SRU goes from facing top-ranked IUP defense to league-worst Mercyhurst unit
ERIE — On paper, this one appears to be a mismatch.
But Saturday’s Slippery Rock University-Mercyhurst game — slated for a 2 p.m. kickoff at Saxon Stadium in Erie — will be played on a football field in Erie with windy, rainy conditions in the forecast.
“If we’re not ready to play, that’s on us as coaches,” SRU coach Shawn Lutz said. “But I don’t see that being a problem. Our guys love to play football.”
The 10th-ranked Rock (5-0, 2-0) rolled up 42 points against the PSAC’s top-ranked defense in Indiana (Pa.) last week. Mercyhurst (1-4, 0-2) enters the game ranking last in the league in defense, allowing 39.2 points and 438 yards per contest.
“We’ve been dealing with some injuries there,” second-year Lakers coach Ryan Riemedio said of his defense. “A couple of defensive backs and linemen have been out.”
One player who’s taken advantage of that situation is Knoch graduate and junior Mercyhurst linebacker Tyler Buterbaugh. He made his first career collegiate start against Edinboro last week, had a quarterback sack and led his team in tackles in a 40-24 loss to Edinboro.
Buterbaugh ranks third on the team with 21 tackles despite seeing part-time duty prior to last week.
“Tyler’s been playing great,” Riemedio said. “He’ll be starting again this Saturday. He’s come a long way since his freshman year.”
Bad weather on Saturday could favor The Rock. SRU has rushed for over 200 yards as a team three times in its first five games. Khalid Dorsey, Chris D’Or and Isaiah Edwards have combined for 794 rushing yards and all are averaging at least 4.8 yards per carry.
By comparison, Mercyhurst has 255 net rushing yards as the Lakers’ top three running backs have been out with injuries, including Dustin Shoaf, an all-conference player last year.
“We need to jump on them right away and make them a one-dimensional team offensively,” Lutz said.
This game features the two most productive quarterbacks in the PSAC in terns of passing yardage. Adam Urena has thrown for 1,374 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Lakers. One of his favorite targets is 6-foot-6 receiver Cameron Barmore.
SRU’s Brayden Long has thrown for only 44 fewer yards than Urena — in 61 fewer pass attempts. He leads the league with a 69.2 completion percentage and 14 touchdown passes. Kyle Sheets ranks fourth in all of NCAA Division II with 549 receiving yards.
SRU leads the series between the teams 10-4. The series dates back to 2008. The Rock has won the last seven meetings between the schools since Mercyhurst’s win over SRU at Michigan Stadium in 2014.
