EAST STROUDSBURG – With the NCAA Playoff First Round game tied at 27-27 with three seconds remaining, California (Pa.) kicker Anthony Beitko booted a 29-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired, as the Vulcans earned a 30-27 win over the East Stroudsburg University football team on Saturday afternoon at Adamson Stadium.

The Warriors are eliminated from the NCAA Playoffs with the loss and finish the 2024 season with a 10-2 record. The Vulcans (9-2) advance to the NCAA Second Round and will host Ashland next Saturday.

Offensive Notables

• Quarterback Sean McTaggart completed 18 of 27 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 37 yards. He completed his redshirt junior season with 2,590 yards, 26 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. He set a new single-season record with a 65.4% completion percentage, breaking his head coach Jimmy Terwilliger's 64.2% mark set in his senior season in 2006.

• Tyriq Lewis led the running game with 80 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown, averaging 7.3 yards per carry. Lewis added 45 receiving yards on two receptions, finishing the game with 125 all-purpose yards. The two-time All-PSAC East selection closes his career with 2,408 career rushing yards, which ranks fourth all-time in program history. He surpassed Toby Barkman (2,363 yards, 1960-63) and Derek Lucas (2002-05) in the outing. His 22 career rushing touchdowns are tied for sixth all-time with Stewart Ford (1997-99), Dell Walker (1981-83), and Pete Radocha (1974-76).

• Fellow All-PSAC East First Team running back Tahir Mills rushed for 48 yards and also found the end zone. Quarterback Harrison Susi picked up a first down with an 11-yard rush. ESU posted 176 rushing yards as a unit on 27 attempts, averaging 6.5 yards per carry.

• Tyrese Brandon led the Warriors with 70 receiving yards on 11 receptions. Beau Heyser caught four passes for 31 yards and a touchdown. John Siggins also reeled in a touchdown, finishing with 26 yards and a score.

• ESU's offense converted 7 of 10 third-down conversions and totaled 400 yards of offense.

Defensive Notables

• The Warriors were led defensively by reigning PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week Raymond Simmons IV, who totaled 13 tackles, including one for a loss, and a pass breakup.

• Everette Dingle registered nine tackles, while Adewale Obayanju and TJ Harris each posted eight stops.

• Aidan Hayward registered the lone sack, closing his career with 14.5 quarterback takedowns.

• On the season, the Warrior defense did not allow a 300-yard passer, and just one rusher posted over 100 yards against the Red and Black.

How It Happened

• After winning the coin toss, the Warriors gained momentum with a 44-yard touchdown from Lewis on the fifth play of the drive as ESU took a 7-0 lead early.
• The Vulcans answered with a field goal on a 12-play drive, cutting the deficit to 7-3. The Warriors were forced to punt on their next drive, as Cal took a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter.
• ESU needed to respond after allowing 10 unanswered points, and it did. Mills rushed for 34 yards on the drive, and Brandon had an 18-yard reception to move into Vulcan territory. Matt Frame brought down an 11-yard reception to set up Mills for a 3-yard touchdown.
• With ESU holding a 14-10 lead, the teams exchanged punts, but the Vulcans were able to add a field goal with 5:46 left in the first half to make it a one-point game. Taking over possession with 1:43 to go, McTaggart moved the Warriors down the field rapidly, completing 4 of 6 passes for 59 yards, including a 36-yard completion to Lewis. Lewis rushed for three consecutive plays before McTaggart found his high school teammate Heyser for a 3-yard touchdown with 14 seconds left in the half. Cal kneeled down the remaining time on the clock, trailing the Warriors 21-13 after 30 minutes.
• The Vulcans received the second-half kickoff and went 75 yards, with quarterback Davis Black scampering into the end zone from a yard out to cut the deficit to two points at 21-19. Cal attempted a two-point conversion, but Black was stopped before reaching the end zone.
• McTaggart and the Warriors extended their lead on their next drive. The Lancaster native completed a pair of third-down conversions with his arm, including a 32-yard completion to Brandon and a 7-yard strike to Justin Cook. On first and goal at the 5-yard line, McTaggart found Siggins for six points. The extra-point attempt from Ty Quintois was missed, as the Warriors grabbed a 27-19 lead after the 12-play, 90-yard drive.
• Black and the Vulcans countered to close the third and enter the fourth quarter, finding the end zone again with a 1-yard rushing touchdown. Black completed a pass to Omari Hopkins for the two-point conversion, knotting the score at 27-27 with 12:44 remaining.
• ESU looked to respond, moving possession from its own 13-yard line all the way to the Cal 15-yard line. Despite three penalties, the Warriors looked to take a lead with a 32-yard field goal attempt, but on a windy day at Adamson Stadium, the attempt from Quintois clipped the uprights. ESU's drive lasted 13 plays and 72 yards, using up nearly eight minutes of clock.
• The Vulcans took over on their own 20-yard line with goals of taking the lead and draining the clock and were able to do just that. Cal converted a pair of third-down conversions and was aided by a facemask penalty. The Vulcans drained all but three seconds off the clock, with Beitko putting a 29-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired, lifting Cal to the NCAA Second Round.

The Warriors complete the 2024 season with a 10-2 record, reaching double-digit wins along with a trip to the NCAA Playoffs for the sixth time in program history.