EDINBORO RUNS OVER MERCYHURST, 14-6

Henry Rushes For 262 Yards As Tepper Posts First Win

EDINBORO, PA - Edinboro University used a punishing ground game to defeat backyard rival Mercyhurst, 14-6, handing former University of Illinois head coach Lou Tepper his first win as the Fighting Scot mentor. The victory snapped a six-game losing streak for Edinboro, the longest since 1954.

The Fighting Scots rushed for 358 yards, the highest total since a 411-yard outburst against California (PA) in 1998. Most of the yards came courtesy of Bernard Henry (Wadesboro, NC/Anson), a senior tailback who gained 262 yards on 29 carries, both career-highs. Henry's 262 yards is the fourth-highest single-game total. He also accounted for both of Edinboro's scores on runs of 68 and 61 yards.

Edinboro took a 7-0 lead on its second possession, driving 91 yards on five plays. Henry accounted for the final 68 yards, with Sean McNicholas (Kirtland, OH/Kirtland) adding the extra point with 9:15 left in the quarter.

Mercyhurst's high-powered passing game finally answered back with 12:04 remaining in the second quarter. Mac McArdle (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) hooked up with Ed Bailey (South Euclid, OH/Brush) on a 68-yard scoring play, but the Lakers' Vinny Repucci missed the extra point. Bailey ended the game with 4 catches for 157 yards.

The Fighting Scots drove down to the Mercyhurst 9 yard line late in the first half, but Steve Hill (McMurray, PA/Peters Twp.) intercepted Jack Davis' (Cleveland, OH/Villa Angela St. Joseph) pass in the end zone with six seconds remaining.

Henry broke off his second long run of the day early in the third quarter, capping a 6-play, 85-yard march with the 61-yard run. McNicholas again made good on the extra point.

With Edinboro chewing up time with its ground game, Mercyhurst had one more scoring threat late in the game. Backup quarterback Scott Farison (Marion, OH/Pleasant) hit a pair of passes to move the Lakers to the Edinboro 17, but he was intercepted by Chris Kane (Round Rock, TX/Ramstein American) at the 16 to halt the threat. It was the first career interception for Kane.

total offense in Division II, averaging 522.0 yards, but was limited to 348 yards. In addition, lle, PA/Saegertown) keyed the defensive effort with a career-best 10 tackles

The victory avenges a 34-20 triumph by Mercyhurst a year ago. Edinboro now leads the all-time series, 3-1. The Fighting Sots face another strong challenge next Saturday, September 23, playing at Slippery Rock.

The Rockets entered today's action ranked 13th in Division II. Mercyhurst plays host to Northwood next Saturday.

GAME NOTES:

Henry climbs into 12th place in career rushing with 1,414 yards. He has played in 14 games at Edinboro, topping the 100-yard mark seven times. Last year, he gained 119 yards on 28 rushes in the loss to Mercyhurst … Edinboro converted on 10 of 19 third down plays, while Mercyhurst made just 2 of 12. The Lakers also failed to come up with a sack, while Edinboro sacked Mercyhurst signalcallers three times … After running off 101 plays at Michigan Tech, Mercyhurst ran just 63 plays. Edinboro, meanwhile, had a season-high 80 plays.

~ Fighting Scots ~

2000-2001 Press Release Index

Created on ... September 16, 2000