Obi Ezeigbo vs. Millersville
Bryce Dolak

Football Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Game Preview: Golden Knights Look to Celebrate Homecoming vs. Clarion in PSAC West Opener

CLARION GOLDEN EAGLES (1-2, 0-0 PSAC West) at GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (0-3, 0-0 PSAC West)
HOMECOMING
DATE: Saturday, September 23, 2023
KICKOFF: 1:00 p.m.
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. – It's Homecoming at Gannon with the Golden Knights football team looking to extend a streak of five straight wins in Homecoming games. Note the special kickoff time of 1:00 p.m. with Clarion visiting McConnell Family Stadium on Saturday, September 23.

Saturday's contest is not only Homecoming, but the start of divisional play in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. For the next seven weeks every game will be against divisional foes before the regular season concludes with a third crossover game. Gannon was picked to fourth in the PSAC West in the coaches preseason poll while Clarion was seventh.

Gannon comes in with a deceiving 0-3 record, with all three losses coming in the latter stages of the fourth quarter. Two weeks ago in the home opener Millersville scored the winning touchdown with 29 seconds left in a 28-21 loss. Last week the Golden Knights and West Chester went back-and-forth, at one point scoring touchdowns on a combined six straight possessions, before the Golden Rams scored with 1:26 remaining for a 38-31 win.

Clarion also knows about losing a game late. The Golden Eagles led Lock Haven 20-7 in the fourth quarter last week. The Bald Eagles pulled to within six points on a long run with just under nine minutes remaining. They completed the rally with seven seconds to play on a 33-yard TD pass on a 4th-and-10 play. The loss dropped Clarion to 1-2.

Gannon is hosting Clarion for Homecoming for the third time since 2019. The Golden Knights prevailed 51-35 in 2019 and 56-21 in 2021. A year ago Gannon faced Seton Hill on Homecoming and came away with a 21-10 victory. The Golden Knights prevailed in a high-scoring affair at Clarion last year 47-24.
   
SERIES RECORD
Tied at 7-7
Gannon has won the last three meetings with the Golden Eagles to pull into a tie in the all-time series at seven wins apiece.

Last Meeting:  Sept. 24, 2022 – Gannon 47, at Clarion 24 l RECAP
Gannon opened PSAC West action in impressive fashion with a 47-24 win on the road at Clarion. It marked the third straight season Gannon opened conference play with a win, all against Clarion. The offense was near unstoppable all day while posting one of the biggest days in team history. Gannon finished the day with 629 yards in total offense, the sixth-highest, single-game total day. Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) threw for 418 yards, the fourth-highest single-game total, completing 25-of-38 passes with 3 TDs. Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington) (148 yards) and Sam East (Jackson Township, N.J./Saint John Vianney) (124 yards) each topped the 100-yard mark receiving for the second straight week, and Melvin Blanks (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) ran for 112 yards on the ground with 3 TDs. Gannon led 27-21 at the half but pulled away as the defense limited the Golden Eagles to a field goal over the final 30 minutes.

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 14-15 ledger in charge of the Golden Knights and is 157-77 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.
 
HAPPY ON HOMECOMING
Gannon has won five straight Homecoming games. A year ago the Golden Knights handed Seton Hill a 21-10 defeat on Homecoming and in 2021 Gannon also hosted Clarion for Homecoming, prevailing 56-21.  In fact, Gannon beat Clarion in the 2019 Homecoming game, as well, 51-35. The last time the opponent spoiled the Homecoming festivities was 2016 when Mercyhurst prevailed 38-35 in overtime.

GANNON VICTIM OF THREE FOURTH-QUARTER LOSSES
Gannon's 0-3 record is quite deceiving. All three of the losses have come down to late in the fourth quarter. The Golden Knights led Charleston 13-9 with less than five minutes to play but the Golden Eagles regained the lead with just under four minutes to play and added an insurance touchdown with two minutes left. Gannon rallied from a 14-0 halftime deficit to forge a 21-21 tie with 4:22 left on Nate Mikell's (Summerfield, Fla./Wildwood) third touchdown pass of the day covering six yards to Jonathan Bowden (Palm Bay, Fla./Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy). But Millersville drove 75 yards on nine plays to score the winning touchdown with 29 seconds left. Last week's West Chester game was tied at 31-31 with 5:49 remaining after Mikell threw a 33-yard TD pass to Donell "Tank" Mason. WCU proceeded to drive 76 yards on nine plays for the winning TD with 1:26 left in the 38-31 contest. 3-0 and 0-3 is just a few minutes apart for Gannon.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS REACH PAYDIRT IN FIRST HALF
Gannon failed to score in the first half in each of the first two games. That trend was quickly erased at West Chester. Hayden McDonald (Tigard, Ore./Tigard) caused a fumble on the first play from scrimmage and Cooper Mullins (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade Julienne) recovered at the WCU 8. Mullins was making his first career start at linebacker. On the next play Antonio Wright (Palm Bay, Fla./Melbourne) Jr. scored on an eight-yard run for the initial points in the first half, just second into the game. Eric Scarpino (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) would add a 38-yard field goal in the second quarter.

OBI FILLING IN NICELY ON D-LINE
Gannon entered 2023 faced with the task of not only replacing all three starters on the defensive line, but each earned All-PSAC West honors. Enter Obi Ezeigbo (Ewing, N.J./Ewing). The 6'3", 252 lb. redshirt junior is tied for third in tackles along with fellow defensive lineman Charles Calhoun (Euclid, Ohio/St. Edward). He leads the Golden Knights in tackles for losses (3.5) and sacks (2.5). He comes off a career-high eight tackles at West Chester, with 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. A year ago he totaled 33 tackles, with 8 TFL and 4.5 sacks in a reserve role.

FARNSWORTH REACHES 200 CAREER TACKLES
Two-time All-PSAC West performer Chris Farnsworth (Bristol, Pa./Milton Hershey) finished with seven tackles at West Chester to go over 200 stops for his career. The senior defensive back now has 206 tackles and is fast approaching the top 20 in career tackles. A year ago he led Gannon with 91 hits and four interceptions to earn first-team All-PSAC West accolades.

TRANSFERS TODD, MARCUS BOLSTERING GROUND GAME
Gannon enjoyed its finest rushing effort of the season at West Chester, finishing with 178 yards on 36 attempts. the ground game was particularly robust in the second half. Leading the way was one of two Division I transfers added to the backfield in 2023. Braxton Todd (Martinsburg, W. Va./Martinsburg) led all rushers with 71 yards on 13 carries, including his first touchdown as a Golden Knight on a 10-yard run. The redshirt freshman is a transfer from Bowling Green. Donny Marcus (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg), a transfer from Ball State, added 43 yards on eight carries.

SCARPINO NOW TIED FOR FOURTH IN CAREER FIELD GOALS
Redshirt senior placekicker Eric Scarpino (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) kicked field goals of 27 and 35 yards in the season opener at Charleston (WV). It was the first time a Gannon kicker made two-or-more field goals since last year's Clarion game (9/24/22) when Scarpino made two. He added a 38-yarder at West Chester and now has made 19 career field goals, moving into a tie for fourth place in career field goals made, and his 26 attempts rank sixth.

WRIGHT MOVES UP TO 17th IN CAREER RUSHING
Antonio Wright (Palm Bay, Fla./Melbourne) Jr.'s moved up one spot in the career rushing charts after enjoying his best game of the young season. The junior provided three impact plays at West Chester while moving up one spot into 17th place in career rushing. He finished with 48 yards on five carries, including an eight-yard scoring run, and now has 1,247 yards. His day included a 43-yard run and a 52-yard pass reception. A year ago he ranked eighth in the PSAC in rushing with 700 yards, including a 213-yard, 3-TD effort at Edinboro.

BATISTE CONTINUES CLIMB UP RECEIVING RECORDS
Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington) matched his career high with nine receptions against Millersville, good for 79 yards and a touchdown. He previously caught nine passes in last year's season finale vs. Shippensburg. The redshirt senior followed with four catches for 55 yards at West Chester and now has 86 career receptions. He moves 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.

SCOUTING CLARION
Clarion enters Saturday's game with a 1-2 record following a heart-breaking 21-20 loss to Lock Haven last Saturday. The Golden Eagles led 20-7 five minutes into the fourth quarter, but Lock Haven put together a pair of scoring drives to pull out the victory. The Bald Eagles drove 58 yards, the final 31 yards coming on a 4th-and-10 play for a touchdown with seven seconds remaining. Picked to finish seventh in the PSAC West in the preseason poll, Clarion opened the year with a 30-20 win at Lincoln before suffering a 21-7 loss to Bloomsburg in its home opener … head coach Raymond Monica is in his second year at Clarion and looks to rebuild the Golden Eagle program. He worked wonders at Kutztown where he was a two-time AFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year and two-time PSAC East Coach of the Year. He guided Kutztown to a 45-34 record in seven seasons, but the Golden Bears were 10-2 in 2010 and 11-2 in 2011, making the NCAA Division II playoffs both years. Monica then spent six seasons at Arkansas Tech. Now in his 15th season as a head coach, Monica has an 83-78 career record … Kahlil Owens, a 5'9", 190 lb. senior, earned All-PSAC West second team honors for the second straight season a year ago after rushing for 698 yards and a team-high six TDs on 166 carries. He also led Clarion with 40 receptions for 303 yards. He currently leads the Golden Eagles with 180 yards on 41 carries with one TD and has a team-high 12 receptions for 126 yards … Corahn Alleyne, a junior wide receiver, gave Gannon fits a year ago. He had 93 yards rushing and another 118 yards receiving with a touchdown in last year's game. He comes in with eight receptions for 86 yards and is also a dangerous return man, averaging 25.7 yards on nine kickoff returns and 11.0 yards on eight punt returns … linebacker Kareem Hamdan, a 2021 all-conference selection and Don Hansen All-America Honorable Mention, has been a consistent presence in the middle of the Golden Eagle defense. The senior led Clarion with 77 tackles a year ago with seven TFL and a sack. The year before he led the PSAC with 10.0 tackles per game … redshirt sophomore Anthony Guercio made his first career against Lock Haven. He completed 10-of-16 passes for 166 yards with a touchdown along with 105 yards rushing and another six-pointer on 18 carries. The redshirt sophomore played at Fairmont State in 2021, throwing for 235 yards with 2 TDs in limited action.
 
UP NEXT
The Golden Knights approach the halfway point of the season while wrapping up September with a road game at Seton Hill in Greensburg, Pa. on Saturday, September 30. Kickoff at Offutt Field is set for 4:00 p.m.
 
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Players Mentioned

Melvin Blanks

#2 Melvin Blanks

RB
6' 1"
Senior
Business
Kory Curtis

#7 Kory Curtis

QB
6' 4"
Redshirt Junior
Ke

#1 Ke'John Batiste

WR
6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
Jonathan Bowden

#84 Jonathan Bowden

TE
6' 5"
Redshirt Sophomore
Charles Calhoun

#90 Charles Calhoun

DL
6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
Sam East

#3 Sam East

WR
5' 11"
Redshirt Senior
Undeclared
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

Players Mentioned

Melvin Blanks

#2 Melvin Blanks

6' 1"
Senior
Business
RB
Kory Curtis

#7 Kory Curtis

6' 4"
Redshirt Junior
QB
Ke

#1 Ke'John Batiste

6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
WR
Jonathan Bowden

#84 Jonathan Bowden

6' 5"
Redshirt Sophomore
TE
Charles Calhoun

#90 Charles Calhoun

6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
DL
Sam East

#3 Sam East

5' 11"
Redshirt Senior
Undeclared
WR
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