1.

"That was the turning point of the game," 24-year Rock head coach George Mihalik said after the game. "If they had scored there, they would have had the momentum heading into halftime. But when we stopped them, the momentum was on our side."

California, which continually shot itself in the foot in the form of seven penalties for 84 yards in the final 15 minutes, never got closer to The Rock goal line than the hosts' 42-yard line in the second half of action.

The Vulcans finished the game with 127 yards on 12 penalties, while The Rock had 62 yards stepped off on nine penalties.

The Rock built upon its 7-3 halftime lead with 10 second-half points. Brackman booted a 35-yard field goal with 9:07 left in the third period to make it a 10-3 game before Endres connected with senior wide receiver Geron James for a 19-yard TD with 2:40 left in the third stanza to push the margin to its final 14-point difference.

California, behind a 22-of-53, 204-yard passing effort by quarterback Peter Lalich, outgained SRU by a 273-236 margin in total offense.

Endres was 22-for-42 passing for 147 yards and two TDs, but had four passes picked off by Vulcans defenders. Zubik, who made his first start of the season in place of injured regular Akeem Satterfield, rushed for 63 yards on 21 carries and also caught a team-high eight passes for 18 yards and a TD.

Endres completed passes to six different receivers. Senior wideout Devin Goda caught five passes for 48 yards, senior wideout Kevin Sanders latched onto four passes for 25 yards, redshirt freshman wideout Ken Amos caught two passes for 36 yards and James had two catches for 20 yards.

Chedrick Cherry caught a team-high seven passes for 55 yards for California. All-America candidate Thomas Mayo, who entered the game averaging a PSAC-best seven catches for 125.8 yards per game (2nd in PSAC), was held to six catches for 69 yards.

Senior linebacker Zach Sheridan recorded a team-high nine tackles, including one quarterback sack (-9 yards), and recovered a fumble to lead The Rock defensive effort. Senior free safety Brandon Watters picked off a Lalich pass for his 11th career interception and redshirt sophomore cornerback Anthony Saunders caused the fumble which Sheridan recovered.

The Rock and Vulcans combined to turn the ball over seven times, including a span in which there were three miscues in the span of five plays early in the first period. Endres had a pass picked off by Shawn Anderson to kill The Rock's first drive of the game at the hosts' 27-yard line, but three plays later SRU had the ball back thanks to the fumble caused by Saunders and recovered by Sheridan. On the very next play, Rock running back LaQuinn Stephens-Howling got separated from the football by Marcus Cook and California had the ball back thanks to a recovery by Thomas Mulabah.

Mulabah's recovery at The Rock 23-yard line set up the Vulcans' only scoring drive of the game, a seven-play, 19-yard series on which the guests were forced to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Cody Nuzzo with 9:44 left in the opening stanza.

Endres was picked off for the second time in the game two Rock possessions later, but The Rock defense held the Vulcans, who took over possession at their own 28, to only eight yards on five plays on the ensuing drive.

The third INT thrown by Endres occurred with 9:15 left in the second period and gave California the ball at their own 27. Six plays and 27 yards later, though, The Rock "D' stiffened and the Vulcans were again forced to punt the ball away.

Endres' fourth and final INT of the game came midway through the final period in the Vulcans' endzone and killed a four-play, 12-yard drive that was set up by Watters' interception and 14-yard return.

The Rock hits the road for its next game, a noon date next Saturday with division rival Lock Haven, before closing out their regualr-season home schedule with a 1 p.m. game Oct. 29 vs. defending PSAC champion Mercyhurst College.

Notes:

The Rock, after going through pregame warmups in their standard green jerseys with one trim and numerals, wore new black jerseys with green numbers outlined in white  and with white trim in the game. Mihalik said the team will save the black jerseys for one special home game each season ... The Rock offense also went entirely with a no-huddle attack for first time this season ... The Rock snapped a five-year losing streak in head-to-head meetings with California, which had won seven of the previous eight meetings between the teams ... The Rock is now 20-4 in SRU Homecoming games under Mihalik's tutelage ... Goda is now tied for 13th place on SRU's single-season pass receptions chart with 45 this fall. He caught a career-high 54 passes (No. 5 in SRU history) last fall. He ranks second in career receptions with 143 (73 away from first place) and is fifth in career pass receiving yards 1764 (211 away from fourth place) ... Endres has now passed for 1,451 yards this fall. That is the highest seven-game passing yardage total by a Rock QB since James Poldiak threw for 1790 in 1993 ... Endres has thrown for 11 TDs and had 11 passes picked off this fall ... With his pick Saturday, Watters moved into a tie for fifth place on SRU's career INT chart.