MERCYHURST (1-4, 0-0 NEC) at LIU (0-5, 0-0 NEC)
Saturday, Oct. 3 – 12:00 p.m. (ET)
Brookville, N.Y. – Shark Stadium (6,000)
TV: ESPN+
Mercyhurst opens NEC play Saturday at LIU, with kickoff set for noon ET at Shark Stadium, streaming on ESPN+. It's a rematch of last year's homecoming meeting at Saxon Stadium, when the Lakers held on for a 22-13 win. Both teams are opening conference play, and both are looking for a fresh start after difficult non-conference slates.
Mercyhurst Lakers
Mercyhurst closed out one of the toughest non-conference stretches in the country with a 52-7 loss at Western Kentucky, its third FBS road test in four weeks, and enters conference play at 1-4. The stretch also produced real bright spots. The Lakers scored the first touchdown in program history against an FBS opponent at New Mexico State, and they blew out Glenville State 49-20 on centennial and homecoming weekend for Thomas Sydeski's first win as head coach. Now they'll try to get their first win away from Erie this season. Mercyhurst went 4-3 in NEC play last year, opened conference play with a win over LIU, and is looking to do the same for a second straight year.
Junior quarterback Alex Gevaudan has thrown for 710 yards and five touchdowns this season, including a 64-yard scoring strike to Dylan Evans against Glenville State. Gevaudan went 22-of-44 at Western Kentucky without an interception. Evans leads the receiving corps with 16 catches for 214 yards and two touchdowns, while Evan Van Dyke has added 119 yards on 12 receptions. On the ground, sophomore Jameir "Mookie" Gamble leads the NEC with 275 yards and two touchdowns on 55 carries, including a 105-yard, two-score outing against Glenville State.
Defensively, junior safety Braylon Beckwith leads the team with 34 tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown against Glenville State. Senior linebacker Jeff Leavell has 24 tackles and a pass breakup, and Teddy McDuffie has 15 tackles, four tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. The Lakers forced five Glenville State turnovers in their win and returned three for touchdowns. Punter Thomas O'Neill was named the NEC Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 49.2 yards on six punts at Western Kentucky, including a long of 58.
Scouting the Sharks
LIU is still searching for its first win at 0-5, coming off a 20-3 loss at FIU last Saturday that closed out its non-conference slate. The Sharks managed just a field goal against FIU and are averaging 11.8 points per game while allowing 33.6. They lost on the road to No. 10 North Dakota (42-21), Kansas (51-6) and FIU, and at home to Albany (35-13) and Villanova (20-16). Fifth-year head coach Ron Cooper (10-19 at LIU, 58-79 overall) is looking for his group to find its footing on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Luca Stanzani has been the steadiest piece of the offense, though LIU has struggled to find consistent support around him. The Sharks were picked third in the preseason NEC poll, with Mercyhurst fifth.
Series History
Mercyhurst leads the all-time series 1-0, with last season's 22-13 victory at Saxon Stadium the lone meeting. Saturday will be the first meeting at LIU.
Broadcast Information
The game streams live on ESPN+, with live stats available at liuathletics.com.
Up Next
Following Saturday's matchup, Mercyhurst will have a bye next weekend before returning to Saxon Stadium to host Central Connecticut State on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 12 p.m. ET.
