Donny Marcus vs. Edinboro
Bryce Dolak

Football Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Game Preview: Gannon Hosts No. 10 Slippery Rock in PSAC West First-Place Showdown

No. 10 SLIPPERY ROCK THE ROCK (6-0, 3-0 PSAC West) at GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (3-3, 3-0 PSAC West)
DATE: Saturday, October 14, 2023
KICKOFF: 12 noon
STADIUM: McConnell Family Stadium l Erie, Pa.
 
LIVE COVERAGE: Live Video l Live Stats l Live Audio
 
GAME NOTES: Click Here
 
RADIO: 90.5 WERG FM – Listen to all the exciting action of Gannon football with Sean Amicucci providing the play-by-play.
 
ERIE, Pa. – Gannon hosts No. 10 Slippery Rock on Saturday, October 14 in a meeting of two of the three teams tied atop the PSAC West standings. Both teams come in with 3-0 records in Western Division play, with California (Pa.) also at 3-0.

After suffering three straight losses to open the season, all in the latter stages of the fourth quarter, the Golden Knights have responded with three consecutive wins to even their season record at 3-3. Slippery Rock has steamrolled its last five opponents, winning by an average of 26.4 ppg., following a season-opening 28-17 win over Wayne State (Mich.). Last Saturday The Rock scored 34 points in the third quarter alone and went on to spoil Mercyhurst's Homecoming with a 75-31 win.

The strengths of the two teams will collide, with Gannon's three-game winning streak the by-product of a stingy defense, while Slippery Rock ranks first in the PSAC and ninth in Division II in scoring offense at 45.2 ppg. Gannon's defense ranks fourth in the PSAC in scoring defense (20.0 ppg.) and third in rushing defense (98.3 ypg.) and total defense (278.8 ypg.).

Gannon was picked to finish fourth in the PSAC West preseason poll after finishing as co-champions along with Slippery Rock and Indiana (Pa.) in the division a year ago. SRU was second in the poll but has already disposed of the preseason favorite, IUP, by a 42-21 margin two weeks ago. Gannon has won nine of its last ten PSAC West contests. The lone loss came last year at Slippery Rock, 40-14.

The Golden Knights come off an impressive 23-12 win over local rival Edinboro last week. They jumped out to a 17-0 lead and limited the Fighting Scots to 295 total yards, recovering three fumbles and sacking Boro quarterbacks four times.

SERIES RECORD
Slippery Rock leads 11-6
Slippery Rock has won the last eight meetings in the series and nine of the last ten following a 40-14 win at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium last year. The Rock has won the last seven meetings by an average of 30 points and has scored 40-or-more points in six of the last seven meetings.

Last Meeting:  Oct. 15, 2022 – Slippery Rock 40, Gannon 14 l RECAP
Slippery Rock jumped out to a 24-0 lead to end Gannon's three-game winning streak. Gannon got on the board early in the third quarter on a 22-yard TD pass from Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) to Bransen Stanley (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston), but SRU answered with the next 16 points. Curtis threw his second touchdown pass of the day, a 10-yarder to Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington), with just under four minutes remaining in the game. Curtis threw for 305 yards, completing 23-of-40 passes with 2 TDs, but had a pair of interceptions and was sacked six times. Gannon ended the day with minus nine yards rushing.   

HEAD COACH
Gannon head coach Erik Raeburn is in his 23rd season as a head coach and picked up his 150th career win with last year's triumph over Charleston. Now in his fourth year at Gannon, he owns a 17-15 ledger in charge of the Golden Knights and is 160-77 overall. He has had head coaching stops at Coe, Wabash, Savannah State, and Gannon. A year ago he led Gannon to an 8-3 record, the 11th time he has guided a team to eight-or-more wins.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS ENJOYING SUCCESS AGAINST PSAC WEST
A year ago Gannon finished as co-champions of the PSAC West along with Indiana (Pa.) and Slippery Rock. All finished with 6-1 records. The Golden Knights have won three straight games to open conference action this year and have now won nine of their last ten games vs. PSAC West squads. The one loss -- a 40-14 setback at Slippery Rock last year.

LOISEAU NAMED PSAC WEST DEFENSIVE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Joseph "Joe" Loiseau was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week for his play in Saturday's 23-12 win over Edinboro. It's the third straight week Gannon has had a player recognized. Kam Snell (Owings Mills, Md./Good Counsel) was named Defensive Athlete of the Week following the Clarion game and Eric Scarpino (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) was the Special Teams Athlete of the Week following the win at Seton Hill. A redshirt junior from Columbia, Md., Loiseau enjoyed a career-best outing while pacing another strong defensive effort by the Golden Knights. A 6'2", 279 lb. defensive lineman finished with seven tackles, five of those solo, with three tackles for losses (-17 yards) and two sacks (-13 yards). All numbers were career highs.
 
DEFENSE CONTINUES TO EXCEL, INCLUDING LATE TD VS. EDINBORO
Thanks to Loiseau and his defensive teammates the Golden Knights limited Edinboro to 295 total yards. The defense recovered three fumbles and had four total sacks. Loiseau anchored a three-man front that limited Edinboro to 43 yards rushing. That came a week after the Golden Knights held Seton Hill to 19 yards on the ground. Gannon has now held three opponents under 50 yards rushing this year. The Golden Knights rank third in the PSAC and 30th in Division II in rushing defense (98.3 ypg.). They are also second and tenth, respectively, in sacks with 3.33 per game.

GILES PUTS THE FINISHING TOUCHES ON WIN
Redshirt sophomore Sir Giles (St. Cloud, Fla./Tohopekaliga) put the icing on the cake last Saturday on the final play of the game. With Gannon leading 17-12 Edinboro had one last desperation play from its own 25. A short pass completion led to laterals, but the reserve defensive back knocked a lateral away then scooped it up at the five and ran it in for his first career touchdown and a 23-12 win.

MARCUS A WORKHORSE VS. THE BORO
Gannon has faced numerous injuries through the first half of the regular season and running back has been one of those areas. Two weeks ago Donny Marcus (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) stepped up to provide a huge lift to the ground game. The transfer from Ball State ran for a career-high 186 yards on 20 carries, including a clinching 74-yard TD run, in a 23-6 win at Seton Hill. The injury situation continued against Edinboro, with Marcus in on every down. He carried the ball 27 times for 85 yards, adding one reception for 31 yards. He now ranks eighth in the PSAC in rushing yards per game (62.3).

SCOUTING SLIPPERY ROCK
It's easy to see why Slippery Rock has climbed to tenth in the latest AFCA Division II Top 25 and D2Football.com poll. Head coach Shawn Lutz' squad is off to a 6-0 start and is 3-0 in the PSAC West. With the exception of a 28-17 win over Wayne State (Mich.) to open the season, every win has been by at least 21 points. That includes a 75-31 crushing of Mercyhurst last week as The Rock scored 34 points in the third quarter alone … Lutz was a long-time assistant at SRU before taking over as head coach. Now in his his eighth year (seventh season) as head coach, he owns a 64-17 record with four PSAC West titles and four trips to the NCAA Div. II playoffs … The Rock possesses one of the most potent offenses in Division II behind quarterback Braydon Long. SRU leads the PSAC and ranks ninth in Division II in scoring (45.2 ppg.), along with ranking first and 20th, respectively, in total offense (443.5 ypg.). The balanced attack is second in the PSAC in rushing offense (178.0 ypg.) and third in passing offense (265.5 ypg.) … Long is a 6'3", 220 lb. junior in his first season as the starter at quarterback. He has completed 121-of-170 passes for 1,554 yards with 18 TDs and just one interception. He leads the PSAC in completion percentage (71.2 pct.), passing TDs, and passing efficiency, is second in total offense (264.3 ypg.) and fourth in passing yards per game (259.0 ypg.) … there are plenty of weapons around Long. Kyle Sheets, a 6'4", 220 lb. senior who was a first team All-PSAC West selection last year, has 34 receptions for 603 yards with 8 TDs. He ranks first in the PSAC and fourth nationally in TD receptions. Cohen Russell adds 29 catches for 404 yards and 2 TDs. The Rock also has a trio of running backs to choose from. Khalid Dorsey, a grad transfer from Shippensburg, leads the way with 422 yards on 65 carries, a gaudy 6.5 yard average, with 5 TDs. Chris D'Or, last year's leading rusher and a first team All-PSAC West selection, adds 295 yards on 52 carries, a 5.7 yards average, with 3 TDs. Bruising Isaiah Edwards (6'1", 220 lbs.) provides the power. He leads the PSAC with 8 TDs rushing, with 232 yards on 42 carries … Slippery Rock isn't just about offense. SRU returned eight starters on defense and added Kyle Kudla, an All-American a year ago at Hillsdale. The 5'11" 227 lbs. linebacker has not disappointed, leading the team with 47 tackles and ranking second with 6 TFL. SRU leads the PSAC and ranks 12th in passing defense (145.2 ypg.). They already have ten interceptions, including four by Josh Stokes and three by Eddie Faulkner IV. 

UP NEXT
Gannon plays its next two games on the road, although the first is just up the road to renew its rivalry with Mercyhurst. That game takes place on Saturday, September 21 at 3:00 p.m. at Saxon Stadium. That's followed by a Saturday, October 28 game at Indiana (Pa.) before playing at home for the final time in 2023. Gannon hosts California (Pa.) on Saturday, November 4.
 
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Players Mentioned

Kory Curtis

#7 Kory Curtis

QB
6' 4"
Redshirt Junior
Ke

#1 Ke'John Batiste

WR
6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
Sir Giles

#12 Sir Giles

DB
6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
Eric Scarpino

#94 Eric Scarpino

PK
5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
Mechanical Engineering
Kam Snell

#1 Kam Snell

DB
5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
Bransen Stanley

#4 Bransen Stanley

WR
6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
Donny Marcus

#20 Donny Marcus

RB
6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Kory Curtis

#7 Kory Curtis

6' 4"
Redshirt Junior
QB
Ke

#1 Ke'John Batiste

6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
WR
Sir Giles

#12 Sir Giles

6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
DB
Eric Scarpino

#94 Eric Scarpino

5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
Mechanical Engineering
PK
Kam Snell

#1 Kam Snell

5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
DB
Bransen Stanley

#4 Bransen Stanley

6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
WR
Donny Marcus

#20 Donny Marcus

6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
RB