Sep 29, 2018 4 min read

CALIFORNIA – It was going to be a difficult task to beat Indiana, the No. 2-ranked team in NCAA Division II, even up.

But California University had an edge in Lamont McPhatter II.

The 5-11, 190-pound junior stepped in front of a Lenny Williams pass three yards in the end zone, then blazed down the right side of the football field for a 100-yard interception return that broke the back of IUP, 36-24, in the annual Coal Bowl at Adamson Stadium Saturday night.

The Vulcans celebrated a win over the highest-ranked team in school history and moved their record to 3-2 overall and 2-0 in the PSAC West Conference. IUP fell to 1-1 in the conference and 4-1 overall.

McPhatter was named the Coal Bowl MVP and received a trophy. But it was the win over a heated rival that mattered most to him.

“I came up big for my teammates,” said McPhatter, a transfer from Ball State and a graduate of New Castle High School. “It’s a big win. Now, we’re running.”

McPhatter wasn’t surprised IUP was throwing from the Cal 5-yard line, foregoing its strong running attack on second down.

“I saw where he was going to go and I tried to bait him,” said McPhatter. “Next thing I know, the ball was right there. I knew I had a lot of grass in front of me and I’m glad I got a key block.”

“He plays so hard and he’s always around the ball,” said Cal head coach Gary Dunn. “I have to pull him back in practice and say, ‘Lamont, slow down.’ He makes the big play when we need it.”

Consider IUP rushed for 236 yards. Samir Bullock had 90 on 12 carries, Williams 76 on 17 and Justice Evans 73 on 17. Williams passed for 169 yards and Indiana rolled up 405 yards

“This was a big game,” Dunn said. “I preach about one game at a time. When IUP comes in as the second-ranked team in the country, that gets your attention.”

Cal true freshman quarterback Noah Mitchell passed for 256 yards and a touchdown. Nelson Brown rushed for 143 yards on 23 carries and Tyson Hill had four receptions for 112 yards.

The lead changed hands three times and they all came in a wild third quarter. Mitchell hit Chad Livingston from nine yards out to give Cal a 17-14 lead. It lasted 13 seconds as Qashah Carter returned the kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. Ninety seconds later, Brown broke off a 20-yard run to make it 24-21 Cal.

IUP seemed to regain the lead two minutes later on a 22-yard pass to tight end Grant Smith but a penalty negated the score and the Crimson Hawks tied the game on a 44-yard field goal by Dillon Sarko. Brown gave Cal the lead for good, 30-24, with the last of his three touchdown runs.

Indiana built a 14-10 lead at halftime by blending its strong running game with timely passing by Williams.

The Crimson Hawks rolled up 127 yards in the first 30 minutes. the totals for Evans, Bullock and Williams were nearly identical.

Bullock, who had 44 yards on 10 carries, capped an 11-play drive with a one-yard plunge to give the Crimson Hawks a 7-0 lead 4:39 into the game.

Williams, who ran for 38 yards on nine carries, made it 14-0 when he finished the Crimson Hawks’ second 11-play drive with a three-yard run with 2:01 left in the first quarter.

Cal got back into the game when Mitchell hit Hill for 51 yards, setting up a three-yard run by Nelson Brown with 1:01 remaining in the quarter.

Brown broke off a couple strong runs in the second quarter, setting up a 25-yard field goal by Brian Alsobrooks 6:39 before halftime.