No. 25 Mercyhurst Runs Past Football, 34-7
Box Score
ERIE, Pa. (Sept. 17, 2011) – Mercyhurst College defeated C.W. Post, 34-7, Saturday afternoon in a PSAC non-conference football contest on Tullio Field.
Mercyhurst struck early in the first quarter when Ricky Mathews busted through the pile for a 1-yard touchdown at 8:08.
Mathews broke through again minutes later for a 6-yard score at 2:15 after the Lakers recovered the ball on a Pioneer fumble at the Post 32 and moved the ball downfield on a 26-yard pass from Travis Rearick to Paris Bruner.
The Lakers tallied one more score on the board before the half when Steve Wakefield drilled home an 18-yard field goal as the clock was running out.
At the half, Mercyhurst recorded 234 offensive yards on 42 plays. The Pioneers were held to 35 yards on 26 plays.
The Laker offense continued to rally for more yardage in the second half with 221 yards. Trevor Kennedy caught his first of two touchdown passes from Rearick with 12:09 on the clock in the third on a 39-yard completion during Mercyhurst's first drive of the third quarter.
The Pioneers broke up the shutout minutes later when sophomore running back
Anthony Brunetti (Bayville, N.Y.) broke through to the endzone for a 5-yard touchdown at 7:06.
Mercyhurst answered back in the next series when Wakefield kicked his second successful field goal from 35 yards out to put the home team ahead, 27-7.
The Lakers put the game further out of reach when they scored their fourth touchdown of the game as Rearick connected to Kennedy for a 3-yard score at 5:31 in the fourth.
Mercyhurst finished the game with 455 offensive yards on 80 plays. Rearick was 24-for-25 for 37s yards and two TD completions. Kennedy caught 11 passes for a career-high 206 yards.
Redshirt freshman quarterback
Steven Laurino (Boise, Idaho) was 11-for-27 from the line of scrimmage with 92 passing yards. Junior wide receiver
Sean Persch (Gap, Pa.) caught seven of those passes for 67 yards.
Senior inside linebacker
Billy O'Connor (Sayville, N.Y.) led the defense with a game-high 10 tackles while senior defensive lineman
TuQwan Ashley (Hoboken, N.J.) recorded 1.5 sacks for loss of nine yards. Junior defensive back
D.J. Young (Highland Mills, N.Y.) registered one interception and two pass deflections.
C.W. Post returns home to host Shippensburg on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 1 p.m.