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?’”

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.