Donell Mason vs. Edinboro
Bryce Dolak
12
Edinboro EUP 2-4 , 1-2
23
Winner Gannon GAN 3-3 , 3-0
Edinboro EUP
2-4 , 1-2
12
Final
23
Gannon GAN
3-3 , 3-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
EUP Edinboro 0 0 0 12 12
GAN Gannon 7 3 0 13 23

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

Mikell's Two TD Passes, Strong Defensive Effort Keys in 23-12 Win over Edinboro

Gannon has now won three straight games

THE GAME FACTS
Score: Gannon 23, Edinboro 12
Records: Gannon (3-3, 3-0 PSAC West), Edinboro (2-4, 1-2 PSAC West)
Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023
Location: Erie, Pa. – McConnell Family Stadium
 
GREENSBURG, Pa. – The Gannon defense turned in yet another strong showing as the Golden Knights won for the third straight time over local rival Edinboro. Gannon held its second straight opponent scoreless at the half and led 17-0 early in the fourth quarter. Nate Mikell (Summerfield, Fla./Wildwood) threw a pair of touchdown passes, five yards to Donell "Tank" Mason in the first quarter and 53 yards to Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington) early in the fourth. Eric Scarpino (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) made his ninth consecutive field goal for a 10-0 halftime lead. The Fighting Scots battled back to within 17-12 behind backup quarterback Isaac Bernard, but the Gannon defense clinched the win with a fumble return for a touchdown on the game's final play. Gannon limited Edinboro to 295 total yards, the third straight game with less than 300 yards and the fourth time this year. The defense came up with four fumble recoveries and four sacks. The victory left the Golden Knights facing a showdown for first place in the PSAC West with Slippery Rock next Saturday. Both teams are 3-0 in the Western Division, as is California (Pa.).
 
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Box Score:  Click Here
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Gannon took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards on eights to take a 7-0 lead at 11:32 in the first quarter. Facing a 3rd-and-8 Nate Mikell (Summerfield, Fla./Wildwood) completed a 31-yard pass to Donny Marcus (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) to the EU 42. Marcus picked up ten yards on a run on the next play. Three plays later facing a 3rd-and-4 at the five, Mikell hooked up with Donell "Tank" Mason for a five-yard TD pass, Mason's fourth of the season.

Edinboro looked poised to come right back and tie the game, putting together a lengthy drive that covered 13 plays and over eight minutes. But the Gannon defense forced an incompletion on 4th-and-2 and Gannon took over on downs at its own 12.

Gannon followed with a huge march of its own, this one covering 17 plays and eating up 6 minutes, 35 seconds. The Golden Knights converted twice on third down, the second time overcoming a 3rd-and-17 predicament. Mikell found Mason over the middle and his leaping grab was good for 18 yards to the EU 15. Three plays later Eric Scarpino (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) came in and made good on a 30-yard field goal. It was his ninth this season without a miss.

The Gannon defense made sure the score remained 10-0 at the half. Edinboro drove inside the GU 35 late in the second quarter but Hayden McDonald (Tigard, Ore./Tigard) forced a fumble following a pass completion, and Zaire Allen (Johnson City, Tenn./Archbishop Spalding (Md.)) recovered at the 33.

Turnovers dominated the third quarter, with Gannon losing the ball twice on an interception in the end zone and a fumble while Fighting Scots lost a fumble. The defense also came up big after Edinboro drove to the GU 29 but a sack by Obi Ezeigbo (Ewing, N.J./Ewing) forced a punt.

Gannon struck in quick fashion for a touchdown and a 17-0 lead early in the fourth quarter. Following an Edinboro punt Gannon took over at its own 48. A run went for a loss of a yard, but on second down Mikell threw deep down the left sideline to Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington). The redshirt senior hauled in the pass at the EU 19, sidestepped a defender and raced away from another to complete a 53-yard scoring play. Scarpino's PAT made it 17-0 with 12:25 remaining.

Edinboro made things more than a bit interesting at that point. Backup quarterback Isaac Bernard drove the Fighting Scots 79 yards on 12 plays to cut the lead to 17-6 with 7:01 left. The extra point was wide left.

Edinboro took over following a three-and-out and put together another scoring drive, this one covering 84 yards on 12 plays. Bernard's 22-yard pass to Mike Watkins pulled the Fighting Scots to within 17-12 with 2:01 remaining after the two-point conversion run failed.

With just one time-out remaining Edinboro chose to attempt an onside kick. Chris Farnsworth (Bristol, Pa./Milton Hershey) recovered for the Golden Knights, but Gannon was unable to run out the clock with a first down. Donovan Warren's (Santa Cruz, Cal./Santa Cruz County Office of Education) 38-yard punt was fair caught at the five with 21 seconds to play.

The Fighting Scots were able to run three plays and pick up one first down to their own 25. The game would end with a completed pass followed by a pair of laterals. The second was knocked away by Sir Giles (St. Cloud, Fla./Tohopekaliga) at the 20. He scooped it up at the five and scored a touchdown on the fumble return as time expired for a 23-12 win.    
 
BY THE NUMBERS
Gannon finished as co-champion of the PSAC West in 2022 along with Indiana (Pa.) and Slippery Rock. All three teams finished at 6-1. With wins in their first three conference games in 2023 Gannon has now won nine of its last ten games against Western Division opponents.

After a fast start the Gannon offense finished the day with 306 total yards, with 120 coming on the ground and 186 through the air. Edinboro was held to 295 total yards, most of that total passing. The Fighting Scots were held to 43 yards rushing while passing for 252 yards. The Gannon defense has now held the last three opponents and four this season to under 300 total yards. In addition, opponents have run for just 62 yards the last two games. The defense was staunch while Edinboro held a seven-minute advantage in possession time and ran 73 plays to 56 for Gannon.

Both teams pride themselves on generating turnovers and on Saturday it was Gannon that held the advantage. The Golden Knights forced six fumbles and recovered three, while the Golden Knights lost a fumble and threw an interception. In addition, Gannon sacked Edinboro quarterbacks four times while allowing Nate Mikell (Summerfield, Fla./Wildwood) to be sacked just once.

Nate Mikell (Summerfield, Fla./Wildwood) completed 10-of-20 passes for 186 yards with 2 TDs and an interception. The redshirt sophomore added 26 yards rushing on seven carries. He connected for a five-yard TD pass to Donell "Tank" Mason and a 53-yarder to Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington). Mason caught five passes for 75 yards while Batiste hauled in a pair of passes for 62 yards.

A depleted backfield left Donny Marcus (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) to play every down. The transfer from Ball State turned into a workhorse, carrying a career-high 27 times for 85 yards. The redshirt sophomore added a reception for 31 yards.

Donovan Warren (Santa Cruz, Cal./Santa Cruz County Office of Education) enjoyed another strong day punting the ball. The transfer from San Diego Mesa averaged 41.4 yards on five punts, with all five of his punts inside the 20.

Redshirt freshman Keoke Toomer (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) made his third straight start at linebacker and led Gannon with a career-high nine tackle. That included two TFL, a sack and a forced fumble. Chris Farnsworth (Bristol, Pa./Milton Hershey) added eight stops, recovered a fumble and also came up with the all-important onside kick.

Noseguard Joseph Loiseau (Columbia, Md./Laurel) enjoyed the finest game of his career. The redshirt junior totaled seven tackles, three TFL and two sacks, all career highs. Obi Ezeigbo (Ewing, N.J./Ewing) also had a sack. He now has a team-leading 5.5 sacks.

Reserve defensive back Sir Giles (St. Cloud, Fla./Tohopekaliga) scored the first touchdown of his career when he forced a fumble on a lateral on the final play of the game. He scooped it up and went the final five yards for the insurance score.

THE RECORD BOOK
Eric Scarpino (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) has yet to miss a kick in 2023. The redshirt senior is 9-for-9 on field goals and 15-for-15 on PATs. The left-footer was true from 30 yards out on Saturday for his 26th career field goal. That ranks fourth all-time.

Chris Farnsworth (Bristol, Pa./Milton Hershey) moved into 15th place in career tackles after an eight-tackle effort against Edinboro. The senior has 231 career tackles.

Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington) caught his 12th career touchdown pass on Saturday, a 53-yarder in the fourth quarter. That moves the redshirt senior into a tie for fifth place in career touchdown receptions with teammate Sam East (Jackson Township, N.J./Saint John Vianney).

UP NEXT
Gannon remains at home next Saturday, October 14 to host Slippery Rock. Kickoff at McConnell Family Stadium is 12 noon. The Rock entered Saturday's game ranked tenth in Division II and improved to 6-0 with a 75-31 win over Mercyhurst.
 
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