Football game preview: The struggling Golden Knights face local rivals Edinboro in the Battle of the 814

GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS FIGHT IN EDINBORO SCOTLAND

DATE/TIME: Saturday, October 26, 2024 | 12 noon

STADIUM/LOCATION: Sox Harrison Stadium l Edinboro, Pennsylvania.

LIVE STATISTICS

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
Gannon jumped out to a 17-0 lead three times, then held off a late Edinboro surge to win its third straight game against the Fighting Scots. Nate Mikell (Summerfield, Florida/Wildwood) threw touchdown passes of five yards to Donell “Tank” Mason and 53 yards Ke’John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington)The latter at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Edinboro got within 17-12 with two minutes left Sir Giles (St. Cloud, Florida/Tohopekaliga) As time expired, he returned a touchdown fumble to secure the victory.



RECORDS

Gannon: 1-5; 1-2 in the PSAC West

Edinboro: 2-5; 1-2 in the 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 struggling team that left the field at Slippery Rock two weeks ago.

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

Gannon has faced a brutal schedule so far, with their first six opponents posting a combined record of 31-10. The Golden Knights dropped their first four contests before celebrating homecoming with a 23-17 win over Seton Hill.

The injuries increased along the way. The defense, especially the secondary defense, was initially affected Serrell Curtis (Indianapolis, Indiana/Ben Davis) And Ty Tiggs (Cleveland, Ohio/Mayfield) the only members of the five-man unit to start in all six games.

The offense has taken a serious hit lately. The lineup has been without three starters the last two games, and the Golden Knights likely have their third running back this week. Then there is the question of the starting quarterback Jayden Whitaker (Brownsburg, Indiana/Brownsburg). The redshirt freshman had to leave the Slippery Rock game due to injury. He threw for 1,050 yards and accounted for eight of Gannon’s 11 touchdowns.

Gannon returns home next week when the season comes to an end. The Golden Knights play two of their last three games at home. They host Indiana (Pa.) on Saturday, November 2nd.



Duty rosters:
Gannon
Edinboro

Schedules:
Gannon
Edinboro

Statistics:
Gannon
Edinboro

Head Coach:
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 completed eight passes for a career-best 181 yards. That’s the fourth-highest total in a game, surpassing his 164-yard performance against Clarion last year. Mason, the 2022 PSAC West Freshman of the Year, leads Gannon with 26 receptions for 389 yards and climbs to 11th in career receiving yards with 92 and ninth in career receiving yards with 1,335.

LBs Trey Baker (Kettering, Ohio/Kettering Fairmont) And Hayden McDonald (Tigard, Oregon/Tigard) – Baker, a redshirt senior, was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week for his game against Seton Hill. He recorded Gannon’s first turnover of the year, a second-quarter interception that was returned 68 yards. Then he recovered a fumble at the GU 36 on Seton Hill’s final drive. Baker increased his career total to 213 tackles. McDonald is also a redshirt senior and has been a consistent performer all year. He leads the Golden Knights with 50, including a career-high 17 in the season opener against Northwood.



DL Charles Calhoun (Euclid, Ohio/St. Edward) – The defensive line lost two All-PSAC West players last year, but one constant is Calhoun’s play. The redshirt junior had another big game against Seton Hill, finishing with six tackles. This included 2.5 TFL and a sack. The sack clinched the game for the Golden Knights as it forced a fumble that was recovered by the Golden Knights 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, Pennsylvania/Windber Area) – As a true freshman, Costa is off to a fast start, taking on the dual role of placekicker and punter. He averaged 43.3 yards on 23 punts, with eight punts exceeding 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 yards. He is also a perfect 11-for-11 player on extra points.



Scouting Edinboro: Edinboro suffered a heartbreaking 29-28 loss at Clarion last Saturday and is 2-5 and 1-2 in the PSAC West. The Fighting Scots led 28-9 early in 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 earned a 23-21 win over Division I Robert Morris and also beat Indiana (Pa.) 27-23. Five of their seven games were decided by five points or fewer. The Fighting Scots are led by redshirt senior quarterback Isaac Bernard. He completed 157 of 243 passes for 1,255 yards with 7 TDs and 8 INTs. Bo Swartz scored seven touchdowns and threw an eighth throw on just 12 touchdowns and four pass attempts. The defense features Division II’s leading tackler. Redshirt sophomore Wilfredo Diaz has 96 tackles, an average of 13.7 tackles per game. That includes a 22-tackle performance in the season opener against East Stroudsburg. Punter Reed Martin is also a valuable weapon. The senior is a three-time All-PSAC West honoree and averages 42.7 yards on 35 punts.

Next up for the Golden Knights: Gannon will play at home for the first time since October 5th, hosting Indiana (Pa.) on Saturday, November 2nd. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 noon at McConnell Family Stadium.