ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon football team leaves Erie, Pa., for the first time in almost a month Saturday, October 26 for a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division first-place showdown at California (Pa.). The contest is scheduled for 12 noon. It will mark Gannon's first game outside of Erie since a 45-25 victory September 28 at Clarion.
The contest can be heard live locally on Jet Radio 1400 and online at
www.wergfm.com. A live America One video broadcast will be available at
http://www.americaonesports.com/partner_members.asp?id=85.
Saturday is shaping up to be a big PSAC Western Division day with several showdowns on the schedule. Gannon, California (Pa.) and Slippery Rock enter the weekend tied for first place with 3-1 PSAC West marks. Indiana (Pa.), Edinboro and Mercyhurst sit only one game back with 2-2 divisional records with three games remaining. In addition to the Gannon-Cal match-up, IUP travels to Mercyhurst and Slippery Rock visits Edinboro. Gannon still controls its own destiny and can claim the top seed with victories during its final three contests against California (Pa.), Seton Hill and Indiana (Pa.).
The first NCAA Division II regional rankings are scheduled to be released Monday, October 28. Despite a 4-3 overall record, Gannon could be among the region's top teams due to its strength of schedule. The Golden Knights have fought through the fourth-toughest schedule in Division II according to figures released this week by the NCAA. Gannon's first seven opponents have won 71.4 percent of their games.
Gannon (4-3, 3-1 PSAC West) was able to defeat Edinboro for the first time ever in eight all-time meetings on October 12. Two weeks later, the Golden Knights will attempt to knock off perennial PSAC power California (Pa.) for the first time in school history. The Vulcans are 5-0 all-time against the Knights, winning each game by at least 18 points.
Head coach
Brad Rzyczycki's club is looking to rebound from a 51-21 loss to rival Mercyhurst October 17 at Erie Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Golden Knights are 4-0 following their last four losses dating back to last season. In addition, the squad has won three consecutive road games dating back to last year. The loss at Mercyhurst came on a neutral field.
Jansen Jones became the fifth Golden Knight in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season last week against Mercyhurst. The redshirt senior has 1,033 rushing yards through seven games and needs 68 yards to break Sterling Pierce's school record of 1,100 set during the 1998 campaign. Jones ranks eighth among all NCAA Division II players and third in the PSAC with 147.6 rushing yards per game.
California (Pa.) (5-2, 3-1 PSAC West) scored 24 points during the second quarter en route to a 33-7 victory last Saturday at first-year PSAC member Seton Hill. The Vulcans yielded 173 yards of total offense, including only 40 passing yards on eight completions. Cal U scored those 24 points in the second quarter while having possession for only five-plus minutes.
Sophomore quarterback James Harris threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns during his third career start while completing a season-high 66.7 percent of his attempts. After missing the October 5 contest, junior running back Jeff Knox Jr. has rushed for 169 yards and scored four touchdowns during the last two weeks.
California (Pa.) can do some damage in the PSAC Western Division playoff race during the next two weeks. The Vulcans' next two opponents are Gannon and Slippery Rock. All three teams enter this weekend tied for first place.
Gannon has dropped all five games in the all-time series against California (Pa.), including an 0-2 mark at Adamson Stadium. Cal has won the five games by an average of 31 points with the margin of victory being at least 18 points during each game. Cal produced a 41-0 victory last season at Gannon University Field. The Vulcans own home wins in 2009 (52-10) and 2011 (33-6).
