No. 10 Slippery Rock football overcame its second multi‑score deficit of the season Saturday, storming back for a 41-26 conference win over rival California (Pa.) on the road.
Slippery Rock’s top‑ranked offense opened unusually cold, going three‑and‑out on its first two drives. California capitalized quickly. On 4th‑and‑10, quarterback Eric Gibson Jr. hit Amire Spencer in the corner of the end zone for a 30‑yard touchdown, then added a 22‑yard Harry Radcliffe field goal to build a 10-0 lead.
SRU finally caught a break when a personal foul extended a stalled drive, followed by a 22‑yard burst from JayJay Jordan. However, a pass deflected off of John Sabo’s hands went directly into a defender’s arms, marking Slippery Rock’s first offensive turnover of the season. Cal turned the takeaway into another Radcliffe field goal, stretching the margin to 13-0.
The Rock’s offense began to settle in when DaOne Owens found Jordan for a 38-yard gain, but another tipped pass, this time off Ethan Trettel, resulted in SRU’s second interception. The defense responded with its first stop of the day, giving the offense a chance to reset.
Owens would deliver. After completions to Vincent Berardi and Jahmil Perryman, he escaped a tackle for loss on third down and broke free for a 45‑yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 13-7.
Momentum flipped moments later, when Teddy Gregory Jr. jumped a pass over the middle, returning it 61 yards to the Cal 14-yard line. On the next play, Owens hit Berardi wide open for the go‑ahead score. SRU’s defense followed with its first three‑and‑out, and Owens struck again, this time for a 53‑yard touchdown run on third‑and‑long, sending Slippery Rock into halftime ahead 21-13.
Both teams traded punts to open the third quarter before freshman Juju Johnson snagged SRU’s second interception of the day. The Rock drove down to the Cal 15-yard-line before stalling out, but had the ensuing field goal blocked, keeping the game within one score. The Vulcans responded with a 20‑yard touchdown run from Bobbie Boyd Jr., though Gibson’s pass on the two‑point attempt would be broken up, keeping The Rock lead at two.
Owens answered with a deep shot to Sabo for 31 yards, initially ruled incomplete before a successful challenge from head coach Shawn Lutz overturned it, setting up Jordan’s first rushing touchdown of the game.
SRU’s defense forced another punt, and Owens added his second passing touchdown of the day, hitting Hamilton Gates for a 36‑yard strike. Luke McCoy would later extend the lead to 41-19 with a 22‑yard touchdown run with 9:12 remaining.
California added a late score from Sam Stoner to Kenny Lewis IV, but a failed onside kick allowed Brad Hoffman to drain the remaining clock.
Owens finished 14‑of‑25 for 245 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, adding 116 rushing yards and two scores. He is now the first SRU quarterback to eclipse 100 rushing yards in a game since Roland Rivers III did so against Cal on Nov. 2, 2019.
Defensively, Johnson and Gregory each recorded interceptions and led SRU with eight tackles. Evan Harper and Owen Suah added six apiece, followed by Tyree Johnson with five and Nick Frisco with four.
Slippery Rock improves to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in PSAC West play, earning its first regular‑season win over Cal U since 2023. After completing its first three‑game regular‑season road stretch since 1995, SRU returns to Mihalik‑Thompson Stadium on Oct. 3 against Gannon University.
