ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Mercyhurst University football team will be heading to the 109,901-seat Michigan Stadium this Saturday to square off against PSAC West-rival Slippery Rock University in the seventh meeting between the two schools. Kickoff from The Big House is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. All pertinent information regarding tickets, parking, and stadium access can be found at the link below.

Complete Big House Battle Information

Mercyhurst (2-4, 2-3, PSAC West) enters the contest on a two-game winning streak and is fresh off of a 45-38 victory at crosstown-rival Gannon University last Saturday. Slippery Rock (5-1, 4-1 PSAC West) suffered its first loss of the season last Saturday, a 48-26 loss at California (Pa.). The setback knocked The Rock from the AFCA Division II national poll after reaching a season-high 19th position in the prior rankings.

The teams have met six times in the past with each team a perfect 3-0 on its home turf. Slippery Rock handled Mercyhurst a year ago, 58-34, at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium in Slippery Rock last September.

Story courtesy of Michigan University
Story courtesy of Penn-Live
Story courtesy of Pittsburgh Tribune Review

Last Week ...

Mercyhurst racked up a season-high 608 yards of total offense, including 446 through the air in a stunning 45-38 victory over crosstown-rival Gannon last Saturday at Gannon. Mercyhurst doubled its season-high in points (28 vs Clarion) and its season-high in total offense (368 vs Bloomsburg) in the victory.

It was Mercyhurst second consecutive victory overall and their third straight against the Golden Knights. The Lakers improved to 12-5-1 against their in-town rivals in the all-time series.

Where Did That Come From? ...

Entering last Saturday's game at Gannon, Mercyhurst was 13th in the PSAC in scoring offense (18.4), 15th in the PSAC in total offense (245.6), and 11th in the conference in passing offense (178.6). On the flip side, Gannon entered with the top scoring defense (14.6) and the top total defense (253.0).

Mercyhurst had accumulated more than 300 yards on offense in a game in two of its first five games and had not scored more than 28 points (28-0 win against Clarion) through the first five weeks.

However, the Lakers dropped 45 points, racking up 608 yards of total offense, including 446 through the air in a 45-38 victory at Gannon. Redshirt junior Brendan Boylan threw for a career-high 446 yards and four touchdowns while redshirt junior Brandon Brown-Dukes rushed for a season-high 133 yards and two scores in the victory.

Boylan Wins PSAC West Offensive POTW Award ...

Boylan established career-highs in attempts (44), completions (28), passing yards (446), and passing touchdowns (4) against Gannon to earn both the PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week and the ECAC Division II Offensive Player of the Week honors.

The 446 passing yards by Boylan marked the first time since Travis Rearick threw for 424 yards against Kutztown in 2011 that a Laker quarterback surpassed the 400-yard mark in a game. His total was the third-highest mark in program history, trailing only Kissell's 512 yards against Hillsdale in 1999 and his 478 yards against Grand Valley State that same year. It also marked just the seventh time in school history that a quarterback had gone over 400 yards, with four of those performances coming from Kissell, who was inducted into the Mercyhurst Hall of Fame in 2005.

Over his last two starts, Boylan has completed 41-of-69 passes (59.4%) for 687 yards and seven touchdowns.

Gutsy Calls ...

Head coach Marty Schaetzle drew up some play calls in huge situations on Saturday that played a huge role in deciding the outcome of the game against Gannon. On a 4th-and-6 from the Gannon 11-yard line with under ten seconds remaining, instead of attempting a field goal, the Lakers went for it and Brendan Boylan hid junior wideout Jaquan Williams in the endzone to close the first half with a 24-10 lead. Then, on 3rd-and-20 with under two minutes left in regulation, instead of running the football to force Gannon to use its final timeout, the Lakers again went for the big play and Boylan and Williams hooked up again for 25 yards and then ran out the clock from there.

600 Against Gannon ...

Mercyhurst has had two games in which they have racked up at least 600 yards of total offense - and both have come against Gannon in the last two seasons. Last year, Mercyhurst broke a 27-year-old school record by picking up 628 yards of offense in a 51-21 victory over the Golden Knights. Last Saturday, Mercyhurst had 608 yards of offense in the win over Gannon.

Last year, Mercyhurst had 407 yards on the ground, setting a Division II program record and third-highest total in school history overall. Last week, Mercyhurst had 446 yards through the air, also the third-highest total in program history. Mercyhurst also had 30 first downs, one shy of the school record set against Brockport State in 1985 and had 20 passing first downs, one shy of the school record of 21 against Michigan Tech in 1999.

Receivers Set Career Highs ...

Redshirt senior Stephen Yarbrough and redshirt junior T.J. Latimer established a number of career-highs in Saturday's victory over Gannon. Yarbrough had a career-best five catches for a career-high 128 yards. He tied a career-high with one touchdown catch. Meanwhile, Latimer set career-highs in receptions (5), receiving yards (82), and receiving touchdowns (2).

Junior Jaquan Williams finished with seven catches for 109 yards - just the second time in his career he has gone over 100 yards receiving in a game.

Wild Earns PSAC West Defensive POTW Award ...

Senior linebacker Garrett Wild earned the PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week honors after helping the Lakers to a 28-0 win over Clarion two Saturdays ago. Wild had five total tackles (four solo), two tackles for a loss, and a blocked punt in the victory. The two tackles for a loss were a career-high in a game and his first two of the season. Meanwhile, his blocked punt in the third quarter led to Mercyhurst's final points of the afternoon. It was his third career blocked kick. He blocked a point-after attempt in last week's win over Gannon for his fourth-career blocked kick.

Wild is seventh on the team with 22 total tackles through the first six games, 18 of which have been solo stops.

DEE-Fense ...

Two Saturdays ago, Mercyhurst earned its first shutout since blanking Lock Haven, 41-0, on September 25, 2010, with a 28-0 victory over Clarion. It was the 15th shutout in program history, but just the fourth since blanking Pace, 48-0, on November 6, 1993 under then-head coach Joe Kimball.

The Lakers allowed just 191 yards of total offense to the Golden Eagles, the fewest since giving up 148 yards to Edinboro last November 2. It was just the fifth time since Mercyhurst's 2010 championship season that the Lakers have held a team to under 200 yards in a game.

Clarion was also limited to 4-of-17 on third-down conversions and 0-for-3 in trips to the red zone. Mercyhurst had season-highs in both tackles for a loss (nine) and quarterback sacks (four).

Here's To You, Mr. Robinson ...

Sophomore running back Drew Robinson recorded the first multiple-touchdown game of his career on against Clarion when he caught a 78-yard touchdown pass from redshirt junior Brendan Boylan and then had a 17-yard carry for a score - both coming in the second quarter. Robinson finished the day with 14 carries for 46 yards and two catches for 89 yards.

The 78-yard touchdown pass was the longest by a Laker since Travis Rearick hooked up with Trevor Kennedy on an 81-yard score in Mercyhurst's PSAC Championship victory over Bloomsburg on November 13, 2010. The hookup between Robinson and Boylan was tied for the eighth-longest pass play in school history.

In the season opener at Bentley, Robinson made his presence felt in the return game, finishing with three kickoffs for 135 yards (45.0 average), including an 83-yard return, late in the second quarter, that led to Zach Emerick's six-yard touchdown run. Robinson's 83-yard return was tied for the ninth-longest return in school history, but was the longest in program history that did not result in a touchdown.

Robinson leads the Lakers in all-purpose yards this season with 494, an average of 98.8 per game.

Boylan Snaps QB Streak ...

Brendan Boylan threw for a then-career-high 241 yards and a then-career-best three touchdowns in the 28-0 win over Clarion. The outing snapped a streak of eight consecutive games that a Mercyhurst quarterback failed to reach 200 passing yards in a contest - the prior time was Anthony Vendemia throwing for 221 yards in the Lakers' 51-21 win over Gannon last October 17.

Stay On The Field ...

Through the first two games of the season, Mercyhurst was 6-for-26 on third downs (23.1%) - 13th out of the 16-team PSAC. However, the Lakers have fared much better over the last four weeks, converting 25-of-58 (43.1%) third-down opportunities to improve their season's rate to 36.9% (9th in the PSAC). Last season, Mercyhurst was 55-of-137 on third downs (40.1%).

In contrast, opponents are 33-of-85 on third down conversions (38.8%) against the Lakers this season. However, over the last four games, opponents are 18-of-53 (33.9%) on third downs.

Ground Game Stuck ...

After averaging nearly 240 rushing yards per game last season, Mercyhurst is averaging 82.8 yards per game through the first six weeks. However, the Lakers did have a season-high 162 yards on the ground last Saturday against Gannon. The Lakers have had just two games where it has racked up more than 100 yards on the ground (151 against Bloomsburg on September 20; 162 against Gannon on October 11). In the other four contests, the Lakers are averaging 46.0 yards per game on the ground.

Mercyhurst's 82.8 yards per game on the ground ranks third to last (Seton Hill, Edinboro) in the PSAC this season. The Lakers were second in the conference only to Bloomsburg a year ago.

Blocking Kicks ...

Redshirt senior Pat Behm made things interesting with under two minutes left at Bentley. Trailing 27-14, Behm blocked a punt attempt by Bentley's Tyler Ford and took it to the Falcon one-yard line, setting up a one-yard touchdown pass from Zach Emerick to redshirt junior fullback T.J. Latimer. Mercyhurst, however, was unable to recover the onside kick and the hosts ran out the clock.

Mercyhurst's special teams have four blocked kicks through six games this season and has blocked four kicks in each of the last two seasons prior to this year.

Garrett Wild has two blocked kicks while Pat Behm and Deonte Huggins have the others.

Offensive Struggles ...

Prior to last Saturday's explosion against Gannon, Mercyhurst struggled to move the football on offense through the first five games of the season. In just two of the Lakers' five games had Mercyhurst gone over 300 yards of total offense. Mercyhurst had a season-high 368 yards against Bloomsburg and then totaled 304 against Clarion. By comparison, the Lakers had been held to under 200 yards twice - at Bentley and at IUP.

The 150 yards against Bentley marked the fewest by a Laker squad since getting 133 total yards in a 42-10 loss at Indiana (Pa.) on October 18, 2008. It marked the first time that Mercyhurst was held under 200 yards in a game since Gannon held the Lakers to 193 yards on October 6, 2010 - a 14-10 Gannon victory.

Meanwhile, the 44 rushing yards against Bentley were the fewest since rushing for just 31 yards against Edinboro on October 15, 2011 - a 30-20 loss to the Fighting Scots. The Lakers had just 34 yards on the ground at IUP three Saturdays ago.

Turnovers Costly ...

The Lakers turned the ball over six times in the loss to Bloomsburg - three fumbles and three interceptions - which led to 28 Bloomsburg points. The six turnovers were the most by a Laker team since recording eight turnovers in a 59-42 loss at Notre Dame College to start the 2012 season. Two Saturdays ago, the Lakers turned the ball over twice, both resulting in IUP touchdowns.

Two of the three interceptions against Bloomsburg resulted in pick-sixes for the Huskies on back-to-back Mercyhurst drives in the second quarter. That marked the first time that had happened against Mercyhurst since Indianapolis' Chris Volz had two pick-sixes in the third quarter on September 30, 2000.

The Lakers have now committed 11 turnovers in six games, which includes three interception returns for touchdowns. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst has forced just five turnovers through six games.

Return To Sender ...

Senior Colin Kimball returned a punt 61 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter against Bloomsburg to give the Lakers a 14-0 lead at that point. It was Kimball's first career punt return for a touchdown and marked the longest punt return of his career.

Last season, Kimball also had two interception returns for touchdowns, setting a school record for most pick-sixes in a season.

A preseason All-American by three different publications, Kimball is second on the team with 30 tackles this season. He also leads the team with two interceptions, giving him 10 in his career. He is tied with Glenn Novak for seventh on the school's all-time list.

The Punting Game ...

Another bright spot in the opening six games has been sophomore punter Jordan Spangler, who has been busy. Spangler averaged 46.7 yards on three punts, with two being downed inside the 20-yard line in the season opener at Bentley. He followed that up by averaging 40.4 yards per punt on seven attempts (two inside the 20) in the visit to West Chester. Against Bloomsburg, Spangler averaged 46.5 yards on four punts, which included a career-long 63-yard boot in the fourth quarter.

Through six games, Spangler ranks third in the PSAC, averaging 40.8 yards per punt. The Mercyhurst school record for punting average is 42.8 set by Jim Schuler in 2004.

Fumble Recoveries ...

Redshirt senior Michael Foster scored the Lakers' first points of the game at West Chester when he recovered a fumble and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown with 4:10 left in the second quarter. It was the first time since Ian Wild recovered a fumble in the endzone against Gannon on October 10, 2009 that Mercyhurst recorded a touchdown on a fumble.

What Can Brown-Dukes For You ...

Redshirt junior Brandon Brown-Dukes has continued his torrid ascent up the school's all-time rushing leaderboard. The Orlando, Florida native became the first running back in school history to record back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns after finishing with 1,008 last season. With his 58 rushing yards in the season opener at Bentley, Brown-Dukes surpassed Craig Woodard (1992-95) for second on the school's all-time list. He has 371 rushing yards through six games this season, giving him 2,674 in his career. He trails only Richard Stokes (3,381 from 2005-08). Brown-Dukes was the PSAC West Freshman of the Year in 2012 and has been an All-PSAC West First Team selection in each of his first two seasons.

He also ranks fourth on the school's all-time list in rushing touchdowns with 27, sixth on the school's all-time all-purpose yardage list with 2,877 yards, and ranks fourth in all-purpose yards per game during his career (106.6 ypg).

Week One Troubles ...

In his first three seasons with the Lakers, Brandon Brown-Dukes has averaged just 58 rushing yards in the team's season openers. To his defense, he has only averaged 12.6 carries in those three contests - but still well below his career yards per carry average (4.6).

Need BBD To Get Going ...

After averaging 109.7 yards per game on the ground during his first two seasons with the Lakers, Brown-Dukes has just 371 total rushing yards (61.8 ypg) through six games in 2014. He is also significantly below his career yards per carry average of 5.9, averaging just 3.6 yards per carry in 2014.

He Loves Gannon ...

Brown-Dukes loves to run against the Golden Knights, averaging 182 yards in his three contests against the in-town rivals. Last Saturday's 133 yards was actually a career-low in the series against Gannon. He also has scored five times in the three games.

How He Fares Against The Rock ...

In two prior outings against Slippery Rock, Brown-Dukes has averaged 139.5 yards per contest. He rushed for 160 yards and two scores as a freshman and then has 119 yards last season in Slippery Rock.

Hitting Triple Digits ...

Brown-Dukes has rushed for at least 100 yards in a game 13 times during his career, second only to Stokes' 14 on the school's all-time list. The Lakers are 9-4 in the 13 contests that Brown-Dukes has rushed for at least 100 yards. Meanwhile, he has recorded more than 200 yards in a game twice - setting a school-record for most career 200-yard games. Mercyhurst has had only six games in which a runner has had at least 200 yards on the ground - Brian Haberstock (282, at Buffalo, 1990), Richard Stokes (244, at Ferris State, 2007), Gerald Anderson (237, at LIU Post, 2010), and Craig Woodard (222, vs Canisius, 1992) are the others.

Hitting Paydirt ...

Brown-Dukes has scored at least one touchdown in 17 of his 27 career games wth the Lakers. He is the school's all-time leader in rushing touchdowns in a season, when he rushed for 16 scores during 2012. The Lakers are 13-4 lifetime when Brown-Dukes reaches the endzone at least once.

Up Next ...

Mercyhurst will have a short week as they get set to host Edinboro at Erie Veterans Memorial Stadium on Thursday, October 23 in the second installment of the "ALL in vs. ALS" contest.

The all-time series is tied at 5-5 against the Fighting Scots. Edinboro won the first two meetings by a combined score of 112-21 in 1982 and 1983 when Mercyhurst was a fledgling Division III program. However, in the last eight meetings, Mercyhurst has won five, including three of the last four, and four of six since Mercyhurst joined the PSAC.

Kickoff from Veterans Stadium is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.