Mercer Faces #17 The Citadel on the Road

MACON, Ga. – Mercer travels to Charleston, S.C. this weekend for a Southern Conference battle with No. 17 (STATS/Coaches) The Citadel at 2 p.m. Saturday at Johnson Hagood Stadium.

The Bears (2-3, 1-2 SoCon) seek their first win against the nationally-ranked Bulldogs (3-1, 1-1) since 1931. All three meetings between the two programs in the modern era (since 2013) have been decided by a combined five points. The game will air on ESPN3 and 96.5 FM The Bull or via the Sportsmic and iHeartRadio apps.

GAMEDAY LINEUP
Date: Saturday, Oct. 7 | 2 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (2-3, 1-2 SoCon) vs. No. 17 The Citadel (3-1, 1-1 SoCon)
Location: Charleston, S.C. | Johnson Hagood Stadium (11,500)
Television: ESPN3
Television Talent: Kevin Fitzgerald (play-by-play) and James Riley (color)
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: CitadelSports.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerFootball
Game Notes: Mercer | The Citadel | SoCon

Quick Hits

The Bears seek their first road win of the year (0-2 with losses at Auburn and ETSU).
Mercer head coach Bobby Lamb is 6-6 all-time against The Citadel (6-3 as Furman's HC).
The Bears are fourth nationally and first in the SoCon in red zone offense (95 percent). They have converted 19 of 20 red zone trips into points, including 15 touchdowns.
Mercer's 11 turnovers gained rank 15th in the FCS and first in the SoCon.
Mercer is averaging 31.4 points per game this season (48.5 points per game in two wins).
Mercer leads the SoCon in scoring defense at 19.8 points per game (27th nationally).
Kaelan Riley's 318 passing yards vs. VMI are the second most in a single game in program history.

Series History
The Citadel leads the all-time series, 9-4-1, but has most importantly claimed the last three meetings. All three losses have been by a combined five points, including last year's 24-23 heartbreaker in the season opener at Five Star Stadium. Mercer railed from a 21-3 deficit to take a two-point lead early in the third quarter, but The Citadel kicked a game-winning 35-yard field goal with 2:20 remaining.

A win by Mercer on Saturday would be its first in the series since 1931 and would also be Mercer's second over a ranked opponent since the revival of the program.

Calhoun Connection
Quarterback Kaelan Riley and wide receiver Chandler Curtis both hail from Calhoun High School (Calhoun, Ga.) and played prep ball under Coach Lamb's brother, Hal. The duo has used its well-established chemistry effectively over the last two weeks. Riley has found Curtis five times for 173 yards and three touchdowns during that time span, averaging 34.3 yards per catch.

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's 11 turnovers gained rank 15th nationally and first in the SoCon. The Bears forced five at Auburn on Sept. 16 and snagged three interceptions in their most recent win over VMI at home. Mercer additionally leads the SoCon in scoring defense (19.7 points per game).

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 fourth nationally and first in the SoCon in red zone offense, scoring on 95 percent of their trips (19-of-20) including 15 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the defense ranks 18th nationally and first in the SoCon at 66.7 percent (10-of-15).

Houz's House?
Stephen Houzah snagged two interceptions last week vs. VMI, further proving his ball-hawking skills in Mercer's defensive back field. The junior cornerback is the only player in program history with a multi-interception game; he has two for his career. Houzah is tied with Alex Avant (2013-15) for the most interceptions in program history (6).

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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Players Mentioned

Chandler Curtis

Stephen Houzah

Kaelan Riley

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