Kory Curtis vs. Seton Hill
Bryce Dolak
14
Gannon GAN 5-2 , 3-1
40
Winner Slippery Rock ROCK 6-1 , 3-1
Gannon GAN
5-2 , 3-1
14
Final
40
Slippery Rock ROCK
6-1 , 3-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
GAN Gannon 0 0 7 7 14
ROCK Slippery Rock 3 14 16 7 40

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

Curtis Throws Two Touchdown Passes as Gannon Loses at No. 18 Slippery Rock

THE GAME FACTS
Score: No. 18 Slippery Rock 40, Gannon 14
Records: Gannon (5-2, 3-1 PSAC West), No. 18 Slippery Rock (6-1, 3-1 PSAC West)
Date: Saturday, October 15, 2022
Location: Slippery Rock, Pa. – Mihalik-Thompson Stadium
 
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- Gannon was seeking its first upset of a ranked opponent since 2011, but Slippery Rock's defense made sure that didn't happen. The Rock limited Gannon to minus nine yards rushing and the pass rush harried Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) all afternoon in a 40-14 Homecoming victory. Despite the final score, the Gannon defense turned in a solid effort but had trouble stopping The Rock on third down and was forced to defend a short field much of the day. No. 18 Slippery Rock converted on 11-of-19 third-down plays and was 2-of-2 on fourth down. Curtis recorded his second 300-yard game, completing 25-of-40 passes for 305 yards with 2 TDs and 2 INTs. Gannon has now lost the last eight meetings with Slippery Rock and nine of the last ten.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER

Box Score:  Click Here
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

Gannon opened the game with a 10-play drive to the SRU 36, but a dropped pass on third down and a sack on fourth down ended the march. SRU took over but the Gannon defense forced a three-and-out. Slippery Rock's punt with the wind pinned the Golden Knights at their own six and led to the first score of the game.

Gannon failed to gain a first down and was forced to punt. Punting into a strong wind The Rock ended up taking over at the GU 31 following a 25-yard punt. With a short field SRU drove down to the GU 6 but the Gannon defense stiffened with Chris Farnsworth (Bristol, Pa./Milton Hershey) and Obi Ezeigbo (Ewing, N.J./Ewing) stopping Chris D'Or at the three. DJ Opsatnik came in and kicked a 20-yard field goal to give Slippery Rock a 3-0 lead with 7:54 remaining in the first quarter.

Slippery Rock took advantage of another short field to boost the lead to 10-0 midway through the second quarter. The Rock took over at the GU 43 following another short punt. SRU converted on a 4th-and-3 to keep the drive alive, and after a big defensive play by Zharell Walker (Severn, Md. /Meade) left The Rock facing a 3rd-and-13 at the GU 21, Noah Grover found Bryce Profitt open for a 21-yard touchdown. The drive covered 43 yards on eight plays with the score coming at the 8:05 mark.

SRU put together a nine-play, 66-yard drive on its next possession, again with a 3rd-down conversion the key. A 30-yard pass from Grover to Cohen Russell on 3rd-and-4 put SRU at the GU 11, and four plays later Isaiah Edwards bulled in on a one-yard run. With 1:45 left in the half The Rock had built the lead to 17-0.

Gannon followed with an opportunity to score in the final two minutes, as Curtis completed five passes to march the Golden Knights to the SRU 33 with ten seconds left. Curtis was hurried on the final play and his pass was intercepted inside the ten as the half ended. It was just his second interception of the season.

Slippery Rock dashed any Gannon comeback hopes on the very first play of the second half. After a 38-yard kickoff return, D'Or broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and sprinted down the left sideline for a 61-yard touchdown run and a 24-0 advantage. It would lead to a 16-7 advantage for Slippery Rock in the third quarter.

The Gannon offense came alive following the long run, with Curtis completing three passes for 60 yards. The scoring drive covered 61 yards in seven plays, with the Golden Knights twice converting on third down. The first was a 17-yard completion to freshman Donell "Tank" Mason to the SRU 23. On 3rd-and-9 Curtis found Bransen Stanley (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) at the nine. The redshirt junior wide receiver made a leaping grab, eluded a defender and finished a 22-yard scoring play. With 11:52 remaining in the third quarter Gannon pulled to within 24-7.

Slippery Rock made it 26-7 thanks to a pass rush that harried Curtis all afternoon. After a holding penalty negated a 28-yard pass completion, Curtis dropped back to pass from his own 10 and was called for intentional grounding with D.J. Adediwura draped all over him in the end zone for a safety.

The SRU lead grew to 33-7 with 4:04 remaining in the third quarter on a 20-yard touchdown pass to Max Maciejewski on a tight end screen play. The play capped a nine-play, 60-yard drive that again featured a pair of 3rd-down conversions.

Slippery Rock tacked on a fourth-quarter touchdown on a seven-yard run by Tim Smith against a tired defense. The score came at 9:37 and capped a grueling 15-play, 60-yard drive that again featured several conversions on third down to make it 40-7.

Curtis answered with a pair of impressive drives in the fourth quarter. The first saw the Golden Knights begin at their own eight and march to the SRU 14, but the drive ended with an interception at the goal line. He would complete four passes for 78 yards before throwing just his third interception of the season.

The second drive resulted in a four-play, 48-yard touchdown drive. The final three plays and 35 yards were courtesy of Curtis' big right arm. The redshirt junior hooked up with Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington) on a 10-yard touchdown pass with 3:45 left in the game.
  
BY THE NUMBERS
 
After rushing for over 200 yards in four of six games this year and coming into the game averaging 180.ypg., second in the PSAC, Gannon's ground game was totally stifled by Slippery Rock. Gannon was held to minus nine yards on the ground, thanks in no small part to five sacks. The Rock held Melvin Blanks (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) to a yard rushing on seven carries. Antonio Wright (Palm Bay, Fla./Melbourne) Jr. led the Golden Knights with 24 yards on seven carries. SRU came into the game ranked third in the PSAC and 17th in Division II in rushing defense, allowing 80.0 ypg.

The final score was not indicative of how well the Gannon defense played, but they were never able to get off the field on third down. The Rock converted on 11-of-19 plays on third down, along with both fourth-down attempts. Gannon, meanwhile, was 3-of-10 on third down.

Slippery Rock finished with 371 total yards while Gannon came in at 296, all courtesy of Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast). The Rock featured a balanced attack with 169 yards on the ground and 202 through the air.

Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) posted his third 300-yard game of the season as he threw for 305 yards. The redshirt junior matched his career high with 25 completions while attempting a career-high 40 passes. He threw for a pair of touchdowns and tossed two interceptions after entering the game with just one all season. He now has 15 TDs and 3 INTs.

Gannon was playing in a Homecoming game for the third straight week. Two weeks ago the Golden Knights celebrated their own Homecoming with a 21-10 win over Seton Hill. Last week Gannon spoiled Edinboro's Homecoming with a 35-17 win.

With top receiver Sam East (Jackson Township, N.J./Saint John Vianney) again unable to go due to an injury freshman Donell "Tank" Mason stepped up. Mason had seen limited action prior to today and did not own a reception. He led Gannon with five receptions for 85 yards. Bransen Stanley (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) alsoi caught five passes, good for 61 yards, including a 22-yard TD reception. Jonathan Bowden (Palm Bay, Fla./Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy) had three catches for 51 yards while leading receiver Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington) was limited to three receptions for 35 yards. The redshirt junior did catch a 10-yard touchdown pass. In all Curtis completed passes to eight different receivers.

After throwing a school-record eight touchdown passes in last year's meeting, Noah Grover was held to just two touchdowns on Saturday. He completed 18-of-29 passes for 202 yards. Cohen Russell had five catches for 52 yards. Chris D'Or was the leading rusher for SRU with 105 yards on 14 carries, including a 61-yard TD jaunt.
 
THE RECORD BOOK
Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) moved into fourth place in career passing yards, all in just 18 games. After throwing for 305 yards on Saturday Curtis now has 3,985 yards, moving past Jimmy Keefe and Zach Boedicker into fourth place in career passing yards.
 
UP NEXT
Gannon returns home for back-to-back games at McConnell Family Stadium. The first is the annual showdown with crosstown rival Mercyhurst. Kickoff is set for 12 noon on Saturday, October 22.
 
 
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