Garrett Wild

Garrett Wild saw something. Thank goodness he was right.

When the Mercyhurst College true freshman linebacker called a fake punt against city rival Gannon this season, his older brother, Ian Wild, was the long snapper.

The youngest Wild, who was the up man on the play,  took the snap and completed a 31-yard pass to Todd Wingate for a first down.

“I made the call,” said Garrett Wild, who is the youngest of three brothers who went to Mercyhurst. The oldest, Zac, finished his career there in 2008.

“We put than in earlier in the year. (Assistant coach Tom Herman) gives me the responsibility. If I see anything that’s open, you take it. You make the call. I glanced. I saw him. I just called it and threw the ball out there.”

Thank goodness he made the right one.

“He saw the uncovered gunner,” Ian Wild said. “He makes on the calls on punt. It was a pretty bold call for a freshman to make it.”

Big brother had to trust the call.

“He must see something,” Ian Wild said. “If he’s calling it, someone must be wide open. I just snapped it to him and it was a good play.”

When asked what would have happened had the play not worked, Ian Wild did something he rarely does during interviews – laugh out loud.

“I would have wanted an explanation,” said a laughing Wild. “‘Was he open or not?’”

PSAC leading tackler Ian Wild (90 stops total) is out with a shoulder injury. Photo by Jack Hanrahan/Erie Times-News

If losing five straight games isn’t enough, Mercyhurst College (3-6, 1-5)  is dealing with a rash of injuries heading into Saturday’s PSAC West finale at Clarion (2-7, 2-4).

Senior linebacker Ian Wild (shoulder) – Missed last week’s 28-21 loss at Slippery Rock. Got hurt against California (Pa.) Won’t play Saturday.

Senior safety Bryant Kimball (neck) – Was injured last week.

Senior defensive end Dan Kruper (foot) – Missed last two games.

Sophomore nose guard Dustin Galich (concussion) – Missed last game.

Sophomore kicker Steven Wakefield (knee) – Hurt in Cal game. He kicked, but didn’t punt at Slippery Rock.

These injuries are the most recent ones. The Lakers lost  starting fifth-year senior quarterback Travis Rearick to a season-ending knee injury against Gannon. The Lakers haven’t won a game since.

Trying to end a three-game losing skid, Mercyhurst College has a 13-7 halftime lead on California (Pa.) in a key PSAC West game at Adamson Stadium.

Mercyhurst sophomore Anthony Vendemia is 15-of-24 for 150 yards, a touchdown and an interception. His 13-yard touchdown pass to R.J. Miller put the Lakers (3-4, 1-3) up 7-0 in the first quarter.

Steven Wakefield has made two short field goals for Mercyhurst with the latter one being a 21-yard at the end of the first half.

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Ian Wild had a great game in a losing effort last week against Gannon./ETN file photo.

Mercyhurst College senior Ian Wild had some day last Saturday.

He made 14 total tackles (11 solo stops), forced a fumble, blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown, caught a touchdown pass and made a direct snap on a punt to the up man, his younger brother Garrett Wild, who threw a pass for a first down.

And he wasn’t happy because the Lakers lost 30-27 to Gannon.

“I played well in high school and we lost a lot of games, too,” said Wild after the game. “It wasn’t fun. It’s not fun when you lose. Especially to a rival on homecoming. Kind of ruins the weekend. It’s really not that gratifying for me at all, actually.”

It gets worse.

A linebacker, Wild was not named PSAC individual honors for the week, either. Wild was the PSAC Defensive Player of the Week last week, but he was just as deserving of it after the game he had against Gannon.

Not knocking what Andre Henderson did to help Indiana (Pa.) knock off No. 25-ranked Edinboro because he made eight tackles, recovered a fumble and had an interception that lead to a touchdown drive to earn PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Love to see the guys from Erie get rewarded as Henderson played at Strong Vincent, but man, Wild had the game of games. Being part of a losing effort didn’t help Wild’s chances, but he certainly had a great game.

So for Wild, a Pittsburgh native, let’s give him the DIA (Did It All) Award. He earned it.

With Mercyhurst College leading 20-17, in today’s PSAC West showdown against Gannon, the Lakers were about to punt.

And the Knights seemed confused.

Gannon left Mercyhurst freshman Todd Wingate uncovered on the right side on a 4th-and-5 play from the Mercyhurst 40-yard line.

So instead of punting, Mercyhurst senior Ian Wild snapped the ball directly to his younger brother, freshman Garrett Wild, who found an open Wingate.

“That’s our fault,” Gannon coach Jim Kiernan said. “As coaches, that blame goes right on us. We were trying to put in some different looks with the punt return and I think we did some things. I had to to take the timeout the one time and I didn’t it the second time and they capitalized on it.”

Sprinting down the sideline, Wingate was heading to the end zone when Joe Sobucki tackled him at the 29.

It was a 31-yard gain, but if Wingate scores, Mercyhurst goes up 27-17 pending the PAT. Instead, Gannon forced a punt to stay within three.

Gannon was making the changes to give Justin Caliste a better chance to return a punt because teams had been kicking away from him since had two returns for touchdowns two weeks ago against Millersville.

Mercyhurst College senior linebacker Ian Wild (17) forced Gannon's Joe Sobucki to fumble in today's PSAC West game./Photo by Jack Hanrahan of the Erie Times-News.

The Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills each had a scout in the press box for today’s Gannon-Mercyhurst College game at Tullio Field.

Gannon won 30-27.

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a scout there as well. The Titans are playing at Cleveland against the Browns on Sunday.

The three NFL teams were checking out Gannon senior defensive tackle Randy Colling, Mercyhurst senior linebacker Ian Wild and Mercyhurst senior receiver Trevor Kennedy.

Here’s how each did today.

Colling – 4 tackles (1 sack, 2 stops for loss).

Wild – 14 total tackles (11 solo stops, 4 stops for loss), forced fumble, blocked punt (that lead to a return for a touchdown).

Kennedy – 10 catches, 157 yards, 2 touchdowns. Two punt returns for 53 yards. Four kickoff returns for 85 yards.

Colling’s fumble recovery set up Gannon’s final touchdown drive, Wild was simply all over the place and even caught a touchdown.

As for Kennedy, he now has 10 touchdown catches for the season. He had 11 in 13 games last season.

“It was a very sick feeling for everybody.” – Mercyhurst head coach Marty Schaetzle about last season’s 14-10 loss at Gannon.

Zach Boedicker was on the run all day, but his last-second decision to throw won the game for Gannon./ETN file photo.

Jason Ladouceur had three catches all last season.

Two went for a combined 32 yards. The other beat Mercyhurst College.

On Oct. 2, 2010, Gannon trailed the Lakers late in the fourth quarter before Zach Boedicker hit Ladouceur for a 73-yard touchdown with two minutes, one second left to give Knights a 14-10 victory and cap one of the most memorable  games between the PSAC West rivals.

“It was a very sick feeling for everybody,” Mercyhurst College coach Marty Schaetzle said.

Below are two stories from the Erie Times-News about the game.

Late score gives Gannon 14-10 rivalry win against Mercyhurst College
Big brother gets last word for Gannon

Earlier this week, ETN sports reporter Duane Rankin asked the Mercyhurst players their memories of the game.

Heartbreak.

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Ryan Skelton's 21 tackles and four sacks rank first in the PSAC in those respective categories this season./ETN file photo.

Ryan Skelton is always around the ball, but you rarely see him until he’s making a tackle or sack.

That’s because he’s 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds.

“You can’t see me,” said Skelton with a laugh. “You can’t see me.”

Now Edinboro is listing Skelton as that height and weight. Check again, but the following figure about Skelton is 100 percent accurate:

Skelton leads the PSAC in sacks this season with four.

The General McLane graduate has had two sacks in each of his first two games this season for the 2-0 Scots, who beat Merrimack, 49-19, last week.

Edinboro will try look to stay unbeaten as it takes on PSAC East foe Cheyney (1-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Sox Harrison Stadium.

“Ryan Skelton is a good a football player as there is,” Edinboro coach Scott Browning said this week. “He’s an impact. He really is. The film doesn’t lie.”

With Skelton being so short, he tends to hide in between the defensive linemen, but has great timing in terms of when he blitzes.

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Gannon junior Khayree Connors-McChristian has the task of playing the "Superman" or strong safety position for Gannon this season./Photo by Jack Hanrahan of the Erie Times-News

Last season, Matthew Neal-Mink wore the red cape.

Now it’s Khayree Connors-McChristian’s turn to play the role of “Superman” for the Gannon University defense.

The Knights’ redshirt junior will play strong safety, or “Superman” position for the Knights this season.

“The ‘Superman’ is a guy that can adapt to any situation no matter who we play,” Connors-McChristian said.

The irony of this is Connors-McChristian is replacing someone he played against in high school in New Jersey. Neal-Mink’s Moorestown lost to Connors-McChristian’s Winslow Township when they were seniors.

“It’s a position that (defensive coordinator Brad Rzyczycki) can move me around to fit the scheme of the defense,” Connors-McChristian said. “You can be deep half (zone) guy. You can be a deep middle (zone). You can be a guy that can play linebacker. That’s mainly the reason we call it ‘Superman.’”

The position is hybrid one. Play safety, but also line up close to the line of scrimmage like a linebacker. Mercyhurst College has the same type of position called Laker that senior Ian Wild has thrived in on its defense.

Wild earned first-team All-PSAC West honors last season.

“It’s a big role,” Connors-McChristian said. “The ‘Superman’ has the ability to do the above and beyond and he has to take on that role.”

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