Erie, Pa. - After a loss last week to their crosstown rivals Gannon, Mercyhurst Football makes the short trip back to their friendly confines this Saturday, October 29th, for a matchup with Cal (Pa.) set for noon.
1. Snapping Streaks
The Lakers look to defeat the Vulcans for the first time in a while on Saturday, hoping to end a six-game losing streak. Mercyhurst is 3-6 all-time against the Vulcans with the Lakers winning each of the first three matchups between the two teams. Cal (Pa.) has been dominant in some of their more recent wins as well, defeating the Lakers by double-digits in six straight games including a pair of shutouts in two of their last three games.
2. Home (un)Sweet Home
Mercyhurst has found it tough sledding when playing in Saxon Stadium in recent seasons as they have not had a winning record at home since the 2018 campaign. The Lakers are bound for another losing season at home as they currently sit 0-4 within their friendly confines and if that trend continues, it would be the first time since 1990 that they went winless at home when the team went 1-8. Mercyhurst has used the home crowd to their advantage in the past against the Vulcans with the Lakers haloing a 2-2 record against Cal (Pa.) at home including a 40-7 win and a game in which they scored 59 points.
3. Double Trouble
Jacob Holl and Thomas Zacharyasz continue to be two of the top performers in the PSAC as they are near the top of the leader boards in tackles with Holl in second with 87 while Zacharyasz sits in sixth with 76. Holl's 87 tackles put him tied for fifth in the country while Zacharyasz sits at 10th and the two of them are tied for fifth in tackles per game at 10.9 apiece. The pairing has played very well of late with Holl having double-digit tackles in six straight games while Zacharyasz has had two such games.
4. Scouting Cal
The Vulcans come into the week 4-4 on the year after a loss at home to Slippery Rock in week eight by a score of 42-24. They have been one of the better scoring teams in the PSAC this season, sitting fifth with 31.4 points per game while also averaging the fifth most yards per game at 378.4. A large part of that has been the passing attack which runs through quarterback Noah Mitchell. Mitchell has completed 62.9% of his passes this year for 1,923 yards and an average of 240.3 per game and 17 touchdowns. His favorite target has been JaQuae Jackson who is arguably the top receiver in the conference this season as Jackson has reeled in 57 catches for 872 yards and 11 touchdowns; all three of those figures lead the PSAC.
5. What's Next
After their game with the Vulcans, Mercyhurst turns their attention to Seton Hill for their week 10 matchup. The Lakers head back on the road for that one as they are set to travel to Greensburg, Pa. on Saturday, November 5th, for a 12:00 p.m. kick-off.
