Erie, Pa., — The Gannon Golden Knights football team fell to the undefeated East Stroudsburg Warriors on Saturday night.

On the first drive of the game, Gannon quickly moved down the field headlined by running back David Morgan’s 23-yard rush. The Niagara Falls-native capped off the drive with a four-yard touchdown to give Gannon an early lead in the first quarter.

Following a punt on the Warriors’ first drive, Gannon quarterback Jayden Whitaker threw a deep pass to receiver Mike Watkins for a 53-yard gain. Unfortunately, the Knights second drive came away with zero points following a failed fourth-down conversion.

In the second quarter, Gannon would fail once again on fourth down which would lead to great field position for East Stroudsburg. The Warriors would cap off the drive with a four-yard touchdown pass from #10 Sean McTaggart. The Warrior’s would add a field goal to make it 10-7 ESU at halftime.

It would be a third quarter to forget for Gannon as the defense allowed East Stroudsburg to score touchdowns on both of their possessions. The Knights’ lone drive would end in a punt. They would only have the ball for less than three minutes that quarter.

Entering the fourth quarter trailing 24-7 the Knights were looking for a big comeback. Unfortunately, two costly mistakes —a fumble and a missed field goal— kept Gannon from cutting into the deficit. East Stroudsburg would take the victory at home.

Whitaker had a solid game throwing for 206 yards in the air and was only sacked once. Watkins and Morgan lead the team in receiving and rushing yards, respectively. On defense, Charles Calhoun played very well getting to the quarterback as he had 1.5 sacks.

The Knights will start 0-2 for the second straight year.

The Gannon Golden Knights will look to bounce back when they host the Kutztown Golden Bears (2-0) on Saturday, September 21st. Kickoff is set for noon at McConnell Family Stadium.