Box Score

MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Redshirt freshman Brandon Brown-Dukes rushed for 213 yards and three touchdowns leading the Mercyhurst University football to a 45-7 victory at Millersville on Saturday afternoon for the team's first victory of the season. The Lakers improved to 1-1 on the season, while the Marauders dropped to 1-1.

The Lakers avenged a 59-42 season-opening loss at Notre Dame College by rushing for 379 yards against the Marauder defense, with both Brown-Dukes and junior Allen Jones II posting career days in the backfield. Mercyhurst outgained Millersville 379-149 on the ground, and all told, held a 487-255 yard advantage for the contest.

The 379 rushing yards are the most since the Lakers rushed for 402 yards in a 48-0 victory on the road against Pace on November 6, 1993.

Brown-Dukes, making just his second collegiate start, became only the fifth player in Mercyhurst history to rush for more than 200 yards in a game and the first since Gerald Anderson rushed for 237 yards against LIU Post in 2010. His 213 rushing yards are the fifth-highest total ever by a Laker running back. Meanwhile, Jones II rushed for a career-high 132 yards and a touchdown, which marked his first career 100-yard game.

Millersville drove down the field on its opening possession but senior Linnell Robinson picked off Marauder quarterback Ted Stachitas at the Laker six-yard line to end the threat. The Lakers, however, could not move the ball out of their own end on their first drive, but junior Steven Wakefield reversed field position in a hurry with a 77-yard punt - the second-longest punt in school history. Jim Schuler had an 82-yarder against Indianapolis in 2004.

The Lakers would get on the board first on a 46-yard field goal by Wakefield with 5:04 left in the first quarter. It was Wakefield's career-long, snapping his previous long of 35 yards against LIU Post last season. It was also the fifth-longest field goal in program history, with Eric Wicks holding the program record with a 52-yarder against St. Francis (Pa.) in 1997.

That score opened the floodgates.

On the Lakers' next possession, Brown-Dukes carried three times for 71 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown gallup, to give the Lakers a 10-0 lead after the opening quarter.

Jones II took over on the next Laker drive, rushing for 61 yards on six carries, including a 14-yard touchdown run for a 17-0 Laker lead with 12:27 remaining in the first half. Brown-Dukes would give Mercyhurst a 24-0 lead with 3:45 left on a two-yard burst into the endzone. Then, redshirt junior quarterback Anthony Vendemia found senior Paris Bruner on a 52-yard catch-and-run to close out the first half scoring with Mercyhurst leading the Marauders 31-0.

Heavy rain and wind delayed the start of the second half for nearly an hour. But, the inclement weather did not stop the Lakers, as Brown-Dukes scampered in from 37 yards out for his third touchdown of the game on Mercyhurst's opening drive of the third quarter.

Freshman Milton Revell would see his first collegiate action in the fourth quarter and he scored his first career touchdown with 6:24 left in the contest to close out Mercyhurst's scoring. Revell carried five times for 39 yards in his first action as a Laker.

Millersville would end Mercyhurst's bid for a shutout when Sean Quarterman scored on a three-yard run with 2:24 left.

The Laker running game was the story as Mercyhurst averaged 7.4 yards per carry on 51 attempts against Millersville's defense. Brown-Dukes averaged just a shade under 10 yards per attempt on his 22 carries for the afternoon.

Vendemia, meanwhile, attempted just 11 passes on Saturday, completing seven for 108 yards and a touchdown. Junior fullback Jeff Groene, who was held without a catch in the opener, caught three passes, while redshirt freshman Devyn Woods had two catches for 22 yards.

Defensively, sophomore Keith Polson and junior Dustin Galich led the way with seven tackles apiece. Galich also finished with 1.5 tackles for a loss and half a sack. The Lakers, who did not record a sack in the season opener, had six sacks on Saturday, led by senior Serge Augustin who finished with two. Linebackers Nick Jackson and Bobby Haraczy had six tackles apiece.

Stachitas led Millersville with 79 yards rushing on 20 carries and also completed 13-of-20 passes for 80 yards and an interception. Pat Maloney led the Marauder defense with 13 tackles.

The Lakers will return to the friendly confines of Tullio Field for their first home game of the 2012 season next Saturday, September 15 against the Clarion Golden Eagles. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 noon. Mercyhurst is 3-1 lifetime against Clarion, including last year's 42-38 come-from-behind victory, a game in which Mercyhurst trailed 38-21 entering the fourth quarter. The comeback win proved to be the the program's biggest in history.