Saturday, October 21
Greenville, S.C.
1:30 p.m.
Mercer University
at
Furman
Photo by: Judy Stapleton
Mercer Heads to Greenville for Clash with Furman
10/20/2017 10:34:00 AM | Football
Bears, Paladins riding respective three- and four-game win streaks
MACON, Ga. – Mercer will take a three-game Southern Conference win streak into Greenville, S.C. on Saturday, where it will clash another streaking team in the form of Furman, at 1:30 p.m. at Paladin Stadium.
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The Bears (4-3, 3-2 SoCon) will try to snap Furman's (4-3, 3-1) four-game win streak that dates back to Sept. 23. A matchup between Mercer's defensive unit, known as the Legion of Chaos, and Furman's offense will be a focal point on Saturday afternoon. Mercer leads the SoCon in scoring defense (17.6 points per game) while the Paladins rank second in the SoCon in scoring offense (36.3 points per game) and have scored 40-plus points in four straight games.
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Saturday's contest also pits Mercer's Bobby Lamb and Furman's Clay Hendrix, who will face one another as head coaches for the first time in their intertwined football careers. Lamb and Hendrix are Commerce, Ga., natives who starred at Commerce High School and Furman as student-athletes before sharing the Furman sideline as coaching colleagues.
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The game will be broadcasted via ESPN3. Fans can tune into the game on 96.5 FM The Bull or via the Sportsmic and iHeartRadio apps.
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GAMEDAY LINEUP
Gameday Central: MercerBears.com
Date: Saturday, October 21 | 1:30 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (4-3, 3-2 SoCon) at Furman (4-3, 3-1 SoCon)
Location: Greenville, S.C. | Paladin Stadium (16,000)
Television: ESPN3
Television Talent: Bob Mihalic (play-by-play), Sam Wyche (analyst), Scott Cole (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: Statbroadcast.com
Twitter Updates: @MercerFootball
Game Notes: Mercer | Furman | SoCon
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Quick Hits
Mercer trails, 6-7-2, in the all-time series but enters Saturday's contest with two consecutive wins over Furman dating back to the 2015 season. The Bears claimed a dramatic 27-24 win over Furman at Five Star Stadium last year as John Russ found Jordan Marshall for a 33-yard touchdown pass with 31 seconds remaining. Mercer's 30-man senior class, which helped bring back football to the university in 2013, ended their careers with a victory.
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Lamb at Homecoming
Bobby Lamb is returning to Furman on Homecoming for what will be his second game on the visitor's sideline at his alma mater. Plenty will look familiar, but even more so this time when Lamb goes up against childhood friend, former teammate, former coaching colleague and current Furman head coach, Clay Hendrix.
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Lamb – who starred at quarterback for Furman before serving 25 years on its coaching staff (nine as head coach) – and Hendrix grew up together in Commerce, Ga., where they won the 1981 Georgia Class AA state championship at Commerce High School. The duo went on to win three SoCon titles as Furman players (Hendrix played guard on offense line) and six SoCon titles and the 1988 national championship as Furman coaches. Hendrix served as Lamb's assistant head coach from 2002-06 before taking a position at Air Force. Lamb is 1-0 at Furman since taking the helm at Mercer; the Bears defeated Furman, 27-20, in Greenville on Nov. 14, 2015.
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Red Means Go
Consistency at its finest. Mercer is the only team in the FCS to rank in the top-10 nationally for red zone offense and defense. The Bears are sixth nationally in red zone offense, scoring on 93 percent of their trips (26-of-28) including 20 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the defense ranks ninth nationally and first in the SoCon at 65.0 percent (13-of-20).
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Three-Headed Beast
Despite a lackluster 84 rushing yards on 35 carries against Chattanooga last week, Mercer has started to find its groove on the ground. 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 four 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).
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Welcome to the L.O.C.
Here comes the boom. The Legion of Chaos, otherwise known as the Mercer defense has established itself as a force. Mercer ranks second nationally in fumble recoveries (9) and ranks sixth nationally with 16 turnovers gained this fall. The Bears have totaled seven interceptions and 13.0 sacks as well.
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Speaking Highly of Riley
Kaelan Riley completed 20-of-27 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns last Saturday against Chattanooga, which ranked 21st nationally and first in the SoCon with an average of 175.7 passing yards allowed per game. Despite being his first season of collegiate action, Riley has impressed so far this fall, totaling 1,437 passing yards and 12 touchdowns through seven games. He has eclipsed 230 passing yards three times, including a career-best 318 vs. VMI on Sept. 30. Riley has thrown only one interception over the last five games as well.
Week 8 Uniform Reveal
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.
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The Bears (4-3, 3-2 SoCon) will try to snap Furman's (4-3, 3-1) four-game win streak that dates back to Sept. 23. A matchup between Mercer's defensive unit, known as the Legion of Chaos, and Furman's offense will be a focal point on Saturday afternoon. Mercer leads the SoCon in scoring defense (17.6 points per game) while the Paladins rank second in the SoCon in scoring offense (36.3 points per game) and have scored 40-plus points in four straight games.
Â
Saturday's contest also pits Mercer's Bobby Lamb and Furman's Clay Hendrix, who will face one another as head coaches for the first time in their intertwined football careers. Lamb and Hendrix are Commerce, Ga., natives who starred at Commerce High School and Furman as student-athletes before sharing the Furman sideline as coaching colleagues.
Â
The game will be broadcasted via ESPN3. Fans can tune into the game on 96.5 FM The Bull or via the Sportsmic and iHeartRadio apps.
Â
GAMEDAY LINEUP
Gameday Central: MercerBears.com
Date: Saturday, October 21 | 1:30 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (4-3, 3-2 SoCon) at Furman (4-3, 3-1 SoCon)
Location: Greenville, S.C. | Paladin Stadium (16,000)
Television: ESPN3
Television Talent: Bob Mihalic (play-by-play), Sam Wyche (analyst), Scott Cole (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: Statbroadcast.com
Twitter Updates: @MercerFootball
Game Notes: Mercer | Furman | SoCon
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Quick Hits
- Both Mercer and Furman are heating up down the stretch of SoCon play; Furman owns a four-game win streak while Mercer is riding a program-record three-game win streak in SoCon play.
- A win at Furman would tie Mercer's program record of four SoCon wins, which was set last season.
- Mercer ranks inside the FCS top-10 in red zone offense (sixth) and defense (ninth).
- Head Coach Bobby Lamb is two wins away from career victory No. 100 (98-62).
- Tee Mitchell and CJ Leggett have both scored at least once in each of the last four games.
- Chandler Curtis has four touchdown receptions in the last four games, pushing his career total to a program-leading 16. Teammates Avery Ward and Marquise Irvin are tied for second in program history with 12.
- Lee Bennett – who was named STATS FCS National Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 7) – is averaging 8.7 tackles per game (61 total).
- Mercer has allowed an average of 11.2 points to opponents in its four wins. The Bears lead the SoCon and rank 15th nationally in overall scoring defense (17.6 points per game).
- Stephen Houzah needs one interception to become the program's all-time leader with seven. He picked off two passes vs. VMI on Sept. 30.
Mercer trails, 6-7-2, in the all-time series but enters Saturday's contest with two consecutive wins over Furman dating back to the 2015 season. The Bears claimed a dramatic 27-24 win over Furman at Five Star Stadium last year as John Russ found Jordan Marshall for a 33-yard touchdown pass with 31 seconds remaining. Mercer's 30-man senior class, which helped bring back football to the university in 2013, ended their careers with a victory.
Â
Lamb at Homecoming
Bobby Lamb is returning to Furman on Homecoming for what will be his second game on the visitor's sideline at his alma mater. Plenty will look familiar, but even more so this time when Lamb goes up against childhood friend, former teammate, former coaching colleague and current Furman head coach, Clay Hendrix.
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Lamb – who starred at quarterback for Furman before serving 25 years on its coaching staff (nine as head coach) – and Hendrix grew up together in Commerce, Ga., where they won the 1981 Georgia Class AA state championship at Commerce High School. The duo went on to win three SoCon titles as Furman players (Hendrix played guard on offense line) and six SoCon titles and the 1988 national championship as Furman coaches. Hendrix served as Lamb's assistant head coach from 2002-06 before taking a position at Air Force. Lamb is 1-0 at Furman since taking the helm at Mercer; the Bears defeated Furman, 27-20, in Greenville on Nov. 14, 2015.
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Red Means Go
Consistency at its finest. Mercer is the only team in the FCS to rank in the top-10 nationally for red zone offense and defense. The Bears are sixth nationally in red zone offense, scoring on 93 percent of their trips (26-of-28) including 20 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the defense ranks ninth nationally and first in the SoCon at 65.0 percent (13-of-20).
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Three-Headed Beast
Despite a lackluster 84 rushing yards on 35 carries against Chattanooga last week, Mercer has started to find its groove on the ground. 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 four 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).
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Welcome to the L.O.C.
Here comes the boom. The Legion of Chaos, otherwise known as the Mercer defense has established itself as a force. Mercer ranks second nationally in fumble recoveries (9) and ranks sixth nationally with 16 turnovers gained this fall. The Bears have totaled seven interceptions and 13.0 sacks as well.
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Speaking Highly of Riley
Kaelan Riley completed 20-of-27 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns last Saturday against Chattanooga, which ranked 21st nationally and first in the SoCon with an average of 175.7 passing yards allowed per game. Despite being his first season of collegiate action, Riley has impressed so far this fall, totaling 1,437 passing yards and 12 touchdowns through seven games. He has eclipsed 230 passing yards three times, including a career-best 318 vs. VMI on Sept. 30. Riley has thrown only one interception over the last five games as well.
Week 8 Uniform Reveal
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.
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