ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon football team faced a tough task against the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference’s third-ranked scoring defense Saturday afternoon at Gannon University Field. But the Golden Knights responded with arguably their best offensive performance of the season en route to a 51-48 victory against the Rock in front of a chilly 1,005 fans.
The contest represented the highest combined scoring effort by two teams in Gannon history, surpassing Tiffin’s 49-48 victory over the Golden Knights on October 12, 2002. Among the numerous standout statistics were:
(1) Gannon’s 51 points were the program’s most since a 53-14 victory at St. Joseph’s (Ind.) on November 8, 2003 and were five points shy of the school record set during a 56-12 victory against Ashland on October 20, 1950.
(2) The points represented Gannon’s first 50-point output since a 50-45 victory against Findlay on October 22, 2005.
(3) Gannon amassed over 500 yards of total offense for the first time since producing 520 yards against Michigan Tech on October 2, 2004.
(4) The 558 yards of total offense was the program’s most since having 577 yards against St. Joseph’s (Ind.) on November 8, 2003.
(5) The 21 third-quarter points tied a school record for most points in a third quarter, tying efforts against Capital on September 10, 1994 and Wayne State on October 30, 2004.
(6)
Jeremy Ditzler’s seven extra points tied the school’s single-game record accomplished twice before by Brendan McNicholas against St. Francis (Pa.) and West Virginia State in 2003.
Gannon trailed 27-23 at halftime after scoring nine points in the final 2:13 of the second quarter.
Chris Cook (Cleveland, Ohio/Shaw) blocked a Slippery Rock extra point and
John Chisolm (Trenton, N.J./Burlington Township) returned the block 92 yards for a two-point PAT return with 2:13 left.
On the second play of Gannon’s ensuing possession,
Zach Boedicker (Northfield, Ohio/Nordonia) broke a tackle on the right edge and raced 61 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to four points at the intermission.
Gannon then came out of the halftime locker room on fire. The Golden Knights scored twice in the first three minutes to grab a 37-27 lead. Boedicker drove Gannon 80 yards in four plays on the first possession of the second half, ending with a 13-yard touchdown pass to
Evan Twombly (Baldwinsville, N.Y./Baldwinsville) 1:56 into the third quarter.
On the first play after a
Connor Kimball (Erie, Pa./McDowell) interception,
Levar Goff (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) grabbed a tipped pass and scored on a 40-yard play down the left sideline for a 10-point advantage 1:01 after the previous touchdown.
The two teams traded the final four touchdowns with Gannon getting its final two scores on a
Tyler Batts (Homestead, Pa./Penn-Trafford) 69-yard run in the third quarter and a
Jon Richardson (Warren, Ohio/Warren G. Harding) 48-yard jaunt in the fourth frame.
Slippery Rock rallied late, drawing within 51-48 on a touchdown and two-point conversion with 2:24 left in regulation. Following a Gannon three-and-out, the Rock drove 52 yards to the Golden Knights’ 28-yard line. However, Cook intercepted a Rocco Colavecchia pass in the endzone with 47 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
Gannon held advantages in total offense (558-468) and rushing yards (311-202). The Rock was better in passing yards (266-247), first downs (26-21) and time of possession (31:36-28:24).
Boedicker was 11-of-15 for 247 yards and three touchdowns through the air. The junior quarterback added 108 rushing yards and another touchdown on the ground. He set career-highs in passing yards, passing touchdowns and total offensive yards (355).
Richardson recorded his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season and 11 of his career with 115 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. The senior tailback moved into fourth place all-time at Gannon in career rushing yards (2,477) and is now within one yard of the school’s record for career all-purpose yards (3,539).
Boedicker and Richardson became the second duo to rush for 100 yards in the same game and the 15th duo to accomplish the feat in the program’s 23-year history.
Goff made two catches for 71 yards with both resulting in touchdowns. Twombly,
Geoff Hicks (Buffalo, N.Y./Cleveland Hill) and
Jonathon Jones (Rochester, N.Y./Aquinas) also hauled in two passes each.
Defensively, Cook led the way with a career-high 11 tackles, two pass break-ups, a blocked extra point and the game-clinching interception.
Will Giles (Nyack, N.Y./St. Joseph Regional) had nine tackles and two pass break-ups.
Jon Tague (Freeport, Pa./Kiski Area) and
Johnny Jones (Cambridge, Ohio/Cambridge) recorded eight tackles each.
Gannon improved to 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the PSAC Western Division with the victory. Slippery Rock, ranked fifth in the latest NCAA Division II Super Regional One poll, dropped to 5-3 overall and 2-3 in conference play. The Golden Knights conclude the home portion of its schedule Saturday, October 24 against Lock Haven at Gannon University Field. It will be Senior Day and Homecoming Weekend. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.
For a complete box score from Saturday’s Gannon-Slippery Rock football game, please
click here.