ERIE, Pa. - After another week of preparation, the Mercyhurst football team is set to tangle with crosstown-rival Gannon on Saturday afternoon at Tullio Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. This will be the 15th meeting between the two schools dating back to a 40-7 win by Mercyhurst in 1991. The Lakers are 9-4-1 against the Golden Knights in the prior meetings. However, one thing has been on the Lakers' minds all week.

14-10.

Mercyhurst is looking to avenge the loss to Gannon during last season's historic season. Mercyhurst had a 10-7 lead with just over two minutes left, when the Golden Knights struck on a 73-yard pass play from graduated quarterback Zach Boedicker to Jason Ladouceur. The loss dropped the Lakers to 3-2 on the year, but turned the season around, as Mercyhurst went on to win seven consecutive games after that.

The Lakers come into the meeting with Gannon in the same spot they were in a year ago, 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the PSAC West. Gannon comes in to Saturday's game 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the Western Division. Mercyhurst knocked off Lock Haven in the PSAC West opener last Saturday, 42-3, while the Golden Knights suffered a 27-0 loss to Edinboro.

Senior wide receiver Trevor Kennedy scored two more touchdowns against the Bald Eagles, giving him nine total for the season. He returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown with 41 seconds left in the second quarter, and then caught a Travis Rearick pass from 45 yards out early in the fourth quarter. Kennedy finished the day with only four catches for 75 yards, but for the third consecutive week, had more than 200 all-purpose yards on the day, finishing with 214. He set a personal-best last week against C.W. Post with 265 all-purpose yards.

Wild again anchored the Laker defense, which allowed just 163 yards of total offense to the Bald Eagles all day. It marks the second consecutive week that the Laker defense has allowed less than 200 total yards. The senior linebacker finished the day with a career-high 14 tackles, including 10 solo stops. He also set a personal-best with four tackles for a loss and four sacks on the day, one shy of the school record held by Jim Zank, who recorded five against Alfred on November 18, 1985.

Mercyhurst outgained Lock Haven 398-163 on Saturday, but most of the damage, unlike the previous three games, was done on the ground. Six ball carriers combined for a season-high 240 yards on the ground on just 34 carries, a 7.1 average. Jones led the ground attack with a career-best 85 yards on just eight carries. True freshman Richie Sanders Jr. had 68 yards on 12 carries, while Ricky Mathews finished with 45 yards on nine totes.

Rearick, who came into the game as the conference leader in passing yards per game, averaging just over 356 yards per contest, was relatively quiet, with the ground game clicking. Rearick threw just 16 passes on the day, completing 10 for just 122 yards, but did have three more touchdowns. Sophomore Anthony Vendemia quarterbacked the last Mercyhurst drive, and completed 3-of-5 passes for 36 yards.

Mercyhurst has reeled off two straight victories by the combined score of 76-10 and are sitting at 3-1 overall. But, when it's Gannon, the records go out the window. The last three games, and five of the last seven contests between the two schools have been decided by 10 points or fewer, including last year's game at Gannon.

14-10.

Kickoff for Homecoming Weekend is slated for 1 p.m. from Tullio Field.

Laker Notes

Mercyhurst College will honor the 2011 Division II national champion men's lacrosse team between the third and fourth quarter of Saturday's game. Chris Ryan and the men's lacrosse team will be presented with their National Championship rings and a brunch beginning at 11 a.m. at the Ambassador prior to the kickoff of the football game.

Senior linebacker Ian Wild set career-highs in tackles (14), tackles for a loss (4), and sacks (4). He entered the game with just 3.5 sacks in his three-plus year career. He has 45 stops in four games this season and now has 259 for his career, leapfrogging Dave Scarsella (1981-84), Charlie Gleisner (2006-09), Ike Morrison (1999-02), and Garrett Patty (1997-01) on Saturday to move into 13th place on the all-time list.

Senior quarterback Travis Rearick threw for 122 yards on Saturday, remaining in sixth-place on the all-time list with 3,488 passing yards. He is 18 yards away from passing Brian Rostek (1984-87) and 43 yards away from moving ahead of Jeff Nowling (2003-06).

Rearick had 141 total offensive yards on Saturday moving past Nowling for sixth on the all-time list. Rearick has 3,628 yards of total offense in his career.

Senior wide receiver Trevor Kennedy had four catches for 75 yards on Saturday. He remained in fourth-place on the all-time list with 1,907 career receiving yards, but is now just four yards shy of Jeff Thiel (2001-04) to move into third.

Kennedy's 214 all-purpose yards give him 2,770 for his career. He surpassed Brian Haberstock (1987-90) on Saturday to move into sixth place all-time, and is just four yards shy of Justin Siemon (1997-00) for fifth-place. Kennedy has had three consecutive games this season of more than 200 all-purpose yards.

Kennedy's 90-yard kickoff return was the fourth-longest in school history. Brian Haberstock holds the school-record with a 100-yard return against Brockport State in 1988.

Sophomore Allen Jones II had a career-high 85 yards rushing on Saturday and scored his first two career rushing touchdowns.

Senior linebacker Nick Jackson and freshman defensive back Colin Kimball recorded their first career touchdowns on Saturday. Mercyhurst has seven interceptions on defense this season, by seven different players.

Mercyhurst had 13 tackles for a loss and five sacks on Saturday against the Bald Eagles. Entering the game, the Lakers eight tackles for a loss and three sacks through three games.

Senior defensive back Bryant Kimball had three tackles on Saturday, giving him 209 for his career. He moved past Doug Brinkley (1994-98) for 23rd on the all-time list.