Saturday, November 11
Cullowhee, N.C.
2 p.m.
Mercer University
5-5 , 4-4
35
at
33
#25 Western Carolina
7-4 , 5-3
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Mercer
14
14
0
7
35
Western Carolina
7
13
3
10
33
Team Stats
MER
WCU
Total Yards
344
507
Pass Yards
127
378
Rushing Yards
217
129
Penalty Yards
49
29
1st Downs
20
31
3rd Downs
7
9
4th Downs
2
0
TOP
29:55
30:05
1st Quarter
MER 0, WCU 7
WCU - Steffon Hill 34 yd pass from Tyrie Adams (Joshua Gibson kick) 9 plays, 83 yards, TOP 3:31
MER 7, WCU 7
MER - Tee Mitchell 1 yd run (Cole Fisher kick), 3 plays, 13 yards, TOP 1:01
MER 14, WCU 7
MER - Alex Lakes 1 yd run (Cole Fisher kick), 8 plays, 36 yards, TOP 2:50
2nd Quarter
MER 14, WCU 14
WCU - Detrez Newsome 1 yd run (Joshua Gibson kick), 17 plays, 62 yards, TOP 5:23
MER 21, WCU 14
MER - Chris Ellington 25 yd pass from Tanner Brumby (Cole Fisher kick) 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:07
MER 28, WCU 14
MER - Alex Lakes 24 yd run (Cole Fisher kick), 5 plays, 99 yards, TOP 1:21
MER 28, WCU 20
WCU - Austin Phillips 8 yd pass from Tyrie Adams (Joshua Gibson kickfailed) 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:56
3rd Quarter
MER 28, WCU 23
WCU - Joshua Gibson 31 yd field goal 5 plays, 19 yards, TOP 2:11
4th Quarter
MER 28, WCU 26
WCU - Joshua Gibson 38 yd field goal 13 plays, 59 yards, TOP 4:37
MER 35, WCU 26
MER - Kaelan Riley 1 yd run (Cole Fisher kick), 7 plays, 17 yards, TOP 3:22
MER 35, WCU 33
WCU - T. Robinson 48 yd pass from Tyrie Adams (Joshua Gibson kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:28
Game Leaders
CMP
9
TD
0
YDS
102
INT
0
CMP
1
TD
1
YDS
25
INT
0
Players Mentioned
LB
/ FootballQB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
TE
/ Football
K
/ Football
K/P
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
DL
/ FootballQB
/ Football
TE
/ Football
Photo by: Judy Stapleton
Mercer Rushes Past #25 Western Carolina in SoCon Finale
11/11/2017 6:03:00 PM | Football
Bears defeat second nationally-ranked opponent of the season
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Mercer used four rushing touchdowns and a fake field goal that went for a 25-yard touchdown pass to defeat No. 25 Western Carolina, 35-33, in Southern Conference play at E.J. Whitmire Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Turning Point
Kaelan Riley found the end zone untouched on a fourth-and-1 rush at the Western Carolina goal line, giving Mercer a 35-26 advantage after Cole Fisher converted the extra point with five minutes and 21 seconds remaining. It was a pivotal score, as Western Carolina found the end zone on the following drive to make it a two-point game.
It Was Over When
Mercer ran out the clock to seal the victory after getting the ball back with 3:42 remaining in the contest. Riley and Tee Mitchell both rushed for first downs over seven plays, forcing Western Carolina to call its two remaining timeouts.
Stat of the Game
Alex Lakes became Mercer's career rushing touchdowns leader with his first of two scores on the day. His first-quarter touchdown was the 31st of his career, making him the program's sole leader in the category (he was previously tied for the former record of 30 since Sept. 30).
Offensive Star
Mitchell and Lakes submitted a dominant joint effort of 46 carries for 207 rushing yards and three touchdowns against the Catamounts' defense Saturday. Both backs finished with season-highs in rushing yards (Mitchell, 120; Lakes, 87).
Defensive Standout
Lee Bennett totaled 16 tackles (five solo, 11 assisted) and played a role in both of Mercer's forced turnovers on Saturday. It was the senior captain's third game this season with 15-plus tackles.
How It Happened
Western Carolina drove 83 yards and opened the game with a 34-yard touchdown pass by Tyrie Adams to Steffon Hill. Mercer's defense responded on its next opportunity, however, as Jalen Penn forced an errant throw by Adams that was intercepted by Lee Bennett at the Western Carolina 13-yard line. Mitchell punched it in from one yard out, three plays later, to tie the game at 7-7.
A 39-yard punt return by Chandler Curtis set up Mercer's second touchdown of the game, a one-yard run by Lakes. After the Catamounts tied it up at 14-14 on a rushing touchdown by Detrez Newsome, Mercer would claim a 14-point advantage thanks to consecutive trips to the end zone. The first came via trickery, as a fake field goal ended in a shovel pass from Tanner Brumby to Chris Ellington for a 25-yard score on fourth-and-3. Mercer then drove 99 yards on five plays on its following drive, capped by a 24-yard touchdown run by Lakes. Mitchell totaled 38 yards on two carries while Marquise Irvin caught a team-long 38-yard pass on the drive.
Mercer took a 28-20 advantage into the locker room at halftime and saw the game shift to a defensive focus in the second half. Western Carolina cut the Bears' lead to 28-26 with less than nine minutes left in the game thanks to a pair of field goals by Joshua Gibson. Curtis emerged as a difference maker once again on special teams, returning the following kickoff 77 yards to set up a touchdown drive by the Bears, finished off by a one-yard rush by Riley on fourth down at the goal line. The touchdown was enough for Mercer to hang on despite a 48-yard score on Western Carolina's next drive.
Coach Lamb's Take
"I told the team that I'm proud of all of them today, but I'm most proud of our offensive line for taking control of this game," said head coach Bobby Lamb. "We didn't throw much today and that was the game plan going in; we felt like we could dominate [Western Carolina's] defensive line, and we did just that.
"You can't say enough about what we did on offense and we did just enough to win on defense. We played our guts out. Our special teams was much better today as well. This is a huge win; [Western Carolina] was playing to get into the playoffs today. No one believed in our guys except for themselves."
Notables
Team
» Mercer improved to 2-2 all-time against Western Carolina. The Bears have won two straight in the series (defeated Western Carolina at home, 38-24, last season).
» The Bears have two wins over nationally-ranked FCS opponents this season. It is the first time Mercer has defeated two nationally-ranked opponents in the same season.
» Mercer finished 4-4 in the SoCon for the second straight season.
» The road win was Mercer's second of the season. Both have come against conference foes.
Offense
» Mercer's 28 first-half points are the most it has scored in a first half this season.
» The Bears' 35 points are their most since a 49-point output against VMI on Sept. 30.
» Lakes became the program's all-time rushing touchdowns leader with his first-quarter score. It was the 31st rushing touchdown of his career.
» Mitchell crossed the century mark for rushing yards for the first time since Oct. 10, 2015, when he totaled 111 rushing yards against the Catamounts.
» Mitchell's 26 carries are a career-high.
» Lakes' two touchdowns marked his eighth career multi-touchdown performance.
» Riley only attempted 15 passes, the lowest total of the season.
» Seven Bears caught Riley's nine completions, including Sam Walker (three receptions, 30 yards).
» Riley's rushing touchdown was his first since Sept. 9.
Defense
» Bennett recorded his fourth career interception, tying him for fourth-most in program history.
» Bennett added his seventh career fumble recovery, the most in program history.
» Coney's forced fumble is the first of his career.
» Three Bears totaled 10-plus tackles: Bennett (16), Eric Jackson (14) and Brandon Coney (10). Jackson and Coney's totals are both career-highs.
Special Teams
» Brumby's shovel pass to Ellington on the fake field goal marked career-firsts for both players. It was Brumby's first touchdown pass and Ellington's first touchdown reception.
» Despite totaling only 10 receiving yards, Curtis tallied 184 all-purpose yards. He finished with 128 kick return yards and 46 punt return yards. His 77-yard kick return was the third longest in program history while his 39-yard punt return was his second longest of the season.
» Grant Goupil punted five times and averaged 45.0 yards per punt.
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.
Turning Point
Kaelan Riley found the end zone untouched on a fourth-and-1 rush at the Western Carolina goal line, giving Mercer a 35-26 advantage after Cole Fisher converted the extra point with five minutes and 21 seconds remaining. It was a pivotal score, as Western Carolina found the end zone on the following drive to make it a two-point game.
It Was Over When
Mercer ran out the clock to seal the victory after getting the ball back with 3:42 remaining in the contest. Riley and Tee Mitchell both rushed for first downs over seven plays, forcing Western Carolina to call its two remaining timeouts.
Stat of the Game
Alex Lakes became Mercer's career rushing touchdowns leader with his first of two scores on the day. His first-quarter touchdown was the 31st of his career, making him the program's sole leader in the category (he was previously tied for the former record of 30 since Sept. 30).
Offensive Star
Mitchell and Lakes submitted a dominant joint effort of 46 carries for 207 rushing yards and three touchdowns against the Catamounts' defense Saturday. Both backs finished with season-highs in rushing yards (Mitchell, 120; Lakes, 87).
Defensive Standout
Lee Bennett totaled 16 tackles (five solo, 11 assisted) and played a role in both of Mercer's forced turnovers on Saturday. It was the senior captain's third game this season with 15-plus tackles.
How It Happened
Western Carolina drove 83 yards and opened the game with a 34-yard touchdown pass by Tyrie Adams to Steffon Hill. Mercer's defense responded on its next opportunity, however, as Jalen Penn forced an errant throw by Adams that was intercepted by Lee Bennett at the Western Carolina 13-yard line. Mitchell punched it in from one yard out, three plays later, to tie the game at 7-7.
A 39-yard punt return by Chandler Curtis set up Mercer's second touchdown of the game, a one-yard run by Lakes. After the Catamounts tied it up at 14-14 on a rushing touchdown by Detrez Newsome, Mercer would claim a 14-point advantage thanks to consecutive trips to the end zone. The first came via trickery, as a fake field goal ended in a shovel pass from Tanner Brumby to Chris Ellington for a 25-yard score on fourth-and-3. Mercer then drove 99 yards on five plays on its following drive, capped by a 24-yard touchdown run by Lakes. Mitchell totaled 38 yards on two carries while Marquise Irvin caught a team-long 38-yard pass on the drive.
Mercer took a 28-20 advantage into the locker room at halftime and saw the game shift to a defensive focus in the second half. Western Carolina cut the Bears' lead to 28-26 with less than nine minutes left in the game thanks to a pair of field goals by Joshua Gibson. Curtis emerged as a difference maker once again on special teams, returning the following kickoff 77 yards to set up a touchdown drive by the Bears, finished off by a one-yard rush by Riley on fourth down at the goal line. The touchdown was enough for Mercer to hang on despite a 48-yard score on Western Carolina's next drive.
Coach Lamb's Take
"I told the team that I'm proud of all of them today, but I'm most proud of our offensive line for taking control of this game," said head coach Bobby Lamb. "We didn't throw much today and that was the game plan going in; we felt like we could dominate [Western Carolina's] defensive line, and we did just that.
"You can't say enough about what we did on offense and we did just enough to win on defense. We played our guts out. Our special teams was much better today as well. This is a huge win; [Western Carolina] was playing to get into the playoffs today. No one believed in our guys except for themselves."
Notables
Team
» Mercer improved to 2-2 all-time against Western Carolina. The Bears have won two straight in the series (defeated Western Carolina at home, 38-24, last season).
» The Bears have two wins over nationally-ranked FCS opponents this season. It is the first time Mercer has defeated two nationally-ranked opponents in the same season.
» Mercer finished 4-4 in the SoCon for the second straight season.
» The road win was Mercer's second of the season. Both have come against conference foes.
Offense
» Mercer's 28 first-half points are the most it has scored in a first half this season.
» The Bears' 35 points are their most since a 49-point output against VMI on Sept. 30.
» Lakes became the program's all-time rushing touchdowns leader with his first-quarter score. It was the 31st rushing touchdown of his career.
» Mitchell crossed the century mark for rushing yards for the first time since Oct. 10, 2015, when he totaled 111 rushing yards against the Catamounts.
» Mitchell's 26 carries are a career-high.
» Lakes' two touchdowns marked his eighth career multi-touchdown performance.
» Riley only attempted 15 passes, the lowest total of the season.
» Seven Bears caught Riley's nine completions, including Sam Walker (three receptions, 30 yards).
» Riley's rushing touchdown was his first since Sept. 9.
Defense
» Bennett recorded his fourth career interception, tying him for fourth-most in program history.
» Bennett added his seventh career fumble recovery, the most in program history.
» Coney's forced fumble is the first of his career.
» Three Bears totaled 10-plus tackles: Bennett (16), Eric Jackson (14) and Brandon Coney (10). Jackson and Coney's totals are both career-highs.
Special Teams
» Brumby's shovel pass to Ellington on the fake field goal marked career-firsts for both players. It was Brumby's first touchdown pass and Ellington's first touchdown reception.
» Despite totaling only 10 receiving yards, Curtis tallied 184 all-purpose yards. He finished with 128 kick return yards and 46 punt return yards. His 77-yard kick return was the third longest in program history while his 39-yard punt return was his second longest of the season.
» Grant Goupil punted five times and averaged 45.0 yards per punt.
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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