LYNDHURST, Ohio -- A new era kicked off on Saturday night, with Notre Dame College presenting the pageantry of collegiate tackle football for the first time. With a 23-0 loss at the hands of the Mercyhurst (Pa.) Lakers, Falcon Football is now off the ground. (Box)

Amidst a charged atmosphere in a bustling Korb Field, Notre Dame Football kicked off at 7:06 PM on Saturday. Moments later, NDC ran its first play from scrimmage, which resulted in a 9-yard gain. But that would turn out to be one of the Falcons' best plays on a night when they were held to just 127 yards of total offense.

Any misfires between the lines, however, were just part of the story on Saturday. “Overall, I am very proud of these players and coaches," said Notre Dame Head Coach #Adam Howard#. "We fought hard. I feel we'll win a lot of football games."

Saturday's game opened with Notre Dame receiving the opening kickoff; #Tim Donald# returned the ball 16 yards from the 10 and NDC would run its first play from its own 26-yard line. That historic first play from scrimmage was a pass on the play call, but quarterback #Yan Cyr# was flushed from the pocket. He scampered nine yards, and that set up the Falcons moving the chains for the first time in program history: on second-and-one, Donald ran for three yards.

That first drive was stifled by Mercyhurst and both teams traded possessions before the Lakers put the game's first points on the board with a field goal at 1:36. That field goal, off the right foot of place-kicker Steven Wakefield, came at the end of a 10-play, 66-yard drive.

The Lakers (1-0) ran their lead to 10-0 with a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore tailback Andrew Bailey in Mercyhurst's first drive of the second quarter.

By the end of the second stanza, the Lakers had added another field goal and led, 13-0. Notre Dame (0-1) was held to just 26 first-half yards, and the Falcons were whistled for seven penalties over the first 30 minutes of play.

In the third quarter, Wakefield added a field goal and then the Lakers scored their second touchdown on another 3-yard run by Bailey. That put the visitors on top, 23-0.

The Laker defense clamped down on NDC, applying pressure on Falcon quarterbacks and stifling the NDC run. MC held Notre Dame to numerous three-and-outs throughout the second half and the game. Laker linebacker Bryan Boyce was active against the pass and the run and was frequently in the NDC backfield harassing #Dak Britt#, who relieved Yan Cyr after Cyr left the game with an injury in the first quarter. Boyce finished the game with nine tackles and three sacks. Mercyhurst had seven sacks in all.

Euclid, Ohio, native Andrew Bailey finished the game with 31 yards on nine carries. The Lakers' leading rusher was senior Gerald Anderson, who garnered 47 yards on 21 carries. Both were set up by a nice passing game -- Mercyhurst quarterback Garret Kensy was 16-of-27 for 205 yards, and he connected with 11 different receivers on the night. MC racked up 293 total yards on the night. The Lakers maintained a sizable edge in time of possession (34:18) by gaining 18 first downs.

Notre Dame's offense was paced wide receiver #Derrick Paster#. The sophomore from Berea, Ohio garnered 63 yards on a game-high six catches. Dak Britt was 11-for-21 and threw for 93 yards. The Falcon ground game was limited to 0.9 yards per rush on 36 carries. NDC had 12 first downs on the night; the Falcons were just 3-of-14 on third downs.

Defensively, the Falcons were led by #Gary Briggs# (13 tackles, 3-1/2 tackles for loss, forced fumble), #John Hyde# (10 tackles) and #Bob Hansen# (nine tackles, two sacks). All three provided big hits, key stops and leadership for a defense that performed admirably.

"I was happy with how we stopped the run," said Adam Howard. "They're a team that really likes to pound the football. I knew we were more mature on the defensive side of the football, more game-tested. Just offensively, we couldn't get the ball moving." 

When the Blue & White offense did gain ground, it was often accompanied by laundry on the AstroPlay surface of Korb Field -- on the evening, the Falcons committed 11 penalties for a total of 117 yards. 

On special teams, #Cayle Chapman# opened some eyes among the 3,126 spectators in attendance with three punts over 50 yards and a long of 69. Chapman, an Australian who kicks lefty, was playing in his first football game at any level. He had a couple misfires and two punts shortened by coffin-corner situations and still finished with an average of 42.5 yards on eight punts.

"He's a steal for us," Howard said. "I know what we have in him." 

Laker Head Coach Marty Schaetzle and several Mercyhurst staffers indicated they were impressed by the atmosphere and the spirit displayed on Saturday night. And Schaetzle recognized the talent his squad had just battled and beaten: 

"I'm glad we played them now and not later in the season.” 

For the Falcons, “later in the season” begins next week with the program's first road test. Notre Dame will travel to Columbia, Ky., to face the Blue Raiders of Lindsey Wilson College. The game will be another first, but on the other sideline this time -- Lindsey Wilson is the NAIA's other start-up program taking the field for the first time in 2010. Saturday's 2:30 ET tilt will mark the Blue Raiders' inaugural game.