INDIANA, Pa. -
Justin Caliste (Roseville, Calif./Oakmont) set a new school record for career all-purpose yards and
Luke Rankie (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport) became the first Golden Knight since 2006 to make 100 tackles in a season, but Indiana (Pa.) was still able to get past Gannon 55-20 Saturday afternoon in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division finale for both football squads.
Caliste surpassed Jon Richardson's school record for all-purpose yards on the opening kickoff of the second half, picking up 35 yards on the return. The junior eventually finished the game with 132 all-purpose yards, giving him 3,952 for his career. Richardson (2006-09) held the previous record of 3,891 yards.
Rankie made history on the defensive side of the ball, tying a career-high with 15 tackles for the second time this season. The redshirt junior matched that number October 5 against Bloomsburg. Both performances equaled the 14th-highest single-game total in school history.
Saturday's effort gave Rankie 103 tackles through 10 games, making him the seventh Golden Knight in school history and first since Dan Tomko in 2006 to record 100 stops in a season. Pat Rodkey holds the school's single-season record of 120 set in 1996.
Indiana (Pa.) scored touchdowns during seven of its first nine possessions to assume a 49-14 late in the third quarter. The Crimson Hawks produced a 28-14 halftime lead with four touchdowns in six possessions, before putting the contest away with scores on their first three drives of the third quarter.
Both teams scored on their first possession. After an IUP touchdown, Gannon answered with a six-play, 55-yard drive to tie the score at seven.
Liam Nadler (Leipsic, Ohio / Leipsic Local) was involved in every play on the drive, producing 25 yards on the ground and 16 yards through the air in addition to an IUP personal foul penalty. The redshirt sophomore capped the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run.
IUP found the end zone two more times to forge ahead 20-7, but Gannon rallied again with an impressive 79-yard drive to pull within 20-14. The Golden Knights moved the ball mostly on the ground, calling run plays on nine of the 13 plays.
Jansen Jones' (Rochester, N.Y./Penfield) two-yard score on fourth down capped the drive with 4:15 left in the first half. He has scored 90 points this season and needs one more touchdown to tie Richardson's single-season record of 96 points set in 2009.
The home squad immediately took the momentum back. Instead of running the clock out and settling for a six-point halftime lead, IUP needed only 2:41 to put another touchdown on the board. The biggest plays came on third down. The first was a 36-yard pass from Mike Box to Erik Finklea on third-and-three. The second was De'Antwan Williams' 23-yard touchdown run on third-and-one with 1:34 remaining. The ensuing two-point conversion gave the Crimson Hawks a 28-14 halftime advantage.
Gannon could only muster one score during the second half. A Caliste three-yard touchdown reception from Nadler with 3:33 left in the fourth quarter accounted for those points. Leading 49-20, IUP decided to keep its starters in the game and scored another touchdown on a fourth-down play with 35 seconds left. The Crimson Hawks then elected to not kick and take a knee on the extra point to account for the final 55-20 score.
Jones and Nadler led the Gannon ground attack with 75 and 60 yards, respectively. Both had a rushing touchdown. Nadler finished 21-of-37 through the air for 196 yards and another score. Caliste headlined the receiving unit with seven catches for 42 yards and a touchdown.
Indiana (Pa.) held advantages in first downs (27-22), rushing yards (280-140), passing yards (383-196), total yards (663-336) and time of possession (32:12-27:48).
Rankie topped all defensive players on both sides with his 15 tacklers.
Mike Zanders (Charlotte, N.C./Hopewell) added a career-high 12 stops, reaching double digits for the fifth time this season.
Tim Petro (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) also produced a career-high with eight tackles while recording his first career sack.
Gannon dropped to 5-5 overall and concluded its PSAC Western Division schedule tied for third place at 4-3. Indiana (Pa.) improved to 8-2 overall and 5-2 in divisional play. The Golden Knights need to win the 2013 regular-season finale Saturday, November 16 at Lock Haven to clinch their first winning season since the 2010 squad finished 6-5. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.
