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GREENSBURG, Pa. - The Mercyhurst University football team, in search of its first conference victory of the season, will travel to Greensburg, Pennsylvania to take on PSAC newcomers, Seton Hill University, in a conference matchup on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff from Offutt Field is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. If you can't travel to Greensburg, you can hear all of the action on Mercyhurst's radio station, WMCE 88.5 FM, or online at wmce.fm, beginning with the pregame show at 2:45 p.m.

The contest will mark the first meeting between the two schools on the gridiron. Mercyhurst has played one other new opponent this season, suffering a 17-16 opening week loss at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Last week, the Lakers (2-3, 0-2 PSAC West) exploded for 63 points in a 63-14 victory over Cheyney on Homecoming weekend at Tullio Field. It was the most points scored by a Laker team since defeating Buffalo State, 63-14, on October 8, 1988. Redshirt senior quarterback Anthony Vendemia threw for 221 yards and a career-high tying four touchdowns in the win. He was named the ECAC Division II Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.

Eight different players scored a touchdown against the Wolves last Saturday, six of which found paydirt for the first time in their collegiate careers. Sophomore Jaquan Williams had his first two career touchdowns, both of which came during the first half. Junior transfer Marcus Snipes also caught his first collegiate touchdown - a 63-yarder late in the first quarter, which also happened to be the longest pass play of the season for the Lakers.

In the second half, redshirt sophomore fullback T.J. Latimer, junior wide receiver Pat Barry, and freshman running back Drew Robinson all found the endzone for the first time in their careers. Redshirt junior quarterback Alec Swartz ran for his first career score and then threw for his first in the fourth quarter. Also, senior fullback Jeff Groene, who entered with eight career receiving touchdowns, rushed for his first-ever score in the win.

Senior placekicker Steven Wakefield added another record to his resume, tying the school record with nine PATs in the win.

Mercyhurst improved to 4-0 lifetime against Cheyney, outscoring the Wolves 179-39 in those four contests.

Meanwhile, Seton Hill (0-5, 0-2 PSAC West) was thumped on the road last Saturday, losing at Shippensburg 73-27 to drop to 0-5 in its inaugural season in the conference. Shippensburg outgained the Griffins 686-198 in the contest. Erik Kerns caught two passes for 21 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.

The Griffins have been outscored 249-70 in their first five games of the season and have managed just 224 rushing yards (44.8 per game) in those five contests.

After Saturday, the Lakers will have a short week to get ready for its crosstown rivalry with the Gannon Golden Knights on Thursday night, October 17 at Erie Veterans Memorial Stadium. The game is serving as a fundraiser to raise money and awareness for ALS. Kickoff from Veterans Stadium is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available at the Mercyhurst Athletic offices, the Mercyhurst bookstore, and at the Erie Sports Store. For more information, please contact the Mercyhurst athletic offices at (814) 824-2558.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

MERCYHURST

Redshirt senior quarterback Anthony Vendemia
Vendemia became the third quarterback in school history to eclipse 4,000 career passing yards in last Saturday's win against Cheyney. He threw for 221 yards and four scores in the victory and was named the ECAC Division II Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts. He now has 4,209 career passing yards. His four touchdowns tied a career-high and gave him 36 TD passes for his career - fourth-most on the all-time list.

Sophomore wide receiver Jaquan Williams
Williams has emerged as the go-to receiving threat for the Lakers. While Mercyhurst likes to spread the ball around on offense (18 different receivers), Williams is the only receiver with more than eight catches on the season. After setting career-highs in catches (7), receiving yards (123), and receiving touchdowns (2) last Saturday, Williams now has 16 catches for 251 yards on the year.

Senior defensive lineman Dustin Galich
Galich is climbing up the Mercyhurst charts in tackles, tackles for a loss, and quarterback sacks. He ranks 35th on the all-time list with 174 career stops, ranks tied for 16th with 29 career tackles for a loss, and ranks 17th with 11.5 career sacks. The Seton Hill offensive line has allowed 26 quarterback sacks (5.2 per game) over the first five contests of the season.

SETON HILL

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Nick Halfhill
Halfhill has completed just over 55% of his passes this season for 626 yards and six touchdowns and is averaging nearly 126 passing yards per contest. However, the signal caller has been picked off eight times. Mercyhurst's defense has seven interceptions this season for 201 yards and two pick-sixes.

Junior wide receiver Norman Darden
Darden leads the Griffins with 19 catches for 286 yards and four touchdowns. He has accounted for 19 of the team's 82 receptions, 286 of the team's 741 receiving yards, and four of the team's seven touchdown receptions.

Junior linebacker Tyler Zimmer
Zimmer currently leads the PSAC by averaging seven solo tackles per contest. In four games, the middle linebacker has amassed 28 solo stops and has assisted on 20 others for 48 total tackles. He also has 4.5 tackles for a loss, three sacks, one interception, and one fumble recovery.