Saturday, November 19
Macon, Ga.
3 PM
Mercer University
6-5 , 4-4
27
vs
24
Furman
3-8 , 3-5
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Furman
0
9
8
7
24
Mercer
7
3
7
10
27
Team Stats
FUR
MER
Total Yards
319
384
Pass Yards
251
191
Rushing Yards
68
193
Penalty Yards
30
37
1st Downs
18
22
3rd Downs
4
8
4th Downs
1
2
TOP
28:08
31:52
1st Quarter
FUR 0, MER 7
MER - Chandler Curtis 43 yd pass from John Russ (Cole Fisher kick) 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:38
2nd Quarter
FUR 6, MER 7
FUR - Reese Hannon 5 yd run (Hollingsworth kickfailed), 9 plays, 87 yards, TOP 4:57
FUR 6, MER 10
MER - Cole Fisher 46 yd field goal 9 plays, 41 yards, TOP 3:12
FUR 9, MER 10
FUR - Hollingsworth 30 yd field goal 13 plays, 69 yards, TOP 6:17
3rd Quarter
FUR 17, MER 10
FUR - Kevin Mall 4 yd pass from Reese Hannon (Duncan Fletcher pass) 2 plays, 4 yards, TOP 0:51
FUR 17, MER 17
MER - John Russ 1 yd run (Cole Fisher kick), 12 plays, 48 yards, TOP 4:58
4th Quarter
FUR 17, MER 20
MER - Cole Fisher 32 yd field goal 17 plays, 82 yards, TOP 7:58
FUR 24, MER 20
FUR - R. Hayes III 36 yd pass from Reese Hannon (Hollingsworth kick) 7 plays, 66 yards, TOP 1:03
FUR 24, MER 27
MER - Jordan Marshall 33 yd pass from John Russ (Cole Fisher kick) 7 plays, 64 yards, TOP 0:45
Players Mentioned
DB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
K
/ Football
WR
/ Football
K/P
/ FootballLate Game Heroics Lead Mercer to 27-24 Win over Furman
11/19/2016 7:56:00 PM | Football
MACON, Ga. – John Russ found Jordan Marshall for a 33-yard touchdown pass with 31 seconds remaining to lift Mercer to a 27-24 dramatic comeback win over Furman in front of 10,712 fans that packed Five Star Stadium in Macon to see the senior class that brought back football to Mercer one final time.
The late-game heroics by Russ and Marshall were required after Furman (3-8, 3-5 SoCon) took a 24-20 lead with 1:25 left on a Richard Hayes, III 36-yard pass from Reese Hannon. But Mercer (6-4, 4-4), which doubled its Southern Conference win total from last year, was led down the field by Russ in his 46th and final start at quarterback for the Bears.
"All I saw was orange, Marshall said. "I don't even remember anybody hitting me; the only thing I remember is catching the ball and I just ended up in the end zone."
The game was sealed when Mercer's Kam Lott intercepted Hannon in the end zone with three seconds left on the clock.
TURNING POINT
Trailing 24-20 with 1:25 to go, John Russ engineered a seven-play, 66-yard drive that ended in heroics when John Russ sent a pass over the middle to Jordan Marshall, who jumped up to catch the ball at the 15-yard line before running into the end zone. Cole Fisher's extra point was good and the Bears went back up 27-24 with 31 seconds remaining.
IT WAS OVER WHEN
On 2nd-and-2 with 10 seconds on the clock, Furman looked to make its final play of the game and quarterback Reese Hannon threw the ball towards a pair of receivers in the end zone. Mercer defensive back Kam Lott snagged the ball before it could get to a Paladin and recorded his first career interception at a very opportune time.
OFFENSIVE STAR
Quarterback John Russ led the Bears on the ground as he ran for 119 yards on 21 carries and one touchdown. He also threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns, completing 14 of 30 attempts.
DEFENSIVE STANDOUT
LeMarkus Bailey led Mercer with nine tackles, including four unassisted, to tie his career high. This marked the second consecutive home game Bailey has registered nine tackles.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mercer got off to a hot start with its quickest score of the year – a Chandler Curtis 43-yard pass from John Russ just 1:38 into the game – but then cooled off, managing only three points in the team's next seven possessions. In that time Furman pulled within one with a Reese Hannon five-yard run but a missed extra point then, after a Cole Fisher field goal, pulled within one again as Jon Croft Hollingsworth connected on a 30-yard field goal with 53 seconds left in the first half.
The Paladins would take a 17-10 lead minutes into the second half as Hannon found Kevin Mall on a four-yard pass before John Russ would tie the game on a one-yard run with 22 seconds left in the third quarter.
Knotted at 17-17, Cole Fisher put Mercer ahead with a 32-yard field goal with 2:35 remaining in a drive that ate way nearly eight minutes of playing time but set up for a frantic final two-and-a-half minutes.
Furman would deftly move down the field in 63 seconds as Hannon's 36-yard pass to Richard Hayes, III with 1:25 left in the game, putting the Paladins up by four and taking away the field goal option for Mercer.
In circumstances very similar to last week's game at Samford, Mercer found itself needing a touchdown to win and little time left on the clock. Russ, used to close games and tight situations, found fellow senior and four-year roommate Jordan (JoJo) Marshall across the middle on a 33-yard touchdown pass with 31 seconds left. Fisher's extra point made it a three-point game.
"I'm just lost for words," Marshall said. "It seems like something that would happen in a movie. I knew when they went up 24-20…something in my gut told me that we were still going to win that game. I didn't know that I was going to be the one who would score, but I just knew we were going to win that game. It was just a blessing that I came up with that [catch] in my last game here."
An unsportsmanlike penalty on Mercer and 20-yard kickoff return for Furman gave the Paladins the ball near midfield. Furman would gain 23 yards in 23 seconds but Hannons' final pass was intercepted by Kam Lott in the end zone with three seconds left, sealing the win for Mercer.
COACH LAMB'S COMMENTS
"I can't say enough about our entire team and the effort they gave tonight to get us to six wins and 4-4 in this league."
On what the win says about Mercer's senior class:
"It's a special class and we said it all week long; they stayed the course. We signed 104 [players] in year one and 31 in year two, so 135 [players] that could've stayed the course, right? Thirty of them stayed the course. That shows you how special these young men are…they didn't waiver when we put them through offseason and spring training. They did everything we asked them to do to have them be a part of Mercer Football and help build Mercer Football from day one. They did that and they'll always be remembered for that. They'll lay the foundation and come back 10 years from now…hopefully Mercer will be winning championships and they'll be part of those championships because they laid the foundation."
On the importance of winning a fourth Southern Conference game this season:
"That's probably the biggest thing – obviously you want to get to six wins and go 6-5 – to get to 4-4 in the league. You look at your four losses; losing to four teams who will be playing next week [in the FCS playoffs]. Then you lose to an ACC team in Georgia Tech. We've got a good football team as I've told them all year long, it's just a matter of us being consistent. We weren't quite as consistent tonight, but we were consistent enough at the end to win it."
How to Follow the Bears:
For complete coverage of Mercer Football, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerFootball (Twitter), /MercerFootball (Facebook) and @MercerFootball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
NOTABLES
Team
The late-game heroics by Russ and Marshall were required after Furman (3-8, 3-5 SoCon) took a 24-20 lead with 1:25 left on a Richard Hayes, III 36-yard pass from Reese Hannon. But Mercer (6-4, 4-4), which doubled its Southern Conference win total from last year, was led down the field by Russ in his 46th and final start at quarterback for the Bears.
"All I saw was orange, Marshall said. "I don't even remember anybody hitting me; the only thing I remember is catching the ball and I just ended up in the end zone."
The game was sealed when Mercer's Kam Lott intercepted Hannon in the end zone with three seconds left on the clock.
TURNING POINT
Trailing 24-20 with 1:25 to go, John Russ engineered a seven-play, 66-yard drive that ended in heroics when John Russ sent a pass over the middle to Jordan Marshall, who jumped up to catch the ball at the 15-yard line before running into the end zone. Cole Fisher's extra point was good and the Bears went back up 27-24 with 31 seconds remaining.
IT WAS OVER WHEN
On 2nd-and-2 with 10 seconds on the clock, Furman looked to make its final play of the game and quarterback Reese Hannon threw the ball towards a pair of receivers in the end zone. Mercer defensive back Kam Lott snagged the ball before it could get to a Paladin and recorded his first career interception at a very opportune time.
OFFENSIVE STAR
Quarterback John Russ led the Bears on the ground as he ran for 119 yards on 21 carries and one touchdown. He also threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns, completing 14 of 30 attempts.
DEFENSIVE STANDOUT
LeMarkus Bailey led Mercer with nine tackles, including four unassisted, to tie his career high. This marked the second consecutive home game Bailey has registered nine tackles.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mercer got off to a hot start with its quickest score of the year – a Chandler Curtis 43-yard pass from John Russ just 1:38 into the game – but then cooled off, managing only three points in the team's next seven possessions. In that time Furman pulled within one with a Reese Hannon five-yard run but a missed extra point then, after a Cole Fisher field goal, pulled within one again as Jon Croft Hollingsworth connected on a 30-yard field goal with 53 seconds left in the first half.
The Paladins would take a 17-10 lead minutes into the second half as Hannon found Kevin Mall on a four-yard pass before John Russ would tie the game on a one-yard run with 22 seconds left in the third quarter.
Knotted at 17-17, Cole Fisher put Mercer ahead with a 32-yard field goal with 2:35 remaining in a drive that ate way nearly eight minutes of playing time but set up for a frantic final two-and-a-half minutes.
Furman would deftly move down the field in 63 seconds as Hannon's 36-yard pass to Richard Hayes, III with 1:25 left in the game, putting the Paladins up by four and taking away the field goal option for Mercer.
In circumstances very similar to last week's game at Samford, Mercer found itself needing a touchdown to win and little time left on the clock. Russ, used to close games and tight situations, found fellow senior and four-year roommate Jordan (JoJo) Marshall across the middle on a 33-yard touchdown pass with 31 seconds left. Fisher's extra point made it a three-point game.
"I'm just lost for words," Marshall said. "It seems like something that would happen in a movie. I knew when they went up 24-20…something in my gut told me that we were still going to win that game. I didn't know that I was going to be the one who would score, but I just knew we were going to win that game. It was just a blessing that I came up with that [catch] in my last game here."
An unsportsmanlike penalty on Mercer and 20-yard kickoff return for Furman gave the Paladins the ball near midfield. Furman would gain 23 yards in 23 seconds but Hannons' final pass was intercepted by Kam Lott in the end zone with three seconds left, sealing the win for Mercer.
COACH LAMB'S COMMENTS
"I can't say enough about our entire team and the effort they gave tonight to get us to six wins and 4-4 in this league."
On what the win says about Mercer's senior class:
"It's a special class and we said it all week long; they stayed the course. We signed 104 [players] in year one and 31 in year two, so 135 [players] that could've stayed the course, right? Thirty of them stayed the course. That shows you how special these young men are…they didn't waiver when we put them through offseason and spring training. They did everything we asked them to do to have them be a part of Mercer Football and help build Mercer Football from day one. They did that and they'll always be remembered for that. They'll lay the foundation and come back 10 years from now…hopefully Mercer will be winning championships and they'll be part of those championships because they laid the foundation."
On the importance of winning a fourth Southern Conference game this season:
"That's probably the biggest thing – obviously you want to get to six wins and go 6-5 – to get to 4-4 in the league. You look at your four losses; losing to four teams who will be playing next week [in the FCS playoffs]. Then you lose to an ACC team in Georgia Tech. We've got a good football team as I've told them all year long, it's just a matter of us being consistent. We weren't quite as consistent tonight, but we were consistent enough at the end to win it."
How to Follow the Bears:
For complete coverage of Mercer Football, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerFootball (Twitter), /MercerFootball (Facebook) and @MercerFootball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
NOTABLES
Team
- With the win Mercer cuts Furman's lead in the all-time series between the two schools to 7-6-2.
- Saturday's win ended a five-game home losing streak to Furman and marked Mercer's first win over the Paladins in Macon since 1925.
- The three-point difference meant Saturday's game marked the 14th time in 20 games that Mercer's final score had been decided by one possession.
- The win meant Mercer finished the year 6-5 marking the program's first winning season (above .500) since joining the Southern Conference in 2014 and the second winning season overall since restarting football in 2013.
- The win over Furman Saturday meant Mercer finished Southern Conference play at 4-4 meaning in each of its three years in the Southern Conference the Bears have doubled their conference win total (1 win in 2014, 2 wins in 2015, 4 wins in 2016).
- Mercer is now 1-0 all-time when entering the fourth quarter tied.
- Senior John Russ found fellow senior and roommate Jordan Marshall for the game-winning touchdown pass with 31 seconds remaining, capping a storybook ending for Mercer. That marked John Russ' 78th career touchdown pass and 20th of the season while marking Jordan Marshall's first touchdown reception of the season.
- Mercer's first touchdown (John Russ to Chandler Curtis) at 13:22 of the first quarter – just 1:38 into the game – marked the quickest Mercer has scored this season.
- John Russ has thrown a touchdown pass in 40 of his 46 games.
- John Russ' rushing touchdown in the third quarter marked his 30th career rushing touchdown.
- Saturday's game marked the second consecutive game John Russ has rushed for over 100 yards. He finished with 119 rushing yards against the Paladins.
- Mercer's defense held Furman to 68 yards rushing in the game marking the fifth time this season a Bears opponent has been held to under 100 yards rushing.
- Kam Lott recorded his first career interception with 0:03 remaining in the game to seal the win for Mercer.
- The Bears have now forced a turnover in 28 of the last 32 games, including 13 in a row at one point.
- LeMarkus Bailey matched a career-high nine total tackles in the game marking the second consecutive home game that Bailey has registered nine tackles.
- Lendell Arnold's interception in the third quarter marked his fourth career interception.
- Cole Fisher's 46-yard field goal in the second quarter marked his Southern Conference-leading 15th field goal of the season.
- This game marked the sixth game this season Cole Fisher has made at least two field goals.
- Tyler Zielenske placed all three of his punts inside the 20-yard line.
Mercer v North Dakota VB Highlight Reel: 9/19/2025
Saturday, September 20
Mercer v West Georgia VB Highlight Reel: 9/18/2025
Friday, September 19
Mercer Football Press Conference (Week 4 vs Citadel)
Tuesday, September 16
Mercer 22, Wofford 21 | Postgame Press Conference (9/13/25)
Sunday, September 14
