Erie, Pa. - After taking a loss on the road to 20th-ranked Slippery Rock in week six, the Lakers come back to their friendly confines to host the Golden Eagles. Coach Riemedio and company look for win number three of 2022 against Clarion on Saturday, October 15th as Mercyhurst celebrates their senior class.
1. On a Roll
Mercyhurst has owned the Golden Eagles in the two team's previous 13 games with the Lakers winning nine of those matchups. It has been a lot of success here of late as well with Mercyhurst coming out on top in each of the previous four contests, outscoring Clarion 130-55 including a 57-10 win in 2019. The Lakers have also been very steady at home against the Golden Eagles, going 5-1 when inside Saxon Stadium with their only loss coming in 2016 in a 35-34 defeat.
2. Ball Hawks
The Lakers have earned a reputation as one of the better pass defenses in all of D II football in 2022. The team currently has 11 interceptions on the year, averaging just under two picks per game. Mercyhurst currently ranks first in the PSAC in interceptions as one of only two teams to have picked off double-digit passes with Shepherd being the other. The team's 11 interceptions put them tied for second in all of the NCAA D II with Marquis Mauney accounting for three of them while Jacob Holl has reeled in two.
3. No Laundry
Mercyhurst has been one of the more sound teams on both sides of the ball when it comes to penalties as they have accrued only 21 penalties on the year, tied for the third-fewest in D II. In six games, the Lakers have had only 203 yards against them in penalties flags for an average of 33.83 which is six lowest in the country. The Laker's work in making sure they are not called for penalties has been a consistent part of the team's game plan each week as they have not been called for more than five penalties in any one game this year.
4. Leading the Charge
Several Mercyhurst players find themselves near or atop the PSAC leaderboards entering week seven of the season. Dustin Shoaf comes in at second in rushing touchdowns with seven, tied with Melvin Banks of Gannon. Keith Brickman has made his presence felt on special teams as much as on defense as he has accumulated 333 yards in kick returns for the fifth most in the PSAC. Speaking of defense, linebacker Jacob Holl comes in third in the conference in total tackles with 65 while 43 have come solo for most of anyone in the PSAC. He also sits tied for second in interceptions while Marquis Mauney is tied for first alongside Shepherd's Dewayne Grantham with three apiece.
5. Scouting Clarion
The Golden Eagles come into the week seven matchup 2-4 on the year after defeating Seton Hill 40-13 last Saturday. Clarion has been more of a road team in 2022 with them holding a 2-1 record when on the 'guest' side of the scoreboard while being winless at home. The Golden Eagles are no strangers to seeing big numbers up on the board as either they or their opponents have scored 40 or more points in all but one of their games this year including a 59-14 loss to Cal (Pa.) on October 1st. Clarion has proven to be much like the Lakers in that they rely on the ground game as 1,002 of their 1,896 yards of offense have been via the rushing attack.
