Game Preview - Mercyhurst

West Chester (1-0) opens PSAC play when they host the Mercyhurst Lakers (0-1) at Farrell Stadium at noon on Saturday. Mercyhurst is coming off a 27-21 loss to Bentley in Waltham, MA last Saturday. In that game, the Lakers' offense struggled mightily as they managed a total of only 150 yards and only 44 of that came on the ground. Meanwhile, West Chester is coming off a 35-30 win over New Haven. Both New Haven and Bentley are members of the Northeast-10 conference.

Due to a rule change approved by the PSAC athletic directors in the offseason, all conference games, including crossover games against the West, will count in the division standings. Although this seems illogical due to the unbalanced nature of the crossover schedule, it is something that all teams need to consider.

Series History:

After spending ten seasons in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Mercyhurst just joined the PSAC in 2008. So these two teams have only faced each other once, with the Golden Rams defeating the Lakers 45-13 in 2009 at Farrell Stadium.

Last Meeting:

11/07/2009 West Chester 45 - Mercyhurst 13

In one of the most anti-climatic games in recent memory, the Golden Rams manhandled the Lakers in their first ever visit to Chester County. At the start of the 2009 season, the Golden Rams were coming off five consecutive playoff appearances and were picked to finished second in the PSAC East. But two division losses by a total of six points dashed any hope of extending the playoff streak to six years. Despite having little to play for, West Chester put on a dominating performance on both sides of the ball.

While no Golden Ram defender had more than five tackles in the game, the defense held Mercyhurst to just 50 yards rushing, 148 yards passing and 12 first downs. Both Sam Scott and Mike Dell registered interceptions on senior day. The West Chester offense was also very balanced as Dan DePalma and Steven Miller each had five catches for over 100 yards. That feat had not been repeated until Tim Keyser and Erick Brundidge did it last season against Kutztown.

Scouting the Lakers:

It's no secret that the Lakers offense centers on junior running back Brandon Brown-Dukes. Brown-Dukes rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, earning All-PSAC West first team and Don Hansen All-Super Region One third team honors after both of those seasons. One of the reasons for his success is senior right guard Ben Gysin who has started every game in his first three years at Mercyhurst. Senior tight end R.J. Miller is a two-time All-PSAC West selection and ECAC All-Star. Junior wide receiver Jaquan Williams (33 catches, 493 yards, 3 TD's) is the top returning receiver for the Lakers.

The Mercyhurst 3-3-5 defense is led by All-PSAC West linebacker Pat Behm (71 tackles, 2.0 TFL's, 1 interception). Senior safety Colin Kimball (57 tackles, 3.0 TFL's, 6 interceptions returned for 151 yards and 2 TD's) was All-PSAC West and an Academic All-American last season and a two time preseason All-American this year. Sophomore nose guard Ryan Carroll (24 tackles, 8.0 TFL's) was the ECAC Defensive Rookie of the Year last season.

Marty Schaetzle (63-70) is now in his 13th season as head coach at Mercyhurst. He guided the Lakers to their best season (10-3) in school history in 2010 when they defeated Bloomsburg 56-37 for the PSAC championship, then beat the Huskies again in the second round of the playoffs before falling to Shepherd in the NCAA quarterfinals.

Analysis:

With six starters returning on offense and seven on defense, the Lakers are looking to improve on last year's 7-4 finish. With inexperience at the quarterback position - Zach Emerick only had 25 pass attempts last season - the Lakers are likely to rely on Brown-Dukes even more heavily than the past two years. Their clock-consuming offense means fewer possessions for the Golden Rams, so treating those possessions accordingly is paramount. That means no turnovers, a lot of first downs, and touchdowns instead of field goals. Brown-Dukes and the Mercyhurst rushing attack may prove difficult for the young West Chester defensive front four. Game film from the Bentley game should prove valuable as the Falcons took a play out of Mercyhurst's play book by running for 180 yards, winning the first down battle 20-9, and dominating the time of possession by 13 minutes.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video - PA Sports Fever - check local listings

PSAC Site - Football - Week 2 Notes

Mercyhurst Athletic Site - Football Heads To #9 West Chester In Search Of First Win

GoErie.com - Today's area college football previews

2014 PSAC Football Preseason Outlook - Mercyhurst

Daily Local News - Zwaan looking for tighter effort from WCU in home opener

D2football - PSAC Columnist - Conference Play Begins for the PSAC