ERIE, Pa. –
Jansen Jones (Rochester, N.Y./Penfield) rushed for 181 yards on a career-high 38 carries and the Golden Knights' defense forced four critical turnovers as the Gannon football team posted an impressive 38-27 victory against Slippery Rock Saturday afternoon in a constant rain at Gannon University Field.
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division opener was played in miserable conditions. With drainage systems at full capacity due to a morning-long heavy downpour, the teams played with water on the surface between the hashes as rain fell at a rapid pace through the entire game.
Gannon appeared to swing the momentum in its favor with a huge special teams play midway through the third quarter. Following Slippery Rock's game-tying touchdown with 7:56 remaining in the third quarter,
Quad Law (Donora, Pa./Ringgold) took the ensuing kickoff back to the house with a 93-yard return. It represented the longest kickoff return in school history. The explosion gave the Golden Knights a 28-21 advantage with 7:38 showing on the third-quarter clock.
Slippery Rock pulled within one point after Teddy Blakeman's two-yard run with 1:01 left in the third period, but
Nick Pipitone (Newmarket, Ontario/Huron Heights Secondary) broke through the line and blocked the extra point to preserve Gannon's lead at 28-27.
The fourth quarter belongs to Gannon. The Golden Knights put the game away with 10 unanswered points. The defensive unit forced the Rock to go three-and-out during three of its four possessions during the final quarter. Slippery Rock's only drive that extended past four plays ended with a fumble.
Jesstin Hamm (Harwood, Md./DeMatha Catholic) made a highlight-reel touchdown catch two plays into the fourth quarter.
Liam Nadler (Leipsic, Ohio/Leipsic Local) lofted a pass into the end zone from 18 yards out and Hamm went up and made an acrobatic catch on a jump ball among two defenders, giving the Golden Knights a 35-27 lead at the 14:49 mark.
A series of great plays later put the final dagger into the Rock. Slippery Rock was nearing midfield when
Trenton Donald (Uniontown, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) forced a fumble while sacking Slippery Rock quarterback Nigel Barksdale.
Joshua Wiechelt (Depew, N.Y./Depew) recovered the fumble at the Rock 45-yard line with 5:16 remaining. Five plays later,
Donnie Mann (Hastings, Minn./Hastings) drilled a 44-yard field goal in tough weather conditions to bump Gannon's lead to 38-27. The boot represented the 11th-longest field goal in school history.
Slippery Rock misfired on four consecutive passes during its next possession, before Gannon ran out the final minute and 52 seconds to secure the 11-point victory.
The PSAC West rivals initially battled to a 14-14 first-quarter tie, before playing to a scoreless stalemate during the second frame. Slippery Rock held a seven-point edge on two occasions, but Gannon responded with the tying touchdown both times. Jones had a two-run touchdown run and Nadler scored from two yards out with 1:36 left in the first quarter.
Jones was the offensive story of the day for Gannon. The redshirt senior helped offset the rainy conditions by carrying the ball a career-high 38 times. His previous high was 29 attempts during Gannon's last home game against Slippery Rock that resulted in a 33-27 victory on November 5, 2011. Jones entered the game as the nation's 13th-leading rusher, before accumulating 181 yards against the Rock. It was the 12th-highest single-game total in school history. He is now averaging 163.3 rushing yards per game through the first three weeks.
Nadler finished 14-of-26 for 123 yards and one touchdown through the air. He added 31 rushing yards on eight carries. Hamm and Law led the receivers with four catches each.
Three Golden Knights finished with over 100 all-purpose yards. Jones and Law produced 181 and 130 yards, respectively.
Justin Caliste (Roseville, Calif./Oakmont) chipped in 113 all-purpose yards.
Saturday proved to be a break-out performance for the Gannon defense which had allowed over 610 yards of total offense during each of the first two games. Against the Rock, the defensive unit forced four critical turnovers.
Nick Bengal (Liberty Township, Ohio/Lakota West) created the first, intercepting a pass at Gannon's three-yard line to maintain a 14-14 tie with 4:40 left in the first half.
Luke Rankie (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport) stopped a Slippery Rock drive at the Gannon 28-yard line with a fumble recovery early in the third quarter.
Mike Zanders (Charlotte, N.C./Hopewell) later picked off a pass in the end zone with 3:57 left in the third quarter. Donald and Wiechelt then combined on the fumble takeaway to preserve a 35-27 lead with 5:16 remaining in the game.
Rankie and Zanders led the defense with eight tackles each. Seven different Golden Knights recorded at least six stops during the team effort that included 11 pass break-ups and four tackles for a loss.
Gannon held a commanding advantage in time of possession, holding the ball for 37 minutes and 39 seconds. Slippery Rock held the upper hand in passing yards (250-123) and total yards (419-308). Gannon out-rushed the visitors 185-169 while both squads picked up 19 first downs.
Head coach
Brad Rzyczycki's club won its PSAC Western Division opener for the first time since joining the league in 2008. In the process, the Golden Knights won their conference divisional opener for the first time since defeating Mercyhurst 35-26 during the 2005 opener as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
Gannon improved to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the PSAC West with its fourth victory during the last five games against Slippery Rock. The Rock, among others receiving votes in the latest American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 Poll, suffered its first defeat in three games this season and fell to 0-1 in league play. The Golden Knights return to action Saturday, September 28 at Clarion. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m.
