ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon football team blocked two punts, forced fumbles two more times before the punter could kick the ball and returned an interception for the touchdown en route to a 37-13 victory against Lock Haven Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division football action at Gannon University Field.

Saturday's entire game was played in weather that featured wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour and rain throughout. It was the wind and Gannon special teams that decided the game in the second half.

Gannon extended a 9-7 halftime lead with seven points in the third quarter, before putting the game away with a 21-7 edge in the final frame. Lock Haven had punts of 19 yards, 16 yards and 11 yards against the wind in the third quarter. The one punt that didn't get off gave the Golden Knights seven points.

Punting from the Lock Haven 44-yard line, Jarryd Burkett had his punt blocked by Jesstin Hamm (Elkridge, Md./DeMatha Catholic). Bryan Kelly (Aurora, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) then picked up the loose ball at the 35-yard line and raced down the left sideline for his first career touchdown, giving Gannon a 16-7 lead with 7:28 left in the third quarter.

The Gannon defense netted seven more points early in the fourth quarter when Ta'Von Bailey (Lanham, Md./DeMatha Catholic) intercepted back-up quarterback Shawn Faulk's first pass of the afternoon in front of the Gannon sideline and strolled into the end zone from 24 yards out. The defensive score pushed the GU advantage to 23-7 two minutes into the final stanza.

The special plays continued on Lock Haven's next possession. With Jarryd Burkett injured after getting nailed while trying to get the last punt away, Matthew Gaston came into the game to punt. However, he dropped the snap. Hamm was there to pick up the ball and return it seven more yards to the Lock Haven 33-yard line. Four plays later, Ty Watson (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora) connected with Evan Twombly (Baldwinsville, N.Y./Baldwinsville) for a 21-yard scoring strike. It was Watson's first career touchdown pass and pushed the home team's lead to 30-7 with 7:44 to play.

Both teams concluded the scoring with touchdowns on their next possessions. Lock Haven's came on a Faulk-to-Devin Sims 24-yard pass with 6:16 remaining. Gannon's came on Jansen Jones' (Rochester, N.Y./Penfield) 29-yard jaunt with 4:25 showing on the clock.

Gannon appeared ready to blow the game wide open in the first quarter. The Golden Knights immediately took the opening kickoff and marched 71 yards on four plays. Alex Papson (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) accounted for every yard with four carries, ending the drive with a four-yard touchdown run. A missed extra point left the score at 6-0.

Matt Szczupakowski (Spencerport, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) nailed a 23-yard field goal 7:48 later for a 9-0 lead. But Lock Haven didn't fold. The Bald Eagles cut the deficit to 9-7 when Ben Snyder intercepted a pass at the line of scrimmage and scored uncontested from 11 yards out. The two teams then locked into a scoreless battle for the final 17:34 of the first half.

Gannon held advantages in total yards (297-104), first downs (15-12) and time of possession (31:19-28:41). The Golden Knights rushed for a season-high 214 yards, marking the program's best single-game total since running for 245 yards against Lock Haven last season. The Bald Eagles were credited with minus 15 rushing yards after losing 34 yards on two botched punts. It was the fewest rushing yards allowed by Gannon since Robert Morris was credited with minus 23 yards November 26, 2002 and was nine yards shy of the school record for fewest rushing yards allowed.

Papson led the ground attack with his first career 100-yard game, piling up 108 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries. Jones produced 57 yards and a score on nine attempts.

Watson finished 5-of-16 for 57 yards and one score during his second consecutive start. Twombly and Lawrence Coleman (Warren, Ohio/Warren G. Harding) had two catches each.

Randy Colling (Arcade, N.Y./Pioneer) was unstoppable on the defensive side. The senior defensive lineman led all players with 11 tackles. He added two two sacks and four tackles for a loss. His two quarterback takedowns moved him into second-place all-time at Gannon with 24 career sacks. He is 4.5 sacks shy of Mitchell Hanlon's (2001-04) school record and three sacks shy of David Leven's single-season record of 11 set in 1994.

Khayree Connors-McChristian (Sicklerville, N.J./Winslow Township) finished with nine stops and two tackles for a loss. Jon Petrigac (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) had six tackles and a sack while Kevin Borton (Orange, Calif./El Modena) added five stops and a sack. Mike Phillips (Bowie, Md./Bowie) controlled the airspace with his first two career interceptions.

Gannon improved to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the PSAC West with Saturday's victory, helping the Golden Knights remain tied with Edinboro for fourth place in the division. Lock Haven remained winless at 0-6 overall and 0-4 in conference play, dropping its 38th consecutive game dating back to 2007.

Head coach Jim Kiernan's squad returns to action Saturday, October 22 at Indiana (Pa.). Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.

For a complete box score from Saturday's Gannon-Lock Haven football game, please click here.