Nov 16, 2017 4 min read

Micheal Keir had one wish while watching the NCAA Division II pairings stream Sunday afternoon on California University’s campus.

“I just wanted another chance to put that Cal uniform on,” said Keir.

He got his wish, complete with the high drama of a Hail Mary pass. Cal’s name was the final one to appear on the region’s bracket, right under Assumption, Saturday’s first-round opponent in Worcester, Mass.

That set off a roar among the football players gathered to watch the show.

“That was such a great feeling,” Keir said. “Once I saw our name come up, I was really excited.”

No one was feeling great after midseason back-to-back losses to Slippery Rock and Indiana. That sent Cal into a tie for second place in the PSAC West Division. Actually, the situation was more dire because Slippery Rock held the head-to-head tiebreaker.

But the Vulcans won out to finish the season at 9-2 and Slippery Rock was upset by Edinboro, then lost a crossover game to Kutztown. There would be more upsets, allowing Cal this opportunity. Every step after the loss to Indiana could have been disastrous but the Vulcans managed a crucial win over Clarion to regain footing, blocked a potential game-tying field goal in the final minute for a 38-35 win over Gannon and rallied with 18 fourth quarter points for a comeback victory against Mercyhurst.

“Our team has gotten better and better since the beginning of the season,” said Keir. “Now we have a second chance. I don’t hold on to things from the past. After the two losses, our team went back to work.”

Cal head coach Gary Dunn had a routine of writing the season schedule on the grease board in the locker room. The list always had just one team, that week’s opponent. And he does not believe destiny played a role in getting into the playoffs.

“I believe in hard work, preparation and detail,” said Dunn, who has led the Vulcans to two postseason berths since he was hired last year. “That’s what these guys have done all year. They love to compete. When things went bad, it didn’t matter to us. We still went out and played hard. … We try to turn the scoreboard off and not play to the situation. At the end of the game, we’ll look up and see how we’ve done.”

Keir has been the offensive spark this season, passing 3,000 yards in each of the last two seasons.

Keir reached a pair of milestones last week by passing for 350 yards and two touchdowns at East Stroudsburg. He became only the second player in school history with multiple 3,000-yard seasons and moved into fifth place all-time with 6,357 passing yards. Keir also is just one of three quarterbacks in program history with at least 60 career touchdown passes.

“Mike is incredible,” Dunn said. “The amount of preparation he puts into games is incredible. After the selection show was over, he went back to his apartment and started watching film. He carries a binder that is five inches thick with information on all our opponents. I think our players know that when we go into a game, we’re in good shape because we have a quarterback who is not only talented but puts in more work than anyone else in the country.”

Notes

The Vulcans are making their seventh appearance in the NCAA playoffs, and the Greyhounds are in the postseason for the third time in school history. Cal and Assumption were eliminated from the NCAA Playoffs last year by two-time, defending-regional champion Shepherd. The Greyhounds suffered a 48-31 loss on the road in the first round, and the Vulcans dropped a 41-30 contest at home in the regional final. … Cal senior wide receiver Tom Greene eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career last weekend. He ranks fourth in the PSAC with 1,032 receiving yards.