Mercer University
Jacksonville
Mercer Football Rallies Late, Stuns Jacksonville 45-42
11/9/2013 12:00:00 AM | Football
MACON, Ga. – In a game that will go down as one for the ages, the Mercer University football team erased a double-digit second-half deficit and came storming back to defeat Jacksonville 45-42 in front of a raucous crowd Saturday evening at Mercer University Stadium.
Looking to remain unbeaten at home and in the hunt for a Pioneer Football League championship, Mercer (9-1, 5-1) did just that with a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to send Jacksonville (4-6, 3-4) to its second consecutive loss.
"I've been proud a lot of times this year of our team, but I couldn't be more proud tonight of what these young men accomplished," said an exhausted head coach Bobby Lamb following the game. "I've been in a lot of FCS atmospheres and that was the best one I've ever been in."
Trailing 35-24 with less than two minutes to play in the third quarter, Mercer flipped a switch and started a span of 21 unanswered points, when JeTarii Donald leaped in the end zone from three-yards out to make it 35-31.
The run continued into the fourth quarter, when Alex Avant snatched a deflected pass for an interception near midfield and the Bears made them pay four plays later, when Russ hit a wide open Josh Jones in the end zone to give Mercer the lead at 38-35.
The Mercer defense followed with a three and out and the offense made them pay again, this time using a 33-yard flea flicker pass from Russ to JT Palmer, who stretched out in midair to record his seventh touchdown of the year and give the Bears a 10-point lead at 45-35 with just 6:17 remaining.
Jacksonville would not back down however, driving right back down the field and cutting the Mercer lead to three with a 14-play 81-yard score to make it 45-42 with under three minutes to play.
After an unsuccessful on-side kick for the Dolphins, Mercer was stopped on three downs and sent redshirt freshman punter Rob East on the field and he executed his job to perfection, recording a 49-yard punt to pin JU inside its on 5-yard line.
With the Bears up by three points and the Dolphins looking at a long field, the stage was set for the Mercer defense to come up with another game-winning stand. After moving the ball into Mercer territory with under two minutes remaining, Tosin Aguebor did what he has done all season, when he sacked JU quarterback Kade Bell, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Devin Davidson to seal a comeback three-point win for the Bears.
Entering the game averaging 41.4 points per game, Jacksonville put up its season average, but it was the Bears who stormed the field as time expired and celebrated another victory, their fifth in a row. The win sent Mercer to a nation-leading 7-0 record at home as a black out crowd of 9,729 stayed for all 60 minutes to watch another thriller at Anderson Field.
"The fans of Macon just came out," Lamb said. "I want to say thank you to the fans and to our students, they were there in full force. Our band, our families, everybody involved with Mercer Football was there tonight and it was a great atmosphere."
With 87 total points scored in the game, Jacksonville and Mercer put on a show in the first half as the Dolphins raced out to a 14-point lead only to have the Bears score back-to-back touchdowns to knot the score at 21-21.
The game-tying touchdown in the first half was setup, when Sebastian Hicks picked off a pass in the end zone and weaved through traffic for a 69-yard return. Russ cashed in on the momentum four plays later with a 24-yard touchdown strike to Jordan Marshall to knot the score.
The Dolphins had an answer in the final minute of the first half, when they found themselves in a fourth and goal from the one-yard line and just one second left on the clock. In the final play of the first half Jacksonville punched it in and took a 28-21 lead to intermission.
The second half belonged to the Bears though, scoring 10 points in the third quarter and adding two fourth-quarter touchdowns for the three-point victory.
Russ ended the day with his best collegiate performance, going 11-for-23 through the air for 217 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 145 yards and two scores on the ground. His five total touchdowns marked a career-high, while his three passing scores tied his collegiate record.
Lendell Arnold put together another stellar defensive effort with 10 solo tackles and three assisted tackles, while Mike Gray and Tyler Ward each tallied 9 tackles. Hicks and Avant recorded interceptions and Davidson recovered the fumble in the closing seconds as the Bears won the turnover battle 3-0, ironically by the final margin of victory.
The Bears return to action next Saturday, traveling to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., to take on Marist in another all-important PFL game. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Tenney Stadium.
