Painesville, Ohio - The Lake Erie College football team will seek its first 3-0 start since 2021 as it makes the short trek to North Canton for a Saturday night clash with the Cavaliers.
What: Lake Erie College (2-0, 0-0 G-MAC) at Walsh University (2-0, 0-0 G-MAC)
When: Saturday, September 19, 7:00 p.m.
Where: North Canton, Ohio (Larry Staudt Field)
Inside the Series ...
Saturday's meeting will be the 13th match-up between the Storm and Cavaliers, with Lake Erie trailing the series 5-7 … The Storm won the first four battles between the two foes from 2012-2015, but Walsh has gotten the better of the Storm in seven of their last eight games … The Storm's lone win during that stretch came in 2022 when LEC prevailed 22-15 in overtime.
Scouting the Cavaliers …
Walsh, who was idle this past week, has secured two close victories so far to start the season, knocking off West Liberty, 30-27, and Wheeling, 23-21 … Despite the tight results, the Cavaliers are receiving votes in the latest American Football Coaches Association Division II poll … The Cavaliers' offense ranks fifth in the G-MAC with 408.5 yards per game, but their defense has been susceptible, ranking ninth in the league in surrendering 428.5 yards per game … Running back Jake Gill has been a problem for opposing defenses thus far, scoring a league-high five touchdowns with four on the ground and one through the air.
Last Time Against the Cavaliers …
Lake Erie trailed just 7-6 midway through the third quarter in last season's meeting, but Walsh was able to pull away for a 20-13 victory on October 18, 2025 … The Storm won the statistical battle, out-gaining the Cavaliers 322-284 and had a 19-14 advantage in first downs …
Tyleik Maxwell caught three passes for 80 yards, while
Quinterrius Jemison and
Kemari Ward combined for 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and a forced fumble.
Dominant Defense …
The Storm defense has been simply sensational through two weeks, leading the nation in scoring defense, allowing just seven points per game … Lake Erie has surrendered just 240 yards per game, which sits atop G-MAC and is 11th in the nation … Jemison and Ward have each made 14 tackles, and have combined for seven tackles for loss and three sacks … Jemison's 4.5 TFL's tie for a conference-best, while Jaylen Jones is third in the G-MAC with 2.5 sacks.
Maxwell Making it Happen …
Tyleik Maxwell ranks third in the G-MAC with an average of 75 receiving yards per game, to go along with a pair of touchdowns … Maxwell has hauled in nine balls for 150 yards while ranking fourth in the league with an average of 4.5 receptions per game … His 16.9 yards per catch average is also seventh-best in the conference.
Ground Gainers …
The Lake Erie rushing attack has impressed through two weeks, averaging 163.5 yards per game … The duo of
Julian Means-Flewellen and
Hakeem Quran both rank inside the top 10 in the G-MAC in rushing … Means-Flewellen, who gashed Wheeling for 122 yards last week, is averaging 92 yards per game to sit third in the league, while Quran is 10th with 65.5 yards per game and leads the team with two rushing touchdowns.
Thomas to the House …
Curtis Thomas is the reigning G-MAC Special Teams Player of the Week after he returned the opening kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown in last week's 23-7 win at Wheeling … The score marked the second of his Lake Erie career and first special teams touchdown … The kickoff return touchdown was the first for the Storm since 2021, when Peyton Brown achieved the feat twice that year, including the season finale against Walsh University on November 13, 2021.
