Bears Host Chattanooga Saturday in SoCon Clash

MACON, Ga. – Mercer looks to continue its recent strong play in Southern Conference action as it welcomes Chattanooga to Five Star Stadium at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Bears (3-3, 2-2 SoCon) have won two straight games by a combined 45 points, including its second win over a nationally-ranked team with its 24-14 victory at then-No. 17 (STATS/Coaches) The Citadel on Oct. 7. Chattanooga (1-5, 1-2 SoCon) enters the matchup riding a two-game skid with losses at home to Western Carolina (45-7) and Furman (41-17).

The game will be broadcasted via Stadium with access on major social media platforms, including Twitter, as well as linear television stations. Fans can tune into the game on 96.5 FM The Bull or via the Sportsmic and iHeartRadio apps. It will not stream live via ESPN3.

GAMEDAY LINEUP
Gameday Central: MercerBears.com
Date: Saturday, Oct. 14 | 3:30 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (3-3, 2-2 SoCon) vs. Chattanooga (1-5, 1-2 SoCon)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Five Star Stadium (10,200)
Television: Stadium | @WatchStadium | WatchStadium.com
Television Talent: Frank Malloy (play-by-play), Conrad Nix (color), Kristin Banks (sideline)
Radio: Mercer Sports Network | 96.5 FM The Bull | iHeartRadio | Sportsmic
Radio Talent: Rick Cameron (play-by-play), Roger Jackson (analyst), Kristin Banks (sideline)
Live Stats: MercerBears.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerFootball
Game Notes: Mercer | Chattanooga | SoCon

Quick Hits

Mercer's first win over a nationally-ranked opponent was a 17-14 victory vs. then-No. 3 Chattanooga at Five Star Stadium in 2015.
The Bears rank in the top-15 nationally in six categories: fumbles recovered (1st, nine); red zone offense (2nd, .958); turnovers gained (5th, 15); red zone defense (11th, .632); sacks allowed (15th, 1.00); and turnover margin (15th, 1.00).
Mercer head coach Bobby Lamb is 9-3 in his career vs. Chattanooga (1-2 with Mercer).
Mercer is averaging 30.2 points per game while allowing a SoCon-best 18.8 per game on defense.
Mercer's defense has forced at least three turnovers in four of six games this season.

Series History
Chattanooga has won 19 of the 27 meetings between these two programs, including last year's contest in Chattanooga on Oct. 8. Mercer's 52 points surrendered to the Mocs last year – the Bears lost 52-31 – are the most allowed since the program returned in 2013. However, Mercer's biggest win in program history came against the Mocs in 2015. The Bears defeated Chattanooga, ranked No. 3 nationally at the time, 17-14, for their first win over a ranked opponent.

Watch On Stadium
Saturday's contest will be broadcasted via Stadium, a live streaming sports network that runs 24 hours per day on Twitter. Fans can watch the Mercer-Chattanooga football game via the @WatchStadium Twitter account, or Stadium's own website, www.WatchStadium.com.

The network formed when Campus Insiders, 120 Sports and American Sports Network (ASN) combined forces to take advantage of a combined collection of professional and collegiate rights and full game archives, as well as to maximize access to a broad array of post-game highlights, up-to-the-moment news, and original, long-form programming.

Wear Pink | Military Appreciation Day
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the Bears will support by wearing pink ribbons on their helmets throughout the month. Mercer will also wear pink gloves among other uniform items in support. Mercer will also honor the United States armed forces Saturday with Military Appreciation Day at Five Star Stadium.

Three-Headed Beast
Mercer has found success rushing the ball each of the last two weeks, and it is no coincidence that has translated to a pair of victories. The Bears rushed 50 times for 257 yards vs. VMI on Sept. 30 and 51 times for 200 yards at #17 The Citadel on Oct. 7. The trio of Tee Mitchell, CJ Leggett and Alex Lakes has been vital to this production. Both Mitchell and Leggett have scored at least one rushing touchdown apiece in each of the last three games, while Lakes became the program's all-time leading rusher vs. VMI on Sept. 30 and added 79 yards on 16 carries at The Citadel last week (Oct. 7).

Lee-n On Me
Senior captain and linebacker Lee Bennett was a force to be reckoned with in Mercer's 24-14 win at #17 The Citadel last week. He set a career-high with 16 tackles – second-most in program history – while forcing two fumbles, recovering one and adding one TFL and quarterback hit. Bennett was named the STATS FCS National Defensive Player of the Week and the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week for his performance. He leads Mercer with 54 total tackles.

Lamb Closing In
Mercer head coach Bobby Lamb is in his 14th season as a head coach and is only three wins away from cracking 100 career victories (97-62). Lamb ranks third among active SoCon coaches in career wins, trailing Wofford's Mike Ayers (212) and Samford's Chris Hatcher (137). Lamb is also fourth in SoCon history on the all-time wins list with 86.

Return to the Red Zone
Consistency at its finest. Mercer has been rock-solid in the red zone – both offensively and defensively – this season. The Bears are second nationally in red zone offense, scoring on 96 percent of their trips (23-of- 24) including 18 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the defense ranks 11th nationally and first in the SoCon at 63.2 percent (12-of-19).

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.

Bears Host Chattanooga Saturday in SoCon Clash

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Players Mentioned

Lee Bennett

Alex Lakes

CJ Leggett

Tee Mitchell

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