Khayree Connors-McChristian is Gannon's second-leading tackler behind senior defensive tackle Randy Colling, an NFL prospect./Photo by Jack Hanrahan/Erie Times-News.

With two games left in the 2011 season, Gannon junior strong safety Khayree Connors-McChristian has tried not to think about it too much.

But it’s hard not to. And this is a good thing.

Last season, Connors-McChristian had a season-ending injury (broken right forearm) in Week 3 against Millersville.

This season, he switched from free safety to the “Superman” or strong safety position and has stayed healthy all season.

“Actually I just thought about that yesterday and I didn’t want to think about it too much because I still have two more games left, but this whole season I’ve been healthy,” he said. “Thank the Lord. Thank God. I’ve built my relationship up stronger with him and it’s benefited me in numerous ways.”

Connors-McChrstian has also been productive.

The 5-foot, 11-inch, 190-pound Connors-McChristian, a Sicklerville, N.J. native, is second on the team in tackles with 66 total stops. He has six tackles for loss, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

“Just being out there and playing every snap for Gannon University football is a blessing,” he said. “I’m just happy. I’m just happy and healthy. I’m trying to play the whole season and see what it feels like.”

Defensive tackle Randy Colling isn't happy with how his senior year at Gannon is going. The Knights are 3-5./ETN file photo.

Gannon senior defensive tackle Randy Colling and junior linebacker Will Giles chose not to discuss the off-field situations involving Gannon assistant coaches Michael Smith, Darren Paige and graduate assistant coach Anthony Ferla.

“I don’t want to get involved in any of that,” Colling said earlier today.

Ferla was dismissed after he urinated near two marked police cars (with police officers in them) less than 12 hours before Gannon played at Indiana (Pa.) on Saturday. He was dismissed today by the university.

Smith and Paige were charged with disorderly conduct after getting involved in a fight with former Gannon player Kendall Brown hours after Gannon beat Lock Haven last week.

Paige and Smith didn’t coach in the IUP game, but are still on the coaching staff.

However, Colling and Giles had plenty to say about what Gannon is doing on the field.

With three games left, the Knights (3-5, 2-3 PSAC West) are a loss away from having a losing season. They’ve gone 6-5 the last two seasons.

“It’s not what we expected,” Colling said. “We all expected to come out and improve from last year. We have a lot of young guys doing good things. It’s just a consistency thing.”

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Gannon dropped to 3-5 after losing, 35-7, at Indiana (Pa.) today.

The Knights had beaten the Crimson Hawks the past two seasons. Gannon (3-5, 2-3 PSAC West) has already matched its loss total from a season.

Gannon has finished 6-5 the last two seasons. Next week, the Knights play at Clarion before closing out PSAC West play at home against PSAC West leader Slippery Rock.

Cathedral Prep graduate Javon Rowan had four catches for 111 yards and a touchdown for IUP (5-2, 4-1) today. The senior receiver has had a touchdown catch in each of his last two games.

Rowan also had four punt returns for 39 yards against Gannon.

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Daniel Tapscott hit Lawrence Coleman for 3 TDs in Gannon's 30-27 win./Photo by Jack Hanrahan of the Erie Times-News

Lawrence Coleman caught three TD passes in today's 30-27 win for Gannon./Submitted photo.

Legend has it Daniel Tapscott and Lawrence Coleman have been clicking in practice, but it hadn’t transferred into big-time production in the games.

That all changed today.

Tapscott, a redshirt freshman quarterback, found Coleman, a senior receiver, three times in the second half to spark Gannon’s 30-27 win at PSAC West rival Mercyhurst College.

“From Day 1, he and I have been talking about clicking,” Coleman said. “Every game, I tell him, ‘Let me get your number. Let me get your number.’ Today I got his number. Hopefully I can keep it and not lose it this time so it feels like a monkey has been lifted off our back.”

Don’t worry Lawrence. Tapscott has faith.

“I think I was little nervous about taking my chances deep and just throwing it up, said Tapscott, who had thrown just three touchdowns in Gannon’s first four games before matching that number today. “I got so much faith in Cole. I know if I just throw it up there, he’s going come down and make a play for me.”

Entering today’s game, Coleman, who played at Erie Community College in Buffalo, N.Y. before transferring to Gannon, had seven catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.

On Saturday against Mercyhurst, he had seven catches for 127 yards and three touchdowns against the PSAC’s third best defense.

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Travis Rearick may have sustained a season-ending knee injury in today's 30-27 loss to Gannon./ETN file photo.

Bryant Kimball couldn’t hold back the tears after Mercyhurst College lost, 30-27, to  Gannon today.

His sorrow was for more than losing the crosstown PSAC West rivals in Mercyhurst’s homecoming game at Tullio Field.

The Lakers were hurting emotionally because they lost senior quarterback Travis Rearick to a serious left knee injury early in the second half.

“It just hurt to see him out there hurting like that,” said Kimball, an McDowell High graduate.

Rearick, who threw 23 touchdowns last season to spark Mercyhurst’s run to winning a 2010 PSAC title, earning its first-ever NCAA playoff bid and winning a playoff game, had 13 touchdowns passes this season counting the two he had today that gave the Lakers a 13-3 halftime lead.

Then early in the second half, Rearick went down after being hit by Gannon senior defensive tackle Randy Colling after completing a 20-yard pass to Steve Yarbrough.

“My back was to him,” Mercyhurst sophomore center Steve Reinhardt of Bradford said. “I saw the ball go over my head. I heard some noises, then shoulder pads and he started screaming. I didn’t even know it was him when it happened. I thought it was one of their D-linemen. Then I turned around and saw a flag and he was down.”

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Mercyhurst College senior linebacker Ian Wild (17) forced Gannon's Joe Sobucki to fumble in today's PSAC West game./Photo by Jack Hanrahan of the Erie Times-News.

The Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills each had a scout in the press box for today’s Gannon-Mercyhurst College game at Tullio Field.

Gannon won 30-27.

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a scout there as well. The Titans are playing at Cleveland against the Browns on Sunday.

The three NFL teams were checking out Gannon senior defensive tackle Randy Colling, Mercyhurst senior linebacker Ian Wild and Mercyhurst senior receiver Trevor Kennedy.

Here’s how each did today.

Colling – 4 tackles (1 sack, 2 stops for loss).

Wild – 14 total tackles (11 solo stops, 4 stops for loss), forced fumble, blocked punt (that lead to a return for a touchdown).

Kennedy – 10 catches, 157 yards, 2 touchdowns. Two punt returns for 53 yards. Four kickoff returns for 85 yards.

Colling’s fumble recovery set up Gannon’s final touchdown drive, Wild was simply all over the place and even caught a touchdown.

As for Kennedy, he now has 10 touchdown catches for the season. He had 11 in 13 games last season.

Senior defensive tackle Randy Colling has 30 total tackles in four games for Gannon this season./ETN file photo.

Every time an NFL scout comes to see Gannon senior defensive tackle Randy Colling play, his teammates get a chance to show they may be good enough to get a look from a pro team.

“It’s amazing,” said Gannon cornerback Ta’Von Bailey, a 6-foot, 175-pound freshman from Lanham, Md.  “We try not to focus on it. I’m a freshman so I try not to focus on that, but we see NFL scouts, we want to take that next step in practice.”

Bailey has 20 tackles and an interception in his first year with the Knights.

“We practice harder,” he continued. “It’s an NFL scout here. We play harder because an NFL scout is here. We should do that everyday, but it’s cool as a freshman to see NFL scouts at practice. It’s like, now I need to go out there and try to do good.”

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Gannon senior defensive tackle Randy Colling posted two sacks in Saturday's 27-0 loss to No. 19-ranked Edinboro./Photo by Christopher Millette of the Erie Times-News

The Miami Dolphins had a scout at the Edinboro-Gannon game at Gannon today to see Knights defensive tackle Randy Colling.

The 6-foot, 5-inch, 320-pound Colling had eight total tackles, two sacks and 2.5 stops for loss in the 27-0 defeat for the Knights.

“I acted like he wasn’t even there,” Colling said. “You got to keep your head in the game, but it feels good. I feel like I played pretty good. Could have done better, but it’s not an individual game.”

People at the game were wondering how are NFL teams scouting Colling. Here’s an idea of what they’re looking for.

1. Can Colling consistently draw a double-team block?

2. Can he beat an 1-on-1 block with regularity? At the NCAA Division II level, he should do so on the regular. If he does it with ease at this level, then scouts will think he can at least hold his own as a pro.

3. Can he play on the outside? At 6-5, Colling is rangy enough to play a defensive end, but is he quick enough to do so?

4. Can he stunt to the inside or outside? This tests your ability to go lateral and push up field.

5. Can he pursue and chase down running backs from behind?

6. Is his motor always running even when he’s gassed?

All those areas were tested Saturday and for the most part, he did well. It’ll be interesting to see how many more scouts come see him play for the rest of the season.

Trevor Harris led Edinboro to a game-winning drive to edge Gannon.

Four hours, 30 minutes long.

Two lightning delays.

One classic finish.

On Sept. 26, 2009, Edinboro pulled out 22-20 victory at Gannon on a last second, 17-yard field goal by senior Alex Romanias to cap one of the wildest college football games in recent memory.

“I thought we were fortunate to win the football game,” Edinboro coach Scott Browning said. “Very fortunate.”

Below are three stories from the Erie Times-News about the game.

Lightning strikes twice for Edinboro
‘Boro’s win wet, weird and wild to the end
Loss to ‘Boro stings Gannon

Earlier this week, ETN sports reporter Duane Rankin asked players and coaches from both teams their memories of the game.

The first thing they remember is the weather.

The second? Trevor Harris.

First the weather.

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Daniel Tapscott

At 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Gannon redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Tapscott isn’t the biggest guy, but that hasn’t stopped him from lowering his shoulder when scrambling out the pocket.

“I’m just trying to make as many plays as I can,” Tapscott said. “I’ll worry about my body later. It’ s not too bad.”

His teammates wished he would opt to slide instead.

“I keep telling him he’s got to slide when he runs,” Gannon junior receiver Jonathon Jones said. “He  has been taking tough hits, but he keeps getting up and that just makes everybody want to rally around him anymore when y0u see how tough he is.”

Jones was cringing when talking about the punishment Tapscott took in Gannon’s 13-10 season-opening loss at Lake Erie College on Sept. 1.

“He took two crazy hits,” Jones said. “I was like, ‘You need to get down. You’re our starting quarterback, bro. You’ve got to slide.’ He’s like, ‘Naugh, I can take it.’” He takes some hits, but he pops back up every time.”

For Tapscott, your eyes may deceive you when seeing how he’s being taken down.

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