CALIFORNIA — The halftime statistic was daunting, yet depressing.

Slippery Rock University had 101 yards in penalties, California 100 yards of offense in the first half of their PSAC West football showdown Saturday at Adamson Stadium.

The Rock had a 17-14 advantage at halftime, settling for a 20-yard Jake Chapla after amassing a first down at the Vulcans 1-yard line late in the half. SRU had its fifth of seven fumbles on the rainy day — losing only one — during that final possession.

“I called the guys into the corner of the end zone before we went to the locker room and chewed them out pretty good,” SRU coach Shawn Lutz said. “I wasn't happy with the way we were playing.”

Message received.

The Rock (8-1, 6-0) dominated play in the second half, cruising to a 44-21 win over California (5-4, 4-2) to clinch its fifth PSAC West crown since 2011.

SRU will host unbeaten West Chester — a 38-21 winner at Kutztown in the game determining the PSAC East champion — for the state title in two weeks.

Third-year head coach Lutz, a part of eight PSAC West title teams as an assistant coach at The Rock, won his first division crown as head coach.

“It's not about me,” he said. “I'm just very blessed to be put in this situation. We have a tremendous staff and a great group of players who wanted this.

“I think back to the guys I've coached with here ... (retired head coach) George Mihalik, of course, Bill Horstman, Vic Campagna — those are the guys who made me the coach I am today. I'll never forget where I came from. Never.”

SRU running back Wes Hills never forgot his destination Saturday — California's end zone.

He carried the ball 33 times for 248 yards and four touchdowns. Hills scored on 3-yard runs in the first and third quarters, then helped ice the win with scoring runs of 10 and 34 yards in the fourth period.

“I never scored four touchdowns in a college game,” said Hills, a transfer from Delaware. “I scored eight in a game in high school. I set the New Jersey rushing record of 450 yards that day.

“Then another guy, Corey Clement, broke that record 30 minutes later. He's a running back for the Philadelphia Eagles now.”

Hills may be headed for the NFL himself. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder became the first Rock player to produce back-to-back 200-yard rushing ganes since Ryan Lehmeier in 2007.

Numerous NFL scouts have been checking him out all year.

“He's a dangerous back, not just because he can run over people,” Lutz said. “He's tall, quick, elusive, he has all the qualities.”

“We knew how good he was coming into this game and their line does a great job of freeing him up,” California coach Gary Dunn said. “I didn't think we played that badly today. We couldn't contain him and they just made more plays than us.”

SRU quarterback Roland Rivers III ran for 106 yards and scored The Rock's first touchdown. SRU rushed for 345 yards and produced 15 first downs on the ground.

“Our line imposed its will today,” Lutz said. “This year, we've been able to run the ball and stop the run.”

Hills admitted that “I wouldn't be getting anything without those guys up front. They've been fantastic.”

Rivers III attempted only 16 passes all day. California freshman quarterback Noah Mitchell completed 19 of 48 passes and was intercepted twice. He was sacked twice and hit hard on a few occasions.

Mitchell left the game briefly after taking a hit in the second half. He had been sacked only three times all season before Saturday.

“He's fine ... He's just a little shaken up,” Dunn said of his quarterback.

Khadir Roberts and Eric Glover-Williams had the SRU interceptions. Glover-Williams returned his pick 34 yards for a score in the fourth quarter.

Glover-Williams, a transfer from Ohio State, also had a 59-yard kickoff return, quarterback sack and two pass break-ups on the day. He was a receiver during preseason camp for SRU.

“I was a defensive back my freshman year at Ohio State. The transition back to DB was easy for me,” Glover-Williams said. “This was fun. Winning this championship has been the goal.

“I was in position for that (pick-six) because of the coaches. They told me where to be and what was coming. At that point, we knew they'd have to throw the ball.”

SRU took only three more penalties in the second half. Still, Lutz dislikes the fact his team ranks last in Division II in penalty yardage.

“We need to clean that up,” he said.

Notes: SRU hosts Gannon at 1 p.m. Saturday to conclude its PSAC West schedule. ... Rivers III became the first SRU quarterback to rush for 100 yards since Nigel Barksdale in 2013. ... PK Jake Chapla had a PAT blocked in the fourth quarter, ending his streak of successul PATs at 77. Chapla moved into seventh place on The Rock's all-time scoring list with 235 points. ... Hills became the first SRU player to score four TDs in a game since Akeem Satterfield in 2010. ... SRU leads its series vs. California 48-33-3 and has won six of the last eight meetings.

Slippery Rock 14 3 7 20 — 44

California 7 7 0 7 — 21

First Quarter

SRU — Roland Rivers III 7 run (Jake Chapla kick), 13:07

C — Naszhir Taylor 98 kick return (Brian Alsobrooks kick), 12:53\

SRU — Wes Hills 3 run (Chapla kick), 9:40

Second Quarter

C — Nelson Brown 5 run (Alsobrooks kick), 2:34

SRU — Chapla 20 field goal, :03

Third Quarter

SRU — Hills 3 run (Chapla kick), 3:10

Fourth Quarter

SRU — Hills 10 run (Chapla kick), 14:52

SRU — Eric Glover-Williams 34 interception return (kick blocked), 14:33

C — Brown 37 run (Alsobrooks kick), 11:36

SRU — Hills 34 run (Chapla kick), 6:44

Individual Statistics

Rushing: SRU, Wes Hills 33-248, Roland Rivers 21-106, Chacar Berry 1-3, Braden Fochtman 2-3. California, Nelson Brown 14-90, Brian Alsobrooks 1-22, Noah Mitchell 5-(-22).

Passing: SRU, Roland Rivers 10-16-141-1. California, Noah Mitchell 19-48-184-2, Brian Alsobrooks 0-1-0-0.

Receiving: SRU, Henry Litwin 2-38, Wes Hills 2-11, Jermaine Wynn Jr. 2010, Austin Scott 1-53, Aramis Alexander 1-11. Zach Cirillo 1-11, Mike Merhaut 1-7. SRU, Chad Livingston 5-63, Nelson Brown 5-39, Cam Tarrant 2-29, Naszhir Taylor 2-16, Jordan Dandridge 1-14, Derrick Caraway 1-8, Tyson Hill 1-6, Jack Vyborny 1-5, Craig Thompson 1-4.