Mercer Continues Preparations for The Citadel
8/26/2016 9:53:00 AM | Football
MACON, Ga. – Less than a week away from the start of the 2016 season, Mercer's focus and excitement has intensified as preparations continue for the Bears' opening game against the 15th-ranked Bulldogs of The Citadel.
Gone is the "Groundhog Day" feel of fall camp and players anxiously await the opportunity to get out of the routine of practice and strap on the pads and cleats in a real game. The previous three weeks consisted of a nearly identical routine with limited breaks and no other distractions.
"Anytime you get into five days before a game, it is important for our players to have the mindset focused on the first game. School is starting and we are now in our regular routine, so to say, and I think the excitement builds. As coaches we have to be careful that we get out there and get what we need to get done in practice and keep our legs fresh and then be ready to go on Thursday night."
With classes starting this past Tuesday the players are now getting into a normal game week routine even if the days of the week are a little off. That excitement that motivates the players in practice must be tempered by the focus on the task at hand.
"It is always a hard balance," explained Lamb. "The closer you get [to game day] the more excited they get. It is a little different dynamic because we are playing on a Thursday night instead of a Saturday. We have to back our days up a little bit. As coaches and players, we have to have the mindset of this is how we prepare. It is a process – we start on Sundays and we normally play on Saturdays so we had to back it up a little bit. The days change a little bit but our work is still the same."
The normal in-season routine that players live for 11 weeks in the fall is in progress but a Thursday kickoff instead of a Saturday game means the same schedule only on different days. Another change to the normal schedule includes a special Monday edition of The Bobby Lamb Show at Wild Wing Café airing Monday at 6:30 p.m. Lamb will be joined by host Rick Cameron and student-athlete guests Bret Niederreither and Tyler Ward – both recently voted team captains – in the hour-long radio show.
The show will also preview the upcoming game against The Citadel, a team that laid claim to a share of the Southern Conference title last season and is ranked 15th in the preseason polls.
"I think it is a little bit different mindset because in the last three years we have opened up with a non-conference opponent," Lamb said. "Now that we are opening with a conference opponent, a defending SoCon champ, the 15th-ranked team in the country, you have to have a different mindset. I think our guys have done a great job in practice of having a sense of urgency because that is what it takes. You have to have a sense of urgency. Like I told them yesterday at practice, this is our one shot at The Citadel. You only get one shot. Once that conference game is over, it is over. So it is a little different mindset and something we haven't experienced yet but we will in [less than] a week."
Not only does Mercer face a conference school at the very beginning but also a team that has nipped the Bears by two points each of the last two seasons.
"We have had two great games with The Citadel," Lamb said about those last two close games. "The first year [2014] was here and then of course last year down in Charleston. You have to give them credit, they pulled it out in the end and made the plays in the fourth quarter and we didn't. We have to find a way to finish games, but first we have to find a way to get in them in the fourth quarter so we can be in the same situation as last year but this year we have to find a way to win the football game."
Â
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.
Â
Gone is the "Groundhog Day" feel of fall camp and players anxiously await the opportunity to get out of the routine of practice and strap on the pads and cleats in a real game. The previous three weeks consisted of a nearly identical routine with limited breaks and no other distractions.
"Anytime you get into five days before a game, it is important for our players to have the mindset focused on the first game. School is starting and we are now in our regular routine, so to say, and I think the excitement builds. As coaches we have to be careful that we get out there and get what we need to get done in practice and keep our legs fresh and then be ready to go on Thursday night."
With classes starting this past Tuesday the players are now getting into a normal game week routine even if the days of the week are a little off. That excitement that motivates the players in practice must be tempered by the focus on the task at hand.
"It is always a hard balance," explained Lamb. "The closer you get [to game day] the more excited they get. It is a little different dynamic because we are playing on a Thursday night instead of a Saturday. We have to back our days up a little bit. As coaches and players, we have to have the mindset of this is how we prepare. It is a process – we start on Sundays and we normally play on Saturdays so we had to back it up a little bit. The days change a little bit but our work is still the same."
The normal in-season routine that players live for 11 weeks in the fall is in progress but a Thursday kickoff instead of a Saturday game means the same schedule only on different days. Another change to the normal schedule includes a special Monday edition of The Bobby Lamb Show at Wild Wing Café airing Monday at 6:30 p.m. Lamb will be joined by host Rick Cameron and student-athlete guests Bret Niederreither and Tyler Ward – both recently voted team captains – in the hour-long radio show.
The show will also preview the upcoming game against The Citadel, a team that laid claim to a share of the Southern Conference title last season and is ranked 15th in the preseason polls.
"I think it is a little bit different mindset because in the last three years we have opened up with a non-conference opponent," Lamb said. "Now that we are opening with a conference opponent, a defending SoCon champ, the 15th-ranked team in the country, you have to have a different mindset. I think our guys have done a great job in practice of having a sense of urgency because that is what it takes. You have to have a sense of urgency. Like I told them yesterday at practice, this is our one shot at The Citadel. You only get one shot. Once that conference game is over, it is over. So it is a little different mindset and something we haven't experienced yet but we will in [less than] a week."
Not only does Mercer face a conference school at the very beginning but also a team that has nipped the Bears by two points each of the last two seasons.
"We have had two great games with The Citadel," Lamb said about those last two close games. "The first year [2014] was here and then of course last year down in Charleston. You have to give them credit, they pulled it out in the end and made the plays in the fourth quarter and we didn't. We have to find a way to finish games, but first we have to find a way to get in them in the fourth quarter so we can be in the same situation as last year but this year we have to find a way to win the football game."
Â
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.
Â
Players Mentioned
OL
/ Football
LB
/ FootballMercer v Erskine WBB Highlight Reel: 12/17/2025
Wednesday, December 17
Mercer Women's Basketball 2025 | vs. Miss Valley St | Full Game Highlights
Sunday, December 14
Mercer Men's Basketball 2025 | vs. Oglethorpe | Full Game Highlights
Sunday, December 07
Mercer Football 2025 | 2nd Rd of FCS Playoffs | vs. South Dakota | Full Game Highlights
Saturday, December 06
