Donell Mason vs. Edinboro
Matt Durisko

Football Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Football Game Preview: Golden Knights Return Home for First Time in a Month Hosting Indiana (Pa.)

INDIANA (PA) CRIMSON HAWKS at GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS
DATE/TIME: Saturday, November 2, 2024 | 12 noon
STADIUM/LOCATION: McConnell Family Stadium l Erie, Pa.
LIVE STATS
LIVE VIDEO
GAME NOTES

THE GANNON-IUP SERIES
Indiana (Pa.) leads 10-5
Gannon has won the last two meetings with IUP, a 43-36 victory in 2022 and a 16-15 win at IUP last year.  

Last Meeting: Oct. 7, 2023 – Gannon 16, Indiana (Pa.) 15 | RECAP
Gannon trailed 15-3 in the fourth quarter but rallied to win on the final play of the game. Jayden Whitaker (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg), in his first career start, drove the Golden Knights 37 yards in the final minute. Eric Scarpino (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) then came in and made his third field goal of the game, a record-tying 51-yarder. The kick hit the right upright and tumbled over the goalpost.
  
RECORDS
Gannon: 2-5; 2-2 in PSAC West
Indiana (Pa.): 5-3; 2-3 in PSAC West
 
ERIE, Pa. – Gannon returns home for the first time in a month on Saturday hosting Indiana (Pa.) in a 12 noon kickoff. The Golden Knights last played at home on October 5 celebrating Homecoming with a victory over Seton Hill.
 
The Golden Knights have improved to 2-5 overall since that time thanks to a last-minute 25-21 win at Edinboro last weekend. They are 2-2 in the PSAC West. Good for fourth in the division.
 
Indiana (Pa.) comes in at 5-3 and 2-3, respectively. While the Golden Knights were celebrating a last-minute win last Saturday the Crimson Hawks were crushed with a last-second, overtime loss at California (Pa.). They lost 16-13 in overtime after holding a 10-7 lead late in the game, blocking a game-tying field goal by Cal, only to see the Vulcans recover, get another attempt and send the game into overtime.
 
In fact, it was a last-second field goal that gave Gannon its second win in a row over IUP a year ago. Eric Scarpino (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) made the most famous kick in Gannon history when he bounced a record-tying 51-yard field goal off the right upright over the crossbar to give Gannon a 16-15 win at IUP as time expired.

The combination of a brutal early schedule and a myriad of injuries have left head coach Erik Raeburn and his staff scrambling all year. They have persevered despite being down to their third tailback running behind an offensive line missing three starters on offense, and on defense a secondary that has started ten different players due to injuries.
 
Last Saturday it all felt better as redshirt freshman quarterback Jayden Whitaker (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) guided Gannon on the third game-winning drive of his short career. He drove the Golden Knights 75 yards on 10 plays, with Donell "Tank" Mason catching the game-winning seven-yard TD pass with 26 seconds remaining.
 
Mixed in there as the play of the year. A bad shotgun snap led to Whitaker having to chase down the ball. Forced out of the pocket by a pair of Edinboro defenders he rolled to his right and heaved a long pass down the field to Mason, who had managed to get behind the Edinboro secondary. The junior's 46-yard catch to the Boro 18 was followed by the winning touchdown moments later.
 
Edinboro still had one last gasp, but Serrell Curtis (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) intercepted a Hail Mary pass with 11 seconds left to end the threat. One of two players to start all seven games in the secondary, it was the redshirt freshman's first career interception.

Two games remain on the Gannon schedule. The Golden Knights head to Clarion on Saturday, November 9 for their final road game before returning to McConnell Family Stadium on Saturday, November 16 to host Lock Haven on Senior Day.
 
Rosters:  
Gannon 
Indiana (Pa.)

Schedules:   
Gannon  
Indiana (Pa.)

Statistics:   
Gannon  
Indiana (Pa.)

Head Coaches:  
Gannon's Erik Raeburn
Indiana (Pa.)'s Paul Tortorella

Golden Knights to Watch
QB Jayden Whitaker (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) – a redshirt freshman, Whitaker has accounted for 12 of Gannon's 14 touchdowns this season. He has thrown for seven scores and run for five more. Last week at Edinboro he ran for a career-high 68 yards with 3 TDs and threw for 191 yards and the game-winning touchdown. He has completed 97-of-170 passes for 1,241 yards with 7 TDs and 5 INTs and is tied for the team lead in rushing with 169 yards.
 
WR Donell "Tank" Mason – the junior caught 6 passes for 94 yards and the game-winning touchdown last week at Edinboro. Earlier in the year he enjoyed a career-best 181-yard performance on 8 catches against Northwood. 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 32 receptions for 483 yards. He has climbed into 10th place in career receptions with 98 and is now eighth in career receiving yards with 1,429.

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 218 tackles. McDonald is also a redshirt senior and has been a steady performer all year. He leads the Golden Knights with 61 tackles, including a career-high 17 in the season opener vs. Northwood. He had 11 stops at Edinboro.
 
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 leads the Golden Knights with 7 TFL and 3.5 sacks. He has 30 tackles, the top figure along the defensive line.

P/PK Bryson Costa (Windber, Pa./Windber Area) – a true freshman, Costa has handled the dual role of placekicker and punter. He is averaging 44.8 yards on 27 punts, with 12 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 11-for-13 on extra points and 4-for-6 on field goals.
 
DBs Ty Tiggs (Cleveland, Ohio/Mayfield) and Serrell Curtis (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) – the duo have been the lone constants in a secondary that has faced numerous injuries. A graduate student, Tiggs stands second on the team in tackles with 51. Curtis, a redshirt freshman, is right behind Tiggs with 46 stops and he recorded his first career interception to clinch last week's win at Edinboro.   
 
Scouting Indiana (Pa.): IUP enters Saturday's game with a 5-3 record and 2-3 in the PSAC West following a heartbreaking loss at California (Pa.) last Saturday. The Crimson Hawks held a 10-7 lead late in the contest. They blocked a Vulcan field goal attempt, but Cal ended up recovering and eventually kicked a game-tying field goal as time expired. IUP kicked a field goal to start overtime but Cal answered with a touchdown for a 16-13 win. IUP also dropped a one-point game to Slippery Rock. Head coach Paul Tortorella owns an impressive 53-14 record in six seasons at the helm, with the three losses this year tied for the most in his tenure. Quarterback Karst Hunter paces the offense. The 6-foor-4, 220 lbs. redshirt senior has completed 107-of-173 passes for 1,182 yards with 9 TDs and 7 INTs. He has scored four touchdowns rushing and ranks second on the team with 348 yards. A stout defense ranks second in the PSAC and 22nd nationally in both scoring defense (16.3 ppg.) and total defense (273.5 ypg.).

Next for the Golden Knights:  Gannon heads out on the road for the last time in 2024 playing at Clarion on Saturday, November 9. Kickoff is set for 12 noon.
 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Eric Scarpino

#94 Eric Scarpino

PK
5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
Mechanical Engineering
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
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

Eric Scarpino

#94 Eric Scarpino

5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
Mechanical Engineering
PK
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
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