ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Mercyhurst lost to New Mexico 70-7 on Saturday, falling to 0-3 while New Mexico improved to 2-0.
The Lakers erased New Mexico's late first-quarter touchdown in one snap, as
Anthony Wolter hit
Speedy Yancey for a 75-yard score with 13 seconds left and
Rocco Marcantonio's PAT tied it at 7-7. It was Wolter's first pass of the game, marking his first career touchdown as a Laker, and the first career receiving touchdown for Yancey as a Laker.
Earlier, the defense weathered a New Mexico opening drive aided by two Lakers penalties, with
Colin Scharriter stopping a fourth-and-1 rush for no gain at the Lakers' 21-yard line. The Lakers' first possession produced a first down on
Tyler Tusai's 10-yard completion to
Dylan Evans before an interception, but the defense responded to the short field with
Daylan Pringle breaking up a deep pass and
Timmy Fleischood Jr. and Pringle recording sacks to force a punt. New Mexico later drove 40 yards after a Lakers punt and scored with 27 seconds left, but the first quarter finished tied 7-7.
The Lakers were held scoreless in the second quarter as New Mexico turned three Lakers turnovers into touchdown drives and built a 49-7 lead by halftime. Earlier,
Byron Cardwell Jr. opened the Lakers' first possession with a 12-yard run, but a Wolter interception set up a short New Mexico scoring drive, and Tusai's sack-fumble on the next Lakers snap gave New Mexico the ball at the Lakers' 4-yard line. The Lakers did move the chains on a 16-yard Wolter completion to
Amare Lattimore, a 10-yard
Jameir Gamble run and a nine yard Cardwell rush on third down.
Thomas O'Neill supplied field-position help with punts of 50, 52 and 47 yards, and the Lakers' defense forced one New Mexico punt after short gains and a third-down incompletion, but New Mexico added a late 3-yard touchdown run with 50 seconds left to take the 49-7 lead into the break.
The Lakers were held scoreless in the third quarter, and New Mexico scored twice after a lost punt-return fumble at the Lakers' 5-yard line and a kick-catch-interference penalty that gave New Mexico the ball at the Lakers' 35-yard line. Earlier, Wolter hit
Evan Van Dyke for 14 yards and the Lakers' lone first down of the third quarter on the opening drive, but a false start and a third-down loss led to O'Neill's 47-yard punt, followed by a New Mexico three-and-out starting at its 9. After the Lakers went three-and-out, O'Neill punted again and the 15-yard penalty preceded a Lobo 35-yard touchdown pass, pushing the score to 63-7. After a Laker turnover, the defense stood strong on the following drive only allowing five yards on three plays and forcing a punt, but the offense went three-and-out from the Lakers' 6-yard line and New Mexico drove to the Lakers' 13-yard line by the end of the third quarter with the Lakers trailing 63-7.
The Lakers opened the fourth quarter by holding New Mexico out of the end zone from inside the 5, keeping the score at 63-7 after the Lobos missed a 22-yard field goal at 12:14.
Zacchaeus Dixon and
Mark Hawkins Jr. helped stop the Lobos at the 3, and Scharriter and Dixon followed with a tackle for loss that pushed the Lakers back to the 5 before the miss. On the ensuing possession, the Lakers kept the ball after Wolter's fumble was recovered by
Ethen Knox, then moved from second-and-15 to fourth-and-1 on Knox's 7-yard run and Wolter's 7-yard completion to Evans before punting. New Mexico later drove 50 yards for an 8-yard rushing touchdown and the extra point that made it 70-7, but the Lakers' defense forced a three-and-out on the next New Mexico series with three straight zero-yard rushes. The Lakers closed with their only first down of the fourth quarter on
Emanuel Fincher's 13-yard run, added a 9-yard carry by Knox, and finished at the New Mexico 43-yard line as the game ended with New Mexico winning 70-7.
Yancey scored on his lone reception, finishing with 75 yards and one touchdown. Wolter completed 9 of 20 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.
Mark Hawkins Jr. led the Lakers with 11 tackles. Pringle recorded three tackles, one sack and a forced fumble.
