Michael Watkins III vs. Kutztown
Bryce Dolak

Football Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Football Game Preview: Banged-Up Golden Knights Face Local Rival Edinboro in the Battle of the 814

GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS at EDINBORO FIGHTING SCOTS
DATE/TIME: Saturday, October 26, 2024 | 12 noon
STADIUM/LOCATION: Sox Harrison Stadium l Edinboro, Pa.
LIVE STATS
LIVE VIDEO
GAME NOTES


THE GANNON-EDINBORO SERIES
Edinboro leads 10-7
Gannon has won the last three meetings but the Fighting Scots have won six of eight meetings at Sox Harrison Stadium.

Last Meeting: Oct. 7, 2023 – Gannon 23, Edinboro 12 | RECAP
For three Gannon jumped out to a 17-0 lead then held off a late Edinboro rally to win its third straight game against the Fighting Scots. Nate Mikell (Summerfield, Fla./Wildwood) threw touchdown passes of five yards to Donell "Tank" Mason and 53 yards to Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington), the latter early in the fourth quarter. Edinboro closed to within 17-12 with two minutes left but Sir Giles (St. Cloud, Fla./Tohopekaliga) returned a fumble for touchdown to clinch the victory as time ran out.
  
RECORDS
Gannon: 1-5; 1-2 in PSAC West
Edinboro: 2-5; 1-2 in PSAC West
 
ERIE, Pa. – Gannon returns to the gridiron after a week off that hopefully helped the Golden Knights get a little healthier. It was a banged-up team that left the field at Slippery Rock two weeks ago.

The Golden Knights fell to sixth-ranked Slippery Rock 35-17 that day and comes in at 1-5 overall and 1-2 in the PSAC West. They now renew their rivalry with Edinboro, visiting Sox Harrison Stadium for a 12 noon contest on Saturday, October 26. The Fighting Scots are 2-5 and also 1-2 in the Western Division.

Gannon has faced a brutal schedule to date, with the first six opponents showing a combined 31-10 record. The Golden Knights dropped their first four contests before celebrating Homecoming with a 23-17 win over Seton Hill.

Injuries have piled up along the way. The defense was initially hit, particularly the secondary, with Serrell Curtis (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) and Ty Tiggs (Cleveland, Ohio/Mayfield) the only members of the five-man unit to start all six games.

Lately the offense has taken a huge hit. The line has been without three starters the last two games, and the Golden Knights are likely down to their third running back this week. Then there's the issue of starting quarterback Jayden Whitaker (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg). The redshirt freshman was forced to leave the Slippery Rock game with an injury. He has thrown for 1,050 yards while accounting for eight of Gannon's 11 touchdowns.

Gannon returns home next week as the season reaches its final stretch. The Golden Knights play two of their final three games at home. They host Indiana (Pa.) on Saturday, November 2.
 
Rosters:  
Gannon 
Edinboro

Schedules:   
Gannon  
Edinboro

Statistics:   
Gannon  
Edinboro

Head Coaches:  
Gannon's Erik Raeburn 
Edinboro's Jake Nulph

Golden Knights to Watch
WR Donell "Tank" Mason – the junior enjoyed the biggest night of his career against Northwood. He hauled in eight passes for a career-best 181 yards. That's the fourth-highest single-game total and bettered his 164-yard showing against Clarion last year. The 2022 PSAC West Freshman of the Year, Mason leads Gannon with 26 receptions for 389 yards while climbing into 11th place in career receptions with 92 and ninth in career receiving yards with 1,335.

LBs Trey Baker (Kettering, Ohio/Kettering Fairmont) and Hayden McDonald (Tigard, Ore./Tigard) – Baker, a redshirt senior, was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week for his play against Seton Hill. He registered the first turnover of the year for Gannon, an interception in the second quarter that was returned 68 yards. He then recovered a fumble at the GU 36 on Seton Hill's last drive. Baker has boosted his career total to 213 tackles. McDonald is also a redshirt senior and has been a steady performer all year. He leads the Golden Knights with 50, including a career-high 17 in the season opener vs. Northwood.
 
DL Charles Calhoun (Euclid, Ohio/St. Edward) – the defensive line lost two All-PSAC West performers from last year but one constant has been the play of Calhoun. The redshirt junior had another big game against Seton Hill, finishing with six tackles. That included 2.5 TFL and a sack. The sack clinched the game for the Golden Knights, as he forced a fumble that was recovered by Trey Baker (Kettering, Ohio/Kettering Fairmont). Calhoun has 24 tackles with a team-high 5 TFL and 2.5 sacks.

P/PK Bryson Costa (Windber, Pa./Windber Area) – a true freshman, Costa is off to a fast start serving the dual role of placekicker and punter. He is averaging 43.3 yards on 23 punts, with eight covering 50+ yards. He made three field goals against Seton Hill. He made his first career field goal from 24 yards out, then added 27 and 45-yard field goals. He is also a perfect 11-for-11 on extra points.
 
Scouting Edinboro: Edinboro comes off a heart-breaking 29-28 loss at Clarion last Saturday to drop to 2-5 and 1-2 in the PSAC West. The Fighting Scots led 28-9 entering the fourth quarter only to see the Golden Eagles score 20 unanswered points in the period. It was the second time in four weeks that they lost in the final period after suffering a 32-27 loss to Bloomsburg. Edinboro owns a 23-21 win over Division I Robert Morris and also defeated Indiana (Pa.) 27-23. Five of their seven games have been decided by five points or less. The Fighting Scots are led by redshirt senior quarterback Isaac Bernard. He has completed 157-of-243 passes for 1,255 yards with 7 TDs and 8 INTs. Bo Swartz has scored seven touchdowns and thrown for an eighth on just 12 touches and four pass attempts. The defense features the leading tackler in Division II. Redshirt sophomore Wilfredo Diaz has 96 tackles, an average of 13.7 tackles per game. That includes a 22-tackle effort in the season opener vs. East Stroudsburg. Punter Reed Martin is also a valuable weapon. A three-time All-PSAC West honoree, the senior is averaging 42.7 yards on 35 punts.

Next for the Golden Knights:  Gannon plays for the first time at home since October 5, hosting Indiana (Pa.) on Saturday, November 2. Kickoff is set for 12 noon at McConnell Family Stadium.  
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Ke

#1 Ke'John Batiste

WR
6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
Nate Mikell

#6 Nate Mikell

QB
6' 4"
Redshirt Sophomore
Trey Baker

#50 Trey Baker

LB
6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
Charles Calhoun

#7 Charles Calhoun

DL
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
Serrell Curtis

#0 Serrell Curtis

DB
6' 1"
Redshirt Freshman
Sir Giles

#12 Sir Giles

DB
6' 1"
Junior
Hayden McDonald

#4 Hayden McDonald

LB
6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
Ty Tiggs

#2 Ty Tiggs

DB
6' 0"
Graduate Student
Jayden Whitaker

#9 Jayden Whitaker

QB
6' 1"
Redshirt Freshman
Bryson Costa

#33 Bryson Costa

PK
6' 0"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Ke

#1 Ke'John Batiste

6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
WR
Nate Mikell

#6 Nate Mikell

6' 4"
Redshirt Sophomore
QB
Trey Baker

#50 Trey Baker

6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
LB
Charles Calhoun

#7 Charles Calhoun

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
DL
Serrell Curtis

#0 Serrell Curtis

6' 1"
Redshirt Freshman
DB
Sir Giles

#12 Sir Giles

6' 1"
Junior
DB
Hayden McDonald

#4 Hayden McDonald

6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
LB
Ty Tiggs

#2 Ty Tiggs

6' 0"
Graduate Student
DB
Jayden Whitaker

#9 Jayden Whitaker

6' 1"
Redshirt Freshman
QB
Bryson Costa

#33 Bryson Costa

6' 0"
Freshman
PK