Marc Jones
Joe Mattis
Junior Marc Jones set a school record with six rushing touchdowns during Gannon's homecoming victory against Edinboro.
25
Edinboro EDIN 3-3 , 1-2
47
Winner Gannon University GAN 2-4 , 1-2
Edinboro EDIN
3-3 , 1-2
25
Final
47
Gannon University GAN
2-4 , 1-2
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
EDIN Edinboro 7 6 6 6 25
GAN Gannon University 14 14 7 12 47

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at Seton Hill University (Pa.)

10/14/2017 | 4:00 PM

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Oct. 14 (Sat) / 4:00 PM
at Seton Hill University (Pa.)

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

Gannon Football Team Rolls Past Edinboro on Homecoming Weekend Behind Another Monster Day by Jones (Video)



THE RUNDOWN
  • Score: at Gannon 47, Edinboro 25
  • Records: Gannon (2-4, 1-2 PSAC West), Edinboro (3-3, 1-2 PSAC West)
  • Location: Erie, Pa. - McConnell Family Stadium
  • The Short Story: NCAA Division II rushing leader Marc Jones (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) rushed for 261 yards and a school-record six touchdowns as the Gannon football team celebrated Homecoming Weekend with a 47-25 victory Saturday afternoon before a standing-room-only crowd at a sun-drenched McConnell Family Stadium.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • After three combined scoreless drives to open the contest, Edinboro ignited the high-scoring affair with a 12-play, 82-yard drive the resulted in an eight-yard touchdown run by Walter Fletcher with 5:36 left in the first quarter.
  • Gannon immediately answered with a five-play, 75-yard drive that tied the score on Jones' 38-yard run to pay dirt at the 2:58 mark.
  • A 26-yard interception return by true freshman Tyger Winston (New Rochelle, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) then gave the Golden Knights a short field at the Edinboro 27-yard line. The home squad converted a third-and-20 on a 26-yard pass completion from redshirt freshman Jimmy Keefe (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/St. Edward) to redshirt sophomore Joey Cox (Costa Mesa, Calif./Calvary Chapel). Jones followed with an 11-yard touchdown run with 1:01 showing on the first-quarter clock for a 14-7 lead.
  • Edinboro counterpunched with a touchdown on the third play of the second quarter, but a failed extra point left the visitors down by a point.
  • Gannon needed only two plays to respond. Redshirt senior Brandon Mansell (New Brighton, Pa./Blackhawk) returned the ensuing kickoff 33 yards to the Golden Knights' 39-yard line, before Keefe hit redshirt senior Tyler Palka (Temperance, Mich./Saline) for a 61-yard touchdown pass and a 21-13 edge with 56 seconds expired in the second quarter.
  • Things started to unravel for Edinboro at that point. A bad snap on its next possession was recovered by redshirt junior Martell Davis (Columbus, Ohio/Licking Heights) at the Fighting Scot 14-yard line. On the following third-and-four, redshirt sophomore Dontae Owens (Reading, Pa./Reading) hauled in a Keefe pass down to the one-yard line. Jones then punched the ball in for his third touchdown of the half, giving the Golden Knights a 28-13 advantage with 11:05 left in the second quarter.
  • Both teams were unable to score during its final two possessions of the half as Gannon took a 28-13 lead into the intermission.
  • Edinboro fired out of the halftime locker room and needed only four plays to find the end zone. A 67-yard touchdown run was the big blow, but a blocked extra point kept the deficit at 28-19.
  • Gannon put the game away with the next three touchdowns. Jones was responsible for all three. He scored on a three-yard run at the 3:42 mark of the third quarter, 57-yard run at 9:51 of the fourth quarter and 15-yard run at the 4:19 mark of the fourth quarter. His 57-yard run initially set a new school record for rushing touchdowns in a single game with five, before he tacked on a sixth.
  • Edinboro punched in one more touchdown with the reserve units for both teams on the field with 19 seconds remaining to account for the final 47-25 score.

GAME NOTES
  • Gannon celebrated Homecoming Weekend in front of a standing-room-only crowd. The fans enjoyed the game under sunny skies with temperatures in the 80's.
  • The Golden Knights finished with advantages in first downs (23-21), rushing yards (314-208), passing yards (216-204), total yards (530-412) and time of possession (32:01-27:59).
  • Jones recorded his usual 100-yard rushing game, finishing with 261 yards and six touchdowns on 23 carries. He added two receptions for 22 yards despite having 40 receiving yards eliminated due to a holding penalty.
  • Keefe went 12-of-22 for 203 yards and one touchdown with zero interceptions through the air.
  • Owens topped the Gannon receiving group in catches with five for 43 yards.
  • Palka was No. 1 in receiving yards with 112 and one touchdown on four receptions. 
  • Redshirt junior Geremy Paige (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park) led the Gannon defensive unit for the second consecutive week with 10 tackles, including two that resulted in a loss. 
  • Redshirt senior Foster Reznor (Grove City, Pa./Grove City) followed with seven stops.
  • Junior Jarod Morrison (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) averaged 50 yards on four punts. His day included a 69-yard punt and two placed inside the 20-yard line.
  • Gannon finished 7-of-14 on third-down conversions and scored four times during five trips inside the red zone.
  • In contrast, Edinboro was 6-of-15 on third down.
  • Gannon committed zero turnovers while Edinboro had three.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Entering the day as the leading rusher in NCAA Division II, Jones produced his sixth consecutive 100-yard rushing performance and seventh in 17 games as a Golden Knight. He became the first Gannon player in program history to open a season with six consecutive 100-yard games.
  • Only Bryce Love of NCAA Division I Stanford entered the day with more rushing yards at any level of the NCAA, holding a 56-yard lead entering today's games.
  • Gannon defeated Edinboro for the fourth time in the last five meetings. The Golden Knights have won their last three home contests against the Fighting Scots.
  • Jones' 1,293 rushing yards through six games already represents the fourth-highest single-season total in program history. He sits only 335 yards behind Brock Jones' school-record total of 1,628 in 2014.
  • Palka recorded his second 100-yard receiving game and first since the season opener at Southern Connecticut State.
  • Jones broke the school record for rushing touchdown in a game with six, surpassing the previous record of four accomplished four times.
  • Senior Karch Holland (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington) became Gannon's all-time scoring leader with 223 career points, passing previous record holder Jon Richardson's (2006-09) record of 222 points.
  • Jones moved his all-purpose total to 1,480 yards which is the fifth-highest mark in school history. He is 346 yards behind Brock Jones' school record of 1,826 set in 2014.
  • Winston's interception during the first quarter was the first of his career.
  • Jones tied the school record for points in a season with 108, tying Brock Jones' 2014 mark. 
  • Paige tied a season-high with 10 tackles, reaching double digits for the second time this season.
  • Morrison averaged over 50 yards per punt for the third time this season. His 50.0 average today ranks third all-time at Gannon with a minimum of three punts in a game. He set the record of 58.3 yards on three punts against Slippery Rock on September 23.
  • Palka produced a career-high 154 all-purpose yards with an additional 42 rushing yards to go along with his 112 receiving yards.
  • Gannon scored at least 45 points for the third time this season.
  • The Golden Knights entered the contest with the 14th-toughest schedule in NCAA Division II through the first five games. The Golden Knights' first five opponents own a combined .700 (14-6) winning percentage.
  • Gannon won its first Homecoming Game since a 33-27 victory against Slippery Rock in 2011.
  • Edinboro's 204 passing yards equaled the fewest by a Gannon opponent this season.

UP NEXT
  • Gannon heads back on the road to Greensburg, Pa., for an encounter with Seton Hill on Saturday, October 14.
  • Game time is slated for 4 p.m.
  • It will be the Golden Knights' latest kickoff time of the season.
  • Gannon is 4-0 all-time against Seton Hill with an average scoring margin of 21.5 points.
  • Offensively, the Golden Knights have averaged 43.8 points during those four previous match-ups.
  • Outlets to follow the game include a live video broadcast (http://www.westmorelandsports.com/broadcast), live gameday statistics (https://portal.stretchinternet.com/shu) and live gameday audio (http://www.wergfm.com).
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Players Mentioned

Martell Davis

#20 Martell Davis

DB
5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
Sport Management and Entrepreneurship
Karch Holland

#46 Karch Holland

K
5' 9"
Senior
Biology
Marcus Jones

#4 Marcus Jones

RB
5' 11"
Junior
Middle Childhood Education
Jimmy Keefe

#16 Jimmy Keefe

QB
6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
Middle Level Education and Special Education
Brandon Mansell

#21 Brandon Mansell

WR
5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
Sport and Exercise Science
Jarod Morrison

#39 Jarod Morrison

P
6' 3"
Junior
Education
Geremy Paige

#9 Geremy Paige

LB
5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
Sport Management and Marketing/Entrepreneurship
Tyler Palka

#2 Tyler Palka

QB
6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
Secondary Education
Foster Reznor

#23 Foster Reznor

DB
5' 11"
Senior
Early Childhood PreK-4/Special Education PreK-8
Dontae Owens

#8 Dontae Owens

WR
6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
Criminal Justice

Players Mentioned

Martell Davis

#20 Martell Davis

5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
Sport Management and Entrepreneurship
DB
Karch Holland

#46 Karch Holland

5' 9"
Senior
Biology
K
Marcus Jones

#4 Marcus Jones

5' 11"
Junior
Middle Childhood Education
RB
Jimmy Keefe

#16 Jimmy Keefe

6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
Middle Level Education and Special Education
QB
Brandon Mansell

#21 Brandon Mansell

5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
Sport and Exercise Science
WR
Jarod Morrison

#39 Jarod Morrison

6' 3"
Junior
Education
P
Geremy Paige

#9 Geremy Paige

5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
Sport Management and Marketing/Entrepreneurship
LB
Tyler Palka

#2 Tyler Palka

6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
Secondary Education
QB
Foster Reznor

#23 Foster Reznor

5' 11"
Senior
Early Childhood PreK-4/Special Education PreK-8
DB
Dontae Owens

#8 Dontae Owens

6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
Criminal Justice
WR