It has been a year of breaking records for the Gannon University football team.
That trend continued Saturday.
Gannon set records for total points, total yards, passing yards, second-half points, third-quarter points, total first downs and passing first downs en route to a 58-28 win against Seton Hill Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 1,021 at a windy Gannon University Field.
It was a tale of two halves during the PSAC West matchup, as Seton Hill controlled much of the first half and took a 28-17 lead into the intermission.
But the Golden Knights (6-2, 5-2 PSAC) would come out of the locker room and dominate the third quarter.
Gannon wasted no time getting back into the game after Liam Nadler connected with Justin Caliste for a 48-yard touchdown pass to cut the Griffins’ lead to four with 12:21 remaining in the quarter.
The Knights would go on to score 21 more points in the third quarter on their way to 41 unanswered points in the second half.
Redshirt-junior quarterback Liam Nadler continued his record year, completing 33-of-43 passes for five touchdowns and a record 494 yards, beating his old mark of 428.
Nadler credited the adjustments made at halftime in aiding him to rack up the yards through the air.
“We figured out what they wanted to do with their defense,” Nadler said. “They wanted to load the box and take the away the running game, so we went with the aerial attack.”
Nadler wouldn’t be alone in breaking individual records. Senior receiver Caliste caught 15 passes, breaking his old mark of 12, and would capture the school record for total career yardage (2,220), beating Sam Culberth’s mark of 2,099. Caliste would finish the game with three touchdowns and 227 receiving yards.
Jesstin Hamm caught eight passes for 143 yards, while Brock Jones ran for 134 in helping the Knights break the single-game mark for most total yards with 691.
Seton Hill quarterback Drew Jackson threw for three touchdowns on 37 attempts, connecting on 26 of them.
The Griffins’ first score, a 53-yard touchdown pass, started a run in which Seton Hill would reach the end zone on four of its final six possessions of the opening half.
Gannon coach Brad Rzyczycki said adjustments by defensive coordinator John Thompson led to the shutout of the Griffins in the second half.
“Coach Thompson did a bit to change the coverage,” Rzyczycki said. “Our coordinators did a great job; you have to credit our coaches in the second half.”
Gannon will conclude the road portion of the regular season Saturday against California (Pa.), where the Knights will try to keep their hopes of hosting the PSAC Championship game alive. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
California holds a one-game lead over Gannon for first place in the PSAC Western Division.
The Vulcans will enter the contest with a 6-1 record in the PSAC and 7-1 overall.
DOMINIC SANSONE
