Box Score

LYNDHURST, Ohio – One hundred and one total points were scored on Thursday night in Lyndhurst, Ohio, but it was turnovers that proved very costly as the 2012 Mercyhurst University football season got off to an inauspicious start.

The Falcons of Notre Dame College scored the most points against a Laker football team since Grand Valley State defeated Mercyhurst 59-7 on October 6, 2007, taking advantage of eight Mercyhurst turnovers, and going on to defeat Mercyhurst 59-42 in the season opener for both schools.

Pedro Powell rushed for 243 yards and two touchdowns, and caught another, and quarterback Ray Russ completed 18-of-25 for 166 and five touchdowns against the Laker defense. All told, Notre Dame College accumulated 533 yards of total offense.

Despite trailing by double-digit points for most of the night, the Lakers would make things interesting in the fourth quarter. The Lakers trailed by 23 points entering the final quarter of play, but an Allen Jones II nine-yard touchdown run and a 23-yard pass from quarterback Anthony Vendemia to redshirt freshman Devyn Woods cut the Notre Dame lead to ten points with 8:06 left.

But the Lakers could not get closer and Mercyhurst suffered its first season-opening setback since the 2009 season.

Mercyhurst jumped out to a 7-0 lead just 3:14 into the ballgame when Vendemia found junior wide receiver Vladmir Rock in the endzone from 33 yards out, giving the Lakers a 7-0 lead. Rock, who played on the defensive side of the ball for his first two seasons, switched to wide receiver this season and finished his game at wideout with three receptions for 72 yards.

Notre Dame College then rattled off 28 consecutive points to take a 28-7 advantage with 11:45 left in the second quarter. Russ put on a show during the stretch, connecting with Jack Foy from 40 yards out, Colton Wallace on a nine-yard strike, Mikhail Morgan on a six-yard pass, and Pedro Powell on a 26-yard catch-and-run in just under 13 minutes of action.

Russ, in the first half, finished 12-of-18 for 131 yards and four touchdowns.

Mercyhurst struck back on an acrobatic catch by Jones II from 20 yards out, cutting the Falcon lead to 28-14 with 10:42 left in the opening half. Vendemia threw up a jump ball and Jones outleaped two defenders for the score.

The Lakers had excellent field position on their next drive, but a Vendemia pass was intercepted by Spencer Krebs and returned to the house from 51 yards out, giving the Falcons a 35-14 advantage. However, Vendemia and the Lakers drove right down the field on their next possession and the Mercyhurst signal-caller found Woods in the endzone from 12 yards out. Sophomore Colin Kimball ran in for a two-point conversion after a botched snap on the point after attempt, cutting the Falcon lead to 35-22.

The Falcons would wrap up the wild first half on a 26-yard field goal from kicker Chris McClearn as time expired.

Senior Paris Bruner, who had a costly fumble on a kickoff return in the first half, redeemed himself to start the second half, returning the opening kickoff 86 yards for a Laker touchdown, cutting the Falcon lead to 38-29. Bruner's 86-yard return was the fourth-longest in school history and established a new school record with 210 kickoff return yards in a contest, breaking Andrew Bailey's previous record of 197 against Clarion in 2009.

On the Falcons' first possession of the half, senior Linnell Robinson forced and recovered a Notre Dame fumble, giving Mercyhurst the ball at the Falcon nine-yard line. But, on the Lakers' first play, Jones fumbled, giving Notre Dame the ball back, and the Falcons would make Mercyhurst pay. After a 76-yard run by Powell to the Mercyhurst two-yard line, he would cap off the drip with a plunge in from a yard out two plays later, giving Notre Dame a 45-29 advantage.

The ensuing kickoff proved costly again for Mercyhurst – a squib kick was never picked up by the Lakers and was recovered by Notre Dame College at the Laker 39-yard line. Russ then threw his fifth touchdown pass of the game on the ensuing drive, finding Wallace in the endzone from eight yards out, giving Notre Dame a 52-29 lead with 9:42 left in the third quarter.

Scoring took a breather until Mercyhurst cut the Falcon lead to 52-36 when Jones scampered into the endzone on a nine-yard run for his second touchdown of the night (one rushing, one receiving) with 12:27 left in the fourth quarter.

Then, Vendemia threw his fourth touchdown of the game, and his second of the night to Woods from 23 yards out with 8:06 left, cutting the Notre Dame lead to 52-42.

The Laker defense held, forcing a Falcons' punt. But Vendemia fumbled deep in his own territory, the Lakers' eighth turnover in the contest, and Notre Dame scored on a four-yard run with 1:27 left to conclude the scoring as Notre Dame claimed its first-ever victory against the Lakers, and its first victory as a full-fledged NCAA Division II program.

Vendemia finished 14-of-30 for 264 yards and four touchdowns, but threw two interceptions and fumbled three times. Jones led the way on the ground with 57 yards on nine carries. Redshirt freshman Brandon Brown-Dukes made his first collegiate start and carried seven times for 39 yards.

Woods led the way through the air with five catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns. Bruner had one catch for 24 yards and finished the night with 234 all-purpose yards.

The Lakers finished the night with 383 yards of total offense as the teams combined for 916 yards on Thursday night.

Defensively, sophomore Aaron McGee led the Lakers with 15 total tackles. Sophomore Keith Polson had 14 stops, while junior Dustin Galich also finished in double figures, ended the night with 11.

Mercyhurst will have a couple of extra days to prepare for the Marauders of Millersville University on Saturday, September 8 in Millersville. It will be the first ever meeting between the two schools. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.