ERIE, Pa. - Beginning last week, we began showcasing a position-by-position outlook for the Mercyhurst College football team leading up to its season opener against Notre Dame College at Tullio Field on September 3. Day two of our second - and final - week of positional outlooks takes a look at the Laker running backs.



The lone starter not returning on offense will be quite difficult to replace. Running back Gerald Anderson set the Mercyhurst one-season rushing record of 1,313 yards last season. He totaled seven games of 100-yards or more on the ground, including a career-best 237 yards in the win at C.W. Post. Anderson averaged 101 yards on the ground per contest a year ago and finished his career fourth on the all-time list with 1,915 yards for his career.

The lone returner in the backfield is sophomore Ricky Mathews (6-0, 210, New Castle, Pa./Shenango). He had an excellent spring and is vying for the starting nod. Mathews carried the ball nine times last season in limited action and averaged 4.2 yards per carry.

The Laker coaching staff, however, feels that they had an excellent recruiting class at the position. Four freshmen, in particular, may be looked upon to provide some depth. They include Brandon Brown-Dukes (5-9, 180, Orlando, Fla./Winter Park), Chris Lyle (5-9, 180, Sunrise, Fla./North Broward Prep), Paul Gallagher (5-9, 195, Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights), and Richie Sanders (5-9, 185, Painesville, Ohio/Lake Catholic).

Also, keep an eye on sophomore Allen Jones II (5-10, 207, Youngstown, Ohio/Ursuline) who transferred to Mercyhurst after a year at Youngstown State.

With an excellent camp, the position is so wide open at the moment, that anyone could win the starting role.

Meanwhile, the fullback position is not so wide open, thanks to a fine freshman season from Jeff Groene (6-2, 240, Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin) a year ago. Although he only carried the ball three times, he finished third on the team with 32 receptions out of the backfield, providing a safety valve for the Laker quarterbacks.

Senior Leon Gallop (6-0, 240, Chapel Oaks, Md./Fairmont Heights) will provide insurance at the fullback position.

2011 Camp Roster: Running Backs

Brandon Brown-Dukes (5-9, 175, Fr., Orlando, Fla. / Winter Park)
Paul Gallagher (5-9, 195, Fr., Clarks Summit, Pa. / Abington Heights)
Leon Gallop (6-0, 239, Sr. Chapel Oaks, Md. / Fairmont Heights)
Jeff Groene (6-2, 240, So., Cincinnati, Ohio / Turpin)
Allen Jones II (5-10, 207, So., Youngstown, Ohio / Ursuline)
T.J. Latimer (6-1, 215, Fr., Warren, Pa. / Warren)
Chris Lyle (5-9, 175, Fr., Sunrise, Fla. / North Broward Prep)
Ricky Mathews (6-1, 225, So., New Castle, Pa. / Shenango) 
Dominique Montilus Jr. (5-9, 220, R-Fr., Apopka, Fla. / Apopka) 
Marco Palermo (6-0, 230, Fr., Middletown, Pa. / Lower Dauphin) 
Richie Sanders Jr. (5-8, 190, Fr., Painesville, Ohio / Lake Catholic)
Danny Teal (5-9, 155, Fr., East Amherst, N.Y. / Williamsville North) 

We will focus on the Lakers' special teams unit tomorrow.

Position-By-Position Outlook Schedule

Monday, August 15 - Wide Receivers
Tuesday, August 16 - Defensive Line
Wednesday, August 17 - Quarterbacks
Thursday, August 18 - Defensive Backs
Friday, August 19 - Offensive Line
Monday, August 22 - Linebackers
Tuesday, August 23 - Running Backs
Wednesday, August 24 - Special Teams
Thursday, August 25 - Tight Ends
Friday, August 26 - Coaching Staff