October 18, 2024/midnight
Gannon, Erie campus – The Golden Knights picked up their first win of the season in front of a home crowd on Homecoming Weekend.
After starting the season 0–4, the Knights picked up a win over the Seton Hall Griffins to end their losing streak in what was a storybook ending.
Gannon started strong early with running back David Morgan’s 23–yard run to set the Knights up in good position to score. Receiver Matthew Bean would catch a touchdown pass from quarterback Jordan Whitaker to make it 7–0 Gannon.
Seton Hall would also drive down the field quickly but their chance to answer was denied when Gannon’s defense held them on fourth down on the 25–yard line. Following a series of punts, the Knights added a field goal to lead by ten at the end of the first quarter.
It was a disastrous start to the second quarter for Gannon. After the Griffins kicked a field goal, Jordan Whitaker’s pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Within nearly 30–seconds, Gannon’s 10– point lead vanished.
While Mike Watkins’ 22–yard catch once again set up Gannon with great field position, Whitaker fumbled on the two–yard line, and it was recovered by Seton Hall. A potential touchdown turned to zero points.
Before the end of the quarter, the Knights added a field goal to take the lead by three. Needing a stop in their own territory, Gannon defensive back Trey Baker picked off Griffins’ quarterback Jake Cruz and returned it 68 yards. Whitaker threw his second touchdown of the game to restore the ten point lead at halftime.
Following a series of punts and a big fourth down stop by the Gannon defense, the Knights would add three more points in what their final score of the day would be.
Leading by thirteen into the fourth quarter, Whitaker’s pass was intercepted. On the following play, Griffins’ wide receiver Cody Rubrecht threw a 43–yard pass to Taiyon Battle for a trick–play touchdown to cut the lead to six.
The final quarter saw back–to–back punts and fumbles as both teams’ play appeared very sloppy. With Seton Hall down six with less than four minutes to go, Gannon needed one more stop out of their defense. On third–down at the Knights 21–yard line, Charles Calhoun made the biggest play of the game sacking Cruz and forcing a fumble. Trey Baker recovered the fumble to seal the victory for Gannon.
After the victory, the Knights took a quick trip to #6 Slippery Rock, where they fell 35–17 on the road. Gannon will take a bye week and will be back in action on Saturday, October 26th for a road game against the Edinboro Fightin’ Scots. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.
