BLOOMSBURG -- The Bloomsburg University football team had a long talk on its bus ride to Ohio to play Ashland University last weekend.

"We talked a lot about two words on that trip, trust and faith," said Bloomsburg quarterback Dan Latorre. "You have to trust your teammates and have faith in them."

That trust and faith was quickly tested when Ashland took a 21-point lead into the second half, but the Huskies rallied to win.

Saturday saw the Huskies face another test in the opening of remodeled Redman Stadium against No. 5-ranked California (Pa.).

This time, Bloomsburg allowed the Vulcans to tie the game in the third quarter after leading by two touchdowns at the half, but once again Bloomsburg didn't fold.

The Huskies scored 10 points in the final 1:05 of the third quarter, including a 52-yard interception return by cornerback Oscar Rivera as the No. 18 Huskies knocked off their second NCAA Division II playoff team in as many weeks with a 24-17 victory in a driving rain, thanks to tropical depression Hannah.

"We made mistakes in all aspects in the game, but I'm real happy that the kids responded, because we came up with big plays as well," Bloomsburg coach Danny Hale said.

The Bloomsburg (2-0) defense dominated the California offense in the first half, limiting a team that rolled up 517 yards of total offense in its opener to just 72 yards in the first half to take a 14-0 lead.

On California's second drive of the third quarter, the Vulcans finally got on the board when quarterback Kevin McCabe found a wide-open A.J. Williams streaking down the middle of the field for a 49-yard touchdown pass. On the play, both Bloomsburg safeties got caught looking into the backfield on a play fake, and the 6-foot-6 Jackson was 15 yards behind the Bloomsburg defense with the pass in the air before the safeties realized it.

Bloomsburg looked like it caught a break on its next possession after a three-and-out when Kyle Ream's punt was misplayed by the Vulcans' return man, giving the Huskies the ball on the Cal 36. But Latorre had a pass slip out of his hands, which was picked off by Pat Swearinger at the Vulcans 18.

"That was just a fluke interception. The ball just slipped out of my hand and sailed on me," Latorre said. "We knew we just had to keep our composure."

It took California just three plays to tie the game on a Windell Brown 38-yard touchdown run with 5:59 left in the third. Jackson made a great catch on the drive, going up with a Bloomsburg defensive back, throwing one hand in the air, and snatching the pass for a 32-yard gain.

The Huskies' offense came right back down the field, driving 56 yards in nine plays, keyed by a Kenny Domzalski 31-yard run down to the Vulcans 20. Koenig capped the drive with a 34-yard field goal to give Bloomsburg a 17-14 lead with 1:05 left in the third.

On California's next possession, the Vulcans faced a third-and-2 from their own 47. Rivera stepped in front of a pass in the middle of the field intended for Jackson. The field opened up, and he ran untouched until dragging Jackson the final five yards for a touchdown and a 24-14 lead.

"The coaches said all week that if the quarterback made a check at the line, it meant a short pass. I saw him make a check, so I figured the receiver wasn't going deep," Rivera said. "After I caught the ball, I felt like I was a running back again. There was just a huge hole in the middle of the field."