Mercer University
Furman
No. 17 Furman Edges Mercer in SoCon Opener
9/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University football team fell to No. 17 Furman, 25-20, in its Southern Conference debut on Saturday night in front of a record crowd of 12,227 at Mercer University Stadium.
The Bears (1-1, 0-1 SoCon) saw their 12-game home winning streak come to an end, while Furman (2-0, 1-0 SoCon) moved into the conference lead with its sixth-straight regular-season victory.
"All night long we battled and battled," said head coach Bobby Lamb. "We knew it was going to be a tough, tough test for our offense. We didn't execute very well in the first half, but we hung in there, kept believing and made some plays to give us a chance to win the game."
Mercer appeared to be on the verge of upsetting a strong Furman team, who rolled into Macon as defending SoCon champs. The Bears went 73 yards in nine plays to grab a 14-13 lead on the opening drive of the second half, thanks to the play of John Russ. The sophomore quarterback threw for 50 yards on the drive, including a nine-yard scoring toss to Robert Brown for a 14-13 Mercer lead.
However, Furman would rattle off 12-straight points to open up a 25-14 lead, including All-SoCon defensive end Gary Wilkins' interception return for a touchdown, which proved to be the play of the game.
Mercer kept fighting though, putting together a fourth-quarter rally as a Tyler Ward interception helped jumpstart a quick scoring drive late in the period. Russ tossed his second touchdown of the game two minutes later, a seven-yard strike to JT Palmer that pulled the Bears within a score, 25-20, with 3:34 left in the contest.
The Paladins recovered the ensuing onside kick and took advantage of Mercer's lack of timeouts to bleed the clock. The Bears were able to get one final opportunity deep in their own territory with three seconds remaining, but Furman would knock down Russ' heave to end the game.
Furman controlled the time of possession, holding the ball for over 35 minutes of the game while compiling 367 yards of total offense. The Bears' offense was limited to 286 yards with 198 of those yards coming after halftime.
Russ finished 11-of-21 for 135 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while adding 50 yards on the ground. Alex Lakes ran for 76 yards and a score on 16 carries, while Palmer led the receiving corps with six receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown. Ward once again paced the Bears' defense, racking up a career-high 18 tackles to go along with his fourth-quarter interception.
The Paladins controlled the opening quarter of play, outgaining the Bears by 145 yards in the period. However, Mercer was able to escape without major damage, thanks to a bend-but-don't-break approach from the defense.
"Our defense kept us in the game in the first half," Lamb said. "Furman controlled the ball early on, however, our defense really bowed their necks and forced a lot of field goals."
The Bears' defensive unit used a pair of big third down stops inside the 10-yard line and forced a turnover to limit Furman, who only held a 6-0 lead after the first quarter.
Mercer's offense took advantage of the Paladin's inability to find the end zone, using a physical 13-play, 87-yard drive to grab a 7-6 lead early in the second quarter. Lakes compiled 47 yards rushing on the drive, before capping off the possession with his third touchdown of the year on a two-yard scoring run.
The lead would be short lived though, as Furman answered on the ensuing drive. The Paladins marched 62 yards in just over three minutes, grabbing a 13-7 lead just before the break after Hank McCloud's five-yard score.
"We were here to win the game and we were right there," Lamb said. "We fought back and had a chance to win, but there are no moral victories. We came to win the game and will do that every Saturday in the Southern Conference."
Mercer will step away from Mercer University Stadium for the first time this season, as it travels to DeLand, Fla. to face Stetson next Saturday, Sept. 13. Kick-off is slated for 6 p.m.
