Painesville, Ohio – The Lake Erie College football team looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season on Saturday as the Panthers of Ohio Dominican University invade Jack Britt Stadium for a battle under the lights.
What: Lake Erie College (2-1, 0-1 G-MAC) vs. Ohio Dominican University (1-2, 0-1 G-MAC)
When: Saturday, September 26, 6:00 p.m.
Where: Painesville, Ohio (Jack Britt Stadium)
The Panthers have controlled the all-time match up with the Storm, owning a 16-1 record in a series that dates back to 2009 … Lake Erie's lone win came on October 30, 2010, when it prevailed 30-15 … Since then, the Panthers have ripped off 15 straight victories against the Storm.
Scouting the Panthers …
The Panthers enter Saturday's game with a record of 1-2 and have played two triple-overtime games so far this season … ODU edged Morehead State to open the season with a 42-40 win and then finished on the wrong end of a 38-36 final at Edinboro … Last week, the Panthers mustered just three points in a 24-3 loss to Ashland … The Panthers sit in the middle of the pack in the G-MAC in terms of scoring at 27 points per game but rank ninth defensively, allowing 34 points per contest … Quarterback Carson Parker is third in the league in passing with 604 yards and ranks second with seven touchdown passes … On the ground, Mekhi Jenkins sits 10th in rushing (49.3 ypg), while Luke Hess is seventh in receiving (51.3 ypg) … Linebacker Harlee Hanna is third in the conference, averaging 10 tackles per game.
Last Time Against the Panthers …
The Panthers won at home, 30-14, on November 1, 2025 … ODU jumped on the Storm from the onset, scoring 17 first-quarter points before Lake Erie settled in and played fairly even with them the rest of the way … LEC got on the board in the second quarter on a 41-yard touchdown pass to
Keyshawn Johnson and would later get a 31-yard punt-return touchdown from
Hakeem Quran … The Storm went just 1-of-12 on third down, failing to sustain drives, as the Panthers doubled them up in time of possession, with Lake Erie having the ball for less than 20 minutes.
Feeling Special …Lake Erie's special teams have been a bright spot so far this season, with punter
William Allen Batton IV leading the G-MAC with an average of 43.8 yards per punt and recording three kicks of more than 50 yards … LEC tops the league in kickoff returns with an average of 36.8 yards, headlined by
Curtis Thomas at 45 yards per return.
Newell No Longer New …First-year starting quarterback
Hunter Newell has been impressive orchestrating the Storm offense through the first three weeks of the season … The redshirt sophomore from Plainfield, Indiana, is third in the conference in completion percentage at 63 percent (44-of-70), fourth in total efficiency (139.7) and fifth in passing yards (492) … He is tied for third in the league with four touchdown tosses and is one of just four quarterbacks to have only one interception.
Give Me That …The Lake Erie defense has been very opportunistic this season, creating eight total takeaways … The Storm are second in the G-MAC in both interceptions (5) and fumble recoveries (3) …
Jason Hewlett has led the charge with two interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown … The Storm also have interceptions from
Anthony Anderson,
Michael Miles and
Dylan Bennett … The fumbles have been scooped up by
Jalen Joyce,
Andre Johnson and
Rapheal Worthy.
Digging Deep …The Storm defense has been stout in the red zone, with opponents coming away with points on just three of six trips inside the 20, which ranks first in the conference … Lake Erie has also recorded two red-zone interceptions to aid the effort … LEC has been strong on third down, as opponents have converted just 30.8 percent (12-of-39) of their chances, ranking the Storm second in the G-MAC … The Storm's ability to get the ball back to its offense has allowed them to rank second in the league in time of possession at 32:57 per game.
Penalty Problem …
The Storm will look to clean up some of their penalty issues on Saturday, as Lake Erie has been the eighth-most penalized team in the conference thus far, committing 26 infractions that have cost them 235 yards (78.3 ypg) on the season.
