Erie, Pa. – Senior running back Richard Stokes rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns as the Mercyhurst football team defeated Slippery Rock 34-10 Saturday in PSAC West Division action. With the victory, Mercyhurst sits in a two-way tie with California (Pa.) at the top of the division standings at 2-0.

 

With leading rusher Ben Jennings on the sidelines with an injury, Stokes showed the brilliance he displayed a year ago when he broke Mercyhurst's single-season and career rushing records. He carried the ball 30 times and had almost 100 yards by the half. Stokes scored from four yards outs on the Lakers' first possession of the game and added a two-yard touchdown run in the third that put Mercyhurst on top 20-3. His seven-yard touchdown in the fourth salted the game away and gave the Lakers a 27-3 lead. With his 140 all-purpose yards, Stokes became Mercyhurst's all-time leader in that category with 4,072, passing Ed Bailey (4,026 all-purpose yards from 1997-00).

 

Mercyhurst led 13-3 at the break behind Stokes' touchdown and two Chris Ryan field goals, but the Lakers faced a critical fourth-and-two on the first possession of the third quarter. Sitting at Slippery Rock's 21-yard line, head coach Marty Schaetzle elected to roll the dice and go for the knock-out blow rather than settling for another field goal attempt. Quarterback Garrett Kensy's play fake to Stokes got the defense to bite as fullback Dave Stallard leaked out of the backfield, caught Kensy's toss and rumbled down to the two-yard line. From there, Stokes pounded the ball into the end zone to make it 20-3.

 

The Mercyhurst defense was once again dominant throughout the contest and did not allow a touchdown. Slippery Rock's only touchdown came on the recovery of a blocked punt with just 1:05 remaining in the game. The Lakers held the Rock to just 154 total yards and running back Ryan Lehmeier carried 16 times for 54 yards.

 

Senior Jimmy Kokrak led the defensive effort, picking up 10 tackles, an interception, and 0.5 sack. True freshman Ian Wild had eight tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 2.5 tackles for loss. The Lakers, who entered the week leading the PSAC in quarterback sacks, picked up three more against Slippery Rock. Mercyhurst added its first two interceptions of the season as Julius McCormick picked off a pass in the first half.

 

Mercyhurst used the same offensive formula it has used for most of the season – wear out the opponent with a bruising running game, keep the other team's defense on the field, and ram it down their throat late. The Lakers entered the week ranked second in NCAA Division II in time of possession, averaging over 35 minutes per game, and had the ball for 37:10 against Slippery Rock.

 

Stokes rushed the ball 30 times himself and Mercyhurst ran the ball 54 times for 242 yards. By comparison, Slippery Rock had 29 carries for 60 yards. Kensy managed the game well from the quarterback position, going 11-for-20 for 124 yards and helping the team convert on 7-of-14 third down attempts. Slippery Rock was just 1-of-11 on third downs and 0-for-3 on fourth down attempts.

 

Along with Stokes' three rushing touchdowns, true freshman Carnell Evans added a 23-yard scoring scamper midway through the fourth quarter that capped the Lakers' scoring.

 

Slippery Rock falls to 3-2 on the season and 1-1 in PSAC West play. Mercyhurst is now 3-2 as well and has won two consecutive contests. The Lakers host Lock Haven Saturday at 1 p.m. to conclude a three-week homestand.

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