ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst University football team, fresh off its third consecutive victory, this one against Slippery Rock at Michigan Stadium last Saturday, has a quick turnaround this week as it gets set to host Edinboro University at Erie Veterans Memorial Stadium on Thursday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
The game is the second installment of the "ALL IN vs ALS" contest with proceeds from the game benefitting a local chapter of the ALS Association. Last season, Mercyhurst raised $3,500 for the ALS Association Western Pennsylvania Chapter in its game against crosstown-rival Gannon last October. Mercyhurst defeated Gannon in that contest by a 51-21 final, breaking a 27-year-old school record with 628 yards in the process.
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TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets will be sold at three entrances of Erie Veterans Memorial Stadium (26th Street, State Street, and French Street) beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday night. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens with children 12 and under receiving free admission. Mercyhurst and Edinboro students who show their student ID will also get into the game for free. Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the ALS Association Western Pennsylvania Chapter. Also, at each entrance, will be a donation bucket with any additional funds collected also to be donated to the ALS Association.
________________________________________________________Mercyhurst (3-4, 3-3 PSAC West) enters on a three-game winning streak heading into its matchup against the Fighting Scots (1-6, 1-5 PSAC West). Mercyhurst and Edinboro have split ten previous meetings between the two schools with the Lakers winning four out of six meetings since joining the PSAC in 2008. The Lakers have gotten into a groove offensively after totaling 45 points and 608 yards of total offense against Gannon two weeks ago and then posting 45 points and 536 yards against Slippery Rock at Michigan Stadium last Saturday. Redshirt junior quarterback
Brendan Boylan has won back-to-back PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week awards and has thrown for 1,072 yards and 11 touchdowns (zero interceptions) during the Laker winning streak.
Edinboro is led by Anfreenee Williams, who has rushed for 406 yards on the season. Sixth-year senior Cody Harris has completed 73% of his passes for 1,542 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. The Fighting Scots enter the contest averaging 296.0 yards per game on offense, with only 70 of those on the ground (last in the PSAC). Defensively, the Scots allow 451.9 yards per game.
Last Week ...In front of 15,121 fans at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Mercyhurst scored 31 unanswered points to come-from-behind to defeat Slippery Rock 45-23 in the Big House Battle. Mercyhurst racked up 536 yards of total offense against The Rock defense and held Slippery Rock to 361 yards (153 below season average), including just 83 yards in the second half. The Lakers outscored Slippery Rock 28-0 in the final 30 minutes after trailing 23-17 at halftime.
Mercyhurst avenged a 58-34 loss at the hands of The Rock last season and improved to 4-3 lifetime against its PSAC West-rival.
Offense Is Rolling ...After struggling to find its identity through the first four games of the season, Mercyhurst has found its way during the last three. Mercyhurst averaged just 16 points and 231 yards over the first four games of the season (Bentley, West Chester, Bloomsburg, IUP), but those numbers have skyrocketed to 39.3 points and 482.7 yards during the three-game winning streak (Clarion, Gannon, Slippery Rock.
After posting just one game of over 300 yards of offense during their first four games, the Lakers have gone over 300 in each of the last three and have gone over 500 in back-to-back wins over Gannon and Slippery Rock entering Thursday's contest.
Boy Oh Boylan ...Redshirt junior quarterback
Brendan Boylan did it again last Saturday, posting another huge effort in the Lakers' 45-23 win over Slippery Rock at The Big House. After posting the third-highest single-game passing yardage total in school history against Gannon (446), Boylan shredded The Rock defense to the tune of 385 yards and four touchdowns this past Saturday. He completed 24-of-37 passes and also added 27 yards rushing on six carries.
Over his last three starts, Boylan has completed 65-of-106 passes (61.3%) for 1,072 yards and 11 touchdowns (zero interceptions). He has not thrown an interception in his last 118 pass attempts dating back to the Lakers' 38-22 loss against Bloomsburg on September 20. In fact, Boylan's only interceptions of the season came during that setback.
Boylan Wins PSAC West Offensive POTW Award, Again ...Boylan was named the PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week for his second consecutive week this past Sunday after his performance in The Big House against Slippery Rock. He completed 24-of-37 passes for 385 yards and four touchdowns in the Lakers' 45-23 win. He also rushed for 27 yards on six carries to give him 412 yards of total offense.
It was his second straight 300-yard passing game, tying a school record for most consecutive 300-yard efforts. Holding the record with Boylan are Matt Kissell (1999), Mac McArdle (2000), Mitch Phillis (2007), and Travis Rearick (2011).
Fun Facts About Boylan's Performance At The Big House ...Boylan's 385 yards passing Saturday have only been topped by one Michigan quarterback at Michigan Stadium (Devin Gardner threw for 501 against Indiana and 451 against Ohio State in 2013). His 385 yards have only been surpassed by two Michigan quarterbacks in the history of the program (Gardner's 501 against Indiana, Gardner's 451 against Ohio State, and John Navarre's 389 at Iowa in 2003). Tom Brady only had one career 300-yard passing game in The Big House (307 against Illinois in 1999). Only 12 times in the history of Michigan football has a Wolverine quarterback gone over 300 yards passing at Michigan Stadium.
Spread It Around ...Against Slippery Rock, Mercyhurst quarterbacks
Brendan Boylan and
Zach Emerick combined to complete 25 passes to nine different receivers (Boylan 24, Emerick 1). Redshirt senior tight end
R.J. Miller led the team with five catches and redshirt senior wideout
Stephen Yarbrough led with just 77 yards despite the Lakers throwing for 391 yards. Five different receivers (Miller, Yarbrough,
Brandon Brown-Dukes,
Donny Holl,
Jaquan Williams) caught a touchdown in the win.
Emerick came on for one play in the third quarter when Boylan had to come out after getting banged up. Emerick's only pass at the Big House - a 6-yard touchdown to
Donny Holl.
Defense Impressive ...Slippery Rock came into last Saturday's contest averaging 43.2 points and 514.7 yards in its first six games. However, the Lakers held The Rock to 23 points and 361 yards of offense on Saturday. What was more impressive - Slippery Rock had no points and 83 yards in the entire second half of the contest.
Where Did That Come From? ...Entering the 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.
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.
Gutsy Calls ...Head coach
Marty Schaetzle drew up some plays in select situations, all of which played a significant 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 in the first half, instead of attempting a field goal, the Lakers went for it and Boylan hit
Jaquan Williams in the endzone to close the 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.
Last Saturday, Mercyhurst was 4-for-4 on fourth-down conversions with the Lakers scoring on a 4th-and-4 from the Slippery Rock 21-yard line (Boylan to Brown-Dukes) to get on the scoreboard.
600 Against Gannon ...Mercyhurst has had two games in its history in which it has 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. Two weeks ago, 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. 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 also blocked a point-after attempt in last week's win over Gannon for his fourth-career blocked kick.
DEE-Fense ...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
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 664, an average of 94.9 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 32-of-72 (44.4%) third-down opportunities to improve their season's rate to 38.8% (8th in the PSAC). Last season, Mercyhurst was 55-of-137 on third downs (40.1%).
Last week, Mercyhurst was 4-of-4 on fourth-down conversions and is now 8-of-17 (47.1%) this season when faced with a fourth-down play.
Ground Game Improving ...After averaging nearly 240 rushing yards per game last season, Mercyhurst is averaging just 91.7 yards per game (13th in PSAC) this season. However, during the current three-game winning streak, Mercyhurst is averaging 123.3 yards per game on the ground and has recorded back-to-back games of over 100 yards. In the first five contests, Mercyhurst had only one 100-yard effort on the ground. The Lakers were second in the conference only to Bloomsburg a year ago.
Blocking Kicks ...With
James Karasek blocking a point after attempt in the win over Slippery Rock, Mercyhurst's special teams has now blocked five kicks through seven games this season. The Lakers have blocked four kicks in each of the last two seasons prior to this year.
Garrett Wild has two blocked kicks while
Pat Behm,
Deonte Huggins, and Karasek have the others.
Offense Struggles In Season Opener ...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 in game four of the season.
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. The following week, 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 committed 11 turnovers in seven games, which includes three interception returns for touchdowns. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst has forced just five turnovers through seven 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 third on the team with 37 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 seven games has been sophomore punter
Jordan Spangler. Through seven games, Spangler ranks third in the PSAC, averaging 40.2 yards per punt. The Mercyhurst school record for punting average is 42.8 set by Jim Schuler in 2004. He has punted 31 times this season with 11 of his boots being downed inside the opponents' 20-yard line. He has also had four kicks of at least 50 yards, including a career-long 63-yarder against Bloomsburg.
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.
Season Openers ...Mercyhurst dropped its third consecutive season opener when it suffered a 27-21 loss at Bentley. Last season, the Lakers lost at Bentley, 17-16, to open the season, while, in 2012, Mercyhurst lost 59-42 on the road at Notre Dame College. However, in the previous two years, Mercyhurst combined to win 16 of its final 20 games to post back-to-back winning seasons.
Since joining the PSAC in 2008, the Lakers are 2-5 in season openers, winning back-to-back openers against Notre Dame College in 2010 and 2011.
Conference Openers? ...Since joining the PSAC in 2008, the Lakers are 4-3 in opening games against league opponents. Mercyhurst defeated Cheyney in back-to-back seasons in 2008 and 2009, lost to Kutztown in consecutive years in 2010 and 2011, and then defeated Millersville in 2012 and 2013 before losing to West Chester this season.
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 471 rushing yards through seven games this season, giving him 2,774 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, fifth on the school's all-time all-purpose yardage list with 3,023 yards, and ranks fourth in all-purpose yards per game during his career (108.0 ypg).
Welcome To The Club ...With 146 all-purpose yards against Slippery Rock at Michigan Stadium, Brown-Dukes became the fifth player in school history to accumulate 3,000 all-purpose yards in his career. He ranks fifth on the all-time list with 3,023 yards, trailing only Scott Gorring (3,258), Ed Bailey (4,026), Trevor Kennedy (4,249), and Richard Stokes (4,744).
Another Record ...Brown-Dukes rushed for 100 yards against Slippery Rock to give him 14 career 100-yard rushing games, tying him with Richard Stokes for most in school history. Stokes had 14 100-yard efforts in 42 career games while Brown-Dukes has done it in just 28 contests.
How He Fares Against Edinboro ...In two prior outings against Edinboro, Brown-Dukes has struggled, averaging only 65.5 yards. He did, however, have two rushing touchdowns in the Lakers' 24-21 win at Edinboro during his freshman season of 2012.
Hitting Triple Digits ...The Lakers are 10-4 in the 14 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 - 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 18 of his 28 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 in 2012. The Lakers are 14-4 lifetime when Brown-Dukes reaches the endzone at least once.
Up Next ...Mercyhurst will travel to Greensburg, Pa., on Saturday, November 1 to battle the Griffins of Seton Hill University in the team's final road game of the season. Kickoff from Offutt Field is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
Last season, in the first meeting between the two schools, Mercyhurst defeated Seton Hill, 50-19, in Greensburg.
Brandon Brown-Dukes rushed for 127 yards and one touchdown on just 13 carries while
Alec Swartz made his first collegiate start by throwing for 168 yards and three scores. The Lakers led 43-7 late in the third quarter before giving up a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns.
