The Gannon football team kicks off the 2011 regular season Thursday, September 1 at Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) foe Lake Erie. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Gannon looks to knock off Lake Erie in the season opener for the fourth consecutive year. The Golden Knights have won the last three against the Storm, but not without a fight. The margin of victory in those three games has been three points. Last year's 26-20 verdict represented the largest difference in the all-time series. The Golden Knights also own season-opening victories in 2008 (24-22) and 2009 (35-34). The 2008 contest is the only time Gannon has played at Jack H. Britt Memorial Stardium.

Head coach Jim Kiernan's club returns six starters from a defensive unit that ranked second among Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) schools in scoring defense (18.8) last season. Offensively, the Golden Knights need to replace their starting quarterback, starting tailback and top two wide receivers. All four were lost due to graduation.

Gannon is 12-11-1 all-time in season openers and 5-5 in season openers played on the road. The Golden Knights are 12-12 all-time in their first road game of the season.

Thursday's contest can be heard live on Jet Radio 1400. Live gameday audio can be found online at http://www.wergfm.com. Live gameday statistics will be available at http://livestats.prestosports.com/lakeerie. No live video broadcast will be available.

For complete Gannon-Lake Erie football game notes, please click here.