Gannon vs. Millersville
Bryce Dolak

Football Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Golden Knights Fall 38-31 at West Chester

THE GAME FACTS
Score: West Chester 38, Gannon 31
Records: Gannon (0-3, 0-0 PSAC West), West Chester (2-1, 0-0 PSAC East)
Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023
Location: West Chester, Pa. – John A. Farrell Stadium
 
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – For the third straight week Gannon's game came down to late in the fourth quarter. But for the third straight week the Golden Knights tasted defeat. On Saturday they made the long trip to West Chester looking for a first-ever win against the PSAC East foe, but the Golden Rams scored the winning touchdown with 1:26 remaining for a 38-31 victory. The contest turned into a back-and forth shootout in the second half, with the two teams combining to score touchdowns on six straight possessions after West Chester took a 17-10 lead late in the first half. After falling behind 31-24 midway through the fourth quarter, Gannon needed just three plays for the equalizer, a 33-yard pass from Nate Mikell (Summerfield, Fla./Wildwood) to Donell "Tank" Mason with 5:49 remaining. WCU had bedeviled the Golden Knights all day long with big plays, and a 39-yard pass on a 3rd-and-4 gave the Golden Rams the ball at the GU 20. They milked the clock and eventually scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:26 remaining. Gannon got to midfield but an interception inside the ten stopped GU's comeback hopes.
 
GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
 
Box Score:  Click Here
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game got off to a tremendous start for the Golden Knights. On the first play from scrimmage WCU quarterback Cooper Jordan dropped back to pass and was flushed out of the pocket by Obi Ezeigbo (Ewing, N.J./Ewing). Hayden McDonald (Tigard, Ore./Tigard) followed up with the sacks and forced a fumble which was recovered by Cooper Mullins (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade Julienne) at the WCU 8. Mullins was making his first career start at linebacker. On the very next play the Golden Knights were in the end zone for a 7-0 lead just 24 seconds into the game. Antonio Wright (Palm Bay, Fla./Melbourne) went the final eight yards off left guard.

The first quarter ended with Gannon holding a 7-0 lead, but it didn't last for long. On the third play of the second quarter and facing a 3rd-and-8, Jordan found Rahiem Bowens behind the Gannon secondary for a 73-yard touchdown with 13:29 left in the period.

Gannon regained the lead with a time-consuming 14-play, 55-yard drive that ate up 6 minutes and 17 seconds. The drive stalled at the WCU 2 and Eric Scarpino's (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) field goal from 38 yards hit the crossbar and bounced over for a 10-7 lead with 7:14 remaining.

The lead was short-lived as West Chester's Dayshawn Jacobs returned the ensuing kickoff 79 yards to the GU 13. The Golden Knights' defense came up with a stand and forced the Golden Rams to kick a field goal. Sean Henry's 23-yarder was good and the game was tied at 10-10 with 3:59 remaining.

The Golden Rams claimed the lead for the first time at 17-10 with 51 seconds remaining in the half thanks to a six-play, 64-yard drive that was aided by a Gannon facemask penalty. Trey Blair covered the final 31 yards, bouncing an inside running play to the right and outrunning the Golden Knights.  Following a three-and-out West Chester had one last chance with the ball at the GU 45, but Kam Snell's (Owings Mills, Md./Good Counsel) interception inside the 10 gave Gannon a third turnover gained in the half.

Neither team could stop the other in the second half. Both teams opened the half with three-and-outs. After that the next six drives resulted in touchdowns. Gannon's second drive of the second half resulted in an eight-play, 77-yard scoring drive. With the exception of a 10-yard completion from Mikell to Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington), the drive came entirely on the ground courtesy of Mikell and Braxton Todd (Martinsburg, W. Va./Martinsburg). Todd carried five times for 32 yards and Mikell accounted for the final 23 yards. The redshirt sophomore sprinted down the middle of the field on a quarterback draw for his first rushing touchdown of the year. Scarpino's extra point with 7:48 remaining tied the game at 17-17.

The Golden Rams answered with a score of their own, with a pair of big third-down conversions and a pair of penalties leading to a nine-play, 78-yard march. They would go up 24-17 with 3:28 left in the third quarter as Jordan found Bowens for the second time in the end zone, this one covering four yards.

Gannon put together its second straight impressive drive, this time eating up over six minutes on a 15-play, 75-yard march that resulted in a 24-24 tie early in the fourth quarter. The drive featured a 12-yard pass on a 3rd-and-11 play to Joshawn Lewis (Lorton, Va./South County), the first career catch as a Golden Knight. A pass interference call gave Gannon the ball at the WCU 10, and on 2nd-and-goal Todd scored for the first time as a Golden Knight on a spinning 10-yard TD run. The two teams were tied at 24-24 with 12:26 remaining.

It was West Chester's turn, and the Golden Rams reclaimed the lead on their own time-consuming drive. Using up 5 minutes and 6 seconds, they went 66 yards on nine plays. Jordan threw his third touchdown of the day, this one to Julian Jordan from three yards outs, for a 31-24 lead with 7:21 left.

Gannon wasn't to be outdone, needing just three plays to knot the game at 31-31. On the very first play Wright sprinted around the left side for 43 yards to the WCU 32. A running play went for a loss of a yard, but Mikell found a wide-open Mason down the middle of the field and the sophomore completed a 33-yard scoring play. Scarpino's extra point tied the game at 31-31 but 5:49 remained.

The Golden Knights were done in by a long play on third down, with a 39-yard pass on 3rd-and-4 at the WCU 41 resulted in a first down at the GU 20. With time winding down, Jordan scrambled for a gain of six on 3rd-and-5 to the GU 9. Two plays later Trey Blair scored from three yards out for his second touchdown. WCU led 38-31 with just 1:26 left.

A Mikell-to-Lewis completion for 12 yards gave Gannon the ball at midfield, but Mikell's long pass was intercepted on the next play to end the game.  
 
BY THE NUMBERS
Gannon is still in search of its first win against West Chester. The Golden Knights have lost all six meetings with the Golden Rams.

How close are the Golden Knights to a great start? Very close. Consider they led at Charleston (WV) with 5:28 remaining before the Golden Eagles scored twice in the final four minutes for a 22-13 win. Last week Gannon tied its home opener with Millersville at 21-21 with 4:22 remaining, only to see the Marauders score the winning touchdown in the 28-21 decision with 29 seconds left to play. The game ended with an incomplete pass in the end zone. And now comes the 38-31 loss at West Chester as the Golden Rams scored the game-winner with 1:26 remaining. Gannon reached midfield before an interception halted the comeback hopes.

Gannon had not scored in the first half in its first two games. That ended quickly when the Golden Knights recovered a fumble on the first play from scrimmage. Antonio Wright (Palm Bay, Fla./Melbourne) scored on the very next play on an eight-yard run for the first points of the year in the first half. Eric Scarpino (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) added a 38-yard field goal in the second quarter for 10 points in the half.  

The game was as even statistically as it was in the final score. Gannon finished with 408 total yards while West Chester had 420. After rushing for just 50 yards in the first half, Gannon's ground game came alive in the second half. The Golden Knights finished with a season-high 178 yards rushing. The defense limited WCU to 41 yards rushing in the second half after the Golden Rams ran for 130 yards in the first 30 minutes. Gannon passed for 230 yards and WCU 249.

Third-down efficiency played a big factor in the game. Gannon was 4-of-12 on third downs while West Chester converted 7-of-11.

Nate Mikell (Summerfield, Fla./Wildwood) topped the 200-yard mark in passing for the third straight game. The redshirt sophomore completed 17-of-34 passes for 230 yards with a touchdown and an interception. After leading the team in rushing the first two games he did not carry once in the first half. He made up for it in the second half, rushing eight times for a net of 16 yards, with two sacks factored in. He scored his first career rushing touchdown on a 23-yard run in the third quarter.

Eight different players caught passes, with Donell "Tank" Mason catching five passes for 60 yards. The 2022 PSAC West Freshman of the Year had a 33-yard TD reception. Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington) added four receptions for 55 yards.

Antonio Wright (Palm Bay, Fla./Melbourne) entered the season ranked 18th in career rushing. The junior had been bottled up for the most part this season, but he contributed several plays on Saturday. After opening the game with an eight-yard TD run, he turned a screen pass into a 52-yard reception. His 43-yard run late in the game set up Gannon's tying touchdown. Wright finished with 48 yards rushing on five carries.

Wright is one of three ballcarriers seeing time. A pair of transfers are playing a bigger role in the ground game each week. Braxton Todd (Martinsburg, W. Va./Martinsburg), a redshirt freshman who was at Bowling Green last year, had a game-high 71 yards rushing and a touchdown on 13 carries. Donny Marcus (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg), a redshirt sophomore who previously played at Ball State, added 43 yards on eight rushes.

West Chester had several players post big numbers. Cooper Jordan completed 14-of-22 passes for 249 yards with 3 TDs and an INT, adding 64 yards rushing on 14 carries. His favorite target was Rahiem Bowens, who finished with five receptions for 160 yards and two scores. Trey Blair also scored a pair of rushing touchdowns while finishing with 57 yards on nine totes.     

Obi Ezeigbo (Ewing, N.J./Ewing) came up big on defense, totaling a career-high eight tackles, with 2.5 for losses and 1.5 sacks. The redshirt junior defensive lineman added a fumble recovery. Fellow defensive lineman Charles Calhoun (Euclid, Ohio/St. Edward) had a career-high nine tackles to lead the Golden Knights. Hayden McDonald (Tigard, Ore./Tigard) registered a sack that resulted in a fumble on the first play from scrimmage and had six tackles and a pass breakup. Senior defensive back Chris Farnsworth (Bristol, Pa./Milton Hershey) broke up a pair of passes to go with seven tackles.
 
THE RECORD BOOK
Senior defensive back Chris Farnsworth (Bristol, Pa./Milton Hershey) finished with seven tackles on Saturday to push him over 200 career stops. The two-time All-PSAC West performer now has 206 career tackles.

Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington) now has 86 career receptions to move into a tie for 11th place in career receptions with teammate Bransen Stanley (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston). The redshirt senior has also moved into tenth place in career receiving yards with 1,210.

Eric Scarpino (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) kicked a 38-yard field goal to move into a tie for fourth place in career field goals made with 20.  

UP NEXT
Gannon looks to celebrate Homecoming on Saturday, September 23 hosting Clarion. Kickoff at McConnell Family Stadium is 1:00 p.m.
 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Ke

#1 Ke'John Batiste

WR
6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
Charles Calhoun

#90 Charles Calhoun

DL
6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
Obi Ezeigbo

#33 Obi Ezeigbo

DL
6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
Chris Farnsworth

#9 Chris Farnsworth

DB
5' 11"
Senior
Hayden McDonald

#4 Hayden McDonald

LB
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
Nate Mikell

#6 Nate Mikell

QB
6' 4"
Redshirt Sophomore
Cooper Mullins

#34 Cooper Mullins

LB
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
Mechanical Engineering
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

Players Mentioned

Ke

#1 Ke'John Batiste

6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
WR
Charles Calhoun

#90 Charles Calhoun

6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
DL
Obi Ezeigbo

#33 Obi Ezeigbo

6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
DL
Chris Farnsworth

#9 Chris Farnsworth

5' 11"
Senior
DB
Hayden McDonald

#4 Hayden McDonald

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
LB
Nate Mikell

#6 Nate Mikell

6' 4"
Redshirt Sophomore
QB
Cooper Mullins

#34 Cooper Mullins

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
Mechanical Engineering
LB
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