Gannon offensive live pictured against Charleston on Sept. 1.
Bryce Dolak

Football Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Niagara Cup at Stake as Crosstown Rivals Gannon, Mercyhurst Meet for 26th Time

MERCYHURST LAKERS (2-5, 0-4 PSAC West) at GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (5-2, 3-1 PSAC West)
NIAGARA CUP GAME
DATE: Saturday, October 22, 2022
KICKOFF: 12 noon
STADIUM: McConnell Family Stadium l Erie, Pa.
 
LIVE COVERAGE: Live Video l Live Stats l Live Audio
 
GAME NOTES
 
RADIO: 90.5 WERG FM – Listen to all the exciting action of Gannon football with Jack Quinn providing the play-by-play and Sean Amicucci on color commentary.
 

ERIE, Pa. – Gannon and Mercyhurst meet on the gridiron for the 26th time with the Golden Knights looking to reclaim the Niagara Cup. Kickoff is set for 12 noon at McConnell Family Stadium. Gannon had snapped a three-game losing streak to the Lakers with a 28-21 overtime win at Erie Veterans Stadium in April 2021. The Niagara Cup presided at Gannon until early November when the Lakers posted a 24-13 win at Tullio Field.
 
The game between the two crosstown rivals is about more than just the Niagara Cup. It's once again worth a year of bragging rights, and for Gannon a win would ensure a winning record for the first time since 2015.
 
Gannon is enjoying one of its best seasons in years under third-year head coach Erik Raeburn. The Golden Knights are 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the PSAC West. Mercyhurst, meanwhile, won its first two games but has since dropped five games in a row to fall to 2-5 and 0-4 in the PSAC West under first-year head coach Ryan Riemedio.
 
Of course, this is one of those games where records can be thrown out the window, as the saying goes. Gannon comes off a 40-14 loss at No. 18 Slippery Rock. Later in the day Mercyhurst lost for the second time in three weeks on a field goal in the final seconds. Clarion kicked a 30-yard field goal as time expired to hand the Lakers a 23-21 defeat.
 
The Mercyhurst game is the first of back-to-back games at home as the Golden Knights wrap up the 2022 regular season with three of their last four games at McConnell Family Stadium. No. 13 Indiana (Pa.) visits Gannon on Saturday, October 29. Gannon will once again be looking to post an upset over a ranked team for the first time since 2011.
 
SERIES RECORD
Mercyhurst leads 17-7-1
 
Last Meeting:  Nov. 6, 2021 – at Mercyhurst 24, Gannon 13 I RECAP
David Alize scored three touchdowns on runs of 32, 9 and 2 yards to lead Mercyhurst to the win at home. He finished with a career-high 114 yards on 22 carries as the Lakers ran for 177 yards while limiting Gannon to 67 yards. Mercyhurst has won four of the last five meetings and the last four games at McConnell Family Stadium.
 
FIVE FAST FACTS
 
Slippery Rock made a Gannon team that was one of the top rushing teams in the PSAC one-dimensional on offense last Saturday. The Golden Knights finished with minus nine yards rushing, thanks in part to five sacks. Gannon had previously run for 200-or-more yards in four of its first six games. The Gannon defense, meanwhile, played better than the final score indicated. Consider that SRU finished with 169 yards on the ground, but 27 of 40 rushes were for three yards or less. But The Rock converted on 11-of-19 3rd-down plays as the defense was unable to get off the field. Slippery Rock held a 35:50-24:10 advantage in time of possession. All told Gannon limited a powerful Slippery Rock offense to 371 yards.

Another huge factor in Slippery Rock's success last week was field position. Two of SRU's first three possessions began in Gannon territory and resulted in 10 points. Out of 12 possessions, SRU started with the ball at their own 40-or-better seven times. Gannon, meanwhile, found itself bottled up and facing a long field most of the day. Gannon also had 12 possessions, and nine began at their own 21-or-worse.

Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) continues to enjoy an outstanding season. A strong wind didn't bother the strong-armed redshirt junior, who threw for 305 yards. It was his third 300-yard effort of the season. Curtis threw a pair of touchdown passes, but was also guilty of two interceptions. He came into the game with just one pickoff all year. As it is, he has 15 TDs compared to just 3 INTs this season. Curtis ranks third in the PSAC and 21st in Division II in passing efficiency (152.6). He is also third and 20th in passing TDs (15) and passing yards (1,730).     

A sixth win would ensure Gannon of a winning record for the first time since 2015. That year Gannon ended with a 6-5 record. The Golden Knights have already matched last year's win total when they finished at 5-6.
 
With Sam East (Jackson Township, N.J./Saint John Vianney) unable to go due to an injury in three of the last four games, Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington) has emerged as Gannon's leading receiver. A year ago the redshirt junior caught four passes. This year he has 42 receptions for 622 yards and 4 TDs. He stand third in the PSAC and 23rd nationally in receptions per game (6.0) and is fourth and 26th in receiving yards per game (88.9).
 
SCOUTING MERCYHURST
Mercyhurst comes in with a 2-5 record under first-year head coach Ryan Riemedio. The Lakers opened the season with back-to-back road wins over Alderson Broaddus (45-28) and Lock Haven (49-7) but have since gone on to lose five straight contests. Last week the Lakers suffered a heart-breaking 23-21 loss at home to Clarion. Jarrett Esposito kicked a 30-yard field goal as time expired for the winning points. That was Mercyhurst second loss in the final seconds in three weeks. Edinboro kicked a 21-yard field goal with five second remaining for a 16-13 win. Mercyhurst was picked to finish seventh in the PSAC West coaches' preseason poll despite returning six All-PSAC West performers from a team that finished 4-7 in 2021. Riemedio is no stranger to Mercyhurst. He served as an assistant coach under Marty Schaetzle for ten seasons, including assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. Like Gannon, Mercyhurst possesses a strong tandem of running backs in Dustin Shoaf and David Alize. Shoaf, a 6'0", 220 lb. junior leads the team with 429 yards on 113 carries with 7 TDs.  Alize, a 5'9", 175 lb. sophomore, adds 365 yards on 75 carries. A year ago he earned second-team All-PSAC West honors after rushing for 375 yards and 3 TDs. He enjoyed his best game against Gannon with 114 yards and 3 TDs. Joe Carter and Michael Lowery have both seen extensive action at quarterback. Carter, a graduate student, started against Clarion and threw for 126 yards with a pair of touchdowns and four interceptions. He has completed 42-of-81 passes for 481 yards with 4 TDs and 6 INTs. Lowery, a senior, has thrown for 679 yards while completing 65-of-114 passes for 6 TDs and 8 INTs. The Mercyhurst defense ranks second in the PSAC in passing defense, allowing 163.9 ypg., but is 14th in rushing defense (197.0 ypg.). Jacob Holl, a 6'1", 230 lb. linebacker, was a first-team All-PSAC West choice in 2021 and leads the team with 77 tackles. He ranks third in the PSAC in tackles. Fellow linebacker Thomas Zacharyasz adds 66 tackles after leading the team a year ago with 107. Brian Alsobrooks is one of the top placekickers in the PSAC. The graduate student has made 8-of-11 field goals and 22-of-23 extra points.  
 
UP NEXT
Gannon will play the second of back-to-back home games on Saturday, October 29 with No. 13 Indiana (Pa.) visiting McConnell Family Stadium for a 12 p.m. Gannon plays three of its final four games at home.
 
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Players Mentioned

Ke

#1 Ke'John Batiste

WR
6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
Kory Curtis

#7 Kory Curtis

QB
6' 4"
Redshirt Junior
Sam East

#20 Sam East

WR
5' 11"
Senior
Undeclared

Players Mentioned

Ke

#1 Ke'John Batiste

6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
WR
Kory Curtis

#7 Kory Curtis

6' 4"
Redshirt Junior
QB
Sam East

#20 Sam East

5' 11"
Senior
Undeclared
WR