ERIE, Pa. – A 12-yard touchdown pass from redshirt freshman
Liam Nadler (Leipsic, Ohio/Leipsic Local) to
Abraham Ocasio (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) on fourth-and-two with 1:05 left in regulation catapulted the Gannon football team to a thrilling 36-33 victory against non-conference rival Lake Erie Thursday night before a standing-room-only crowd at Gannon University Field.
Nadler looked like a grizzled veteran during his first career start, leading Gannon on an 80-yard game-winning drive in the final minutes of regulation. The Golden Knights began the drive on their 20-yard line with 3:34 remaining after Lake Erie missed a 22-yard field goal to keep the Storms' lead at 33-29.
The first play of the drive was good enough for ESPN's Top 10. Nadler's pass bounced into the air after Ocasio and a Lake Erie defender collided.
Justin Caliste (Roseville, Calif./Oakmont) grabbed the rebound out of midair and raced down the right sideline for a 60-yard gain to the Lake Erie 20-yard line. Four plays later, the Golden Knights were faced with a fourth-and-two call. Ocasio reeled in a pass on the sideline and spun through two defenders en route to the end zone. The extra point gave the home squad a 36-33 advantage.
Lake Erie had one last chance, but went four-and-out to set off a celebration by the large crowd.
Trenton Donald (Uniontown, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) knocked down the last two pass attempts at the line of scrimmage to seal the deal.
On a day when the Gannon running game was held to negative 18 yards, Nadler had a record day. He finished 27-of-44 for 420 yards and four touchdowns, shattering Darmel Whitfield's school record of 385 passing yards against Michigan Tech in 2004. The four passing touchdowns tied a school single-game record accomplished seven other times and his 27 completions fell one shy of Zach Boedicker's record of 28 set against Kutztown in 2010.
Four different Golden Knights hauled in at least five aerials. Ocasio and
Joe Sobucki (Girard, Pa./Girard) became the third receiving duo in school history to accumulate over 100 yards in the same game. Ocasio had 139 receiving yards during his freshman campaign last season. He exploded for eight catches, 159 yards and two touchdowns Thursday night. Sobucki had 23 receiving yards as a freshman in 2011. He responded with six receptions for 106 yards and one touchdown.
Quad Law (Donora, Pa./Ringgold) and Caliste completed the fearsome four. Law produced seven catches for 81 yards and a score during his collegiate debut. Caliste finished with 72 yards on five receptions.
The first four games in the Gannon-Lake Erie series were decided by a combined 12 points, so Thursday's seesaw battle was no surprise. Lake Erie opened the largest lead of the game late in the second quarter on a Brandon Phenix 10-yard run, giving the Storm a 23-14 lead with 2:11 left in the first half.
As he did late in the game, Nadler orchestrated a clutch drive that ate up 72 yards on 11 plays in one minute and seven seconds. On fourth-and-five, Law took a Nadler pass 31 yards for a score and cut the Lake Erie lead to 23-21 at the intermission.
Both teams exchanged leads in the second half. Gannon grabbed a 29-26 lead after
Jansen Jones (Rochester, N.Y./Penfield) scored on a two-yard run with 28 seconds left in the third quarter and defensive lineman
Matt Jones (Rochester, N.Y./The Aquinas Institute) converted a two-point rush on a fake extra point.
The visitors answered on a spectacular play by Phenix. The tailback rolled out of a tackle without touching the ground and raced 54 yards for a score after the majority of players thought the play was dead. Both teams were unable to score on their next two possessions, before Lake Erie's missed field goal set up the late-game dramatics.
The statistics sheet was basically a dead heat. Gannon held advantages in first downs (21-18), passing yards (420-169) and time of possession (33:07-26:53). Lake Erie produced 241 rushing yards compared to the Golden Knights' minus 18.
Defensively, eight different players recorded at least four tackles in a team effort.
Will Giles (Nyack, N.Y./St. Joseph Regional),
Khayree Connors-McChristian (Sicklerville, N.J./Winslow Township),
Mike Phillips (Bowie, Md./Bowie) and
Matt Jones led the way with eight tackles each. Jeffers and
Jon Petrigac (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) were close behind with six stops apiece.
Gannon improved to 1-0 with its fourth victory against Lake Erie during the last five season openers. Lake Erie dropped to 0-1. The Golden Knights return to action Saturday, September 8 at West Chester. Game time is scheduled for 12 noon.
