17-curtis
Kory Curtis threw for four TDs and ran for a fifth.
21
Clarion CLAR 0-4 , 0-1
56
Winner Gannon GAN 2-2 , 1-0
Clarion CLAR
0-4 , 0-1
21
Final
56
Gannon GAN
2-2 , 1-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
CLAR Clarion 0 14 7 0 21
GAN Gannon 21 21 7 7 56

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

Curtis, Turnovers Lead Gannon to 56-21 Homecoming Win over Clarion

ERIE, Pa. – Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla.) accounted for five touchdowns and Gannon forced five turnovers to send a Homecoming Day crowd home happy with a 56-21 win this afternoon at McConnell Family Stadium. The victory evened the Golden Knights at 2-2 overall as they opened PSAC West action with the win. Clarion dropped to 0-4 in its first road contest of the year and is now 0-1 in league play.

The fans hardly had time to reach their seats and Gannon had jumped out to a 14-0 lead. The Golden Knights took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards in 10 plays, with Curtis tossing a seven-yard touchdown pass to Alex Whittaker (Medina, Ohio/Medina) with 10:19 left in the first quarter. The sophomore quarterback was a perfect 6-for-6 on the drive for 45 yards, adding a 23-yard run down to the CU 7. Whittaker, a redshirt tight end, would catch his fourth touchdown pass of the season on the next play.

Clarion would commit its first of five turnovers just two plays later following a bad shotgun snap, with Nick White (Randallstown, Md./Milford Mill Academy) recovering and taking down to the CU 5. On 3rd-and-goal from the four, Curtis threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Wright (West Melbourne, Fla./Melbourne). Eric Scarpino (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) would convert the second of his eight extra points for a 14-0 lead with 8:06 still remaining in the first quarter.

The Golden Knights were back in business in Clarion territory after one Golden Eagle first down. Freshman defensive back Sir Giles (St. Cloud, Fla./Tohopekaliga) made a leaping interception of Taylor Eggers' pass at the CU 44. Gannon needed six plays to reach paydirt, with Curtis scoring from a yard out on a quarterback sneak with 4:06 left. The drive began with Curtis hitting Sam East (Jackson Township, N.J./Saint John Vianney) for 22 yards, and he converted a 3rd-and-8 from the CU 20 with a 15-yard completion to Damerisse Freeman Jr. (Euclid, Ohio/St.. Edward)

Clarion was knocking on the Gannon goal line at the end of the first quarter after starting the drive at its own 30. Mylique McGriff was stripped of the ball by Malachi Woody (Lynchburg, Va./Liberty Christian Academy), with Keith Thompson (Woodbridge, Va./Woodbridge) picking up the ball at the one. The redshirt junior proceeded to streak 99 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown, the longest fumble return in Gannon history and Thompson's first career touchdown. The Golden Knights suddenly led 28-0 with 14:45 left in the second quarter.

The Golden Eagles needed just four plays to match the score, with Quinn Zinobile catching a seven-yard scoring pass from Eggers to cap a four-play, 65-yard drive.

A 35-yard kickoff return by freshman Chaz Davis (Callahan, Fla./West Nassau) had the Golden Knights at midfield to start the ensuing drive. On 3rd-and-8 at the CU 47, Curtis and East combined for a 31-yard completion on a deep slant to the CU 16. Curtis followed with a 12-yard run, and the next play Melvin Blanks (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) went straight up the middle for a four-yard touchdown and a 35-7 advantage with 11:35 left in the second quarter.

Gannon would take a 42-14 lead at the half as both teams exchanged touchdowns just over a minute apart. The Golden Knights would go up 42-7 with 6:38 left in the half thanks to a muffed punt by Clarion, with Gannon's Trey Baker (Kettering, Ohio/Kettering Fairmont) recovering at the CU 19. On the very next play, Curtis made it three touchdown passes in the first half with a 19-yard strike to Bransen Stanley (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston), who was wide open in the back of the end zone.

Clarion needed just 65 seconds to return the favor. Terrell Ford's 40-yard kickoff return set the Golden Eagles up at midfield, and McGriff capped the six-play, 49-yard drive with a two-yard TD run with 5:24 remaining in the half.

The Golden Eagles cut the deficit to 42-21 midway through the second quarter thanks to a nine-play, 60-yard march that was highlighted by a 42-yard Eggers-to-Ford completion. Eggers threw his second touchdown pass of the day, this one to Khalil Owens from six yards out.

Any comeback hopes were quickly foiled, as Gannon needed just two plays to answer. Wright burst 23 yards on the first play, and Curtis followed with a perfectly thrown strike to redshirt sophomore KeJohn Batiste for a 35-yard touchdown with 7:02 left in the third quarter. It was Curtis' fourth touchdown pass of the game, and the first career TD reception for Batiste, who made a great catch as he was blanketed by the defender.

Gannon would add one more score in the fourth quarter for its highest point total since a 76-31 win over Seton Hill in 2017. Blanks scored his second rushing touchdown of the day on a 32-yard run.

Gannon would finish the afternoon with 437 total yards, passing for 263 yards and finishing with 174 yards on the ground. Clarion totaled 335 yards on 215 yards through the air and 120 yards rushing. The Golden Eagles accounted for 71 of those yards on their final drive of the day.

Curtis continued his stellar play to begin his Gannon career, as the 6'2", 252 lb. signalcaller completed 17 of 31 passes for 241 yards with 4 TDs, adding 29 yards rushing on nine carries with a fifth score. He has now thrown for 12 TDs in his first four games. East was his favorite target with 4 catches for 66 yards, with Damerisse Freeman adding 3 catches for 65 yards. Ten different Golden Knights caught at least one pass.

Blanks was the game's leading rusher with 96 yards and 2 TDs on 14 carries. The junior fell just shy of his third 100-yard effort of the season. Wright added 48 yards on eight carries.

Eggers completed 18 of 33 passes for 189 yards with 2 TDs and 2 INTs. Ford caught 5 passes for 87 yards. After catching passes for 202 yards last week, the Gannon defense held Zinobile to 21 yards on 4 receptions. Percise Colon came on late to finish with 42 yards rushing on eight carries. McGriff, a top five career rusher at Clarion, was held to 41 yards on 15 carries.

The big-play Gannon offense featured nine plays of 20-or-more yards, including six passes, along with four more plays of 10-or-more yards. In addition, the Clarion defense was unable to get off the field on third down, with Gannon converting 9 of 15 third-down plays while holding Clarion to 5-for-18.

A depleted Gannon secondary came up with six passes broken up, with Jamir Francis (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) registering three. In addition to Giles' first career interception, sophomore Chris Farnsworth (Bristol, Pa./Milton Hershey) also had his first career pickoff.  

Gannon heads back out on the highway this coming weekend, playing at Indiana(Pa.)  on Saturday, October 2. The Crimson Hawks come in with 2-1 record after a 48-13 win over Mercyhurst today, and will be celebrating Homecoming.
 
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