Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst Football's home opener was a short pit stop before hitting the road for the third time in the first four weeks of the 2022 season. This time around, the Lakers head to Indiana University of Pennsylvania to take on the Crimson Hawks the team's PSAC opener.

The Lakers look to grab a win against IUP on Saturday, September 24th, which has proven to be no small feat. The Crimson Hawks have blanked Mercyhurst in the two team's previous nine matchups. IUP has been dominant in many of their wins as well as they have won each game by double-digits and held the Lakers to single-digit scoring outputs three times. With a new coach at the helm in Ryan Riemedio, Mercyhurst eyes their first win of the series in hopes of flipping the script.

2. Home Away From Home

Mercyhurst has felt right at home when on the road so far this season with them going 2-0 in away games in the early going. The Lakers have put together very strong performances on the road, putting up 40 or more points in back-to-back games when on the away side of the scoreboard. The team would put itself in rarified air if they're able to make it three straight wins on the road as that is a feat they haven't accomplished since 1983.

3. The Big O

Coach Riemedio's offense has had no issues this year, scoring 30 or more points in each of the season's first three games. The last time the Lakers were able to do so was in 1988 when the team finished with a record of 6-3 under Ken Brasington. Mercyhurst has put together one of the more prolific offenses in the PSAC and all of Division II with their 16 touchdowns being second in the conference and tied for sixth in the country. Their 41.7 points per game are good for first in the PSAC and 10th in the NCAA, giving the Lakers some serious firepower.

4. PSAC Leaders

The Laker's individual performances have helped them climb to the top of the conference leaderboards, especially on the ground. David Alize and Dustin Shoaf have put together strong efforts through the first three weeks with them coming into week four as two of the top rushers in the PSAC. Alize currently sits eighth in the conference in rushing yards with 252 while his 84 yards per game are also eighth. While Shoaf doesn't have the same yardage his backfield counterpart has, he's been a scoring machine with five touchdowns, good enough to be tied for first in the conference and fourth in D II. 

5. Scouting IUP

The Crimson Hawks enter week four 2-0 after a pair of road wins that proved to be shootouts. IUP's offense has been just as good as the Lakers, scoring 41.0 points per game for second in the PSAC, just behind Mercyhurst's 41.7. The passing game has been a big reason for their success as the Crimson Hawk quarterback, Mark Sexton, has been one of the better in the conference in the early going. Sexton is first in completion percentage (72.9) and second in yards per game (349.5) while recording five scores in two games. His favorite target has been Hilton Ridley who has three of those TDs on nine catches and 174 yards.