SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Fresh off their first-ever Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship and first-ever NCAA apearance, Mercyhurst is picked to finish second in the PSAC West Division according to the 2011 PSAC football coaches' preseason that was released today as part of the PSAC Football Media Day. For the sixth straight season, the California Vulcans have been tabbed the favorite to win the West while Bloomsburg has been selected unanimously to win the PSAC East. This marks the second time in the last three seasons that the Huskies have been picked to win the East.
The Western Division featured a very close race for the top spot as both California and second place Mercyhurst received four first place votes apiece and the Vulcans edged out the Lakers by just two points for the top spot. This represented a departure for the preseason polls of the past three seasons when the PSAC started tracking first place votes in its preseason polls as California received a majority of first place votes in each of the last three polls. IUP and Slippery Rock tied for third place while Gannon came in fifth, two points ahead of sixth place Edinboro. Clarion and Lock Haven rounded out the poll.
The 30th year of Mercyhurst College football proved to be its most exciting and best ever. The Lakers finished 2010 with the most victories (10) in program history, their first-ever conference championship (a wild 56-37 win over then #11 Bloomsburg), their first-ever NCAA postseason tournament berth, and their first-ever NCAA tournament victory (a 28-14 win over then #20 Bloomsburg). The season ended in early December with a 49-14 setback to #18 Shepherd in the NCAA Quarterfinals at Tullio Field. The Lakers were also nationally-ranked last season for the first time in history, reaching as high as #11 in the country.
For Mercyhurst and head coach Marty Schaetzle (42-57, nine seasons), it's been a topsy-turvy three years in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). In its inaugural season in 2008, the Lakers posted a 7-4 overall record and went 5-2 in the western division, finishing just one game away from the divisional title. In 2009, the team sputtered on the road, winning just once in six tries while closing out the season with four straight losses to end the campaign with a 4-7 overall mark, 3-4 in the PSAC West. Last year, Mercyhurst won six of seven conference games, including two one-point thrillers in back-to-back weeks at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Edinboro. The game against the Fighting Scots was decided by a two-point conversion in overtime. The Lakers amassed 354 points in 13 games in 2010 (27.4 per game) and allowed only 265. The defense also posted two shutouts (Notre Dame College and Lock Haven), something that hadn't been done since 1989.
Mercyhurst will try to put two solid seasons together for the first time in the conference. The Mercyhurst defense was a major factor in the Lakers' success in 2010, holding opponents to 20.4 points per game (5th in PSAC) while allowing just 110.0 yards per game rushing (3rd in PSAC) and 176.4 yards per game passing (3rd in PSAC). The defense tied for first in the conference in both interceptions (21) and sacks (40). Although the offense finished in the middle of the pack in scoring (7th in PSAC - 27.2), the unit was second in time of possession (32:46), second in fourth-down conversions (59.1%), and tied for third in sacks allowed with 18. This season, the Lakers are hopeful that an experienced group of 15 returning starters including 10 on offense, will provide further dividends.
Leading the offensive surge will be four returning All-PSAC West selections, including the PSAC West Offensive Player of the Year in wide receiver Trevor Kennedy (Sr., 5-11, 205, Akron, OH) and three All-PSAC West Second Team choices: quarterback Travis Rearick (RSr., 6-0, 196, Elton, Pa.), wide receiver Terrence Coon (RSo., 6-0, 191, Jamaica, NY) and left tackle Kevin Poropat (Jr., 6-3, 290, Mentor, OH). While only four starters return on the defensive side of the ball, the group will be anchored by All-PSAC West First Team selection, defensive back/linebacker Ian Wild (Sr., 5-11, 194, Pittsburgh, Pa.).
The Lakers open the 2011 campaign with six of their first seven games at home, a complete reversal from a year ago. After beginning the season against second-year NCAA program Notre Dame College on September 3, the Lakers open the league-mandated schedule with home crossover contests against Kutztown (September 10) and C.W. Post (September 17). Mercyhurst starts PSAC West play on the road at Lock Haven on September 24. In October, the Lakers close out the home portion of the schedule with games against Gannon, Indiana (Pa.), and Edinboro respectively, before wrapping up the year with four consecutive road games against California (Pa.), Slippery Rock, Clarion, and Shippensburg (unless the Lakers make a return trip to the PSAC title game). The Lakers begin the season ranked #8 in the country in the Sporting News preseason top 25.
