The Mercyhurst Lakers are in over their heads most weeks, and when they went up against the PSAC West champion Cal (PA) Vulcans it was supposed to be worse than usual. However, the visitors were tough today, and actually were still tied 7-7 until 8 minutes of the 2nd quarter. At that point, the undeniable talent edge--of a team that appears to have the kind of talent national champs are made of--simply took over when QB Josh Portis hit Junior wideout (and future NFLer) Terrance Moore with the first of his 3 TD catches (5-141-3). The Mercyhurst O-line has no PPS, but they played over their heads most of the day, as did diminutive senior RB Ben Jennings (5'7", 178) and they literally ran the ball down the throats of the stacked Vulcans defense the entire first half. Portis to Moore proved to be too much for the undermanned Mercyhurst secondary in the end though, as Cal used this as a tune up to next weekend's PSAC Championship game.


SCOUTING SUMMARY:

College: Mercyhurst Conference: Division II Columnist: Staff

Game Notes
Charlie Gleisner 5 6' 0.0" 223 4.70 LB 2010: DNS--discipline? But was in early and played the whole way. Decent size for this level, and knows how to use it to get low and drive tackle and submarine piles. Easy to block though. Tough little cuss. Would be a liability for sure at the POA and in pass defense at the next level. Plugger without the physical talent you want to see in a PP. GRADE: Slightly negative

Bryan Boyce 16 6' 1.0" 220 4.70 LB 2010: Better of the two tough Mercyhurst LBs. Squares up and takes most backs on head up and wins. Run blitzes quite well. Finds the ball. Aware in coverage (had a pick in this one, as well as a FR). Solid pass drops and can stay with some crossing WRs and TEs. Big backs could give him trouble. lacks the size/speed combo, but he's a football player. GRADE: Slightly positive

Adam Brown 2 5' 8.0" 181 4.60 CB 2010: Well built and compact. Can stick his nose in and contribute in the run game. Comes up to support the run quickly. Reads run a tad too fast, and could be in trouble on play fakes. Has adequate coverage ability and closing speed at this level. Simply abused by #8 all day long, and it won't get any better at the next level. GRADE: Slightly negative



College: California (Pa) Conference: Division II Columnist: Staff

Game Notes
Terrence Johnson 15 5' 11.2" 195 4.60 S 2010: Solid 2-way safety. Can do it all at this level. Cleans up in the run game, and will smack people coming across the middle. Has enough size and speed to warrant a camp look. GRADE: Neutral

A.J. Jackson 8 6' 6.0" 225 4.60 WR 2010: More productive than your average 6'6" WR. Shows he will block. Looks pretty strong. Not a tech guy either blocking or running routes yet. Needs quite a bit of refinement. If he's really 4.60 he has a shot...Devastating in this game, and will always be devastating against most DII DBs. Improving hands. Knows how to come across the middle, and wall defenders off. Wins all the jump balls at this level. Looks like his hands are improving. Needs to get even stronger and will need someone to coach him up on beating the jam. Worth a camp look for sure. GRADE: Positive

Freddie Bacco 27 5' 11.0" 220 4.60 HB 2010: solid college Change-of-pace back who is fairly powerful, and runs with good effort. No hands. Can block a little. GRADE: Slightly negative

Derek Fiorenza 39 5' 8.0" 155 0.00 P-K 2010: Didn't have that much punting to do. Generally gets pretty good hang time on punts. Had a beautiful 43-yarder downed at the 2. Kicked on e off out of bounds. Usually gets the kickoffs to about the 10, and has OK height on them. Better punter than kicker. GRADE: Neutral

Dontey Brown 52 6' 1.6" 235 4.75 LB 2010: 17 tackles and 2 TFLs. He has really improved this year, and shown me he probably could have been successful even if he'd stayed at PSU. Reading better, but still know diagnostician. Spying better and flowing quickly in the right direction now. Built. Tracks down RBs in the openfield. Looks like he doesn't belong at this level. Needs to avoid OGs on the second level and fight through trash better. Still has some tech work to do. I think he could be a liability in pass defense, but looks like he could stick on a lot of teams as a backup 3-4 ILB. Can be a blow up hitter. Certainly has the physique and overall physical package you are looking for. Could actually be drafted in the 7th now. Will need a well-defined role and a patient LB coach. GRADE: Very positive

Josh Portis 12 6' 3.1" 222 4.45 QB 2010: IF Dontey has improved, Josh has simply flown off the charts. He looks like a totally different guy than the hesitant statue who led Cal two an 0-2 start. Very quick pass drops and is ready to unload faster than most pro QBs. Much better reaction and read, and seems to know what he is going to do much faster than early on in the season. Shows some touch on the ball now, and doesn't look to just rifle everything anymore. Looking like a legit PP--though perhaps not as a QB. Athlete, who someone will have to find a home for...Get the stop watches out boys, then place your bids. Strong enough arm to be a deadly Wildcat option. Throws consistent spirals to 25-30 yards now. Long ball is there, and does not flutter. Pro arm, and super pro legs. Footwork is much improved. Still struggles when pressured and will make a dumb play. Definitely has a pro skill set, but he will have to go to a very creative and patient staff. Better raw passer than you might think, but will never be an NFL QB, unless his progression curve continues like this for a long while yet. Could always struggle with an average NFL playbook, and will have a long learning curve no matter where you put him. Should definitely be in camp if the Wildcat fad keeps rolling. GRADE: Very positive

OTHER NOTES:

Cal (PA): This team was all but dead and buried a few weeks ago, but is now on the verge of a PSAC title, and should do well in the playoffs. May be the most talented team in DII, though not the most disciplined. DB Eric Harris (#31) was a defensive hero in this one. The junior safety had 10 tackles and a pick. Junior WR Terrance Moore is a future roster guy. Three TD catches in this one, including and 55 and 58-yarder. Has hands, speed and is silky smooth. Could be playing for any college team right now (#82, 6'2", 170) but is going to have to add 15 pounds of muscle. Sophomore LB Brett Diamond (#53, 6'2", 230) reminds me a little of John DiGiorgio playing at the DII level, but is not quite as fast. Carries and even bigger wallop though...

Mercyhurst: Senior QB Joe Laffey played OK (#19, 6'2", 216) but was (stupidly) yanked for a backup who was totally ineffective after throwinghis second pick. The backup never got anything going and through two picks of his own. Laffey runs alittle, throws a good mid-range post and a nice fade. Ball can wobble sometimes. Makes dumb throws, but has some tools--at least to be a sub-NFL camp guy. Sr RB Ben Jennings (#24, 5'7", 178) gets my "heart" ball for this one. Looks like nothing, but plays a lot better than he looks. Ripped one of DII's better defenses for about 80 yards. Junior RB Gerald Anderson (#22, 5'7", 202) is a better PP though for next season. Has some wheels and moves. Not nearly as tough as Jennings, but he can sneak into a camp if he totally devotes himself in the weightroom and runs for 1200+ next season. DB Brian Taylor (#27) had a nice day.