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Defense Leads Eagles
in 22-19 Overtime Win at Gannon |
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Gannon University Field in Erie, PA, has a number of impressive features, one being the red-brick wall that surrounds the playing surface. There’s only one entrance to the field and fence jumping isn’t an option. For much of the last year or so, that field has been the only way the Gannon Golden Knight offense directed by quarterback Darmel Whitfield has been walled in. A year ago, GU was 9-1. Whitfield is equally effective as a runner or passer and even in last week’s 48-17 loss at home to defending national champ Grand Valley State, the GU quarterback had his moments. In the season’s opening week, he led GU to an overtime win at Mercyhurst and was the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference offensive player of the week. Saturday (Sept. 11) night in Erie, the Eagles kept Whitfield’s highlight reel moments to a minimum. AU limited Whitfield to 39 yards in 14 carries and in the air, held him to 21 completions in 42 throws for 265 yards and one touchdown. That stout defense helped AU overcome several other mishaps in a 22-19 overtime triumph. The Eagles are 2-1 for the first time since 2001. For the first time in school history, the Eagles have played back-to-back overtime affairs. AU won this one when junior kicker Austin Wellock hit a 28-yard field goal on Ashland’s first and only overtime possession. The game ended when Gannon’s Brendan McNicholas missed from 45 yards on GU’s ensuing possession. Both kickers had rough nights. Wellock was 1-for-2 on field goals and missed one PAT and had another one blocked. McNicholas, the GLIAC special teams player of the week after Week 1, was 1-for-3 on field goal tries. Ashland gave the ball away on two interceptions, suffered a safety and allowed the Knights (1-2) to tie the game, 19-19 on a seven-play, 66-yard drive that ended with 13 ticks remaining in regulation. Gannon’s first touchdown came on a 24-yard interception return by Kevin Scott. The Eagles overcame all of that because of a defense that stood solid all night long and a running game that relied heavily on senior tailback Antwan Hart. Hart had 114 yards on a career-high 32 carries. He’s had more than 100 yards in every game in this young season. Getting back to the defense, it allowed the Golden Knights just 10 points, the other nine markers coming from AU offensive errors. “Our offense wasn’t in sync all night long,” admitted AU head coach Lee Owens. “The defense kept us in the game, kept us in the game, kept us in the game. Then you have to give Austin some credit for going back out there and not hanging his head.” From start to finish this game, the first meeting between the schools since 1950 was entertaining. Scott’s interception return for a score with 4:07 left in regulation put GU in front, 7-0. Ashland tied the game with 14:52 left in the first half when sophomore quarterback Nick Strance connected with senior wide receiver Michael Hull on a 12-yard scoring strike. Hull, who ended the night with seven receptions for 62 yards, has now caught at least one pass in 28 consecutive games. Wellock’s PAT deadlocked the score. The score stayed that way until Strance (17-29 for 138 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions) found junior wide receiver Daloean White in the left corner of the end zone with a 13-yard pass. Wellock’s extra point failed, leaving AU in front, 13-7 with 9:47 to play in the third quarter. Whitfield went up top with a 21-yard scoring pass to Sam Culberth with 7:32 to go in the third quarter and a McNicholas PAT gave the Knights a 14-13 lead. With 3:00 left in the stanza, GU linebacker Joe Dipre, a transfer from the University of Pittsburgh, sacked Strance in the end zone for a safety and a 16-13 GU lead. Strance recovered to make one of the best plays of his AU career with time running down and the game on the line. He finished a 14-play, 79-yard jaunt by scampering through the Gannon defense for a 9-yard TD run with 2:11 to play. Entering the game, Strance was averaging 0.6 ypc., but on this run, he was as elusive as a snake on a greased griddle. However, Wellock’s PAT was blocked, leaving AU ahead, 19-16 with 2:11 to go in regulation. “Nick made a play,” said Owens. “That’s what your quarterback has to do, get your team into the end zone.” Gannon bounced back with that 66-yard drive that resulted in the field goal that knotted the score. As Owens pointed out, about 70 percent of the time the team that forces the overtime has the momentum and goes on to prevail in overtime. That didn’t happen on this occasion. AU positioned itself for a Wellock field goal and the defense forced two Whitfield incompletions around a Ron Bailey run that lost three yards. AU allowed just 63 yards rushing, the third straight game it permitted less than 100 yards on the ground and the pass defense didn’t leak when it mattered most. “Steve Clinkscale (secondary coach) has done a great job with the young guys in the secondary,” praised defensive coordinator Jim Meyer. “I can’t say enough about our secondary. The same could be said for the linebackers. Junior Devin Conwell had 13 tackles (six solo) and blocked a kick. Junior Brady Miller made 10 tackles (three solo) and sophomore Allen Lattimore posted nine stops (three solo). Sophomore defensive back Chris Holland was in on 11 tackles (eight solo) and made a game-saving tackle on GU’s last possession in regulation. He pulled down Al Donadi after a 40-yard gain on a pass from Whitfield. Holland came across the field and brought down Donadi at the AU 11. Instead of getting into the end zone for six points, GU had to settle for the field goal that tied the score. “He let us live again,” said Owens. “That was as big as any play in the game.” |