Erie, Pa. - The Lakers roll into week seven with their second win of the season, looking to add on against Gannon. Mercyhurst welcomes their Erie-based foe to Saxon Stadium on Saturday, October 21st, in a 3:00 p.m. kickoff in hopes of claiming back-to-back wins and move up in the PSAC standings.
Where They Stand
Mercyhurst is now 2-5 on the season with a 1-3 record in PSAC West play, good enough to be tied for fourth alongside Edinboro and Seton Hill. Gannon sets in second at 3-1 in conference play with IUP (2-2) wedged between them. At the top, Slippery Rock and Cal (Pa.) have both been perfect in the PSAC at 4-0 while the Rock are 7-0 overall and the Vulcans at 5-1.
Back-to-Back For Butera
After the best game of his career a week ago, Jaylen Butera had quite the encore against the Golden Eagles on Saturday. The sophomore rushed for 182 yards on 27 carries while adding two touchdowns on the ground to his line. It marked the second straight week the Laker running back has rushed for over 100 yards and scored multiple touchdowns, giving the team a real weapon on the ground as they start down the stretch of the campaign.
Laker Leaders
Adam Urena now has 1,770 yards through the air, completing 61.1% of his passes while recording 16 touchdowns to this point in the season. Joe Kerbacher has been his top target with 23 catches to his line for the second-most on the team while leading the way in receiving yards with 291. Rylan Davison and Cameron Barmore have led the way in touchdowns through the air as they both have four while Austin Urena comes in second with two to his ledger. On the gourd, Jaylen Butera leads the way with his 503 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 71.9 yards per game. The defense has been led by Christian Taylor who has recorded a team-high 50 total tackles. Camden White's four tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks come in tops on the team.
Scouting the Golden Knights
Gannon is 3-4 overall to this point in the season with a 3-1 record in PSAC play with their lone loss in conference coming at the hands of Slippery Rock this past weekend, 49-24, to end a three-game winning streak. The Golden Knights have been a well-balanced team on offense as they're one of only two teams in the conference to be in the top six in both rushing and passing yards. Donny Marcus has been their top rusher with 482 yards to his line with one TD as well while Donell Mason is the team's top target, hauling in 30 catches for 494 yards and four scores.
Next Game
After Gannon comes to town, the Lakers go back out on the road to see Cal (Pa.). The Vulcans play host to Mercyhurst on Saturday, October 28th, with kickoff set for noon.
