Football vs. Northwood
Sam East hauls in game-winning touchdown pass in overtime.
28
Winner Gannon GAN 1-0
21
Northwood NU 0-1
Winner
Gannon GAN
1-0
28
Final
21
Northwood NU
0-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT F
GAN Gannon 7 0 7 7 7 28
NU Northwood 3 3 0 15 0 21

Game Recap: Football | | Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Curtis-to-East Connection Leads Gannon to 28-21 Overtime Win at Northwood

MIDLAND, Mich. – Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla.) (Coral Gables, Fla. / Island Coast) threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Sam East (Jackson Township, N.J./Saint John Vianney) (Jackson Twp., N.J. / Saint John Vianney) on the first play of overtime to lead Gannon to a 28-21 overtime win at Northwood on Thursday night at Midland Community Stadium in the season opener for both teams. It marked the first win for the Golden Knight over Northwood after three previous losses.

Oddly enough, Gannon ended its abbreviated spring season with a 28-21 win in overtime over Mercyhurst, the first career win at Gannon for head coach Erik Raeburn.

Northwood won the toss and chose to go on defense first. Curtis, a 6'4", 252 lb. redshirt sophomore playing in his first game for Gannon, found East open on a deep out to the right side. The junior wide receiver bobbled it before just diving across the goal line for his second touchdown of the night.

As it did most of the night, the Gannon defense came up big on Northwood's possession. Facing a 3rd-and-3 at the Gannon 18, Nate Gomez' pass was tipped and intercepted by Khwan Mickens (Miramar, Fla./West Broward) (Miramar, Fla. / West Broward) to end the game. It was the first career interception for the sophomore defensive back.  

The Golden Knights looked to be on their way to a win in regulation after taking a 21-14 lead in the fourth quarter. Following a blocked punt by Jay Bullock (Garfield Heights, Ohio/University School) (Garfield Heights, Ohio / University School), Gannon needed just four plays to go 31 yards, with the Curtis-to-East combination combining for their first score from nine yards out on a diving catch. Eric Scarpino's (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) (Waterford, Pa. / Fort LeBoeuf) extra point made it 21-14 with 10:39 remaining.

Northwood would have one last ditch effort to tie the game after a 43-yard punt by Isaac West (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) (Wexford, Pa. / North Allegheny) pinned the Timberwolves at their own five-yard line. Northwood proceeded to drive 95 yards on 11 plays, aided by a couple key penalties. That included a holding penalty on the Golden Knights on a 4th-and-10 play. With 18 seconds remaining, Cashual Goldsmith powered his way into the end zone from a yard out to knot the score at 21-21 following Parker Blust's extra point.

The score remained tight throughout the night. Northwood opened the scoring late in the first quarter after taking advantage of a bad snap on a punt. The Timberwolves took over at the GU 31, but managed just one first down before Blust came in and kicked a 32-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 5:06 remaining in the first quarter.

That marked the first of three straight possessions with scores for the two teams. Gannon responded with a 13-play, 78-yard drive that featured two third-down conversions and one on fourth down. Melvin Blanks' (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Hills) 26-yard run on 3rd-and-2 gave Gannon a first down at the NW 15. Curtis' 14-yard pass to Alex Whittaker (Medina, Ohio/Medina) (Medina, Ohio / Medina) made it 1st-and-goal at the one, and two plays later Blanks scored on a one-yard run for a 7-3 lead with 45 seconds left in the first quarter.

Back came the Timberwolves thanks to a 57-yard kickoff return by Goldsmith. Northwood would reach the GU 6 before Cameron Jenkins (Ladera Ranch, Calif./Orange Lutheran) (Ladera Ranch, Calif. / Orange Lutheran) threw Brock Franklin for a loss of three on 3rd-and-goal. Blust came in and converted a 26-yard field goal with 13:22 remaining in the half.

The score remained that way at the half, although Gannon would drive to the NW 9 in the final minute before an interception ended the half.

The third quarter began with Northwood driving 64 yards to the GU 11, but the Gannon defense again came up with the big stand. On 4th-and-1, Franklin was thrown for a three-yard loss by Jenkins and Malachi Woody (Lynchburg, Va./Liberty Christian Academy) (Lynchburg, Va. / Liberty Christian Academy).

Gannon proceeded to take a 14-6 lead with 22:24 left in the third quarter on an eight-play, 84-yard march that again featured a key third-down conversion. On a 3rd-and-13 play at their own 18-yard line, Curtis found Damerisse Freeman Jr. (Euclid, Ohio/St.. Edward) (Euclid, Ohio / St. Edward) open over the middle at the first down marker. Freeman would break free and go 55 yards in all before being hauled down at the NW 27. Blanks followed with a 15-yard run, and on 3rd-and-6 from the eight, Isaiah Pae (Burlington, N.J./Burlingtomn) (Burlington, N.J. / Burlington) made a great one-hand catch of Curtis' pass for an eight-yard touchdown. It was the first career catch for the redshirt freshman tight end, who previously attended Wagner.

Goldsmith would knot the score at 14-14 as he burst 55 yards over the right side on the first play of the fourth quarter. Gomez added the two-point conversion on a run, flipping over a defender and stretching the ball across the line.

BY THE NUMBERS
Gannon would the game with 392 yards on 69 plays, while Northwood came in with 331 yards on 72 plays. Curtis accounted for 274 yards in total offense in his first game as a Golden Knight. He previously was at Ohio State for three seasons before playing at Bryant. He completed 17-of-37 passes for 249 yards with 3 TDs and 2 INTs, adding 25 yards rushing on seven carries. The 249 yards is the second-highest total of his career. He threw for 394 yards against Brown in 2019.

Curtis spread it around, with eight different players catching passes. East led the way with 7 receptions for 100 yards and 2 TDs, setting career highs for receptions and yards and tying his high for touchdowns receiving.  Damerisse Freeman Jr. (Euclid, Ohio/St.. Edward) added 2 catches for 73 yards.

A young offensive line paved the way for 143 yards rushing, allowing just one sack. Blanks posted his second career 100-yard effort with 102 yards on 16 carries.

Northwood showcased a balanced attack with 166 yards passing and 165 yards rushing. After a slow start, Gomez completed 13-of-27 passes for 144 yards with a pair of interceptions. He added 26 yards on the ground. Goldsmith was the game's leading rusher with 112 yards on 21 carries and a pair of scores. He accounted for 189 all-purpose yards. Christian Martinez had 4 catches for 50 yards for the Timberwolves.

West turned in a strong showing as the Knights' punter, averaging 40.2 yards on five punts.

The Gannon defense ended up spending over 35 minutes on the field, but turned in a very solid effort. Chris Farnsworth (Bristol, Pa./Milton Hershey) (Bristol, Pa. / Milton Hershey) had a team-high 10 tackles, a career best, with Reginald Hamlette Jr. (Temple Hills, Md./Oxon Hill) (Temple Hills, Md. / Oxon Hill) adding eight tackles along with his first career interception. The eight hits matched a career high for Hamlette.  Nigel Reddick (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) (Stafford, Va. / Colonial Forge) also had eight stops, while Nick White (Randallstown, Md./Milford Mill Academy) (Randallstown, Md. / Milford Mill Academy) had six stops, including three for losses and a sack.

UP NEXT
Gannon will make its home debut in 2021, hosting Shepherd in a PSAC crossover contest. Kickoff is set for 12 noon at McConnell Family Stadium. The Rams are the preseason favorite in the PSAC East.   
 
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