Box Score

ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst University football team broke a 27-year-old record on Thursday night, racking up 628 yards of total offense en route to a 51-21 victory over crosstown-rival Gannon University at Veterans Stadium. The victory was the third straight for the Lakers, who improved to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the PSAC West. The Golden Knights dropped to 4-3 overall and 3-1 in the PSAC West.



The only thing that didn't go quite according to plan on Thursday night for the Lakers was the inclement weather. Hoping to draw a big crowd to raise money and awareness for the ALS Association, the rain and chilly temperatures kept fans away from Veterans Stadium. And, to make matters worse, the south end of the stadium suffered a power outage at halftime and was out for the entire second half, wiping out announcements, music, and the play clocks.

But, the Laker offense heated up as the temperatures cooled and the rain fell.

Mercyhurst's ground game was in control the entire night against the Gannon defense, as the Lakers rushed for 407 yards as a team and averaged 7.4 yards per carry on the ground. The 407 yards on the ground by the Lakers marked the third-highest total in program history - Mercyhurst rushed for 458 yards at Brockport State on September 7, 1985 and rushed for a school record 469 yards against Gallaudet on October 15, 1983. It marks the highest total as a Division II program - the Lakers played at the Division III level in 1983 and 1985.

Meanwhile, the 628 total yards broke the previous record of 572 total yards, established against Brockport State in that same contest back in 1985.

Leading the charge on the ground was redshirt sophomore Brandon Brown-Dukes, who set a new career-high with 221 yards on 20 carries (11.1 yards per carry). Brown-Dukes also rushed for a pair of touchdowns on the night, his seventh and eighth scores of the season. In the process, the Orlando, Florida native became the first player to have at least 200 yards on the ground more than once in his career (rushed for 213 at Millersville last season), and he became the fourth player in school history to eclipse 2,000 career rushing yards. With 2,125 career rushing yards, Brown-Dukes trails only former greats Tim Ruth (2,205 - 1982-85), Craig Woodard (2,315 - 1992-95), and Richard Stokes (3,381 - 2005-08) on the all-time list.

Joining the rushing party was senior Allen Jones II, who recorded his second 100-yard game of the season with 128 yards on 23 carries. Brown-Dukes and Jones II rushed for more than 100 yards in the same game twice last season - at Millersville on September 8 (Brown-Dukes 213, Jones II 132) and at home against Slippery Rock on September 22 (Brown-Dukes 160, Jones II 102). Redshirt sophomore Richie Sanders, seeing his first action since the final game of the 2011 season due to injuries, made his return on Thursday and carried the ball 10 times for 70 yards.

Mercyhurst's defense also came up with some opportune plays, forcing two Gannon turnovers. Sophomore linebacker Joe Dever had a huge game, forcing and recovering both fumbles and also sacking Gannon quarterback Liam Nadler twice to go along with his five tackles.

The Lakers came out firing on the team's first play from scrimmage. After forcing a three-and-out on Gannon's first possession, redshirt senior Anthony Vendemia connected with junior Marcus Snipes on a 50-yard touchdown pass just 1:14 into the contest. After senior Steven Wakefield's extra point, Mercyhurst led 7-0. Snipes, who has emerged as the Lakers' deep threat at the wideout position, finished the night with two catches for 60 yards.

Overlooked on the night was the play of Wakefield who was a perfect 6-of-6 on extra points and was and 3-of-3 on field goals. His 15 points on Thursday night allowed him to become the school's all-time leading scorer at any position. With his final extra point, Wakefield passed Stokes for the school's all-time lead in scoring with 243 career points.

Brown-Dukes plunged in from three yards out for his first touchdown of the night with 5:28 left in the opening quarter to give the Lakers a 14-0 lead. The score capped an eight-play, 76-yard drive.

However, on the final play from scrimmage in the first quarter, Nadler faked a handoff to star running back Jansen Jones that fooled the Laker defense. Nadler took off down the right sideline and scored on a 61-yard run to cut the Mercyhurst lead in half at 14-7. It was the longest run that Mercyhurst had allowed all season - in fact, the Lakers hadn't allowed a run longer than 28 yards over the first six games.

But, Mercyhurst responded in a huge way, scoring the next 24 points to take a commanding 38-7 lead. Senior Jeff Groene caught a four-yard touchdown from Vendemia to start the second quarter. It was Groene's second touchdown catch of the season, and the ninth of his career. Brown-Dukes followed with a seven-yard touchdown run, and Wakefield ended the first half with a 25 yard field goal, as the Lakers took a 31-7 lead into the locker room.

Jones II started the second half where the Lakers left off, scoring on a 39-yard touchdown run to give Mercyhurst a 38-7 lead. Gannon put a stop to the bleeding, momentarily, when Nadler found Abraham Ocasio on a five-yard touchdown strike with 11:41 left in the third quarter. The score cut the Mercyhurst lead to 38-14.

Again Mercyhurst would go on a run, scoring the next 13 points to build its lead to 51-14. Vendemia hit sophomore Jaquan Williams on a six-yard pass with 9:05 left in the third quarter. Wakefield followed with back-to-back field goals of 30 and 40 yards respectively to give the Lakers a 37-point lead with 6:29 left in the fourth.

Gannon capped off the scoring when Nadler and Jesstin Hamm hooked up for an eight-yard touchdown with 4:30 left.

The 51 points scored by Mercyhurst were the most points scored in the all-time series, which now favors the Lakers 11-5-1. It was also the third consecutive game in which Mercyhurst has scored at least 50 points in a game (63-14 over Cheyney, 50-19 over Seton Hill, 51-21 over Gannon) - the first time in school history that feat has been accomplished.

To go along with the huge rushing totals by Brown-Dukes, Jones II, and Sanders, Vendemia threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. He completed 10-of-18 pass attempts and was picked off once on a brilliant play by Gannon's Nick Bengal on a deep route intended for Snipes.

Nadler finished the night with 289 yards and two scores through the air and another 68 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Meanwhile, Jansen Jones led the Gannon ground attack with 98 yards on 13 carries.

Hess had a huge night receiving for the Golden Knights, hauling in four passes for 171 yards and one touchdown. Redshirt junior tight end R.J. Miller led Mercyhurst with three catches for 61 yards.

In addition to Dever's superb night defensively, redshirt junior Curtis Hansford and freshman Ryan Carroll each had one sack, as the Lakers got to Nadler four times in the game. Dever, redshirt sophomore Niko Otto, and juniors Garrett Wild and Colin Kimball led the team with five tackles apiece. Luke Rankie led the Golden Knights with nine stops, two tackles for a loss, and Gannon's lone sack.

Mercyhurst will return to the friendly confines of Tullio Field on Saturday, October 26 when it hosts Indiana (Pa.). Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.