ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon football team set a school record for passing yards in a game and produced the most offensive yards in a game since 2010 against rival Mercyhurst Saturday afternoon in front of a FOX 66 and ROOT SPORTS Pittsburgh audience. Unfortunately, five turnovers proved to be too much to overcome as the Golden Knights dropped a hard-fought 38-29 decision to the Lakers at Gannon University Field.
Mercyhurst quickly jumped out to a 14-0 lead and appeared to be in control until Gannon got its offense going late in the first half. The Golden Knights drove 89 yards in 5:05 to cut the deficit in half. The first big play of the drive was a 67-yard pick-up by tailback
Jansen Jones (Rochester, N.Y./Penfield) after a check-down pass from
Liam Nadler (Leipsic, Ohio/Leipsic Local) over the middle.
On third-and-goal from the 11-yard line, Nadler was stopped after a one-yard gain. But Mercyhurst was called for a personal foul, giving the Golden Knights an automatic first down. Two plays later, Nadler connected with
Donny Mallin (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) for a 14-yard touchdown pass with 3:54 left in the second quarter.
The Gannon defense then forced a three-and-out, before Mercyhurst made the mistake of punting to
Justin Caliste (Roseville, Calif./Oakmont). The sophomore took the punt at his 35-yard line and exploded through the Lakers' line of defenders for a 65-yard touchdown return, tying the contest at 14 with 2:48 showing on the clock. He became only the second player in school history to return three punts for a touchdown during his career after scoring twice on punt returns last season.
The ensuing kickoff arguably became the play of the day. With Gannon holding all the momentum, Mercyhurst's L.J. Stevens picked up a bouncing ball on the Gannon sideline and crossed the entire field en route to an 83-yard kickoff return for a huge momentum shift. The score came just 16 seconds after Gannon had tied the contest.
And the first-half scoring wasn't done yet. A pass that lost a yard and two incomplete passes forced Gannon to punt the ball away after running only 37 seconds off the clock.
Mercyhurst responded with an 11-play, 63-yard drive that took only one minute and 42 seconds. On fourth-and-five from the Gannon 34-yard line, Anthony Vendemia completed a 13-yard pass to Devyn Woods. Vendemia then scrambled up the middle on a broken pass play and scored from one yard out with 13 seconds remaining. It brought an end to a crazy final minutes of the half that saw four touchdowns scored in the span of three minutes and 41 seconds. As a result, the Lakers went to halftime with a 28-14 advantage.
The third quarter was played on relatively even terms with Mercyhurst posted a slight 10-7 scoring edge. An 82-yard scoring strike from Nadler to
Abraham Ocasio (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) on third-and-20 with 2:49 showing on the clock provided Gannon with its only score of the quarter. It represented the third-longest passing play in school history.
There were only three possessions during the final quarter thanks to a 16-play, 83-yard Mercyhurst drive that chewed up 10 minutes and five seconds. The Lakers eventually came up with no points after being stuffed for a three-yard loss on a fourth-and-two running play.
Gannon proceeded to drive 95 yards in 1:38 to account for the final score. A pass interference penalty kept the Golden Knights drive alive on fourth-and-10 from their 28-yard line. The drive eventually concluded with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Nadler to Ocasio over a leaping defender in the back of the endzone with two seconds left.
Jansen Jones' two-point conversion run capped the scoring at 38-29.
Head coach
Brad Rzyczycki's club out-gained Mercyhurst 439-415, posting the most yards in a game since having 476 yards against Kutztown on November 13, 2010. Most of those yards came via the air while having a 428-146 edge in that category. Mercyhurst held advantages in first downs (26-20), rushing yards (269-11) and time of possession (37:58-22:02).
Nadler finished 25-of-42 for 428 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. The redshirt freshman broke the school's single-game passing record that he previously set with 420 yards during the season opener against Lake Erie. He now has 2,071 passing yards this season, becoming the second player in school history to throw for 2,000 yards in a season. Darmel Whitfield surpassed the plateau in 2003 (2,255) and 2004 (2,639).
Quad Law (Donora, Pa./Ringgold) set career-highs in receptions (8) and receiving yards (82). Ocasio and
Jansen Jones both earned 100-yard receiving status, giving Gannon multiple receivers with 100 receiving yards in the same game for the third time this season. The program never accomplished that feat more than once in a season prior to the 2012 campaign.
Ocasio became the third player in school history to record three 100-yard receiving games in the same season with 147 yards on four catches.
Jansen Jones produced his first career 100-yard receiving game with 100 yards on four receptions. He added 40 rushing yards on 12 carries.
Defensively, four Golden Knights reached double digits in tackles.
Mike Phillips (Bowie, Md./Bowie) led all players with 13 stops and a forced fumble. The sophomore has averaged 13 tackles during the last three games.
Ashton Jones (Erie, Pa./Strong Vincent made a career-high 12 tackles, including one for a loss. The senior has 22 tackles during the last two contests after making only seven during the first five.
Will Giles (Nyack, N.Y./St. Joseph Regional) and
Jon Petrigac (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) added 11 stops each.
Gannon dropped to 1-6 overall and 0-4 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division with its sixth consecutive setback. Mercyhurst improved to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in conference action with its sixth straight victory. As a result, the Lakers regained possession of the Niagara Cup for the first time since 2009. The Golden Knights return to action Saturday, October 20 against 15th-ranked California (Pa.). The Homecoming game is scheduled for 12 noon.
