Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst Football should feel right at home in their week eight matchup as they're set to make the short trip to Gannon to play the Golden Knights on Saturday, October 22nd at noon. The Lakers look to turn things around as they try for win number three of the 2022 season.

1. Crosstown Beatdown

Mercyhurst holds a major advantage over the Golden Knights in the series all time with a record of 10-4 while winning five of the last six matchups. The Lakers have scored 419 points in the series compared to Gannon's 323 with Mercyhurst winning by double-digits in six occasions unloading a 51-21 win over the Golden Knights in 2013.

2. Close Calls

Of the four games that Mercyhurst has lost to Gannon, all have been very close contests with the final score of three of the four being within three points and all being within one score. The largest margin of victory for the Golden Knights in the series was in April of 2021 during the Covid-19 season when they won 28-21. 

3. Coming in Hot

A few Lakers come into the new week flying high as they put together career performances against Clarion. Thomas Zacharyasz set a new career-high in total tackles with 17 on his way to being named Mercyhurst's PGG Athlete of the Week. Diondre Cooper also had a career day with 84 rushing yards for his best performance on the ground in a Laker uniform. Cameron Barmore did not set any career high-water marks, but he did have his best game of 2022 with a pair of touchdown receptions while catching five passes overall for 94 yards. 

4. By the Numbers 

Mercyhurst's defense has held steady all season long when faced with the pass as they are tied for the conference lead in interceptions with 11 while allowing the second-fewest yards through the air in the PSAC (1,150) for an average of just 164.3 yards per game. The team also continues to be the least penalized team in the conference with 27 total flags for an average of 39 penalty yards per game which are both tops in the PSAC. The Lakers have also been very productive down in the redzone with 25 of their 28 trips resulting in points for the fourth best efficiency in the conference at 89.3%.

5. Scouting Gannon

Gannon comes into the game 5-2 on the year with a modest three-game winning streak being snapped ast week when they lost to Slippery Rock on the road 40-14. The Golden Knight offense has been firing on all cylinders as they rank fourth in the PSAC in yards per game with 400.7 per contest. Their defense has been staunch, allowing only 278 yards per game for the third lowest in the conference to give Gannon a well-balanced team on both sides of the ball. The Golden Knights have gotten it done one the ground and air with their quarterback, Kory Curtis, passing for the third most yards in the conference (1,730) while their running back, Melvin Blanks, is tied for fourth in rushing yards and second in TDs.