California, Pa. -- The Edinboro football team begins PSAC West play on Saturday with a trip to California to take on the Vulcans. Kickoff is set for noon at Adamson Stadium.

Last Week
Both the Scots and Vulcans are coming off overtime games in Week 3. The Scots claimed a 26-23 victory over Bloomsburg, while Cal dropped a 26-23 decision to No.4 Shepherd.

The Scots forced five Bloomsburg turnovers and Keon Anderson punched in the game-winning touchdown in overtime to lift the Edinboro to 2-1on the season. Isaac Bernard went 30-of-47 for 290 with a touchdown and an interception. Nico Mrvos led the receiving corps with five catches for 74 yards and Mike Watkins added three catches for 62 yards and a score. Clay Cunningham finished with 14 tackles on the day to lead the defense.

Cal held a 23-13 lead with 10:02 to play, but the Rams scored the next 13 points including a game-winning field goal in overtime to take the win. Noah Mitchell passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns. JaQuae Jackson finished with 13 catches for 179 yards and two scores. Matt Tobey led the way defensively with six total tackles.

The Series
Cal Leads 50-35-2
Last Edinboro Win: Oct. 9, 2004, 42-28
Last California (Pa.)  Win: Sept. 25, 2021, 20-12
Largest Margin of Victory Edinboro: Oct. 15, 1994, 67-6
Largest Margin of Victory California (Pa.): Nov. 7, 1959, 41-0

Defensive Efforts
The Scot defense forced five Bloomsburg turnovers including three interceptions. Wilfredo Diaz had an interception and a fumble recovery. The Edinboro defense held Bloomsburg to 243 yards and kept KJ Riley to 9-of-23 passing for 125 yards and three interceptions. Clay Cunningham leads the Scots in tackles with 34. He ranks 12th in the nation in tackles per game and second in the PSAC.

Honor Roll
Reed Martin earned his second PSAC West Special Teams Athlete of the Week in three weeks. He punted five times with an average of 40.6 yards and downing three punts inside the 20.  Martin also had a 29-yard rush on a fake punt the longest run of the afternoon for the Scots. He now has 13 punts averaging 42.5 per punt and seven of those punts have ended up inside the 20-yard line.

Close Calls
After going 2-4 in one possession games in 2021, the Fighting Scots are now 2-0 in contests decided by one score in 2022.  The Scots snapped a two-game skid in overtime with the victory on Saturday. The last extra time win for Edinboro came on Sept. 17, 2016 against West Chester.

Red Zone 
Edinboro started the season 1-for-9 in the red zone in the first two contests. The Scots improved on that last Saturday going 3-for-5 in red zone chances against the Huskies. The Edinboro defense has only allowed five red zone opportunities through three games.

I'll Pass
In 2021, the Scots only had one game with a quarterback completing 25 or more passes. Isaac Bernard has completed 25+ in each of the last two weeks including going  30-for-47 on Saturday for 290 yards. Bernard is in the top-10 nationally in completions per game ranking ninth with 24.7 per contest. He also ranks 16th in passing yards per game with 268.3. The Edinboro offense has shown a big play ability. Bernard has three touchdown passes on the year the shortest being a 38-yard strike to Mike Watkins on Saturday.

Scouting the Vulcans
Cal is 1-2 after a 26-23 overtime loss at No. 4 Shepherd. Reigning PSAC West Offensive Player of the Year Noah Mitchell commands the offense from the quarterback postition. He is 64-of-105 for 729 yards and seven touchdowns. Mitchell's favorite target is JaQuae Jackson who has 30 catches for 402 yards and five scores. He caught 13 balls against Shepherd last Saturday. Defensively, Noah Dillow leads the team with 23 tackles. Matt Tobey has made 23 stops as well with five tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

The Jake Nulph Show