Noting NDC's 59-42 victory:

* Notre Dame is now 2-1 over its three season openers.  The Falcons are now 1-2 in their all-time series with the Mercyhurst Lakers.

* Thursday's contest marked the first of six home games this season for NDC.  With Thursday's victory, the Falcons are now 4-7 at home all-time.

*The win snapped a carryover losing streak for NDC.  The Falcons lost four in a row to close out the 2011 season.

* Notre Dame is now 2-2 all-time in night games.

* NDC was a program-record plus-6 in the game in turnover margin.  The Falcons are now 7-1 all-time on the plus-side of the turnover ledger.

* The see-saw battle rife with touchdowns made for a first for the Falcons.  Prior to Thursday night's game, NDC had not won a game in which they allowed more than 20 points.  The program had been 0-15 in such games.


Noting the offense:

* NDC set single-game program records for points (59), plays from scrimmage (83), rushing yards (367) and touchdown passes (five) in a game that saw NDC roll up 533 total yards, its second-highest single-game total (549 at Ave Maria last season).  The Falcons' 24 first down were their most since that same Ave Maria game (Oct. 15).

* RB Pedro Powell broke through for the second 200-yard game of his career, with a career-best 243 yards rushing.  Powell broke his own record for the longest run in program history, when he bolted for a 76-yarder in the third quarter.  He also had a 37-yard run in the game and was responsible for nearly half of NDC's 24 first downs in the contest -- the junior from Liberty, Ohio, had nine runs and two receptions that resulted in first downs.  He became the first Notre Dame player to score three TDs in a game with his two rushing scores and one on the receiving end of a Ray Russ pass. … Powell has now scored 15 TDs in his collegiate career.  During the game, he became the first NDC back to rush for 2,000 yards in a career.  He ran for 1,960 yards over his freshman and sophomore seasons.

* Ray Russ went 8-for-20 for 66 yards and a touchdown in five games off the bench last year.  On Thursday, he set a program record for most TD passes in a game, with five.  Russ went 18-for-25 for 166 yards; he threw one interception and was not sacked.

* Thursday's opener marked the fifth time on program history that Notre Dame had not yielded a quarterback sack in a contest.

* Those five TD passes were spread among four different receivers.  Colton Wallace (five catches, 42 yards) caught two of those TD passes.  Jack Foy caught one, and he finished with a game-high seven receptions on the night.  Wallace's five receptions marked a personal single-game best.

* NDC maintained possession of the ball for 36 minutes-and-24 seconds.  That time now stands as a new single-game program record.  The Falcons were on the plus-side of the clock just twice last season.


Noting the defense:

* The Falcon defense was tagged for 42 points (foes have averaged 44.4 points per game against NDC over the team's last five games), but the performance of the defense was highlighted by several big performances and big plays.

* NDC forced a program-record eight turnovers in the game (six fumbles, two interceptions).  The defense scored a TD, when CB Spencer Krebs turned in a pick-6 midway through the second quarter. … Four different players forced fumbles for NDC and four different players recorded recoveries.

* The Falcon defensive front pestered Mercyhurst QB Anthony Vendemia throughout the game. NDC registered four sacks in the contest, tying a program single-game record.  Freshman DE Darius James led the attack in the backfield.  James had 2-1/2 sacks and three tackles for loss among six tackles in the game.  The Springfield, Ohio, native also pressured Vendemia into the pick that resulted in Krebs' touchdown.

* Junior FS Mo May had a career-high nine tackles in the game.  May also forced one fumble, recovered a fumble and had an interception with an 18-yard return.

* Junior LB Jake Adkins had five tackles, including 1-1/2 sacks.

* The NDC defense held Mercyhurst to a 2-for-10 mark on third-down conversions.


Noting the special teams:

* P Rob Partridge averaged 41.5 yards per punt on six kicks.  Partridge had two punts over 50 yards and put two inside the Laker 20-yard line.

* The kick coverage unit came up with a big play in the first quarter, when Jake Adkins forced a fumble that NDC recovered.  Notre Dame followed up that turnover with an eight-play touchdown drive.

* PK Chris McClearn hit his first field goal of the season, with a 26-yarder as time expired in the second quarter. … McClearn also made two touchdown-saving tackles on big Laker kicker returns.