Mercer University
The Citadel
Mercer's Upset Bid Falls Short in 21-19 Loss to The Citadel
10/31/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Mercer University football team dropped another heartbreaker on Saturday afternoon, falling to The Citadel, 21-19, at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
RECORDS UPDATE
Mercer slides to 3-5 overall and 0-4 in the Southern Conference with the loss, while The Citadel stays atop the league standings with a 6-2 overall mark and a 5-0 record in conference play.
COACH LAMB'S TAKE
"Our guys came out and battled all game, but unfortunately it was another tough loss. We've lost our five games by a combined 20 points and have put ourselves in position to win each of those games, but the ball just didn't bounce our way. Give The Citadel a lot of credit though, they controlled the clock and their defense was tough all game. We are moving forward now and preparing to close these last three games strong and set ourselves up for a great 2016 season with a lot of talent coming back."
TURNING POINT
The Citadel had all the momentum after Dominique Allen's three-yard touchdown run pushed the Bulldogs on top 21-13 with just under eight minutes left in the game. Mercer rallied though on its next drive, as quarterback John Russ accounted for 50 yards of total offense to lead the Bears on an 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive that pulled them within a two-point conversion of tying the game. However, Russ' pass to Avery Ward would fall incomplete, as The Citadel escaped with a two-point victory, 21-19, over the Bears for the second-straight year.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mercer took advantage of a short field on back-to-back drives to jump out to a quick start for the second straight road game. Jagger Lieb connected on a 29-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead, before Russ hit Robert Brown for a five-yard score to wrap up a six-play, 44-yard drive and push the Bears' lead to 10-0.
The Bears saw their early lead slip away though, as The Citadel reeled off 14 straight points to end the first half including an 83-yard touchdown run by Isaiha Smith in the closing minute to take a 14-10 lead into the break.
After a defensive struggle to start the second half, Mercer pulled within one, 14-13, on Lieb's second field goal of the afternoon, a 22-yard attempt in the closing minutes of the third quarter.
STAT OF THE GAME
Big plays were the difference in the game, as the Bulldogs outdid Mercer 3-0 on plays of 25 yards or more. The Citadel accrued 140 of its 392 yards on those three plays, including Smith's 83-yard score.
OFFENSIVE STAR
Mercer's offense struggled to get things going against one of the SoCon's top defenses, which created opportunities for punter Matt Shiel to shine and that he did. The sophomore booted a career-high seven punts for a 47.7 yard average including three inside the opponent's 20-yard line and a field-flipping two punts of 50 yards or more.
DEFENSIVE STANDOUT
Redshirt freshman defensive end Isaiah Buehler led a balanced defensive attack that featured eight players with seven tackles or more. Buehler finished with seven tackles on the afternoon, including a team-leading two tackles-for-loss.
OFFENSIVE HIGHLIGHTS
- The Orange and Black were held under 400 yards of total offense for just the second time this season, finishing with a season-low 235 yards.
- Russ' pass to Robert Brown for the game's first touchdown gives him at least one touchdown pass in 28 of his 32 career contests.
- Russ' touchdown pass was his 75th career touchdown with 53 through the air and another 22 on the ground.
- Lakes found the end zone for the sixth time this season and the 23rd time in his career.
- Robert Brown's first quarter touchdown reception was his third of the season and 10th of his career.
- The Bears gave up a season-high four sacks in the contest, after coming into the contest ranked fourth in the FCS with only four given up all year.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
- The defense held the SoCon's leading offense over 14 points below its season average.
- The Bears' defense forced at least one turnover for the 17th time in their last 19 games thanks to fumble recoveries by Tosin Aguebor and Lendell Arnold.
- Mercer gave up 392 yards of total offense in the game with 376 of those yards coming on the ground. The Bears held The Citadel to 3-of-6 passing for just 25 yards.
- Two players recorded double-digit tackles for the Bears, behind a game-high 11 stops from Kyle Williams and another 10 tackles for Tripp Patterson. Patterson now has two double-digit performances this season.
- Austin Barrett recorded a career-high eight tackles in the game including an assisted tackle-for-loss.
- Jeremy James forced a fumble for the third straight game.
Mercer returns to Five Star Stadium next weekend, when it hosts No. 4 Chattanooga in Macon on Military Appreciation Day. Kick-off is set for 4 p.m.
