EDINBORO Fighting Scots (1-6, 1-5 PSAC West) at MERCYHURST Lakers (3-4, 3-3 PSAC West)

Date:  Thursday, October 23, 2014
Site:  Erie, Pa.
Stadium:  Erie Veterans Memorial Stadium (10,000)
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m.
Next:  Saturday, November 1 at Slippery Rock -- 1:00 p.m.
Live Stats:   http://www.sidearmstats.com/hurst/football/
Radio:  WFSE FM 88.9 -- Ron Raymond (play-by-play) and Mike Fenner (color commentary) -- http://www.boroonline.com.

Edinboro Game Notes
Mercyhurst Game Notes
PSAC Weekly Notes

The Game Story
Edinboro had snapped a five-game losing streak to start the season with an impressive 56-28 win at Clarion. But playing the first of back-to-back Thursday night games against local rivals, the Fighting Scots suffered a 52-7 loss to Gannon. That gives the Fighting Scots a 1-6 record, matching the 1-6 record by the 1955 team, along with a 1-5 ledger in PSAC play. Now the Fighting Scots face a Mercyhurst team which had also lost its first four games but has since rallied for three straight victories. The last two were eye-catching triumphs over Gannon (45-38) and Slippery Rock (45-23).
 
Head coach Scott Browning knew that the first half of the 2014 schedule was going to be difficult, but it may have been even more arduous than he imagined. Along the way Edinboro faced the top two preseason favorites in the PSAC West, two of the top four in the Eastern Division, plus a nationally-ranked team in Carson-Newman. The combined record of the first five opponents is 25-9, with three of the five teams checking in with one loss (East Stroudsburg and California(Pa.) at 5-1 and Carson-Newman at 5-1), while IUP is 5-2. While it appeared that the latter half of the schedule might afford the Scots a breather, Gannon and Slippery Rock are 5-2, and a resurgent Mercyhurst team has beaten both the last two weeks to improve to 3-4.

Like Edinboro, Mercyhurst can claim a tough opening schedule for its early-season woes.  The Lakers began the season with a loss at Bentley, followed by back-to-back setbacks to the top two teams in the PSAC East, West Chester and Bloomsburg. Then came a drubbing at Indiana(Pa.). Since then head coach Marty Schaetzle has righted the ship with wins over Clarion, Mercyhurst, and Slippery Rock. An offense that averaged 15.8 points the first four games has averaged 39.3 points during the win streak.

Thursday's game features two defenses that have struggled in 2014. A young Edinboro defense that is playing five freshmen or redshirt freshmen had shown improvement after a tough stretch to open the year. The unit took a step backwards against Gannon. The Golden Knights finished with 601 yards, the fourth-highest total ever against an Edinboro team. The unit had previously allowed 590 yards against East Stroudsburg but had limited Clarion to 245 yards and IUP to 351 yards. The 52 points allowed marks the third time Edinboro has allowed 47-or-more points. Edinboro ranks 13th in the PSAC in scoring defense and total defense, while Mercyhurst comes in seventh in both categories. The Lakers have allowed 38-or-more points in four games, but shut out Clarion and held a high-powered Slippery Rock attack to 361 yards.

The Edinboro offense had made strides over the first three weeks before struggling against two of the PSAC's better defenses in California(Pa.) and IUP defenses. At the heart of the problem was an inability to generate a running game or protect the quarterback. The Fighting Scots were held to 325 total yards, and finished with minus 12 yards rushing at Cal. That is the third-lowest single game total in school history. Three weeks ago the Scots were held to 129 total yards and had minus 6 yards rushing, the fourth-lowest total ever, vs. IUP. Edinboro quarterbacks have been sacked a league-high 38 times in seven games, including nine times by IUP. Edinboro ranks 165th out of 167 teams in Division II in sacks allowed.  

Granted a sixth season of eligibility, Cody Harris has accounted for most of Edinboro's points. He started his 40th game at quarterback against Gannon. Harris has thrown for 14 TDs compared to just three interceptions, although two of the pickoffs came last week vs. Gannon. He has added four touchdowns rushing as he has accounted for 18 of Edinboro's 21 offensive touchdowns. Harris played in just the first two games a year ago before suffering a season-ending injury.He accounted for all nine of ten touchdowns in the two games he played in a year ago, and 29 of 34 in 2012.

Edinboro was picked to finish sixth in the PSAC?West in the coaches' preseason poll for the second straight year. Mercyhurst was two spots ahead of the Fighting Scots in fourth place after a 7-4 finish year ago.

The Mercyhurst game is Edinboro's third and final Thursday night game, along with the last of four night games, the last three in a row. The season opened with a Thursday night game at Carson-Newman. The last three weeks have found the Scots playing at Clarion on a Saturday night, followed by back-to-back Thursday night games with Gannon and Mercyhurst.

Mercyhurst defeated Slippery Rock this past Saturday 45-23. The game was played in "The Big House" at Michigan Stadium, and saw the Lakers score the final 31 points of the game while holding Slippery Rock scoreless in the second half.
 
On TV/Radio
The Edinboro-Mercyhurst game can be heard live on WFSE FM?88.9, with Ron Raymond providing the play-by-play and Mike Fenner the commentary. 

The All-Time Series
Tied at 5-5
The Fighting Scots had won the first two meetings, but Mercyhurst has claimed the last two to even the series. For five straight years the visiting team had prevailed before Mercyhurst held the home field advantage with a 19-6 win at Tullio Field.
 
The Last Meeting
2013 -- Mercyhurst 19, Edinboro 6
In a series that had seen the visiting team win in the previous five games, Mercyhurst held serve at home on a rainy afternoon. Edinboro forced three turnovers and held the Lakers to 87 yards passing, but unfortunately 61 of that came on a touchdown pass that gave them a 9-0 lead in the first quarter. A bad punt snap that sailed through the end zone gave Mercyhurst a 2-0 lead less than four minutes into the game. They would up 16-0 early in the second quarter before the Fighting Scots took advantage of a fumble recovery by Greg Cunningham to close to 16-6.  Keith Regis accounted for the score on a three-yard run, the first career touchdown for the redshirt freshman.  Edinboro initially converted the two-point conversion, but a holding call negated it. The extra point attempt was no good, and T.J. Hardy would later have a 39-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright. Mercyhurst would tack on a 25-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter for the only scoring in the second half.  While limiting the Lakers through the air, they would finish with 266 yards rushing. Edinboro, meanwhile, could never establish a ground game, finishing with 51 yards. In fact, the Scots would end the day with a season-low 148 total yards.                   

Last Week
Gannon 52, Edinboro 7
Edinboro grabbed a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into its first night game at Sox Harrison Stadium since 2008, but the rest of the evening was a nightmare. After committing just three turnovers over the first six games the Fighting Scots turned the ball over four times, and also had an 11-yard punt, setting up three short Gannon scoring drives. But the Golden Knights also put together drives of 91, 88, and 85 (twice) yards. Gannon finished with 601 yards, the fourth-highest total ever against the Scots. That includes 212 yards and 3 TDs rushing by Brock Jones, the eighth-highest rushing total by an opponent. Edinboro's freshman tailback, Anfreenee Williams, accounted for the lone touchdown. He sprinted around right end for a season-long 58 yards on the Scots' first play from scrimmage. On the next play he scored his third touchdown of the year on a one-yard run. Williams finished 112 yards on 17 carries. Darren Massey had his second game with 10-or-more catches as he hauled in 10 passes for 80 yards. Cody Harris limited to 150 yards passing, his lowest total since an 88-yard game on a windy afternoon at Mercyhurst in 2012. He threw two interceptions after throwing just one in the first six games.     

Mercyhurst 45, Slippery Rock 23
Playing in "The Big House" on the campus of the University of Michigan, Mercyhurst fell behind Slippery Rock 23-14 late in the first half then rallied to score the game's final 31 points. Dylan Kondis kicked a 30-yard field goal as time expired to make it 23-17. The Lakers' defense then held a high-powered Slippery Rock offense scoreless in the second half, giving up just 83 yards. Brendan Boylan threw two of his four touchdown passes in the second half, one for 39 yards to Jaquan Williams, who capped the comeback with a 22-yard run. Mercyhurst finished with 536 yards in offense, with Boylan throwing completing 24 of 37 passes for 385 yards. Four different receivers caught touchdown passes, and Brandon Brown-Dukes ran for 100 yards on 25 carried. Mercyhurst held SRU to 122 yards rushing.
         
The Coaches
Scott Browning (Ohio State '81) took over as Edinboro's 13th head coach on January 5, 2006, and in his first six seasons he tied the record for most wins by a coach during that period.  Browning is in his ninth season with a 55-41 record, and is in his 29th season as a member of the Edinboro staff.  With last year's season-opening 35-34 win over Walsh, he became the third coach at Edinboro to reach 50 wins, joining Tom Hollman and Bill McDonald.   The win over Clarion was his 55th, moving him into sole possession of second place in career victories.  Browning was certainly no stranger to Fighting Scot football when he was hired as head coach, serving as an assistant coach for the previous twenty years. While at Edinboro he has coached the offensive linemen, defensive backs and running backs, along with serving as the offensive coordinator.  Browning became the first head coach at Edinboro to debut with a win since McDonald in 1969 when the Fighting Scots opened the 2006 season with a 28-14 win at West Chester.  He went on to lead Edinboro to a 6-5 finish, the most wins ever by a first-year coach.  That was followed by a 7-4 finish in 2007.  His next two Fighting Scot editions recorded a school-record tying nine wins.  In 2008 Edinboro ended the year at 9-2 and was ranked 20th in the final AFCA?Top 25.  The Fighting Scots had a 9-4 record in 2009, making the NCAA?playoffs for the first time in his tenure.  Edinboro would end the year 24th in the AFCA?poll.  The Boro posted back-to-back 7-4 finishes in 2010 and 2011.  The 4-6 finish in 2012 represented Browning's first losing season as head coach. 

Marty Schaetzle (Bucknell '83) is in his 13th season at the helm of the Lakers, and has a 65-74 career record.  He has surpassed current Mercyhurst Director of Athletics Joe Kimball as the longest tenured football coach at the Hurst, and his 65 wins represent a school record.  In 2010 he guided Mercyhurst to the finest season in school history, winning the PSAC?Championship and reaching the Super Regional One Championship Game.  The Lakers finished with a 10-3 record and was recognized as the PSAC West?Coach of the Year and Don Hansen Football Gazette Co-Coach of the Year.  Two years ago he led the Lakers to a 9-2 finish.  Schaetzle took over the Mercyhurst program after working as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Bucknell, for five years.       
    
Browning Comments ... on the Fighting Scots
"Things just unraveled in the second quarter and we didn't stop it. We dug ourselves a hell of a hole. You can't do that against a good football team. We knew going in Gannon was good. They are very talented."
 
Browning Comments ... on the Lakers
"They're hot. They had that tough schedule early on just like we did. They just kept fighting. They've improved each week. Now that improvement is strating to show in the win column."