Touchdown celebration Clarion 092819
Joe Mattis
35
Clarion CLAR 2-2 , 0-1
51
Winner Gannon GAN 2-2 , 1-0
Clarion CLAR
2-2 , 0-1
35
Final
51
Gannon GAN
2-2 , 1-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
CLAR Clarion 0 14 14 7 35
GAN Gannon 14 27 7 3 51

Game Recap: Football | | David Rung, Director of Athletics Media Relations

Keefe Matches Record With 5 TDs As Gannon Rolls To Homecoming Win Over Clarion

THE RUNDOWN
  • Final Score: Gannon 51, Clarion 35
  • Records: Gannon (2-2, 1-0 PSAC West) | Clarion (2-2, 0-1 PSAC West)
  • Location: McConnell Family Stadium — Erie, Pa.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
KEY SEQUENCE
  • A fast start got Gannon out to a four-touchdown lead, and when Clarion was able to get on the board midway through the second quarter, the Golden Knights didn't waste any time pushing their lead right back out to four scores. On the second play of the ensuing drive, Jimmy Keefe (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/St. Edward) put the ball on the mark to Joey Cox (Costa Mesa, Calif./Calvary Chapel) near midfield. The senior receiver did the rest, bouncing off the first defender, dodging another, the spinning through a trio of Golden Eagles before scampering to the end zone to make it a 34-7 lead for the hosts.

HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Clarion marched down to the Gannon 23 on its opening drive, even scoring on a fourth-down run before a holding flag brought it back and forced a punt to the 6. The long field was no problem for the Knights, who hit for 43 yards on their first play of the game when Tyger Winston (New York City, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) hauled in a long ball.
  • Winston took care of the rest a few plays later as well, pulling in a quick slant and sprinting 53 yards to paydirt just over six minutes in. A big sack on third down ended another Clarion drive that was working its way downfield, and the Gannon running game got to work on the team's second possession. Four totes from Melvin Blanks (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) was capped by a 21-yard run through a big gap to put the second touchdown on the board.
  • An opportunistic Gannon defense flipped the script once again early in the second quarter, when Aaron Webb (Baltimore, Md./Franklin) stopped in front of a pass and brought it into Clarion territory. Keefe notched his second touchdown pass of the day on third down, finding Johnny Freeman (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep) for 23 yards and a 20-0 lead.
  • The Golden Eagles had a chance thwarted again on Gannon's side of the field, this time with A.J. Satcher (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius) snatching a tipped pass for the second pick of the day. A penalty on the return took the ball to the Gannon 44, and Keefe hit Blanks for 30 yards before Zevin Holley (Fredericksburg, Va./Stafford) covered the final five yards for the score.
  • A solid return on the kickoff set Clarion up at midfield, and the Golden Eagles were able to take advantage to get on the board with a nice play by Marcus McCoy in the front corner of the end zone to make it 27-7 with 8:20 on the clock. Gannon started on the 25 after a touchback, and following an incompletion from Keefe, he found Cox open on a double move for the 75-yard score that gave the momentum right back to the hosts.
  • Gannon punted for the first time on the day on its next drive, but thanks to another play in a big moment, the Knights still kept the guests from scoring. Clarion worked its way to the Gannon 18, but a tackle for a loss from Nicholas White led to a field goal attempt, and that was thwarted by Jay Bullock (Garfield Heights, Ohio/University School), who burst through the line to block the kick.
  • The big-play offense struck again for the Knights, as Keefe found a wide-open Holley going down the seam for 58 yards and the score. Clarion bounced down the field with two big plays to get its second score, but Gannon still took a 41-14 lead into the break.
  • Clarion was able to get some points in the second half, starting with a strip-sack fumble that was returned for a score on the first drive of the third quarter. Cox pulled in his second score on a 19-yard wheel route with 9:36 on the clock in the third, and the Golden Eagles netted another touchdown on their next drive to pull within 48-28.
  • Nice pursuit from Warren Lumdsen held Clarion without a gain on 4th and 7 inside the Gannon 10, but the Eagles would get to within two scores on their next drive after a Gannon punt. The Golden Knights closed their scoring the next time they got the ball, as Eric Scarpino (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) nailed a 41-yard field goal with 8:08 left.
  • Jayden Ashby (Kensington, Md./The Avalon School) took over for the Gannon defense the rest of the way to keep any more points from being scored. The true freshman pulled in an interception near midfield the next time Clarion got the ball, and he did the same thing when the Golden Eagles went for it on fourth down with three minutes left. That return ended with a fumble that Clarion hopped on to get the ball back, but Ashby nearly picked off another one on an almost identical play, then broke up the final two attempts for the guests.
     
GAME NOTES
  • Keefe turned in one of the best passing days in program history, highlighted by matching a single-game record with five touchdown passes. His 374 passing yards ranks eighth in the Gannon record book, and he passed 3,000 career yards during the game, putting him sixth all-time for the Golden Knights.
  • Blanks rolled for 87 yards on the ground, and pulled in two passes for 39 yards, marking his third consecutive game with over 100 all-purpose yards.
  • The Gannon defense, which entered the game 20th in the nation in interceptions, will be even higher next week after picking off four passes Saturday. That is the most in a game for the Knights since also intercepting four in the 2017 season finale against Millersville.
  • Three different players — Satcher, Ashby and Keith Thompson (Woodbridge, Va./Woodbridge) — have two interceptions on the season for the Knights.
  • The 41 points in the first half for Gannon is the most in a half for the team since going for 43 in the second half of a 76-31 victory over Seton Hill in 2017. It's the most in an opening half since scoring 42 against East Stroudsburg on the way to a 66-41 win in 2014.
 
UP NEXT
  • Gannon closes out its only multi-game homestand of the season, hosting Erie County rival Edinboro next Saturday.
  • Live video, live stats and live audio will be available for the noon kickoff at McConnell Family Stadium.
  • The Fighting Scots fell to 0-4 on the season after suffering a 24-7 defeat against California Saturday to open PSAC West play.
  • Edinboro holds a 9-4 lead in the all-time series after grabbing a 31-24 win last season.
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