Box Score

INDIANA, Pa. - The Mercyhurst University football team held a 13-7 advantage at halftime on Saturday afternoon against IUP, but the 20th-ranked Crimson Hawks scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to hand the Lakers their first loss in the conference, 31-13 at George P. Miller Stadium. Mercyhurst fell to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the PSAC West while IUP improved to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the west.

Redshirt freshman Brandon Brown-Dukes was the story on offense for the Lakers, finishing the afternoon with 134 yards rushing and a touchdown against a Crimson Hawk defense that was third in the country against the run, allowing just 52.6 yards per game entering Saturday. With his 134 yards, Brown-Dukes became the fourth player in program history to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing in a season, joining Craig Woodard (1,166 in 1992), Richard Stokes (1,177 yards in 2007), and Gerald Anderson (1,313 in 2010). Brown-Dukes has 1,033 yards and needs 281 yards over the last three games to set the single-season mark for rushing yards.

The story of the afternoon, however, was Crimson Hawk running back, Harvie Tuck. Tuck, who was second in the country in rushing entering the contest, was held in check for a majority of the first half. However, the IUP senior broke several long runs in the second half and finished the day with 231 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries. He also had one reception for 49 yards in the first quarter, giving him 280 all-purpose yards on the day.

Mercyhurst got on the board first when Brown-Dukes lowered his shoulder and got across the goal line from a yard out, capping off a 12-play, 65-yard drive with 6:57 left in the first quarter. Junior placekicker Steven Wakefield's point after attempt, however, was blocked, keeping the score 6-0.

On IUP's ensuing drive, the Crimson Hawks converted a third-and-long deep in their own territory when quarterback Mike Box found Tuck down the right sideline for a 49-yard catch-and-run. Tuck would then finish off the drive with a 21-yard run to paydirt with 3:47 left in the opening quarter. Brett Ullman added the point after and the Crimson Hawks led 7-6 after the opening 15 minutes.

But, back came the Lakers. On its next possession, Mercyhurst drove down the field, thanks in large part to a 56-yard run by Brown-Dukes to the IUP four-yard line as the first quarter ran out. On the first play of the second quarter, redshirt junior quarterback Anthony Vendemia scrambled and ran towards the endzone. Vendemia got to the two-yard line and then went airborne, getting over two IUP defenders and into the endzone for a Laker touchdown. Wakefield added the point after for a 13-7 Mercyhurst advantage.

With the extra point, Wakefield tied Mercyhurst's school record for career points by a kicker with 165. Phil Scanlon (2002-06) held the previous record by himself. Wakefield has 45 points this season.

The Lakers held a 13-7 lead after 30 minutes. But, unfortunately, it was all IUP after both teams returned from their respective locker rooms.

The Crimson Hawks struck quickly to start the second half when Box found Terrill Barnes on a 42-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown with 12:55 left in the third quarter. Ullman added point after for a 14-13 Crimson Hawk lead.

It remained a one-point game until IUP got a 40-yard touchdown run from De'Antwan Williams with 10:01 left in regulation. Ullman again added the point after, but it still remained a one-possession contest at that point, with the Crimson Hawks leading 21-13. On the touchdown drive, IUP started on its own 20-yard line and got back-to-back 40-yard runs by Tuck and then Williams for the score.

Mercyhurst could not get anything going offensively in the second half, and the Crimson Hawks would put the game out of reach. Ullman booted a 30-yard field goal with 5:12 left, giving IUP a 24-13 lead. Then, Tuck capped off the game with a 20-yard touchdown run off right tackle with 1:53 left for the final margin.

Brown-Dukes finished with 134 yards on the ground, accounting for exactly half of Mercyhurst's total yardage output of 268 yards for the afternoon. Vendemia finished the afternoon 10-of-23 passing for 125 yards and an interception. Senior Paris Bruner was his favorite target, catching three passes for 42 yards.

Tuck finished with 231 yards on the ground while Williams chipped in with 63 yards on just nine carries. IUP had 416 yards of total offense on the afternoon. Box was 7-of-14 throwing for 126 yards and a touchdown. Barnes had three catches for 61 yards.

Defensively, Aaron McGee led the Lakers with nine tackles while Dustin Galich finished with eight stops. Alexander Berdahl had 12 tackles for IUP in the victory.

Despite the loss, Mercyhurst remains in the postseason picture. The Lakers are currently tied with IUP for second in the PSAC West, as both teams have identical 4-1 conference marks. Both teams are chasing California, who defeated Gannon 41-0 on Saturday to remain undefeated in the conference. Mercyhurst will host California in two weeks.

But, the Lakers have a crucial game next Saturday as Mercyhurst travels down I-79 to Sox Harrison Stadium for a contest with the Fighting Scots of Edinboro. Edinboro leads the all-time series 5-3 over the Lakers, including a 30-20 win at Tullio Field last season. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.