Game Notes at Millersville

ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst University football team will be looking to bounce back on Saturday afternoon after suffering a 59-42 season-opening loss at the hands of Notre Dame College last Thursday, August 30. Mercyhurst travels to Millersville this Saturday for the first-ever meeting with the Marauders. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. from Biemesderfer Stadium.

Mercyhurst will look to avoid dropping to 0-2 for the first time since 2006 against a Millersville team that is coming off an impressive 41-17 victory over West Virginia Wesleyan last Saturday in its season-opener. Millersville, who was predicted to finish seventh in the east, had lost to West Virginia Wesleyan 55-3 last season.

Since joining the PSAC in 2008, Mercyhurst has played 13 games against teams from the Eastern Division and has posted a 7-6 record in those contests. However, Mercyhurst is just 2-4 on the road against teams from the east since 2008.

You can hear all of the action from Biemesderfer Stadium in Millersville on Mercyhurst's radio station, WMCE 88.5 FM. You can also listen to it on the web at www.erieradio.com.

NOTES

An Opener To Forget
Mercyhurst allowed 59 points, 543 yards of total offense, and turned the ball over eight times in last Thursday's 59-42 loss to Notre Dame College. It was the first loss against the Falcons in three meetings between the two schools. The 59 points allowed was the most given up by a Laker defense since losing 59-7 against Grand Valley State on October 6, 2007 and it marked the most points allowed ever in a season opener. The 101 combined points was the most since losing to Ashland 59-43 on September 29, 2007. The eight Laker turnovers last Thursday was the most since turning the ball over eight times against Gannon on August 27, 2005.

There's Always A Silver Lining
Despite the negatives and the mistakes in last Thursday's opener against Notre Dame College, Mercyhurst did score 42 points and had nearly 400 yards of total offense. Redshirt junior Anthony Vendemia established a career-high with four touchdown passes in the loss. The 42 points scored in the opener was the most by a Laker team in an opening game since scoring 49 points in a 49-35 win over Wayne State on September 4, 1999.

Woods Emerges As Go-To Guy
Redshirt freshman Devyn Woods emerged as Anthony Vendemia's favorite target last Thursday. With the loss of Trevor Kennedy, the Lakers needed to fill the enormous void left behind, and Woods may be that guy. After catching one pass last season in the opener before suffering an injury, Woods caught a team-high five passes for 77 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to Notre Dame College. He also returned a kickoff 39 yards, giving him 116 all-purpose yards on the night. His first career touchdown reception came late in the second half and his second came with 8:06 left in the fourth quarter that pulled Mercyhurst to within ten points.

Rock Makes Successful Switch
Junior Vladmir Rock made the switch to wide receiver after spending a majority of his first two seasons on the defensive side of the ball and his opener at wideout was quite successful. He caught three passes for 72 yards and the Lakers' first touchdown of the season - a 33-yard reception just over three minutes into the game. He will be looked upon to stretch opposing defenses and contribute with some big plays on offense this season.

Bruner Sets Program Record
Entering the season as the expected guy to replace Trevor Kennedy's role in the receiving game, senior Paris Bruner replaced Kennedy nicely as the primary kick returner last Thursday. Bruner established a school-record 210 kickoff return yards, including an 86-yard touchdown return to begin the second half. The 86-yarder was the fourth longest in program history. The senior also broke a 72-yard return early in the second quarter. Bruner broke the record of 197 kickoff return yards, previously held by Andrew Bailey against Clarion in 1999. Bruner did catch one pass from Vendemia, which went for 24 yards, giving him 234 all-purpose yards in last Thursday's opener.

Just For Kicks
Junior placekicker Steven Wakefield returns for his third season, solidifying the Laker kicking game. He booted four point after attempts last Thursday, which gave him 124 points for his career, and moved him into second place on the school's all-time list in points by a kicker. His PAT in the fourth quarter moved him past Eric Wicks (1994-97) for sole possession of second, and now only trails Phil Scanlon's (2002-06) 165 points on the all-time list. Wakefield also handled all of the kickoff duties, recording four touchbacks, and handled all of the punting duties by averaging 42 yards on two punts in the opener.

Dust-in The Wind
Junior defensive lineman Dustin Galich tied a career-high with 11 total tackles last Thursday against Notre Dame College. His 11 stops also put him over 100 tackles for his career, and now enters game two of his third season with 104 total tackles - moving him into a tie for 85th on the all-time list with Jim Falvo (1989-91). Galich was a PSAC West Second Team selection last season and made the transition from nose guard to defensive end this season.

Several Others Also Setting Personal-Bests
Sophomore linebacker Aaron McGee had just 32 total tackles as a freshman in 2011, but he is already almost half way to that total after the opener. McGee posted a career-high 15 tackles in last Thursday's loss to Notre Dame College, and also had a tackle for a loss and forced a fumble. Sophomore Keith Polson was right behind with 14 stops last Thursday, also establishing a career-high. Senior Todd Wingate (nine), redshirt sophomore Deonte Huggins (eight), freshman Sascha Craig (five), redshirt sophomore Matt Hyland (five), senior Serge Augustin (four), and redshirt freshman Niko Otto (three) also recording personal-highs in tackles last Thursday.

Not Like The Defense
After allowing just under 127 yards rushing per game last season and ranking among the conference's best defenses against the run since joining the PSAC in 2008, Mercyhurst allowed a whopping 367 rushing yards against the Falcons last Thursday, with 243 coming from Pedro Powell. The Lakers also allowed 543 yards of total offense last Thursday, 242 yards more than the team's season average from a year ago.

Season Openers
Mercyhurst dropped to 22-10 lifetime in season openers with last Thursday's loss to Notre Dame College. Mercyhurst is just 5-6 under head coach Marty Schaetzle.

First Meeting With The Marauders
Saturday will mark the first-ever meeting against Millersville in program history. In first-ever matchups against teams in the PSAC, the Lakers are 6-6. Mercyhurst posted wins in the team's first-ever meetings against Clarion (41-7 in 2008), Slippery Rock (34-10 in 2008), Cheyney (35-0 in 2008), Lock Haven (48-14 in 2008), Gannon (40-7 in 1991), and Shippensburg (21-17 in 2008).