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NOTE: The Brad Rzyczycki Coach's Radio Show will not be available online this week. We apologize for the inconvenience. The show will broadcast live on Sports Radio 1330 The Fan (Erie, Pa.) Wednesday, October 16 at 5:30 p.m. A shift from the original Thursday time slot was made to accomodate Thursday's game.

ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon football team returns to a familiar site Thursday, October 17 for a match-up with intercity rival Mercyhurst. The contest is scheduled for Erie Veterans Memorial Stadium with a 7 p.m. kickoff. The Golden Knights called the stadium home until Gannon University Field opened in 2001.

Tickets cost $5 for adults and $3 for non-Gannon students and senior citizens. All Gannon students are admitted free of charge by showing their school ID at the gate. The contest can be heard live locally on Jet Radio 1400 and online at www.wergfm.com. There will be no live video broadcast available for Thursday's contest.

Fans can purchase tickets in advance at the Gannon athletics department office from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. today through Thursday. Tickets can also be purchased at the Mercyhurst athletics department office, the Mercyhurst bookstore and the Erie Sport Store on Upper Peach Street. Fans can purchase tickets from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Mercyhurst athletics department office. Tickets to the game are available during store business hours at the Mercyhurst bookstore and at the Erie Sport Store.

Tickets will also be available at the stadium the night of the game. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. - in time for a pre-game acoustic concert by The Romantic Era. The local band will be performing from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

One dollar from every ticket purchased to the game will go towards the ALS Association. Children under the age of 12 and grade school/parochial school football players (up to eighth grade) will also be admitted free when they wear their team jersey.

Gannon (4-2, 3-0 PSAC West) will be five days removed from a convincing 55-14 victory against Edinboro last Saturday. The Golden Knights fell one point shy of the school's all-time scoring record while posting the third-largest margin of victory in school history. The squad did break school records for rushing touchdowns (7), total plays (95) and passing first downs (18).

Redshirt senior Jansen Jones set a school record with four rushing touchdowns and became the second Golden Knight in school history to rush for over 200 yards in a game twice during the same season. He also became the seventh Golden Knight in school history to reach the 2,000-yard plateau in rushing yards.

Redshirt sophomore Liam Nadler tied Darmel Whitfield's (2001-04) school record for career 300-yard passing games with seven, finishing with 350 yards on 26-of-38 passing. The Gannon defense posted season-lows in points allowed (14), total offense allowed (258) and rushing yards allowed (66). The rushing yards were the fewest by an opponent since Lock Haven had minus 15 yards on October 15, 2011.

Head coach Brad Rzyczycki's club sits alone in first place among Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division teams with a perfect 3-0 mark. California (Pa.), Indiana (Pa.) and Slippery Rock are one game back with 2-1 records.

Gannon is on pace to shatter the school's scoring record of 347 set in 2003. The Golden Knights' current average of 38.2 points per game would result in 420 points through 11 contests.

Mercyhurst (3-3, 1-2 PSAC West) earned its first victory against a PSAC West opponent last Saturday, defeating conference newcomer Seton Hill 50-19. It was the first meeting between the two schools.

Redshirt junior Alec Swartz made his first collegiate start at quarterback, completing 12-of-16 passes for 168 yards and three touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore tailback Brandon Brown-Dukes had 127 yards and one score on just 13 carries. It was his fourth 100-yard game of the season and the 10th of his career.

Mercyhurst has scored 113 points during the last two games, representing the second-highest total over a two-game span in school history (127 in 1985). The Lakers had 112 points during their first four games combined.

Gannon has won two of the last three meetings against Mercyhurst, but still trails the all-time series 10-5-1. The Lakers earned a 38-29 victory last season at Gannon University Field after the Golden Knights posted victories at home (14-10) in 2010 and at Tullio Field (30-27) in 2011. Thursday will mark the first meeting at Erie Veterans Memorial Stadium since 1997.