ERIE, Pa. - Five days after a 55-14 drubbing of rival Edinboro, the Gannon football team was on the reversed end of a game that got away. Mercyhurst set a school record with 628 yards of total offense while reaching the 50-point plateau for the third consecutive game en route to a 51-21 victory in front of 1,344 tough fans who braved the rainy conditions Thursday evening at Erie Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Jesstin Hamm (Harwood, Md./DeMatha Catholic) had a career night for the Golden Knights, hauling in four passes for a career-high 171 yards. It represented his first career 100-yard game and was 87 more yards than his previous career-high.
Gannon's Achilles Heel surfaced again Thursday night. The Golden Knights allowed a touchdown on their first defensive possession for the fifth time during the last six games. Mercyhurst had great field position at the 50-yard line after forcing a three-and-out on Gannon's first possession. Anthony Vendemia then connected with Marcus Snipes for a 50-yard touchdown pass on the Lakers' first offensive play of the night.
Trailing 14-0, Gannon got a spark from an unexpected rusher. Redshirt sophomore
Liam Nadler (Leipsic, Ohio/Leipsic Local) faked a handoff and raced 61 yards down the right side for a touchdown, cutting the deficit in half as time expired in the first quarter.
Unfortunately, that was as close as Gannon would get. Mercyhurst rattled off 17 unanswered points during the second quarter to assume a 31-7 lead at the intermission. The lead ballooned to 38-7 after Allen Jones II scored on a 39-yard run three plays into the second half.
Gannon put two more touchdowns on the board during the final two quarters.
Abraham Ocasio (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) caught his fifth touchdown pass of the season with 11:41 remaining in the third quarter, scoring on a five-yard connection. Hamm added an eight-yard touchdown catch for his fourth score of the campaign with 4:30 to play.
Nadler finished 16-of-34 for 289 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Ocasio hauled in a team-best five aerials while Hamm topped all wide-outs in receiving yards.
Jansen Jones (Rochester, N.Y./Penfield) logged 13 carries for 98 yards while Nadler raced for 68 yards on 10 attempts.
Luke Rankie (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport) led the defensive unit with nine total tackles, two tackles for a loss and one sack.
Trenton Donald (Uniontown, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) was close behind with eight stops.
Matt Astorino (Edinboro, Pa./General McLane) and
Mike Zanders (Charlotte, N.C./Hopewell) chipped in seven tackles each.
Mercyhurst led the majority of the statistical categories - rushing yards (407-166), total yards (628-455), first downs (27-17) and time of possession (38:24-21:27). Gannon held an edge in passing yards (289-221).
Head coach
Brad Rzyczycki's club still controls its own destiny with a 4-3 overall record and 3-1 mark in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). The Golden Knights would still win the division with victories during their final three divisional games against California (Pa.), Seton Hill and Indiana (Pa.). Mercyhurst improved to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the PSAC West with its third consecutive victory.
Gannon has eight days off to prepare for a road game Saturday, October 26 at California (Pa.). Game time is scheduled for 12 noon.
