Chris Farnsworth vs. Clarion
Bryce Dolak
49
Winner Slippery Rock SRU 7-0 , 4-0
24
Gannon GAN 3-4 , 3-1
Winner
Slippery Rock SRU
7-0 , 4-0
49
Final
24
Gannon GAN
3-4 , 3-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
SRU Slippery Rock 7 14 7 21 49
GAN Gannon 14 7 3 0 24

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

Gannon Upset Bid Comes Up Short vs. No. 10 Slippery Rock

THE GAME FACTS
Score: No. 10 Slippery Rock 49, Gannon 24
Records: Gannon (3-4, 3-1 PSAC West), No. 10 Slippery Rock (7-0, 4-0 PSAC West)
Date: Saturday, October 14, 2023
Location: Erie, Pa. – McConnell Family Stadium
 
ERIE, Pa. – For three quarters Gannon went toe-to-toe with tenth-ranked Slippery Rock. SRU's depth finally wore down the Golden Knights in the fourth quarter, scoring three touchdowns to pull away for a 49-24 victory. All three scores came in the final seven minutes as Gannon trailed just 28-24 up to that point. The contest that was much closer than the final score indicated featured two of the three teams tied for first place in the PSAC West. The Golden Knights jumped on The Rock right out of the gate, scoring on two of their first three possessions on long runs for a 14-0 lead. It was the first time Slippery Rock trailed by two touchdowns all year. The score was tied at 21-21 at the half and was 28-24 SRU after three periods.    
 
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Box Score:  Click Here
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a three-and-out on the first possession, Gannon took the opening kickoff and drove 79 yards on just four plays. Nate Mikell (Summerfield, Fla./Wildwood) accounted for the touchdown when he sprinted 53 yards for the first score of the game with 9:27 left in the first quarter.

The lead grew to 14-0 on the next possession after the defense forced a three-and-out. It was another long run to paydirt, this one a 63-yard burst for David Morgan Jr. (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls) The redshirt senior took the ball on a sweep to the right and sprinted down the right sideline to score the first touchdown of his career. With 8:10 remaining Gannon held a 14-0 lead.

Slippery Rock responded with a nine-play, 86-yard scoring drive. Kyle Sheets hauled in the first of his three touchdown passes on the afternoon, this one covering 30 yards from Brayden Long.

The Rock knotted the score at 14-14 early in the second quarter after a Gannon drive stalled at the SRU 33. The Long-Sheets combination once again accounted for the score, this one a three-yard TD pass in the right corner of the end zone.

The Gannon offense once again drove into SRU territory but was forced to punt. The Golden Knight defense responded with an interception of Long, just the second interception of the year for the SRU signalcaller. Chris Farnsworth (Bristol, Pa./Milton Hershey) stepped in front of a Long pass at midfield for his third interception of the season.
Sticking to the ground game, Gannon took the lead at 21-14 with 48 seconds left in the half. The drive covered 50 yards on seven plays, with six of the plays runs. A 15-yard run by Donny Marcus (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) carried to the one, and on the next play Mikell followed Marcus into the end zone off right guard for his second touchdown of the afternoon.

Unfortunately, the high-powered SRU attack had enough time to tie the game at the half. SRU had the ball at the GU 35 with five seconds remaining. Long's Hail Mary pass was intercepted near the goal line by Zaire Allen (Johnson City, Tenn./Archbishop Spalding (Md.)), apparently ending the half. Gannon was called offside, however, giving SRU one untimed down. This time Long threw found Sheets for his third touchdown as the 6'4", 220 lb. wide receiver muscled his way for the ball at the goal line.

The last-second touchdown could have deflated the Golden Knights in the second half, but instead they came out and held SRU without a first down on the opening possession, then marched 67 yards on 14 plays to take the lead. Gannon once again relied on the ground game to move downfield, nine of the plays runs. At the same time, Mikell completed three huge passes in the drive – a 15-yarder to Marcus, a 22-yarder to Sam East (Jackson Township, N.J./Saint John Vianney), and a 12-yarder to Rashann Tompkins (Mullica Hill, N.J./Clearview Regional) for his first career reception. The drive would stall at the SRU 7.  Eric Scarpino (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) came in and kicked a 25-yard field goal at 6:38 to give Gannon a 24-21 advantage. It was Scarpino's tenth field goal without a miss this season.

SRU took the lead for the first with 1:50 remaining in the half on a beautifully designed screen pass that covered 17 yards from Long to tight end Kam Kruzelyak. The extra point made it 28-24 entering the fourth quarter.

The next three possessions resulted in punts before Slippery Rock scored the first of its three fourth-quarter touchdowns on a four-play, 79-yard drive. Isaiah Edwards, the third of a trio of standout backs, broke loose for a 50-yard run against a tiring Gannon defense. Two plays later Khalid Dorsey scored on a 21-yard run with 6:22 left to play.

A bit of misfortune gave the ball back to Slippery Rock. The kickoff into the wind spun short along the SRU sideline. A Slippery Rock player gathered in the kick just before going out of bounds and The Rock had the ball back at the GU 28. Five plays late, and aided by a pair of penalties, Edinboro plunged in from a yard out for a 42-24 lead with 3:29 remaining.

Gannon was forced to go for it on fourth down and an SRU sack led to a fumble recovered at the 18. A slew of penalties followed, with The Rock ultimately getting the ball at the two. Chris D'Or scored on the next play with 2:10 remaining to cap a wild seven-minute period.       
 
BY THE NUMBERS
For most of the game the Gannon defense was able to hold down a high-powered Slippery Rock offense that came in leading the PSAC in scoring offense (45.2 ppg.) and ranking ninth in Division II. In addition, SRU led the PSAC and was 20th nationally in total offense (443.5 ypg.). The final numbers don't reflect how well the defense played, as SRU finished with 446 yards compared to 359 yards for Gannon. Gannon finished with 224 yards on the ground and 135 yards through the air. SRU ran for 183 yards, with 104 of those coming in the fourth quarter, along with throwing for 263 yards.

With injuries piling up in the backfield, Donny Marcus (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) enjoyed another strong effort. One week after carrying the ball 27 times vs. Edinboro, the redshirt sophomore toted the pigskin 20 times for 108 yards. It was his second 100-yard effort of the season. He added three receptions for 47 yards. David Morgan Jr. (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls) added 68 yards on just three carries.

Nate Mikell (Summerfield, Fla./Wildwood) completed 12-of-32 passes for 135 yards and ran for 48 yards and 2 TDs on 13 carries. He was missing his favorite target with Donell "Tank" Mason sitting out the game. Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington) had a team-high four receptions for 41 yards.

SRU's Brayden Long completed 23-of-37 passes for 263 yards with 4 TDs and an INT. Kyle Sheets, who came into the game with 8 receiving TDs, added to his total with three more while catching seven balls for 134 yards. Cohen Russell added six catches for 56 yards. Backup Isaiah Edwards finished as the leading ballcarrier with 82 yards on eight carries, while Khalid Dorsey had 71 yards on 13 carries.

Chris Farnsworth (Bristol, Pa./Milton Hershey) and Tret Baker paced the Gannon defense with nine tackles apiece. Farnsworth added an interception. Diego Bremer (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) added seven tackles in his second career start as a Golden Knight.   

THE RECORD BOOK
Eric Scarpino (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) has yet to miss a kick in 2023. The redshirt senior is 10-for-10 on field goals and 18-for-18 on PATs. The left-footer was true from 25 yards out on Saturday for his 27th career field goal to move into a tie for third all-time. He also ranks second in career extra points with 110.

Chris Farnsworth (Bristol, Pa./Milton Hershey) continues to move up in the defensive records. The senior defense back recorded his third interception of the season and now has 10 in his career. That is tied for sixth. In addition, he has 240 career tackles after recording nine vs. Slippery Rock. That moves him up to 11th.

Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington) became the ninth Gannon player to reach 100 career catches. The redshirt senior caught four passes on Saturday and now has 100 career receptions, which is ninth all-time. In addition his 1,418 receiving yards now stand seventh. He is also tied for fifth in career touchdowns receiving with 12.

UP NEXT
Gannon plays back-to-back road games before returning home for the final time on Saturday, November 4 to host California (Pa.). The Golden Knights renew the backyard rivalry with Mercyhurst on Saturday, October 21 with bragging rights on the line for the 814. Kickoff at Saxon Stadium is set for 3:00 p.m.  
 
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