New Britain, CT – The Mercyhurst Lakers' road struggles continued on Saturday, falling 38-20 to Central Connecticut State in their second Northeast Conference matchup of the season. Despite a strong start, the Lakers couldn't overcome a series of turnovers and a dominant Blue Devils rushing attack.
How it Happened:
Mercyhurst opened the scoring in the first quarter when senior quarterback
Adam Urena connected with
Brian Trobel for a 22-yard touchdown, capping off an 8-play, 78-yard drive. Central Connecticut responded early in the second quarter with an 8-yard touchdown run from Ricky Ortega to tie the game at 7-7. The Blue Devils quickly capitalized on a Mercyhurst turnover, taking the lead with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Brady Olson to Paul Marsh Jr.
By halftime, Central Connecticut extended their lead to 17-7 following a 22-yard field goal by Jack Barnum.
The second half saw Central Connecticut continue to control the game. Olson threw two more touchdown passes, including a 39-yard strike to Marsh, making it 31-7. Mercyhurst responded with a late third-quarter drive, with Trobel finding the end zone on a 3-yard run to cut the lead to 31-14. Early in the fourth quarter, Trobel added another score, this time on a 14-yard run, trimming the deficit to 31-20.
However, the Blue Devils sealed the game with a 59-yard touchdown run from Jadon Turner, closing the door on any chance of a Lakers comeback.
Highlights:
Urena finished the game with 286 passing yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. Trobel was a standout for Mercyhurst, accounting for all three of the Lakers' touchdowns with two rushing scores and one receiving.
On defense,
Tyler Buterbaugh led the team with 17 tackles, while
Jonas King added a sack and two tackles for loss.
Adrian Lewis also forced a fumble on the defensive side of the ball, which was recovered by
Anthony Mackey.
Up Next:
With this loss, Mercyhurst drops to 2-5 overall and 0-2 in NEC play. The Lakers will look to bounce back in two weeks as they travel to Fairfield, CT, to face Sacred Heart University on October 26th.
