EDINBORO, Pa. (Oct. 22, 2015) – On a night when Darren Massey set Edinboro's career record for receptions, Richie Sanders stole the show as the Mercyhurst running back ran for 170 yards and two touchdowns.  Mercyhurst rallied from an early 14-0 deficit to hand Edinboro a 38-24 defeat at Sox Harrison Stadium on Thursday night. The Fighting Scots remained winless at 0-8 overall and 0-5 in the PSAC West, while the Lakers snapped a four-game losing streak while evening their overall record at 4-4 and moving to 1-4 in league play.
 

The loss was the sixth straight for the Fighting Scots on Thursday night. In addition, Mercyhurst has now claimed the last four meetings. The 0-8 start is the first time an Edinboro football team has been 0-8. The 1940 team lost all seven games.
 
Edinboro jumped out to a quick 14-0 less than four minutes into the game. The Fighting Scots forced a three-and-out on Mercyhurst's first series. It marked the first time an opponent hadn't scored on their first possession in the last five games.
 
Mitch Thomas took Dylan Kondis' punt at the Mercyhurst 47 and weaved his way for a 47-yard touchdown on the return. It was the first punt return for a touchdown since Ben Eisel's 69-yard return for a touchdown against Slippery Rock in 2013. Earlier in the season Thomas, a freshman, returned an interception for a touchdown at Indiana(Pa.).
 
The 7-0 lead represented the first lead for Edinboro since late in the third quarter of the second game of the season against Shippensburg. 
 
Three plays later Edinboro was knocking on the door again thanks to the first career interception for Josh Kibbie. The junior noseguard intercepted Zach Emerick's pass and rumbled 14 yards to the Mercyhurst 3. Cory Bell went off right guard for a two-yard touchdown on second-and-goal. Austin Reese's extra point made it 14-0 with 11:13 remaining in the opening quarter.
 
Edinboro had a golden opportunity to lengthen the lead after Zuril Hendrick forced a fumble by Emerick on a sack, with Domenic Principale recovering at the Mercyhurst 43. The Fighting Scots were unable to move the ball and were forced to punt.  
 
After that, the rest of the half belonged to the Lakers. Mercyhurst put together an impressive 15-play, 85-yard drive that ate up 8 minutes, 55 seconds. In fact, the Lakers would have the ball for 21:36 in the first half. Mercyhurst stuck to the ground for most of the drive, but it was Emerick's six-yard scoring pass to Jaquan Williams that cut the deficit to 14-7 on the second play of the second quarter.
 

The Edinboro offense would manage just one first down in the second quarter, while turning the ball over on an interception and having a punt blocked.
 
Mercyhurst would score after both the interception and the blocked punt. Emerick scored on a two-yard run with 4:30 left in the half to tie the score at 14-14 after Dante Redwood blocked Reese's punt, with Mercyhurst taking over at the Edinboro 14.
 
Edinboro's next possession last just one play, as Jake Sisson's pass was intercepted by Dorian Stevens at the Edinboro 42. The Lakers needed nine plays to drive to the Edinboro seven before the Edinboro defense stiffened. Kondis came in and drilled a 24-yard field goal with 19 seconds to play to give Mercyhurst its first lead of the night at 17-14.
 
Edinboro had just 11 yards and one first down over the first thirty minutes. The Boro defense held Mercyhurst to 131 yards.
 
The Scots' offense continued to struggle until late in the third quarter. After managing just one first down on the first two possessions of the second half, the third possession began with a 27-yard pass from Sisson to Alex Caratelli. On the next play, Sisson scrambled for 15 yards to the Edinboro 46.  The next play saw Sisson complete a short two-yard pass to Massey, the 161st career reception for the junior. That broke David Bostic's record of 160 receptions.
 
The drive eventually stalled, but Reese's punt hit Kyle Briggs, with Hendrick recovering at the Mercyhurst 25. Five plays later the Scots had regained the lead at 21-17 on Sisson's three-yard run, as the sophomore signalcaller scrambled to his right, broke a tackle at the five, and sliced between two defenders for the score with 1;18 left in the third quarter.
 
Mercyhurst needed just two plays to regain the lead. The Fighting Scots were unable to recover a Laker fumble on first down, and on the next play Sanders sprinted 75 yards for the fifth-longest run in Mercyhurst history and a 24-21 lead with 17 seconds left in the quarter. It marked the fifth game this year that Edinboro has allowed a run of 40-or-more yards.
 
The Lakers boosted the lead to 31-21 thanks to their second long, time-consuming drive of the night. They chewed up 7 minutes, 1 second while going 83 yards in 11 plays. Sanders did the honors, sprinting to the left corner of the end zone for a one-yard TD run with 5:51 remaining.
 
Sisson would throw his second interception of the neight on Edinboro's first play from scrimmage, and Mercyhurst took over at the Edinboro 35. Four straight runs by Drew Robinson accounted for those yards, the last for 25 yards with 3:08 to play.
Edinboro would close the gap to 38-28 thanks to the longest play from scrimmage for the Scots. Caratelli took a wide receiver screen on a 3rd-and-10 play, received a couple solid blocks and sprinted down the right sideline for a 76-yard TD pass and run with 2:36 to play.
 
The Scots' comeback hopes ended when Sanders recovered Reese's onside kick.
 
Neither team excelled on offense, with Mercyhurst totaling 315 yards and Edinboro 206. That represented season lows both for the Edinboro offense and defense. One week after Mercyhurst finished with minus 11 yards rushing and Emerick threw for 412 yards, the Lakers ground out a season-high 251 yards rushing, with Emerick completing 11 of 18 passes for 64 yards. Edinboro, meanwhile, was held to 37 yards on the ground and threw for 169 yards.
 

A week ago Sisson enjoyed the best game of his career with 364 yards and 5 TDs passing against Gannon. He would complete 14 of 28 passes for 169 yards with a touchdown and 2 INTs. The Boro quarterback was also the leading rusher with 28 yards on eight carries.
 
Massey ended the night with 7 catches for 41 yards. He boosted his career-record total to 164 catches, and moved into ninth place in career receiving yards with 1,860 yards, He now has 58 receptions on the season, tied for third-highest season total.
 
Caratelli recorded his third 100-yard game, and second straight, as the sophomore finished with 5 catches for 116 yards.               
Sanders became the sixth running back with 100-or-more yards rushing this season, carrying the ball 20 times for his 170 yards. Robinson added 60 yards on eight carries, and all-time leading rusher Brandon Brown-Dukes had 48 yards on 12 rushes.
 
Freshman Trey Hall paced the Edinboro defense with a season-high 9 tackles, with Principale also recording 9 stops. Kibbie his strong play with 7 tackles, the interception, and a sack. Edinboro recorded four sacks for the second time in three weeks.
 
The Fighting Scots will conclude their home season next Saturday, October 31, hosting 15th-ranked Slippery Rock. The contest will kick off at 12 noon.