MERCYHURST Lakers (3-3, 2-1 PSAC West) at EDINBORO Fighting Scots (3-3, 1-2 PSAC West)
Date: Saturday, October 14, 2017
Site: Edinboro, Pa.
Stadium: Sox Harrison Stadium (6,000)
Kickoff: 2:00 p.m.
Live Stats: Click Here
Live Video: Click Here
Radio: WFSE 88.9
Click Here
Edinboro Game Notes
Mercyhurst Game Notes
Scouting the Teams
On Radio and TV
The Edinboro-Mercyhurst can be heard live on WFSE FM 88.9, with George Schmidt and Gabriel Hypes handling the call of all the action. The WFSE stream can be heard at www.edinboronow.com. In addition, ETV will provide a video stream of the game at www.youtube.com/c/EdinboroNow/live
The All-Time Series
Mercyhurst leads 7-6
Edinboro snapped a three-game losing streak to the Lakers in 2016. Mercyhurst has won the last four meetings at Sox Harrison Stadium, with three of those decided by three points or less, and the last by ten points. For five straight years, the visiting team had prevailed before Mercyhurst held the home field advantage with a 19-6 win at Tullio Field in 2013.
The Last Meeting
2016 -- Edinboro 45, Mercyhurst 16
The Fighting Scots won the Erie County crown with a convincing win at Mercyhurst. The game also featured the first, and as it turned out, only matchup between Justin Lusting and Mercyhurst coach Marty Schaetzle. Schaetzle was an assistant coach at Bucknell in the late 1990's when Lustig played there. Mercyhurst held a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter, but after that it was all Edinboro. The Fighting Scots rolled up 501 yards in total offense while holding the Lakers to 229 yards. Jake Sisson completed 28 of 42 passes for 435 yards with 4 TDs. His first went to Ta'Nauz Gregory for 16 yards in the first quarter. Mercyhurst would regain the lead on a four-yard run by Richie Sanders less than a minute into the second stanza. Edinboro responded with three straight scores for a 24-10 halftime advantage. Alex Caratelli caught a two-yard TD pass from Sisson, followed by Austin Reese's career-long 47-yard field goal. James Clark hauled in Sisson's third touchdown pass of the day, this one covering 16 yards. Mercyhurst opened the third quarter with a field goal to close the gap to 24-13. Once again, the Fighting Scots tacked on three straight scores, all six-pointers in the third quarter, to take a commanding 45-13 lead. Just over a minute after the Lakers' field goal, Walter Fletcher scored on a two-yard run. Fletcher was back in the end zone 59 seconds later, recovering a blocked punt in the end zone. Finally, Sisson combined with Jordan Williams on a 27-yard touchdown pass. For the first time in school history, three receivers caught passes for 100-or-more yards -- Gregory (9 rec.-110 yds.); Clark (7 rec. -147 yds.); and Caratelli (7 rec.-128 yds.) -- and all three scored touchdowns. The defense, meanwhile, recorded five sacks and had an interception.
The Coaches
Wayne Bradford (Salisbury St. '90) was named Edinboro's 15th head coach on March 29, 2017. Bradford worked under four different head coaches and was an assistant at Edinboro for 18 years before taking over as the interim head coach. He has spent a majority of his time as the Fighting Scots' defensive coordinator. Bradford has master-minded some brilliant defensive performances over the years in a day and age when offense has taken over. For instance, in 2011 the Fighting Scots ranked eighth in Division II in scoring defense (17.0 ppg.), 11th in pass efficiency defense, and 18th in total defense (292.6 ypg.). Edinboro gave up fewer than 20 points in seven of its 11 games. A year ago, his Edinboro defense finished first in the PSAC and fourth in Division II in tackles for losses, and second in the PSAC and sixth in the country in sacks. Edinboro finished the 2016 campaign with a 9-2 record, marking the fifth time an Edinboro team with Bradford on the staff tied the school record for victories (9). Three of Edinboro's teams during his tenure have reached the NCAA playoffs, including the 2009 team, which finished at 9-4 and reached the Super Region One semifinals. All told, he has been a part of 112 wins.
Marty Schaetzle (Bucknell '83) is the dean of coaches in the PSAC West. Schaetzle is in his 16th season at the helm of the Lakers, and has an 80-91 career record. He has surpassed current Mercyhurst Director of Athletics Joe Kimball as the longest-tenured football coach at the Hurst, and his 80 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 he was recognized as the PSAC West?Coach of the Year and Don Hansen Football Gazette Co-Coach of the Year. In 2012, 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.
Last Week
Gannon 47, Edinboro 25
The Fighting Scots were unable to contain the nation's leading rusher. Marc Jones, a powerful 5'11", 225 lb. junior, scored a school-record six touchdowns rushing while finishing with 261 yards on 23 carries. Jones scored on runs of 38, 11, 1, 3, 57, and 15 yards. Edinboro's Walter Fletcher also enjoyed a big day after coming into the game ranked third in the PSAC in rushing. The redshirt sophomore scored on runs of 8 and 67 yards and caught a three-yard TD pass. Fletcher had his fourth 100-yard game of the season with 165 yards on 22 carries. Edinboro scored first for a 7-0 lead on Fletcher's eight-yard run, but Gannon would go up 28-13 at the half as two Boro turnovers led to scores. Edinboro also lost starting quarterback Jake Sisson for the rest of the game midway through the second quarter with an injury. Sisson completed 11-of-18 passes for 114 yards with a TD and an INT. Redshirt freshman Andrew Tomko relieved and completed 9-of-19 passes for 90 yards and a pickoff. James Clark had his fourth straight game with 100 yards receiving, catching eight passes for 109 yards. Gannon finished with 530 total yards, while Edinboro had 412.
No. 12 Slippery Rock 31, Mercyhurst 28
Mercyhurst had its three-game winning streak snapped with the close loss to 12th-ranked Slippery Rock. Doug Altavilla's one-yard run late in the third quarter knotted the score at 21-21, but The Rock grabbed the lead for good with ten consecutive points in a span of just over three minutes. Jake Chapla's 45-yard field goal with 11:47 remaining gave SRU the lead for good, and after the Lakers were stopped on downs at the SRU 36, one play later Tanner Garry found Marcus Johnson for a 64-yard touchdown and a 31-21 lead. The Lakers answered with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Altavilla to Brad Novak with 4:23 to play, but Mercyhurst never regained the ball. Altavilla completed 26-of-40 passes for 326 yards with two touchdowns passing and a third rushing. Novak caught seven passes for 85 yards, with Austin Hence adding five 90 yards, including a 42-yard TD reception. Garrett Owens scored on a three-yard TD run while rushing for 60 yards and catching six passes for 57 yards.
The Game Stories
- Edinboro faces its second straight local rival as Mercyhurst visits Sox Harrison Stadium. This is the third of four straight games the Fighting Scots will play in Erie County. The stretch wraps up with a home game against ninth-ranked Slippery Rock on Saturday, October 21. A year ago, Edinboro swept local rivals Gannon and Mercyhurst. The Fighting Scots are hoping to gain a split after suffering a 47-25 loss at Gannon on Saturday.
- Edinboro will celebrate Homecoming 2017 on Saturday, with a special kickoff time of 2 p.m. On Friday night, nine individuals will be inducted into the Edinboro Athletic Hall of Fame, including four former football players -- Justin Bouch, Greg Bzorek, Jerry Cass, and Seth Fragale. This will mark the first time Edinboro hosts Mercyhurst on Homecoming. The Fighting Scots snapped a two-game Homecoming losing streak last year with a 41-17 win over Gannon. Edinboro has a 38-34-2 all-time record in Homecoming games.
- Following Saturday's loss at Gannon, Edinboro has now lost three of its last four games and has a 3-3 overall record and is 1-2 in the PSAC West. The Fighting Scots, picked to finish fourth in the PSAC West, snapped a two-game losing streak with a 45-10 win over Clarion two weeks ago. Edinboro opened the season with back-to-back wins at Sox Harrison Stadium, defeating Lake Erie (30-3) and Lock Haven (20-3). Their next two games came on the road against the two preseason favorites in the PSAC. Edinboro suffered a 62-28 loss at West Chester, the Eastern Division favorite, followed by a 38-7 setback at then sixth-ranked and PSAC West preseason favorite Indiana(Pa.) in the PSAC West opener.
- Edinboro definitely enjoys playing at Sox Harrison Stadium. The Fighting Scots are 3-0 at home and have outscored those three opponents, 92-16. The story has been a bit different on the road, with Edinboro losing all three road games and being outscored 147-60. In addition, temperatures for the three home games have all been around 60 degrees. All three road contests have featured game temperatures in the low-to-mid 80's.
- A Mercyhurst team that was picked to finish eighth in the PSAC Western Division has been the biggest surprise in the Western Division. The Lakers come in with a 3-3 record, but all six games have been decided by one possession, including the last three by three points or less. They are 2-1 in PSAC West play, and last week's 31-28 loss to 12th-ranked Slippery Rock is an indication they can compete with anyone in the conference. The Lakers opened the year with back-to-back losses at home to Hillsdale (19-11) and Kutztown (21-16). They proceeded to run off three straight wins, 25-20 at East Stroudsburg, 21-18 at Clarion, and 24-22 over Gannon. Last week's 31-28 loss to ninth-ranked Slippery Rock snapped the winning streak.
- Wayne Bradford is in his first season as Edinboro's interim head coach. He was on the Edinboro staff for 18 years, most of that as the defensive coordinator, before assuming the head coach responsibilities.
- Bradford took over for Justin Lustig, who was Edinboro's head coach for just a year. Lustig moved on to an assistant coaching position at Syracuse. He enjoyed a monumental one season as head coach, as Edinboro recorded the largest turnaround in NCAA Division II history. The Fighting Scots went 9-2 in 2016, tying the school record for wins in a season, after finishing 0-11 in 2015.
- A year ago Edinboro showcased a high-flying passing attack. This year, while the Fighting Scots are still averaging 42 passes per game, it is the play of running back Walter Fletcher that has sparked the offense. The redshirt sophomore ranks second in the PSAC and fourth in Division II in rushing yards (826) and has accounted for nine touchdowns rushing and receiving.
- Edinboro has not beaten Mercyhurst at Sox Harrison Stadium since 2000, a span of four games. In fact, the Lakers have not lost to Edinboro at Sox Harrison since Mercyhurst joined the PSAC.
- After finishing 9-2 finish in 2016, Edinboro was ranked in several preseason polls. The summer began with the Fighting Scots picked 16th in the Street and Smith's Division II Preseason Top 25 Poll. Next came a ranking of 30th in the College Football America 2017 Yearbook Division II Preseason Top 30. The AFCA released its 2017 AFCA Division II Preseason Coaches' Top 25 Poll on August 14, with defending national champion Northwest Missouri State ranked number one. While failing to land a spot in the top 25, Edinboro was one of the top teams among "others receiving votes". The Fighting Scots received 57 votes after ending the 2016 season among "others receiving votes", as well.
