Complete Box Score

ERIE, Pa. - Records were broken and yards were piled up on Saturday afternoon. In the end, however, the 19th-ranked Golden Bears from Kutztown edged the 18th-ranked Mercyhurst Lakers 35-28 in front of 1,360 fans at Tullio Field. The Lakers suffered their first loss of the season, dropping to 1-1 on the year. Kutztown improved to 2-0 on the young season.

The two teams combined for 965 yards of total offense, with 688 of those through the air. Mercyhurst's senior quarterback Travis Rearick threw for a career-high 424 yards in the loss, throwing four touchdowns, but was picked off a career-high five times. Rearick's yardage output was the fourth highest in school history, with the top three single-game yardage totals held by all-time leading passer Matt Kissell.

Senior wide receiver, Trevor Kennedy, set a Mercyhurst record with four touchdown receptions in defeat, catching two touchdowns in each of the first and fourth quarters. The previous record was three, held by four different players, last accomplished by Calvin Kelly at Indianapolis in 2005. Kennedy set a career-high in receiving yards, catching seven passes for 193 yards.

The game definitely lived up to the hype, and then some, as the outcome went down to the wire for the second consecutive week. In fact, Kennedy thought he had his fifth touchdown of the game late in the fourth quarter, which would have tied the game at 35-35. After the Laker defense stopped the Golden Bears, forcing a punt, Kennedy caught the ball at the Mercyhurst 21-yard line. Breaking tackle after tackle, juking all over the field, and tip-toeing down the sideline, Kennedy's highlight reel 79-yard, apparent punt return for a touchdown was called back on a penalty. The Lakers drove down the field, but a Rearick pass was picked off at the Kutztown 15-yard line, and the Golden Bears were able to run out the clock.

Kennedy's four receiving touchdowns give him five in two weeks, and 18 for his career, second all-time in Mercyhurst history.

Both teams exchanged blows in the first quarter, as the offenses moved the ball with relative ease. Mercyhurst got the opening kickoff and promptly marched down the field, set up by a career-long 48-yard kickoff return by sophomore Ricky Mathews. Six plays later, Rearick found Kennedy from three yards out to give Mercyhurst a 7-0 lead.

On Kutztown's very first play on offense, Golden Bear quarterback Kevin Morton was picked off by senior linebacker Kevin Williams, who returned it 22 yards deep into Kutztown territory. But, Rearick threw his first interception of the day, in the endzone, nullifying another scoring opportunity. 

The Golden Bears tied the game at 7-7 as Morton found wide receiver Colby Tuell behind the Laker defense for a 55-yard strike. Mercyhurst, however, would counter, with Rearick finding Kennedy again, this time from nine-yards out. The score was set up by two pass plays that totaled 56 yards, one to junior Paris Bruner, who also had a career day with seven catches for 109 yards, and the other to junior Ryan Bartizal.

Kutztown came right back, closing out the first quarter, with an 11-yard strike from Morton to Chris McCormick, tying the game at 14-14.

The two teams combined for 235 yards passing in the first quarter alone.

But, the track meet would come to a halt, as neither team could dent the scoreboard in the second quarter, and the two teams went to their respective dressing rooms tied at halftime.

On the third play from scrimmage in the second half, Morton found Erik Frazier on a 42-yard pass play, giving the visitors their first lead of the afternoon. Morton would then scamper into the endzone from 11 yards out with just under five minutes left in the third, as the Golden Bears led 28-14.

The Lakers' Rearick-to-Kennedy connection would get Mercyhurst right back into the game on the first play of the fourth quarter. The seniors hooked up on a 58-yard touchdown, bringing the Lakers to within seven. Morton found Josh Smith in the endzone from six yards out on Kutztown's ensuing drive, regaining the two touchdown lead for the Golden Bears. But Rearick-to-Kennedy struck for a fourth time less than a minute later, this time from 61 yards away, putting Mercyhurst to within a single touchdown, and setting up the wild finish at Tullio Field. 

Mercyhurst had very few answers for the Golden Bears' running back duo of Robbie Frey and Josh Mastromatto. Frey, a senior transfer from the University of Connecticut, rushed for 131 yards on 20 carries, while Mastromatto toted the pigskin 15 times for 97 yards. The Lakers allowed 228 rushing yards on the day, and could muster just 49 yards on the ground offensively, led by Rearick's 19 yards.

Rearick completed 29-of-44 passes for 424 yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions. Rearick has now attempted 89 passes for 697 yards in the first two weeks of the season. His counterpart, Morton, completed 21-of-33 for 264 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions. Morton has thrown 10 touchdowns in the first two games of the year.

Kennedy and Bruner each eclipsed the 100-yard barrier receiving. Kennedy led the way with a career-high 193 yards, while Bruner added 109 yards, also a career-best. Kennedy finished the day with 212 all-purpose yards, second to Kutztown's Frey, who finished with 226.

Defensively, senior Ian Wild led all tacklers with 12. Williams had nine stops, while junior L.J. Stevens and sophomore Dustin Galich chipped in with eight stops apiece. English Peay led Kutztown with 11 stops and also picked off two of Rearick's passes.

The Lakers will get ready to go back to work next Saturday, as Mercyhurst will play its third consecutive game at home against C.W. Post. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Tullio Field.

Laker Notes

Senior quarterback Travis Rearick accounted for 443 yards of total offense on Saturday - 65 yards shy of the school record held by Matt Kissell at Hillsdale in 1999. Rearick now has 3,087 career total offensive yards, eighth on the all-time list.

Rearick needs eight passing yards to reach 3,000 for his career. He would become the seventh quarterback in school history to eclipse the milestone. His 424 passing yards on Saturday gave him 2,992 for his career.

Through two games, Rearick has accounted for every touchdown that Mercyhurst has scored. He threw two touchdown passes and ran for the tying score against Notre Dame College, and then threw four touchdown passes against Kutztown. He now has 30 touchdown passes for his career, third on the all-time list.

Senior wide receiver Trevor Kennedy caught career-highs in both receiving yards (193) and touchdowns (4) on Saturday. Kennedy now has 1,626 career receiving yards, fifth on the all-time list. Next up is Mercyhurst Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Scott Gorring (1984-87), who finished with 1,780.

Kennedy's four touchdowns receiving is a single-game record in program history. He has five touchdowns this season and 18 for his career, second all-time. The Lakers' all-time leading receiver, Ed Bailey, finished his career with 28.

Kennedy also has 118 receptions, fourth on the all-time list.

Kennedy's 212 all-purpose yards moved him into 10th all-time on the list, with 2,291. He surpassed three players on Saturday - Gerald Anderson (2007-10), Theo Hall (2005-08), and Hall of Famer Tim Ruth (1982-85).

Senior linebacker Ian Wild had 12 total tackles on Saturday. He surpassed John Langer (1991-94) for 18th in the record books, and now has 235 career stops. Wild's 12 stops were two shy of his personal best of 14 during his freshman year of 2008.

Senior defensive back Bryant Kimball surpassed 200 career tackles, making seven stops on Saturday. He now has 206 for his career, 24th all-time.

Senior linebacker Kevin Williams picked off his second career pass on Saturday. Junior defensive back L.J. Stevens also picked up his second career inteception. Meanwhile, junior transfer Todd Wingate had his first interception as a Laker against Kutztown.

Sophomore defensive lineman Dustin Galich tied a career-high with eight tackles, and established a new personal-best with two sacks against the Golden Bears.