Matthew Gawlik
Matt Mead Photography LLC
Senior Matthew Gawlik jumped into Gannon's all-time top 10 with 15.5 career sacks after another two at Cal.
14
Gannon University GAN 4-4 , 1-4
35
Winner California (Pa.) CAL 7-0 , 5-0
Gannon University GAN
4-4 , 1-4
14
Final
35
California (Pa.) CAL
7-0 , 5-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
GAN Gannon University 0 7 7 0 14
CAL California (Pa.) 0 14 14 7 35

Next Game:

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

10/29/2016 | 12:00 PM

Next Game

Full Schedule
Oct. 29 (Sat) / 12:00 PM
 Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Game Recap: Football | | Dan Teliski, Assistant Director of Athletics for Media Relations

Gannon Football Team Produces Four Turnovers and Out-Gains No. 8 Cal, But Upset Bid Falls Short

THE RUNDOWN
  • Score: at No. 8 California (Pa.) 35, Gannon 14
  • Records: Gannon (4-4, 1-4 PSAC West), California (Pa.) (7-0, 5-0 PSAC West)
  • Location: California, Pa. - Adamson Stadium
  • The Short Story: The Gannon football team intercepted California (Pa.) quarterback Michael Keir four times and generated a 325-306 edge in total yards, but was unable to convert the turnovers into points as the Golden Knights fell 35-14 against No. 8 California (Pa.) Saturday afternoon on the road.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • The two teams battled to a scoreless tie through the first 23 minutes and 36 seconds until California (Pa.) drew first blood.
  • The Vulcans forced a fumble on the Gannon 22-yard line and scored the game's first points two plays later with a 12-yard touchdown run by Nick Grissom at the 6:24 mark of the second quarter.
  • Gannon immediately answered with the tying points during its next possession. The Golden Knights drove 75 yards on 11 plays in four minutes and 57 seconds. Redshirt sophomore Zach Phillips (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park) connected with true freshman Isaiah Young (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) for 21-yard and 15-yard passes during the drive. Phillips' three-yard touchdown run with 1:27 left in the first half capped the possession.
  • Cal took the momentum into the halftime locker room after engineering a six-play, 60-yards drive during the final 1:23 to assume the lead.
  • The passing game accounted for the majority of the drive except five rushing yards and a 15-yard penalty. Back-up quarterback Marcus Prather hit Luke Smorey for a 12-yard touchdown strike on third-and-six with 12 ticks remaining, sending the home squad into halftime with a 14-7 edge.
  • Cal opened the second half by turning another Gannon fumble into points. The Vulcans forced a fumble during the Golden Knights' first possession inside the 20-yard line. Two plays later, Keir hooked up with Garry Brown for a 15-yard touchdown pass and 21-7 lead.
  • As it did during the first half, Gannon immediately countered. This time, the Golden Knights went 75 yards on five plays in only one minute and 32 seconds. Phillips converted a third-and-10 from his 25-yard line with a 12-yard pass to sophomore Richard Makowski (Kolkwitz, Germany/Lausitzer Sportschule). Two plays later, sophomore Marcus Jones (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) busted through the line and went 59 yards for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 21-14 with 11:55 left in the third quarter.
  • The back-and-forth continued as Cal scored on its next possession to assume a 28-14 advantage at the 6:52 mark of the third quarter. The drive chewed up 67 yards on 10 plays.
  • The Vulcans added an insurance touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, accounting for the final 35-14 score.
  • Gannon reached the red zone one more time, but an incomplete pass on fourth-and-eight from the Cal 11-yard line ended the drive with 5:34 to play. Cal then proceeded to eat the rest of the clock with the aid of two third-down conversions.

GAME NOTES
  • Cal produced advantages in first downs (18-17) and passing yards (224-137).
  • Gannon countered with the better play in rushing yards (182-82), total offense (325-306) and time of possession (31:20-28:40).
  • Both teams were good on third down. The Golden Knights converted 8-of-16 opportunities while the Vulcans finished 9-of-15.
  • Four Gannon players generated 24 rushing yards or more, led by Jones' 79 yards and one touchdown on six carries.
  • Phillips finished 18-of-30 for 143 yards through the air.
  • Young was the top target with six catches for 43 yards.
  • Senior Matthew Gawlik (Strongsville, Ohio/St. Ignatius) headlined the defensive effort with 10 stops, three tackles for a loss and two sacks.
  • Redshirt senior Christian Carpenter (Aberdeen, Md./Aberdeen) followed with nine tackles and one interception.
  • Redshirt freshman Dorian Jones (Gaithersburg, Md./Quince Orchard) intercepted two passes for the second consecutive week.
  • Redshirt sophomore Geremy Paige (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park), senior Mike Zanders II (Charlotte, N.C./Hopewell), redshirt freshman Andrew Berger (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) and sophomore Anthony Howard (Temple Hills, Md./Bishop O'Connell) chipped in five tackles each.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Saturday's contest was part of Cal's Homecoming Weekend.
  • The Vulcans are ranked No. 8 in the latest American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 Poll.
  • Gannon dropped to 1-8 all-time against Cal with the lone victory coming via a forfeit in 2014.
  • Junior Karch Holland (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington) extended his streak of consecutive extra points to 36 dating back to last season.
  • Gawlik entered Gannon's all-time top 10 with 15.5 career sacks. He jumped four Golden Knights with Saturday's two sacks and moved into a tie with Antwan Fleming (2002-05) for seventh place.
  • Holland moved into Gannon's all-time top five in scoring, tying Jesstin Hamm (Harwood, Md./DeMatha Catholic) (2011-15) and Jeremy Ditzler (2007-10) for fifth place with 182 career points.
  • Gawlik set career-highs in tackles, tackles for a loss and sacks.
  • Phillips has not thrown an interception during the last two games, extending his streak without an interception to 40 passes.

UP NEXT
  • Gannon concludes its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division home schedule Saturday, October 29 against No. 13 Indiana (Pa.) at McConnell Family Stadium.
  • Game time is scheduled for 12 noon.
  • The Crimson Hawks are tabbed 13th in the latest AFCA Top 25 Poll.
  • IUP leads the all-time series 5-3, but Gannon posted a 31-21 win during the last match-up at McConnell Family Stadium in 2014.
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Players Mentioned

Jesstin Hamm

#7 Jesstin Hamm

WR
6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
Communication Arts
Andrew Berger

#93 Andrew Berger

DE
6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
Criminal Justice
Christian Carpenter

#1 Christian Carpenter

DB
6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
Interdisciplinary Studies
Matthew Gawlik

#95 Matthew Gawlik

DE
6' 3"
Senior
Finance
Karch Holland

#46 Karch Holland

K
5' 9"
Junior
Biology
Anthony Howard

#25 Anthony Howard

LB
6' 0"
Sophomore
Dorian Jones

#5 Dorian Jones

DB
6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
Biology
Richard Makowski

#10 Richard Makowski

WR
6' 4"
Sophomore
Sport Management and Marketing/International Management
Geremy Paige

#9 Geremy Paige

LB
5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
Sport Management and Marketing/Entrepreneurship
Zach Phillips

#6 Zach Phillips

QB
6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
Healthcare Management

Players Mentioned

Jesstin Hamm

#7 Jesstin Hamm

6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
Communication Arts
WR
Andrew Berger

#93 Andrew Berger

6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
Criminal Justice
DE
Christian Carpenter

#1 Christian Carpenter

6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
Interdisciplinary Studies
DB
Matthew Gawlik

#95 Matthew Gawlik

6' 3"
Senior
Finance
DE
Karch Holland

#46 Karch Holland

5' 9"
Junior
Biology
K
Anthony Howard

#25 Anthony Howard

6' 0"
Sophomore
LB
Dorian Jones

#5 Dorian Jones

6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
Biology
DB
Richard Makowski

#10 Richard Makowski

6' 4"
Sophomore
Sport Management and Marketing/International Management
WR
Geremy Paige

#9 Geremy Paige

5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
Sport Management and Marketing/Entrepreneurship
LB
Zach Phillips

#6 Zach Phillips

6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
Healthcare Management
QB