KeJohn Batiste vs. Seton Hill
Bryce Dolak

Football Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

First-Place Golden Knights Renew Local Rivalry at Edinboro

GOLDEN KNIGHTS (4-1, 2-0 PSAC West) at EDINBORO FIGHTING SCOTS (3-2, 1-1 PSAC West)
DATE: Saturday, October 8, 2022
KICKOFF: 2:00 p.m.
STADIUM: Sox Harrison Stadium l Edinboro, 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.
 
 
ERIE, Pa. – Gannon renews its rivalry with Edinboro while looking to remain in first place in the PSAC West on Saturday, October 8. A week ago the Golden Knights celebrated Homecoming with a hard-earned 21-10 triumph over Seton Hill. Now they hope to spoil Edinboro's Homecoming, with a large crowd anticipated at Sox Harrison Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m.
 
Head coach Erik Raeburn's Golden Knights have run off back-to-back wins to improve to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the PSAC West. They are tied atop the Western Division standings with Indiana (Pa.) and California (Pa.). Edinboro improved to 3-2 with a 16-13 win at Mercyhurst in the final seconds, leaving the Fighting Scots at 1-1 in league play.

After piling up 629 yards in total offense in a 47-24 win at Clarion two weeks, defense was the name of the game vs. Seton Hill. Gannon limited the Griffins to 201 total yards, including 90 on the ground. It's the third time in five games they've allowed less than 100 yards on the ground, all wins. The Gannon defense registered four sacks and had its first interception of the season.
 
The Golden Knights opened the year with a 47-13 win over Charleston (WV) followed by a 16-10 victory at Millersville. They fell victim to a West Chester team that was picked to finish third in the PSAC East by a 29-23 score after leading 23-17 at the half. 
 
Gannon was picked to finish fourth in the PSAC West coaches' preseason poll while Edinboro was tied for fifth with Seton Hill. The Golden Knights hold a 7-1 lead in the all-time series, including a narrow 14-10 win last year at Offutt Field.
 
SERIES RECORD
Edinboro leads 10-5
Last Meeting:  Oct. 23, 2021 – at Gannon 21, Edinboro 18 I RECAP
Melvin Blanks (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) ran for a career-high 239 yards on 29 carries as Gannon held off a late Edinboro rally. Blanks scored on runs of 2 and 24 yards, the latter giving the Golden Knights a 21-10 lead with 3:14 remaining. Edinboro closed to within 21-18 with a touchdown and 2-point conversion with 24 seconds remaining. Gannon finished the game with 316 yards rushing and held the Fighting Scots to 240 total yards. Edinboro dominated the early stages of this local rivalry, winning the first seven meetings. Since that time, Gannon has won five of the next eight meetings.
 
FIVE FAST FACTS
Gannon is 4-1 overall for the first time since the 2014 team was also 4-0. In addition, the Golden Knights are 2-0 in PSAC West action. That is the first time they have won back-to-back games to start conference play since 2013. The 21-10 win over Seton Hill featured a large Homecoming crowd and was the fifth in a row on Homecoming.
 
A year ago Nick White (Randallstown, Md./Milford Mill Academy) was a first-team All-PSAC West selection after leading the team with 10.5 TFL and 5 sacks. The 6'3", 256 lb. defensive end was garnering extra attention this season, but he broke out against Seton Hill. He finished the day with eight tackles, one off his career high, while recording 3 TFL and 2.5 sacks, the latter a career-best. White is now second on the team in sacks with 3. Obi Ezeigbo (Ewing, N.J./Ewing) had a sack to boost his total to 3.5. The Gannon defense has excelled this season, currently ranking third in the PSAC and 28th in Division II in scoring defense (17.2 ppg.), along with second in the PSAC and 25th nationally in total defense (275.2 ypg.). In addition, the Golden Knights are third and 22nd, respectively, in passing defense (157.6 ypg.) and second and 17th in sacks (3.40).
 
Melvin Blanks (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) and Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) continue their climbs up the record charts.  Blanks moved up two spots this past week thanks to a 95-yard effort against Seton Hill. He now has 2,566 yards, moving past Kevin Cloherty and Ron Bailey into seventh place in career rushing yards. He broke through with one of the best rushing seasons ever by a Gannon running back in 2021. He ran for 1,187 yards, the sixth-highest season total, on 192 carries with 8 TDs. Blanks was a first-team All-PSAC West selection who was also accorded Don Hansen NCAA Div. II All-America honorable mention honors after ranking 19th in the country in rushing yards. Blanks finished with five 100-yard games, including a career-best 239 yards against Edinboro. While playing in just 16 games as a Golden Knight, Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) now has 3,521 yards passing and threw for a career-best 418 yards at Clarion after a 362-yard effort the week before vs. West Chester. He has climbed four spots into sixth place this season after moving past Todd Heigley two weeks ago. He threw for 2,255 yards in his first season as a Golden Knight, tied for the sixth-highest season total. Blanks stands second in the PSAC and 16th in Division II in rushing yards (531), along with first and eighth, respectively in rushing TDs (7). He is third in the conference and eighth in the country in total TDs with eight. Curtis stands third in the PSAC and 21st in Division II in passing TDs (11), along with third and 20th in passing yards (1,266) and third and 12th in passing efficiency (155.1).
 
In Gannon's first four games the Golden Knights had not thrown an interception. However, they also had not recorded a pickoff. That all changed against Seton Hill. Gannon registered its initial interception in 2022 thanks to Matt Wiitanen (Renton, Wash. /Pioneer). The free safety picked off a pass on Seton Hill's first possession, his second career interception. The Golden Knights returned the favor late in the second quarter when Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) suffered his first interception of the season. It snapped a string of 134 straight passes with an INT for the redshirt junior. Last year Curtis had a stretch of 139 passes without an interception.
 
Gannon possesses two of the top receivers in the PSAC in Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington) and Sam East (Jackson Township, N.J./Saint John Vianney). Batiste leads the team with 32 receptions for 463 yards and 2 TDs after catching 6 passes for 67 yards and a score vs. Seton Hill. The 6'2", 225 lb. redshirt junior ranks third in the PSAC and 13th in Division II in receptions per game along with fourth and 21st, respectively, in receiving yards. East adds 21 catches for 350 yards and 4 TDs despite missing two games due to injuries. The senior ranks fourth in the PSAC and 31st in the country in receiving TDs. He now has 1,088 career receiving yards. Both caught passes for over 100 yards against West Chester and Clarion.
 
SCOUTING EDINBORO
Third-year head coach Jake Nulph has guided Gannon to a 3-2 start following last Saturday's 16-13 win at Mercyhurst, spoiling the Lakers' Homecoming. Richie Pekmezian kicked a 21-yard field goal with five seconds remaining to cap a 63-yard drive. The Fighting Scots had jumped out to a 13-0 lead before Mercyhurst rallied to tie the score.  Pekmezian also kicked field goals of 34 and 27 yards. Edinboro's touchdown was courtesy of a 17-yard interception return by JR Tellington. Tellington, a 6'2", 250 lb. freshman defensive tackle, was named the PSAC West Defensive Athletic of the Week for his outstanding performance. He finished with 11 tackles while making his first start, including 1.5 TFL. The Boro defense showcases the leading tackler in the PSAC in linebacker Clay Cunningham. The 5'11", 230 lb. redshirt sophomore averages 11.6 tackles per game, which is fourth in Division II. Overall he has 59 tackles, with 6 TFL and a pair of sacks. Edinboro was picked to finish in a tie for fifth with Seton Hill in the PSAC West in the coaches' preseason poll. The Fighting Scots finished with a 4-6 record a year ago in Nulph's second season at the helm. Edinboro opened the season with a 10-7 win at Franklin Pierce before dropping a 41-7 decision at PSAC East favorite Shepherd. The Fighting Scots claimed a 23-20 win in overtime against Bloomsburg in their home opener before opening PSAC West action with a 49-7 loss at California (Pa.). The passing combination of Isaac Bernard and Thaddeus Standfield are putting up some huge numbers. Last Saturday Standfield hauled in 12 passes for 129 yards as Bernard completed 27-of-41 passes for 241 yards. A sophomore, Standfield has 35 receptions for 445 yards with a touchdown. Bernard, also a sophomore, has completed 115-of-197 passes for 1,200 yards with 3 TDs and 6 INTs. Standfield ranks fourth in the PSAC and 25th in Division II in receiving yards and is third and 13th, respectively, in receptions per game (7.0). Bernard ranks fourth in the conference and 22nd nationally in passing yards and is fifth and 27th, respectively, in passing yards per game (240.0).
 
UP NEXT
Gannon plays on the road for the second straight week, playing at Slippery Rock on Saturday, October 15. Kickoff at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium is 1:00 p.m. as the Golden Knights play in their third straight Homecoming game. The Rock is currently 4-1 and ranked 20th in the latest AFCA Division II Top 25.
 
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Players Mentioned

Ke

#1 Ke'John Batiste

WR
6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
Melvin Blanks

#2 Melvin Blanks

RB
6' 1"
Senior
Business
Kory Curtis

#7 Kory Curtis

QB
6' 4"
Redshirt Junior
Sam East

#20 Sam East

WR
5' 11"
Senior
Undeclared
Obi Ezeigbo

#33 Obi Ezeigbo

DL
6' 3"
Redshirt Sophomore
Nick White

#1 Nick White

DL
6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
Sports Management
Matt Wiitanen

#2 Matt Wiitanen

DB
6' 0"
Redshirt Senior

Players Mentioned

Ke

#1 Ke'John Batiste

6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
WR
Melvin Blanks

#2 Melvin Blanks

6' 1"
Senior
Business
RB
Kory Curtis

#7 Kory Curtis

6' 4"
Redshirt Junior
QB
Sam East

#20 Sam East

5' 11"
Senior
Undeclared
WR
Obi Ezeigbo

#33 Obi Ezeigbo

6' 3"
Redshirt Sophomore
DL
Nick White

#1 Nick White

6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
Sports Management
DL
Matt Wiitanen

#2 Matt Wiitanen

6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
DB