Kory Curtis vs. IUP
Bryce Dolak
36
Indiana (Pa.) IUP 7-1 , 5-1
43
Winner Gannon GAN 7-2 , 5-1
Indiana (Pa.) IUP
7-1 , 5-1
36
Final
43
Gannon GAN
7-2 , 5-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
IUP Indiana (Pa.) 10 6 13 7 36
GAN Gannon 7 14 15 7 43

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

Curtis Accounts for 6 TDs as Gannon Stuns No. 11 IUP

Gannon beats nationally-ranked team for first time since 2011

THE GAME FACTS
Score: Gannon 43, No. 11 IUP 36
Records: Gannon (7-2, 5-1 PSAC West), Indiana (Pa.) (7-1, 5-1 PSAC West)
Date: Saturday, October 29, 2022
Location: Erie, Pa. – McConnell Family Stadium
 
ERIE, Pa. – In what will go down as one of Gannon's all-time wins, Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) threw for four touchdowns and ran for two more as Gannon posted its first win over a nationally-ranked team since 2011 with a 43-36 win over 11th-ranked Indiana (Pa.). The see-saw affair saw eight lead changes before Curtis gave the Golden Knights the lead for good on a one-yard plunge with just over five minutes remaining. The Gannon defense then snuffed out any IUP comeback hopes, forcing the only two turnovers of the game. Gannon has now forged a three-way tie for first place in the PSAC West with IUP and Slippery Rock all sitting at 5-1. At 7-2 third-year coach Erik Raeburn's team now has its most wins since 2014 when the Golden Knights finished at 9-2.        
 
GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
 
Box Score:  Click Here
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 Gannon won the toss, elected to receive, and then drove 82 yards in seven plays against an IUP defense that came in ranked among the Division II and PSAC leaders in numerous categories and had allowed just seven points combined in the previous two weeks. The big play was a 40-yard strike from Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) to Bransen Stanley (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) to the IUP 30. Three plays later Curtis found Melvin Blanks (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) wide open in the left corner of the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the game.

As was the case all day, back came the Crimson Hawks. Naszhir Taylor returned the ensuing kickoff 71 yards but the Gannon defense limited IUP to just one first down. Nick Andrasi kicked a 34-yard field goal to make it 7-3 with 8:49 left in the first quarter.

IUP went ahead 10-7 following a rare Gannon three-and-out. The Crimson Hawks drove 49 yards in five plays with the combination of Mak Section-to-Duane Brown hooking up for a 22-yard score. IUP led 10-7 with 4:56 still remaining in the first quarter.

In a rarity, the two teams exchanged punts before Gannon reclaimed the lead midway through the second quarter. Curtis directed a 12-play, 86-yard drive that took 6 minutes, 23 seconds. Gannon converted three times on third down, the last a 10-yard hookup with Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington) to the IUP 24. Curtis scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns three plays later on a beautiful option play with Melvin Blanks (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills). Curtis kept the ball and went 10-yard off left tackle for a 14-10 advantage with 8:37 remaining in the half. Curtis passed for 49 and ran for 21 yards on the drive.

That began a stretch of three straight possessions with touchdowns. Just over three minutes later the Crimson Hawks were back in the end zone after going 75 yards, buoyed by a 31-yard pass from Sexton to Hilton Ridley. Adam Houser scored the touchdown on a one-yard run, but MaLik Bridgeman (Washington, D.C./Gonzaga College HS) blocked the extra point and IUP led 16-14 with 5:18 remaining in the half.

Gannon struck in lightning fashion to take a 21-16 edge at intermission. Just ten seconds after IUP took the lead, Curtis threw a perfect deep pass to Bransen Stanley (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston), who caught the ball at the IUP 45 and sprinted the rest of the way for a 75-yard touchdown. It came on a 1st-and-20 play.

The Golden Knights held IUP to 133 yards over the first 30 minutes, but the IUP offense came out in the third quarter intent on getting the ball to Brown. One of the top wide receivers in the country, Brown caught his second TD pass of the game and 13th of the season one play after hauling a 50-yard reception on a flea-flicker. His 10-yard touchdown reception gave the Crimson Hawks a 22-21 advantage with 11:58 left in the third quarter. IUP went for two on the conversion, but Chris Farnsworth (Bristol, Pa./Milton Hershey) intercepted Sexton's pass.

That touchdown ignited a stretch of five straight possessions for the two teams with touchdowns. With a bit of help from IUP, Gannon went back on top at 28-22 thanks to a 75-yard drive and another long scoring toss from Curtis. After one first down Gannon was forced to punt. Curtis, who reclaimed his punting duties after not punting for several weeks, was roughed on the punt giving Gannon a first down at their own 45. On the very next play Curtis and Batiste combined on a 55-yard TD pass down the left sideline.

Not to be outdone, Sexton and Brown combined on another 50-yard strike to the GU 15. Four plays later Sexton threw his third touchdown pass of the afternoon, a 10-yarder to Ridley on 3rd-and-5. The extra point gave IUP a 29-28 lead with 6:38 left in the third quarter. It would be their last lead.   

Gannon tacked on one more score in the third quarter with another impressive 75-yard, six-play drive that ate up over four minutes. IUP had totally shut down the Gannon ground game until this point, but Antonio Wright (Palm Bay, Fla./Melbourne) Jr. reeled off back-to-back runs of 14 and 16 yards into IU territory. A pass interference call against IUP would move the ball down to the IUP 12. Three plays later facing a 3rd-and-6, Curtis' pass went just over the outstretched fingers of an IUP defender, with Donell "Tank" Mason's leaping catch accounting for an eight-yard TD pass, the first of his career. The Golden Knight went for two and Curtis completed the two-point conversion pass to Johnny Freeman (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep). Gannon ended the third quarter with a 36-29 lead.

IUP made it five consecutive possessions with score, capping a 10-play, 63-yard drive early in the fourth quarter. The Sexton-to-Ridley combination struck once again for a three-yard TD pass on a slant pattern. IUP had knotted the score at 36-36 with 12:56 remaining.

Whether the defense started figuring things out or the offenses were just exhausted, the two teams traded three-and-outs. Following IUP's punt, the Golden Knights took over at their own 44 and Curtis and Wright pieced together the winning 56-yard drive. Wright carried three times for 29 yards, the last carry giving Gannon the ball at the IUP 13 facing a 3rd-and-7. For the second time in the drive Curtis moved the chains with a completion to Mason, this one covering 10 yards to the three. Two runs netted two yards, and on third Curtis powered into the end zone from a yard out. Eric Scarpino's (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) extra point gave Gannon a 43-36 lead with 5:09 remaining.

There was still plenty of excitement remaining. Neither team had turned the ball over until this point, but the Gannon defense would force turnovers on IUP's final two possessions. The first came with Sexton trying to hook up again with Brown near midfield. Reginald Hamlette Jr. (Temple Hills, Md./Oxon Hill) stepped in front of the pass and batted it up in the air before pulling it in for an interception for the second straight week.

Gannon moved to within field goal range, but Scarpino's 34-yard attempt was blocked. The Golden Knights caught a break when the ball bounced inside the five and an IUP defender fell on it at the one. With 2:46 remaining, IUP took over needing 99 yards to tie the game. The Crimson Hawks got one first down, but Obi Ezeigbo (Ewing, N.J./Ewing) recorded Gannon's lone sack of the day, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Bridgeman. It was just the fourth sack allowed by IUP all year. Gannon took over at the IUP 6 and three kneel downs later the upset was complete.      
 
BY THE NUMBERS
The win over IUP was momentous for a number of reasons, including snapping a string of six straight wins for the Crimson Hawks in the series. Gannon had not defeated a ranked opponent since a 33-27 win over No. 14 Slippery Rock on November 5, 2011. IUP came in ranked 11th in the AFCA Division Top 25 and 12th in the D2Football poll. It is believed that is the highest ranking for a Gannon win. With a 7-2 record only the 2003 (9-1) and 2014 (9-2) teams have had more wins in a season during the modern era. Gannon won eight games in 1949. The Golden Knights also won seven games in 1995 when they finished at 7-3.
The Golden Knights are tied for first place with IUP and Slippery Rock for first place in the PSAC West, all with 5-1 records. The regular season champion of the Western Division earns a spot in the PSAC Championship game. Gannon has a tough road contest next week at California (Pa.), another of the always strong PSAC squads. IUP hosts Clarion and Slippery Rock hosts Edinboro. The Golden Knights appear to need a win at Cal and an Edinboro upset of Slippery Rock to win their first-ever Western Division title.

Gannon was able to move the ball consistently all day long against an Indiana (Pa.) defense that ranked among the best in the country. The Golden Knights put up a season-high 43 points and 464 yards against the Crimson Hawks. IUP had not allowed any more than 366 yards since their season opener. In fact, the 43 points are the most allowed by an IUP team since a 62-55 win over Shippensburg in 1996.

Some other figures played into the winning equation as well. IUP came into the game ranked second in the country and eighth in Division II in time of possession (33:32). Gannon held a 34:29-25:31 advantage while running 70 plays to 56 for IUP. And the Crimson Hawks were second in the conference and 28th nationally in 3rd-down defense. Gannon converted 8-of-14 plays on 3rd down, although IUP was 8-of-13.  

Gannon's 464 total yards came via 342 yards through the air ad 122 yards on the ground. IUP, meanwhile, totaled 358 yards with 300 yards passing and 58 yards rushing. It's the sixth time this year Gannon has held an opponent under 100 yards rushing – all wins. The Golden Knights did not commit a turnover for the second straight game and fourth time this year.
 
Gannon has now scored 40-or-more points in four games this season. That hasn't happened since the 2017 season, also the last year the Golden Knights scored 40-or-more points in back-to-back games.

Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) completed 23-of-28 passes for 342 yards with 4 TDs and 0 INTs. The redshirt junior only had nine yards on the ground thanks to 28 yards in losses on five sacks, but he ran for a pair of scores to account for six touchdowns. It was his fourth game with 300-or-more yards passing. Add in a two-point conversion and he was responsible for 38 points. In the season opener he was responsible for 36 points on five TDs and six PATs. In addition, Curtis had not been able to punt for several week due to an injury, but on Saturday he punted three times for a 45.3 yard average, including a career-best 65-yarder.  

The quarterback dual between Curtis and Mak Sexton of IUP was as good as advertised. Both came in ranking among the top passes in Division II. Sexton completed 20-of-33 passes for 300 yards and 4 TDs, but he was guilty of a pair of turnovers late in the game. Duane Brown caught 10 passes for 195 yards and 2 TDs, with Hilton Ridley also catching a pair of touchdowns on five catches for 72 yards.

Curtis threw touchdown passes to four different receivers. Early in the game his favorite target was Bransen Stanley (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston), and later in the game Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington) and Donell "Tank" Mason took over. Batiste finished with seven catches for 109 yards and one TD, his fourth game of 100-or-more yards this season. Stanley hauled in six passes for 140 yards, both career highs, with a touchdown. It marks the third time this year Gannon has had a pair of receivers finish with 100-or-more yards receiving. Mason, the freshman who is just now seeing extended playing time, added six catches for 58 yards and a six-pointer, the first of his career. He has now caught 15 passes over the last three games.

IUP came in limiting opponents to 80.6 ypg. rushing, good for 15th in Division II. The Golden Knights stuck with the ground game and eventually created some holes as they finished with 122 yards on 42 rushes. Antonio Wright (Palm Bay, Fla./Melbourne) Jr. had a game-high 67 yards on just eight carries, while Melvin Blanks (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) picked up 49-hard-earned yards on 20 totes, adding two pass receptions for 13 yards and a touchdown. The senior has now scored 12 touchdowns.

While not necessarily a big day statistically for the defenses, Gannon had several performers step up and make big plays. Keith Thompson (Woodbridge, Va./Woodbridge) led Gannon with nine tackles. Reginald Hamlette Jr. (Temple Hills, Md./Oxon Hill) had seven tackles along with an interception for the second straight week and broke up a pass. Gannon had nine pass break ups, with Ty Tiggs (Cleveland, Ohio/Mayfield) and Kam Snell (Owings Mills, Md./Good Counsel) each breaking up three passes. MaLik Bridgeman (Washington, D.C./Gonzaga College HS) had three tackles but blocked an extra point and recovered a fumble. That fumble was caused by Obi Ezeigbo (Ewing, N.J./Ewing) on Gannon's lone sack of the afternoon.
 
THE RECORD BOOK
Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) moved past Chris Delmonaco into third place in career passing yards with 4,482, after throwing for 342 yards vs. IUP, in 20 total games as a Golden Knight. That will likely be as high as the redshirt junior goes as Darmel Whitfield is second with 7,156 yards. In addition, Curtis has thrown for 41 career touchdowns which ranks third all-time behind Liam Nadler (82) and Whitfield (53). Curtis has throw for 2,227 yards this season, just behind his 2021 total of 2,255 yards. That is good for eighth in a season. He has 21 TD passes and 3 INTs, standing in a tie for third for touchdown passes in a season. Nadler holds the record with 24 in 2015.
  
In recent weeks Melvin Blanks (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) has battled an injury but the senior running back continues to climb in the career rushing records. While held to 49 yards on 20 carries on Saturday, that was enough to move him into fifth place in career rushing yards. He moved past Jon Richardson and now has 2,816 yards, with Jansen Jones next on the list (2,823). Blanks ranks eighth in career rushing TDs with 23. He has 781 rushing yards on the season with 10 TDs rushing and another two TD receptions.

After catching four passes for 72 yards a year ago, Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington) has enjoyed a breakout season in 2022. The redshirt junior caught seven passes for 109 yards vs. IUP, his fourth game with 100-or-more yards. He now has 52 receptions for 782 yards and 6 TDs. He is tied for sixth in season receptions, along with moving into sixth in receiving yards.

UP NEXT
Gannon wraps up the 2022 portion of its PSAC West schedule at California (Pa.) on Saturday, November 5. Kickoff at Adamson Stadium is set for 12 noon with the Golden Knights needing to snap a two-game losing streak to the Vulcans to remain in the hunt for the Western Division Championship. Cal is 5-4 overall and 4-2 in league play after today's 44-20 win at Mercyhurst. 
Print Friendly Version