Jansen Jones
Joe Mattis

Football Dan Teliski, Assistant Director of Athletics for Media Relations

Records Fall as Gannon Football Team Clinches Winning Season with 44-14 Victory at Lock Haven

Redshirt senior Jansen Jones concluded his collegiate career by breaking the school's single-season records for points (102) and touchdowns (17).


LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Numerous single-season records fell as the Gannon football team clinched its first winning season since 2010 Saturday afternoon with a runaway 44-14 victory in the regular-season finale at Lock Haven.

Gannon opened the game with points during its first four possessions to grab a commanding 24-0 lead early in the second quarter. Liam Nadler (Leipsic, Ohio/Leipsic Local) and Jansen Jones (Rochester, N.Y./Penfield) had rushing touchdowns during the first two drives, before Quad Law's (Donora, Pa./Ringgold) 64-yard touchdown reception and Donnie Mann's (Hastings, Minn./Hastings) 44-yard field goal pushed the lead to 24-0 with 11:55 remaining in the first half. Mann's boot was the 12th-longest in school history.

Law added another touchdown catch with eight seconds remaining in the second quarter, hauling in a 20-yard pass from Nadler to give Gannon a 31-7 halftime advantage. The play capped a seven-play, 85-yard drive that consumed only 46 seconds.

Both Jones and Nadler added their second rushing touchdowns of the day during the second half before the final horn sounded in a 30-point victory. As a result, the Golden Knights moved to 6-0 all-time against the Bald Eagles with the average margin of victory being 24.7 points.

Nadler broke the school record for career 300-yard passing games with the eighth of his career, finishing 18-of-25 for 348 yards and two touchdowns. The redshirt sophomore entered the game tied with Darmel Whitfield (2001-04).

Justin Caliste (Roseville, Calif./Oakmont) and Law both recorded 100-yard receiving games, marking the second time this season and 12th time during the last two years that multiple receivers have reached the 100-yard plateau in the same game. Caliste produced his sixth career 100-yard game with a career-high 175 yards on seven catches. Law recorded his third career 100-yard performance with 111 yards on four receptions.

Jones was the driving force behind the running game yet again, finishing with his sixth 100-yard game of the season and eighth of his career. The redshirt senior piled up 191 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries. He finished third all-time at Gannon in career rushing yards (2,823) and fourth in career 100-yard games.

Defensively, Luke Rankie (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport) reached double digits in tackles for the fourth consecutive game and sixth time this season. The redshirt junior had 12 tackles, including 10 solo stops. He finished the campaign with 115 tackles, representing the third-highest single-season total in school history and most since 2006. Rankie fell five tackles shy of Pat Rodkey's school record of 120 set in 1996.

Gannon finished the 2013 campaign 6-5 overall. It represented the program's first winning season since the 2010 squad also posted a 6-5 mark. The Golden Knights broke the school's single-season records for points (361), touchdowns (48) and extra points (45). The 2003 team previously held those records with 347 points, 46 touchdowns and 41 extra points. Gannon also broke the school record for passing first downs with 125, surpassing the previous mark of 119 set in 2004.

Several individual records also fell by the wayside during the regular-season finale. Jones set new single-season standards for points (102) and touchdowns (17). Both records were previously held by Jon Richardson (2006-09) with 96 points and 16 touchdowns.

Mann set new single-season records for extra points made (45) and attempted (48), surpassing the previous marks of 40 and 42 set by Brendan McNicholas in 2003.

Nick Bengal (Liberty Township, Ohio/Lakota West) completed a solid freshman season with five pass break-ups against Lock Haven. He finished with a school-record 15 for the season, resetting the old mark of 13 set by Ta'Von Bailey last season and Brian Watkins in 1994.

Gannon heads into the off-season after recording the 12th winning season in school history. The Golden Knights are tentatively scheduled to open the 2014 campaign Saturday, September 6 against Southern Connecticut State at Gannon University Field.

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