Box Score

ERIE, Pa. - Redshirt freshman Brandon Brown-Dukes rushed for 192 yards and the defense forced five turnovers, as the Mercyhurst University football team snapped a two-game losing streak against crosstown-rival Gannon, 38-29, at Gannon University Field on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Lakers extended their winning streak to six straight games and improved to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in the PSAC West. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights have gone in the opposite direction and have now lost six straight to fall to 1-6 and 0-4 in the West.

The six-game winning streak ties the 1985 squad, under head coach Tony DeMeo, for the second-longest in program history. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst improved to 10-5-1 lifetime against the Golden Knights.

The Lakers overcame 428 passing yards from Gannon's freshman quarterback Liam Nadler, who became the first opposing quarterback to throw for more than 400 yards in a game against Mercyhurst since Martin Hankins of Southeast Louisiana threw for 431 yards on October 16, 2004. Mercyhurst's defense against the run, however, was fantastic on Saturday, limiting Gannon to 11 yards on 21 carries.

Brown-Dukes had his fifth 100-yard game of the season and his fourth of 150 yards or more on Saturday. His 192 yards give him 899 rushing yards on the season, which is the fifth-highest single-season total in school history. And there are still four games remaining on the schedule.

Mercyhurst capitalized on two of three Gannon turnovers in the first quarter, converting the Golden Knight mistakes into 14 points to take a 14-0 lead after the opening 15 minutes. On Gannon's opening possession, Nadler threw a backwards pass to sophomore Justin Caliste, who could not handle the throw. Senior L.J. Stevens alertly picked up the football and ran 11 yards to the Gannon 39-yard line. Eight plays later, redshirt junior Anthony Vendemia found redshirt freshman Devyn Woods on a slant route that Woods caught and ran into the endzone from 16 yards out. After junior Steven Wakefield added the extra point, Mercyhurst led 7-0.

Gannon got great field position on the ensuing kickoff after an excellent return by Caliste and a personal foul penalty against the Lakers. But, on the second play from scrimmage, Nadler was picked off by Stevens, ending the Gannon threat. Both teams would then trade three-and-outs.

On Mercyhurst's next possession, Vendemia found senior Ozzie Lumpkin for a 27-yard catch-and-run to the Gannon 14-yard line. It was Lumpkin's first catch of the season. Junior Allen Jones II, however, would fumble on the next play, giving the ball back to Gannon. However, Gannon's Jansen Jones fumbled it right back to Mercyhurst on the very next play, giving the Lakers the ball at the Gannon 15-yard line. Mercyhurst would take advantage, as Vendemia powered his way into the endzone from a yard out for his first rushing touchdown of the season. Wakefield added the extra point for a 14-0 Laker advantage.

The last 3:54 of the first half got crazy as the teams combined for 28 points during the stretch. Gannon cut the Laker lead to 14-7 with 3:54 left on a 14-yard pass from Nadler to tight end Donny Mallin. The score was aided by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Lakers after Mercyhurst appeared to have stopped Gannon on third-and-goal. Then, after Mercyhurst went three-and-out on its next possession, Caliste returned Wakefield's punt 65 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 14-14 with 2:48 left. But, on the ensuing kickoff, Stevens, who had a huge first half, returned the kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown to give Mercyhurst a 21-14 advantage. The Lakers then forced Gannon to go three-and-out, and Mercyhurst would put together an 11-play drive in 1:42, capped off by Vendemia's second one-yard touchdown run of the half, recapturing a 14-point lead for Mercyhurst as the teams headed to the locker room.

Mercyhurst, which won the opening coin toss but deferred, got the ball to start the second half. The Lakers got all the way to the Gannon 19-yard line before the drive stalled. But, Wakefield put three points on the board with a 36-yard field goal, giving Mercyhurst a 31-14 lead with 10:14 left in the third quarter.

Gannon would try to respond as the Golden Knights got to the Mercyhurst five-yard line on their ensuing possession. But, senior Linnell Robinson picked off Nadler's pass in the endzone to end the scoring threat.

On Gannon's next possession, however, Nadler found Abraham Ocasio on a catch-and-run for an 82-yard touchdown, cutting the Mercyhurst lead to 31-21 with 2:49 left in the third quarter. On a third-and-20 play, Nadler found Ocasio short of the first-down marker, but some missed tackles allowed the Gannon receiver to sprint down the right sidleine for the score.

But, the Lakers responded. On Mercyhurst's next possession, Brown-Dukes found an opening around right end and darted his way into the endzone for a 37-yard touchdown run, reclaiming a 17-point lead for the Lakers, at 38-21, with 1:10 left in the third quarter.

After Gannon was forced to punt, Mercyhurst put together a game-clinching drive in the fourth quarter. The Lakers started at their own 12-yard line with 11:45 left. Mercyhurst drove to the Gannon two-yard line, putting together a 16-play, 83-yard drive that took 10:05 off the clock. While the drive did not result in points, as freshman Milton Revell was stopped on fourth-and-goal from the two-yard line, the damage had been done. Gannon would score a touchdown, and tack on a two-point conversion, with two seconds left for the final margin.

Brown-Dukes finished with 192 yards rushing on a career-high 30 carries. Jones finished with 38 yards on 12 carries, while Revell added 32 yards on seven carries in the fourth quarter. Vendemia finished the afternoon completing 12-of-24 attempts for 146 yards and a touchdown. Senior wideout Paris Bruner led the receiving corps with six catches for 66 yards.

Nadler finished 25-of-42 for 428 yards and three touchdowns, but threw two picks, fumbled once, and was sacked five times. Jansen Jones led Gannon on the ground with 40 yards on 12 carries, as the Golden Knights mustered just 11 yards on the ground.

The telling tale, however, was the Laker defense. Despite Gannon's total yards, Mercyhurst forced five Gannon turnovers (three fumbles, two interceptions), had five sacks, broke up six passes, and had eight tackles for a loss. Deonte Huggins led the way with six stops, while the trio of Colin Kimball, Todd Wingate, and Stevens had five stops apiece. Mike Phillips led Gannon with 13 tackles.

Mercyhurst will put its six-game winning streak on the line next Saturday when the Lakers travel to Indiana (Pa.) to take on the Crimson Hawks. The two schools have split the prior four meetings, with IUP pulling off an overtime victory last season at Tullio Field. Kickoff from Indiana is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.