Chris Farnsworth vs. Mercyhurst
Bryce Dolak

Football Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Gannon Hosts No. 11/12 IUP with First Place in the PSAC West on the Line

No. 11/12 INDIANA (PA) CRIMSON HAWKS (7-0, 5-0 PSAC West) at GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (5-2, 3-1 PSAC West)
DATE: Saturday, October 29, 2022
KICKOFF: 12 noon
STADIUM: McConnell Family Stadium l Erie, Pa.
 
LIVE COVERAGE: Live Video l Live Stats l Live Audio
 
GAME NOTES
 
RADIO: 90.5 WERG FM – Listen to all the exciting action of Gannon football with Jack Quinn providing the play-by-play and Sean Amicucci on color commentary.
 

ERIE, Pa. – It's late October and Gannon is playing for a share of first place in the PSAC West. We repeat, it's late October and Gannon is playing for a share of first place in the PSAC West. The Golden Knights wrap up back-to-back home games hosting Indiana (Pa.) on Saturday, October 29 at McConnell Family Stadium. The Crimson Hawks are ranked 11th in the latest AFCA Division II Top 25 and are 12th in the D2Football.com poll.

Third-year head coach Erik Raeburn has led Gannon to a 6-2 record, including 4-1 in the PSAC West. That's the best start ever since the Golden Knights the conference in 2008.

Gannon comes off its most complete effort of the season this past Saturday, reclaiming the Niagara Cup with a 49-14 win over crosstown-rival Mercyhurst. The offense ran for a season-high 277 yards and did not commit a turnover. The defense limited Mercyhurst to 224 total yards, forcing three turnovers. The unit accounted for one of the touchdowns, the second time this year it has scored.

One of the long-time powerhouses of the PSAC, IUP is undefeated at 7-0 along with a perfect 5-0 ledger in the PSAC West. The Crimson Hawks feature an extremely veteran team with seven graduate students and five more seniors listed as probable starters.   Gannon will once again be looking to post an upset over a ranked team for the first time since 2011.

IUP was expected to be near the top of the PSAC West standings after being picked as the co-favorite in the division along with Slippery Rock in the coaches' preseason poll. SRU and Gannon trail the Crimson Hawks with 4-1 records. The Golden Knights were voted fourth in the preseason poll.  
 
SERIES RECORD
Indiana (Pa.) leads 10-3
 
Last Meeting:  Oct. 2, 2021 – at IUP 28, Gannon 23 I RECAP
Gannon rallied from a 21-7 deficit early in the third quarter to put a scare into IUP down the stretch. The Golden Knights twice pulled to within five points, the second time at 28-23 with 3:55 remaining on a one-yard TD run by Antonio Wright (Palm Bay, Fla./Melbourne) Jr. Gannon forced a punt and got the ball back but the Golden Knights failed to get a first down. Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) threw for 263 yards and 2 TDs, both to Melvin Blanks (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills).
 
FIVE FAST FACTS
 
With a 6-2 record Gannon has ensured itself a winning season for the first time since 2015 when the Golden Knights finished at 6-5. The school record for wins is nine, with the 2003 edition going 9-1 and the 2014 team finishing at 9-2. Gannon has never won four of its first five games in PSAC West action since joining the conference in 2008.

Can Gannon's ground game move the ball against IUP's stout run defense? There are many questions to be answered when the two teams take the field on Saturday, but that may be the most prominent. Gannon is averaging 169 ypg. rushing, good for fifth in the PSAC, while IUP is fifth in the PSAC and 15th in Division II in rushing defense at 80.6 ypg. The Golden Knights come off a season-high 277 yards rushing against Mercyhurst and have had five games of 200-or-more yards. But they have also been limited to minus nine yards at Slippery Rock and 55 vs. West Chester, resulting in both of Gannon's losses.

After a pair of off weeks while battling an injury Melvin Blanks (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) got back on track in his pursuit of a second 1,000-yard rushing season. The senior tailback ran for a season-high 173 yards on 22 carries against Mercyhurst while matching his career-high with 3 TDs. It was his fourth 100-yard effort of the season and the tenth of his career. He now has 2,767 yards, just moving past Brock Jones into sixth place in career rushing. He has 732 yards and 10 TDs rushing in 2022. Antonio Wright (Palm Bay, Fla./Melbourne) Jr. provides the Golden Knights with a solid one-two punch at running back. Wright had 84 yards on 15 carries vs. Mercyhurst, including a touchdown. He now has 602 yards on the season with 4 TDs and has 1,079 career yards. Blanks ranks third in the PSAC in rushing while Wright is fifth.

Nick White (Randallstown, Md./Milford Mill Academy) was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week thanks to his game-changing performance against Mercyhurst. Gannon has now had six different players earn one of the weekly Athlete of the Week awards. The redshirt junior defensive end finished with four tackles, all solo, with three of those behind the line of scrimmage for losses totaling 27 yards. He had two sacks, the first forcing a fumble that led to a 29-yartd return for a touchdown by Reginald Hamlette Jr. (Temple Hills, Md./Oxon Hill) White is a key part of a greatly improved defense that ranks fifth in the PSAC in scoring defense (19.6 ppg.), fourth in total defense (271.6 ypg.), and first in passing defense (160.9 ypgg). 

Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) has become the fourth Gannon passer to throw for 4,000 career yards. The redshirt junior now has 4,140 career yards in 19 career games as a Golden Knight. Chris Delmonaco is third in career passing yards with 4,371 yards. In addition, Curtis has thrown for 37 career touchdowns which ranks third all-time behind Liam Nadler (82) and Darmel Whitfield (53). He has completed 139-of-223 passes for 1,885 yards with 17 TDs and just 3 INTs. The former Ohio State and Bryant signalcaller ranks third in the PSAC and 17th in Division II in passing efficiency (155.8), fifth and 27th, respectively, in passing yards, and fourth and 20th in passing TDs. 
 
SCOUTING IUP
Indiana (Pa.) has long been one of the powerhouses of the PSAC and Division II football and this year is no exception. The Crimson Hawks come in with a perfect 7-0 record and are 5-0 in the PSAC West following a 44-7 win over Seton Hill. IUP has moved up to 11th in the latest AFCA Division II Top 25 along with ranking 12th in the D2Football.com poll.  The Crimson Hawks were chosen as the preseason co-favorite in the PSAC West along with Slippery Rock and have not disappointed. In fact, head coach Paul Tortorella's team is picking up steam after defeating Edinboro (41-0) and Seton Hill (44-7) the last two weeks. IUP owns a 20-12 win over Slippery Rock, and a week later edged California (Pa.) 22-21. Tortorella is in his sixth year at the helm of the Crimson Hawks and owns an impressive 45-9 record. He has led IUP to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths, the last in 2019. The Crimson Hawks possess three of the most dynamic offensive players in the PSAC in quarterback Mak Sexton, wide receiver Duane Brown and running back Dayjure Stewart. Brown was a Lindy's preseason All-American who was a first-team All-PSAC West honoree last year. The redshirt senior has caught 50 passes for 793 yards with 11 TDs and is also a dangerous return man. He leads the PSAC and ranks second in Division II in receiving TDs, along with leading the conference and ranking seventh in receiving yards per game (113.3) and first and tenth in receptions per game (7.1). Sexton transferred to IUP from Pittsburg State in the spring after throwing for over 4,800 yards and 37 TDs at Pittsburg State. The 6'1", 209 lb. graduate student has been a prolific performer, completing 124-of-185 passes for 1,908 yards with 19 TDs and 6 INTs. He leads the PSAC and is fourth nationally in passing efficiency, along with ranking second and ninth, respectively in completion percentage (67.0 pct.), second and 14th in passing yards per game (272.6), and third and 15th in passing TDs. The ground game is covered with Stewart, a 5'10", 195 lb. redshirt sophomore. He originally signed with Illinois State. He ranks third in the PSAC and 17th nationally in rushing yards per game (105.5), showing 633 yards on 124 carries with 5 TDs. IUP features a stout defense that ranks in the top 20 in Division II scoring defense (16.0 ppg. -- 20th), total defense (267.6 ypg. -- 13th) and rushing defense (80.6 ypg. -- 15th).

UP NEXT
Gannon plays its final road game of the season on Saturday, November 5 at California (Pa.). Kickoff at Adamson Stadium is set for 12 noon.
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Players Mentioned

Melvin Blanks

#2 Melvin Blanks

RB
6' 1"
Senior
Business
Kory Curtis

#7 Kory Curtis

QB
6' 4"
Redshirt Junior
Reginald Hamlette Jr.

#31 Reginald Hamlette Jr.

DB
5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
Nick White

#1 Nick White

DL
6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
Sports Management
Antonio Wright

#11 Antonio Wright

RB
5' 10"
Sophomore
Criminal Justice

Players Mentioned

Melvin Blanks

#2 Melvin Blanks

6' 1"
Senior
Business
RB
Kory Curtis

#7 Kory Curtis

6' 4"
Redshirt Junior
QB
Reginald Hamlette Jr.

#31 Reginald Hamlette Jr.

5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
DB
Nick White

#1 Nick White

6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
Sports Management
DL
Antonio Wright

#11 Antonio Wright

5' 10"
Sophomore
Criminal Justice
RB