Merychurst Lakers

2013 Record: 7-4 (4-3)

Head Coach: Marty Schaetzle (62-70, 13th year)
Defensive Coordinator: Jeff Gutowski
Offensive Coordinator:

Top returning players: RB Brandon Brown-Dukes, OL Ben Gysin, TE R.J. Miller, LB Pat Behm, DB Colin Kimball

The upside: The back end of the defense is loaded with talent
The downside: The D-line depth chart will have several new faces



A year ago, Mercyhurst entered the season with a lofty #2 ranking in the PSAC West preseason poll. The Lakers didn't quite live up to expectations and any hopes of a championship or playoff invitation were gone within the first month of the season. Expectations are a little lower this year as the Lakers were picked fourth in the preseason poll, but if a few pieces fall into place, 2014 could turn out to be the year 2013 was supposed to be.

Mercyhurst is a bit of old fashioned football team. They win by running the ball and stopping the run. A year ago, the Lakers fielded the league's second best rushing attack and fourth best rushing defense. The throwback approach should make it easier to fill the holes that exist on offense. The Lakers will be looking for as many as five new starters on the offensive side of the ball, but line is in solid shape with three returning starters that all have significant experience. Senior Ben Gysin, a returning All-PSAC West first teamer has started every game for the past three years and will be a an All American candidate. He will be joined up front by Juniors Jordan Farrow and Jake Green. The remainder of the OL roster is pretty young so the Lakers will need some freshmen to step into starting roles, and to fill out the depth chart.

Behind the O-line, the Lakers will have a new quarterback. As camp progresses, the battle is between sophomore Zack Emerick and Junior Brendan Boylan. Both saw limited action under center last year but each did appear in several games. It's possible that it could come down to game week before a starter is named. The new starter won't necessarily have to be the team's playmaker, but he will need to be efficient. The Lakers were only 12th in passing yards per game last year, but were 7th in passing efficiency. Thankfully, the new starter will have 2013's top two receivers back in WR Jaquan Williams (33 catches, 493 yards, 3TD) and TE R.J. Miller (15 catches, 186 yards, 1TD). Most importantly, the Lakers bring back Junior RB Brandon Brown-Dukes who is the only player in program history to record back to back 1,000 yard rushing seasons. Brown-Dukes is already third in career rushing yardage at the Hurst and will be one of the PSAC's premier running backs in 2014.

On the defensive side of the ball, there are some gaps to fil. Last year, Ryan Carroll was the youngster up front amid a group of seasoned vets, but this year, he's the old pro. Carroll, heading into his sophomore year, is the only returning starter. There will be a lot of competition for playing time, and I think this is probably the most important variable in the Lakers' season. If they can come up with a solid rotation on the D line, they could have a big year. If they struggle with what they do best - stopping the run - the early part of the season could be tough.

The good news for the Laker D is that the they five seniors and a junior returning to staring roles at linebacker and in the secondary, and every one of them has potential to be an All-Conference player. Pat Behm is a versatile player that has started games at linebacker and safety and was the team's leading tackler a year ago. He'll be joined at linebacker by Joe Dever (56 total tackles) and Garrett Wild (42 total tackles). The secondary also has three returning starters led by All American candidate Colin Kimball who hauled in six interceptions last season and finished second on the team in total tackles (57). Kimball is also a first team Academic All-American.

Outlook
If the Hurst is a championship caliber team, we'll know it in the first month of the season. The Lakers have a brutal first quarter that includes Bentley, West Chester, Bloomsburg and IUP. The four teams lost a total of just 11 games last season. To make it even tougher, three of those games are on the road. If the D-line comes together, the Lakers should be one of the top defenses in the PSAC, and possibly the region. There are enough holes to fill to question exactly which way their season will go, but there is also enough returning talent to think they can be a contender.