Luke Sittinger vs. Mercyhurst
Bryce Dolak

Football Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Golden Knights Face Tough Road Finale at California (Pa.)

GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (7-2, 5-1 PSAC West) at CALIFORNIA (PA) VULCANS (5-4, 4-2 PSAC West)
DATE: Saturday, November 5, 2022
KICKOFF: 12 noon
STADIUM: Adamson Stadium l California, 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's upset win over Indiana (Pa.) has suddenly vaulted the Golden Knights into some rarified air, with this week's California (Pa.) having great consequences. Gannon is not only in the mix to appear in next week's PSAC Championship game but also is under consideration for a spot in the NCAA Division II Super Region 1 playoffs.

Gannon's 43-36 win over then 11th-ranked IUP created a three-way tie atop the PSAC West, with the Golden Knights, IUP and Slippery Rock all at 5-1 in the Western Division. Head coach Erik Raeburn's team is now 7-2 overall, just the fifth time in team history the Golden Knights have seven-or-more wins.

For the second time in school history Gannon is ranked in the NCAA's Super Region 1 poll. The Golden Knights are seventh this week and wins in their final two games would likely secure a first-ever NCAA Division II playoff berth.

The Golden Knights still face a tall task in beating a California (Pa.) team that is much better than their 5-4 record indicates. The Vulcans are 4-2 in the PSAC East after being picked to finish third in the preseason poll.

Three of Cal's four losses have come by a combined nine points, and the teams they have lost to own a combined 31-4 record. The Vulcans' record is a bi-product of an extremely strong schedule that forced them to play on back-to-back weeks at Kutztown, losing 24-19, and at Shepherd, a 26-23 loss in overtime. Cal also suffered a 22-21 loss to Indiana (Pa.), and two weeks ago dropped a 42-24 decision to Slippery Rock.

The Gannon-Cal game once again features two of the top quarterbacks in the PSAC in Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) and Noah Mitchell. Curtis was named the PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week after orchestrating the win over IUP with six total touchdowns (four passing, two rushing). He has thrown for 2,227 yards with 21 TDs and just 3 INTs, adding four touchdowns rushing. Mitchell is the reigning PSAC West Offensive Player of the Year and will depart as Cal's career leader in numerous categories. He has thrown for 10,303 career yards, just the tenth player in PSAC history with 10,000 yards through the air, and holds the school record for career passing TDs with 87. This season he has thrown for 2,143 yards with 18 TDs and 5 INTs.

Gannon wraps up the regular season on Saturday, November 12 at McConnell Family Stadium. They are currently scheduled to host Shippensburg, but a Gannon win over California (Pa.) coupled with a Slippery Rock loss to Edinboro would put the Golden Knights in their first PSAC Championship game.

SERIES RECORD
California (Pa.) leads 11-2
 
Last Meeting:  Oct. 9, 2021 – California (Pa.) 38, at Gannon 17 I RECAP
The 15th-ranked Vulcans jumped out to a 31-10 halftime lead a year ago at McConnell Family Stadium. Noah Mitchell completed 35-of-53 passes for 382 yards with 4 TDs, with Cam Tarrant catching 11 passes for 124 yards and a TD. JaQuae Jackson added six receptions for 70 yards and two TDs. Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) was 15-of-38 for 213 yards with a pair of interceptions. Gannon was held to 296 total yards.
 
FIVE FAST FACTS
 
Gannon's 43-36 win over Indiana (Pa.) was the first win by the Golden Knights over a nationally-ranked team since a 33-27 victory over 14th-ranked Slippery Rock on November 5, 2011. IUP came in ranked 11th in the AFCA Division II Top 25 and was 12th in the D2Football.com poll. It is believed IUP was the highest-ranked opponent Gannon has ever beaten. The victory boosted Gannon to 7-2 on the season. The most wins by a Gannon team are nine in 2003 (9-1) and 2014 (9-2). The 1949 Gannon edition went 8-0, and Gannon was 7-3 in 1995.
 
The NCAA released its Division II regional rankings on Monday, with Gannon appearing in the regional poll for just the second time in school history and the first since 2015. Gannon debuted at No. 7. The Golden Knights were ranked eighth in the initial regional poll in 2015.  Super Region 1 is comprised of teams from the PSAC, Mountain East Conference, Great Midwest Athletic Conference, and Northeast-10 Conference.  The top seven teams in each region qualify for the NCAA Playoffs. Gannon, IUP and Slippery Rock all at 5-1 in league play. This is the last week of divisional play with Gannon needing a win at California (Pa.) and a Slippery Rock loss to Edinboro to claim first place and earn a spot in the PSAC Championship game. The Western Division champion will host the Eastern Division winner on Saturday, November 12. Gannon has never played for the PSAC title.
 
Prior to this season Gannon had not had two receivers catch passes for 100 yards in a game since 2015. This past week Bransen Stanley (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) and Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington) each topped 100 yards receiving. It marked the third time this season Gannon has had a pair of receivers top 100 yards. Sam East (Jackson Township, N.J./Saint John Vianney) (178 yards) and Batiste (108) had 100 yards receiving against West Chester, and the following week the duo turned the trick again with Batiste going for 148 yards and East 124. Against IUP Batiste had his fourth 100-yard game of the season with seven receptions for 109 yards while Stanley pulled in six passes for a career-high 140 yards. Batiste 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. Freshman Donell "Tank" Mason has also become a major factor in the aerial game. He started seeing extensive action at Slippery Rock, and over the last three games he has caught 17 passes for 225 yards.
Gannon possesses two of the top four rushers in the PSAC, with Melvin Blanks (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) third in rushing yards with 781 and Antonio Wright (Palm Bay, Fla./Melbourne) Jr. fourth with 669 yards. The Golden Knights have run for 200-or-more yards in five games. However, it has been feast or famine for the ground game. In Gannon's two losses they were held to 55 yards against West Chester and minus nine at Slippery Rock. A week ago the Golden Knights faced an IUP team that ranked 15th in Division II in rushing defense at 80.6 ypg. Gannon finished with a modest 122 yards, but the Golden Knights ran effectively in the second half. The total was also greatly impacted by five sacks. Wright totaled 67 yards on eight carries and Blanks had a hard-earned 49 on 20 carries. Now the Golden Knights run up against another stout defense as California (Pa.) is third in Division II in rushing defense. The Vulcans allow just 57.3 ypg.  Only two teams have rushed for 100 yards vs. Cal. Last week Mercyhurst finished with minus seven yards rushing.

Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) was named the PSAC Offensive Athlete of the Week for his performance in last Saturday's 43-36 upset of No. 11 Indiana (Pa.). The redshirt junior quarterback has now earned the accolade twice. He was previously recognized following his performance at Clarion. Curtis was brilliant against IUP, accounting for six touchdowns plus a 2-pt. conversion for 38 points in all. He completed four TD passes covering 14, 75, 55, and 8 yards along with touchdown runs of 10 and 1 yards. He scored the winning touchdown on a one-yard run with 5:09 remaining in the game. Curtis completed 23-of-28 passes for 342 yards and 4 TDs with 0 INTs, adding 9 yards rushing and 2 TDs. It was his fourth 300-yard game of the season. In addition, he returned to his punting duties after not doing it for several weeks due to an injury. He averaged 45.3 yards on three punts, including a career-best 65-yarder.
 
SCOUTING CALIFORNIA (PA)
California (Pa.) was picked to finish third in the PSAC West and has had an up-and-down season at 5-4 and 4-2 in conference action while facing an extremely demanding schedule that has featured the very best in the PSAC East and West. Gary Dunn is in his seventh year as the head coach at his alma mater and owns an impressive 48-17 record. He has led the Vulcans to a pair of NCAA playoff appearances. Cal has won at least seven games every playing season since the 2005 season, which is the longest active streak of all PSAC members. Noah Mitchell is the reigning PSAC West Offensive Player of the Year and will depart as Cal's career leader in numerous categories. The 6'4", 225 lb. senior quarterback has started 41 games in his career and has thrown for 10,303 career yards, just the tenth player in PSAC history with 10,000 yards through the air. He also holds the school record for career passing TDs with 87. This season he ranks among the Division II leaders while completing 184-of-285 passes for 2,143 yards with 18 TDs and just 5 INTs. It's his fourth straight with 2,000-or-more yards passing. Mitchell is fifth in the PSAC and 33rd in Division II in passing efficiency (144.6), fifth and 24th in passing yards, fifth and 22nd in passing TDs, and fifth and 27th in passing yards per game (237.0 ypg.). For the second straight week Gannon faces one of the top wide receivers in the PSAC.  JaQuae Jackson, a 6'3", 175 lb. junior, has caught 65 passes for 989 yards with 12 TDs. He ranks second in the PSAC and fifth in Division II in receiving TDs, second and eighth in receiving yards, and second and 11th in receptions per game (7.1). Junior inside linebacker Noah Dillow was named the PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week for his performance at Mercyhurst. He had nine tackles, 2.5 for losses and 1.5 sacks.  Dillow leads Cal with 67 tackles.
 
UP NEXT
Gannon will celebrate Senior Day on Saturday, November 12 with kickoff at 12 noon at McConnell Family Stadium. The Golden Knights are scheduled to play Shippensburg to wrap up the regular season. Depending on this Saturday's scores Gannon could be hosting the PSAC Championship game.
 
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