EDINBORO Fighting Scots (2-2, 1-1 PSAC West at GANNON Golden Knight (3-2, 2-0 PSAC West)
Saturday, October 12, 2013 l 12 noon
Gannon University Field (2,500) l Erie, Pa.
Radio: WFSE 88.9 FM

Date: Saturday, October 12, 2013
Site: Erie, Pa.
Stadium: Gannon University Field (2,500)
Kickoff: 12 noon
Live Stats: http://www.gannon.edu/athletics/men/football/lstats/xlive.htm
Next: Saturday, October 19 at Indiana(Pa.), 1 p.m.

Game Notes

SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: Edinboro leads 7-0
The Fighting Scots have never lost to Gannon in a series which first began in 2001. Edinboro celebrated its 2012 Homecoming with a 44-24 victory. It did snap a string of back-to-back shutouts for Edinboro, who prevailed 27-0 win in 2011 and 13-0 in 2010.

THE LAST MEETING
2012 -- Edinboro 44, Gannon 24
A crowd of over 5,000 people at Sox Harrison Stadium enjoyed the Homecoming win as Edinboro remained perfect against Gannon. Cody Harris threw for two touchdowns, covering 12 yards to Seth Hembree and 10 yards to Ben Eisel, and ran for two more, both on six-yard runs. Harris completed 28 of 34 passes for 312 yards and ran for 46 more yards. Alec Gluvna and Devin Ghafoor combined for a big special teams play as Gluvna blocked a Gannon punt and Ghafoor scooped it up and raced the remaining 18 yards for a touchdown. That gave Edinboro a 37-10 lead. The defense limited Gannon to 349 total yards and registered four sacks and three interceptions.


HEAD COACHES
EDINBORO
Head Coach: Scott Browning (Ohio State '81)
Record at Edinboro: 52-31, eighth year
Career Record: 52-31, eighth year

Scott Browning (Ohio State '81) took over as Edinboro's 13th head coach on January 5, 2006, and in his first six seasons he tied the record for most wins by a coach during that period. Browning is now in his eighth season with a 52-31 record. With the season-opening 35-34 win over Walsh, he became the third coach at Edinboro to reach 50 wins, joining Tom Hollman and Bill McDonald. Browning was certainly no stranger to Fighting Scot football when he was hired as head coach, serving as an assistant coach for the previous twenty years. While at Edinboro he has coached the offensive linemen, defensive backs and running backs, along with serving as the offensive coordinator. Browning became the first head coach at Edinboro to debut with a win since McDonald in 1969 when the Fighting Scots opened the 2006 season with a 28-14 win at West Chester. He went on to lead Edinboro to a 6-5 finish, the most wins ever by a first-year coach. That was followed by a 7-4 finish in 2007. His next two Fighting Scot editions recorded a school-record tying nine wins. in 2008 Edinboro ended the year at 9-2 and was ranked 20th in the final AFCA?Top 25. The Fighting Scots had a 9-4 record in 2009, making the NCAA?playoffs for the first time in his tenure. Edinboro would end the year 24th in the AFCA?poll. The Boro posted back-to-back 7-4 finishes in 2010 and 2011. Last year's 4-6 finish represented Browning's first losing season as head coach.

GANNON
Head Coach: Brad Rzyczycki (Mercyhurst '95)
Record at Gannon: 6-10, second year
Career Record: 6-10, second year
Brad Ryzczycki (Mercyhurst '95) was hired as Gannon's head coach on May 3, 2012. However, he is no stranger to area football, as he was a four-year starter at cornerback for Mercyhurst and most recently served as Gannon's assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for five seasons. He led Gannon to a 3-8 finish a year ago. Rzyczycki began his coaching career at his alma mater, Mercyhurst, working there for seven seasons as a defensive assistant. Prior to arriving at Gannon he served in the same role at Kentucky Wesleyan for four years. He also served as the wide receivers and special teams coordinator at Saginaw Valley State for a season.

RADIO/TV
Radio: WFSE?FM 88.9 -- The Edinboro-Gannon game can be heard live on WFSE FM?88.9, with Michael Telek and Michael Fenner providing the commentary.
Twitter updates at @BoroAthletics

THE GAME STORY

Edinboro is riding a two-game winning streak after celebrating Homecoming with a 31-6 win over Lock Haven. The injury-depleted Fighting Scots relied on a ground game which piled up a season-high 226 yards, plus a defense that limited the Blad Eagles to 253 total yards and forced three turnovers. That leaves Edinboro with a 3-2 record heading into its meeting with Gannon. The Fighting Scots are 1-1 in the PSAC?West, suffering a 20-7 loss to California(Pa.) and defeating Seton Hill, 43-7.

With injuries stripping the offense of several key performers, including quarterback Cody Harris, the defense has picked up the pace after a rough start. Edinboro has allowed just 369 total yards the last two games while forcing seven turnovers. The defense has moved up to fifth in the PSAC in total defense (342.0 ypg.), third in passing defense (177.0 ypg.), and sixth in scoring defense (22.8 ppg.).

In addition to the numerous injuries, turnovers have proven a major story in 2013. The Fighting Scots have turned the ball over just three times in their three victories, but ten times in the two losses.

Gannon enters the game with an identical 3-2 record, but with wins over Slippery Rock (38-27) and Clarion (45-25), the Golden Knights are tied with Indiana(Pa.) for first place in the PSAC?West. In addition, their two losses have come to nationally-ranked teams currently leading the PSAC?East, to 23rd-ranked West Chester (56-41) and No. 9 Bloomsburg (38-14). Gannon features an explosive offense that has scored at least 36 points in four of five games. The Golden Knights are averaging 277.4 ypg. passing (5th in the PSAC) and 155.4 ypg. rushing (8th in the PSAC). Defensively, the Knights rank 12th in the PSAC?in scoring defense (35.8 ppg.) and 15th in total defense (503.2 ypg.).
Edinboro has won all seven previous meetings with Gannon, and is 3-0 at Gannon University Field.

Edinboro was picked to finish sixth in the PSAC?West in the coaches' preseason poll, while Gannon was voted fifth.

Edinboro head coach Scott Browning became the third coach at Edinboro to reach 50 career wins with the Walsh victory. Now in his eighth season at the helm, the Fighting Scots are 52-31 under Browning. They are looking to rebound from a 4-6 record in 2012, the first losing season under Browning along with the first since 2002.

The Fighting Scots continue to battle a host of injuries. The offense has been missing as many as four starters for several weeks, while the defense was minus three who opened the year in the starting lineup. Most noteworthy is senior quarterback Cody Harris, who had accounted for nine of Edinboro's ten touchdowns in the first two games. Harris is out indefinitely. Tailback D'Andrea Vaughn, offensive guard Kyle Lanich, and wide receiver Darren Massey all missed the California(Pa.) game on offense, with the defense having to replace linebacker Chris Mitchell and defensive end Blaine Iskula. Against Seton Hill, Vaughn returned, but wide receiver Kevin Sonnie was out. The defense saw Iskula return, but the linebacking corps took another big hit with the loss of Kyle Matula. Defensive end Domenic Principale, who was playing inspired football as Iskula's replacement, was lost early in the Seton Hill contest and sat out the Lock Haven game, as did Sonnie. In addition, Harris' replacement, Jon Girvin, sat out the second half with a minor injury, as did wide receiver Marcus Johnson. The good news was that Lanich returned, and Cory Hayes, a projected starter at linebacker at the beginning of the year, made his first appearance in 2013.

Three of Edinboro's six losses in 2012 came to nationally-ranked teams, and the Scots' first defeat in 2013 was also to a ranked outfit. Edinboro dropped a 47-35 decision to 15th-ranked Bloomsburg, and California(Pa.) was among others receiving votes. In 2012, the Scots lost to then-19th ranked Bloomsburg, 30-14, the opening week of the season, followed by a 24-14 loss to sixth-ranked California(Pa.) the following week. Later in the season 22nd-ranked IUP handed the Boro a 26-10 defeat. The combined record of the six teams Edinboro lost to was 52-18.


LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

Edinboro 31, Lock Haven 6
The Fighting Scots relied on a strong ground game and another solid performance from the defense for the Homecoming win over the Bald Eagles. Edinboro has now won 13 straight games over Lock Haven and 31 of the last 32. Jeremy Donaldson paced a rushing attack which accounted for 226 yards and 4 TDs, as the sophomore posted a career-best effort for the third straight week. He finished with 144 yards on 16 carries, including a 62-yard TD run, the longest of his career. Edinboro took a 7-0 lead on Jon Girvin's four-yard touchdown run, but Lock Haven answered with a touchdown. Devin Ghafoor would block the extra point, part of an outstanding afternoon by the junior cornerback in which he had an interception, a sack, broke up two passes, and had six tackles. Mike Simons gave the Scots a 10-6 lead with a 30-yard field goal, the first of his career. Cameron Sheppard boosted the margin to 17-6 at the half on a two-yard run. It was the first career play for the freshman. After Donaldson scored on his long run just 70 seconds into the third quarter, Johnny Washington scored an insurance touchdown on a 10-yard run in the fourth period. The Boro defense limited Lock Haven to 253 total yards.

Bloomsburg 38, Gannon 14
Just as Edinboro found out earlier in the year, the Golden Knights tasted the wrath of the bruising Bloomsburg ground game. In a penalty-infested game, the Huskies rushed for 351 yards in a battle of division leaders. All-time PSAC?rushing leader Franklyn Quieth led the way with 251 yards. Bloomsburg finished with 500 total yards while holding Gannon to 276. Most of that came on the arm of Liam Nadler, who threw for 204 yards. Jansen Jones ended the day with 69 yards rushing on 23 carries. After a scoreless first quarter, Bloomsburg took a 21-0 lead at the half. Jones' 16-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter cut the margin to 21-7, but that was as close as the Knights would get. The two teams combined for 24 penalties for 257 yards.

Browning Comments ... on the Fighting Scots
"I was disappointed in our play. Defensively we had missed tackles, although in the second half we responded. Offensively we had a lot of miscues. Special teams had some substitution errors. In the fifth game that's not acceptable. We can't play like that against the teams we have down the stretch. And I don't think we will."

Browning Comments ... on the Golden Knights
"Gannon is a heck of a football team. Offensively they are on fire. Defensively they are young in some areas, but they have good schemes, they run to the ball, and they tackle. They're 2-0 in the West, and at 3-2 overall, they have played the two best teams in the East, in my opinion. They kept it close early (against Bloomsburg). The score is not indicative of how well they played."