ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst University football team sent its seniors out in style on Saturday afternoon - and it was the seniors that did much of the leg work. The Lakers scored 34 first-half points and cruised to a 41-13 victory over the visiting Griffins of Seton Hill University on Senior Day. The Lakers improved to 5-4 overall and 2-4 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division while the Griffins fell to 2-7 overall and 1-5 in conference play.

Mercyhurst seniors accounted for five of the six touchdowns and redshirt junior quarterback Zach Emerick, who will also not be returning for his fifth season, completed 20-of-30 passes for 311 yards and four touchdowns in the Laker victory.

The Lakers posted their best offensive output of the season, racking up an even 500 yards of total offense against the Griffin defense. Meanwhile, the Laker defense limited Seton Hill to 258 yards of total offense.

Already the school's all-time leading rusher, redshirt senior Brandon Brown-Dukes got the party started, capping off a five-play, 68-yard drive on the game's first possession with an eight-yard run around left end. Junior Dylan Kondis added the point after for a 7-0 lead.

The visitors came right back with an eight-play, 63-yard drive, tying the game at 7-7 after Patrick Jackson scored on a 12-yard run. Jesser Boulnemour added the point after and with 8:40 left in the first quarter, the teams had accounted for two scores and 131 yards of total offense.

Emerick hooked up with Brown-Dukes on a 68-yard pitch-and-catch to put the Lakers back in front with 2:08 left in first quarter. It was the longest reception of Brown-Dukes' career and was just the third touchdown catch of his career. Meanwhile, it was the longest pass play of the season by the Laker offense. Kondis' kick was blocked so Mercyhurst had to settle for a 13-7 lead.

Redshirt senior fullback T.J. Latimer was the next senior to join the scoring, catching a nine-yard pass from Emerick with 10:02 left in the first half. It was the tenth touchdown reception of Latimer's career and it capped off an 11-play, 84-yard drive that expended 5:04 off the clock.

Then, after Mercyhurst's defense forced a three-and-out, Emerick hooked up with senior FJ Williams on a 58-yard touchdown strike down the right sideline on the first play of the drive to put the hosts in front 27-7. Williams, who transferred in from Seton Hill following his junior campaign, finished with three catches for a game-high 104 yards. The scoring catch was his eighth of the season.

Seton Hill stopped the bleeding, momentarily, when Christian Strong found Dylan Everett on a 28-yard touchdown pass with 1:50 left in the first half to cut the Laker lead to 27-13. Boulnemour's point after attempt was missed.

Emerick and the Laker offense then worked the two-minute drill to perfection for the final points of the half. With 1:45 left in the opening thirty minutes, the Lakers drove 69 yards in 11 plays going 3-for-3 on third downs in the process and the drive was capped off by an Emerick five-yard pass to senior Jaquan Williams with 17 seconds remaining. Kondis added the point after for a 34-13 halftime lead.

Mercyhurst finished off the scoring when redshirt junior Richie Sanders returned a Seton Hill punt 50 yards to paydirt with 27 seconds left in the third quarter. It was Mercyhurst's first punt return for a touchdown since Colin Kimball returned a punt 61 yards for a score against Bloomsburg on September 20, 2014. It was Sanders' first-ever kick return for a touchdown.

The Lakers rushed for 189 yards and threw for 311, averaging 7.2 yards per play against the Griffin defense.

Brown-Dukes led the way with 64 yards rushing on ten carries and the 33rd rushing touchdown of his career. He added the 68-yard touchdown catch for a total of 132 all-purpose yards. He now has 36 total touchdowns in his career, tying him for second on the school's all-time list with Justin Gibson (1996-2000). He trails Richard Stokes (2005-08) by four for the program's all-time record in rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns. His 132 all-purpose yards moved him into third place on the school's all-time list with 4,032 for his career. He trails only Stokes and Trevor Kennedy (2008-11).

Junior Drew Robinson ran 13 times for 60 yards while Sanders added 11 carries for 50 yards. Emerick was 20-of-30 for 311 yards and four touchdowns, spreading the ball to seven different receivers. Jaquan Williams had six catches for 49 yards while senior Dylan Bongiorni had four catches for 42 yards.

Strong finished 20-of-28 for 162 yards and one touchdown for the Griffins. He also led Seton Hill with five carries for 36 yards.

Defensively, senior linebacker Joe Dever led the way with 11 tackles (nine solo) and a tackle for a loss. Redshirt junior Tarique Ellis had nine stops in the win.

Mercyhurst said goodbye to 16 seniors prior to the game - FJ Williams, Keith Robinson Jr., Tevin Stewart, Brendan Boylan, Zach Emerick, Jaquan Williams, Martin Oduho, Donny Holl, Brandon Brown-Dukes, Joe Dever, T.J. Latimer, Jordan Farrow, Dylan Bongiorni, John Matarazzo, James Karasek, and Joey Gabor.

The Lakers will close out the season with a pair of road games, beginning with a trip to California, Pa., for the PSAC West finale next Saturday, November 7. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.