Saturday, November 18
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
12 p.m.
Mercer University
at
#1 Alabama
Photo by: Judy Stapleton
Mercer Faces No. 1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa Saturday
11/17/2017 1:39:00 PM | Football
Regular season finale pits Bears against nation’s top team
MACON, Ga. – Mercer concludes its 2017 regular season slate on Saturday with a nonconference road battle against the nation's top-ranked team, Alabama, at 12 p.m. ET at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The Bears' (5-5, 4-4 Southern Conference) clash with No. 1 Alabama (10-0, 7-0 SEC) marks the second time they have faced a nationally-ranked FBS and SEC opponent this fall; Mercer fell to then-No. 15 Auburn, 24-10, on Sept. 16.
The game will be broadcasted via SEC Network while fans can tune into the game on 96.5 FM The Bull or via the Sportsmic and iHeartRadio apps.
GAMEDAY LINEUP
Gameday Central: MercerBears.com
Date: Saturday, November 17 | 12 p.m. ET (11 a.m. CT)
Teams: Mercer (5-5, 4-4 SoCon) at No. 1 Alabama (10-0, 7-0 SEC)
Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala. | Bryant-Denny Stadium (101,821)
Television: SEC Network
Television Talent: Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rogers (analyst), Cole Cubelic (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: SidearmStats.com/Alabama/football/
Twitter Updates: @MercerFootball
Game Notes: Mercer | Alabama | SoCon | SEC
Quick Hits
Mercer and Alabama will meet Saturday for the first time since 1940. The Crimson Tide leads the all-time series, 2-0, with a pair of 20-0 victories in Tuscaloosa in consecutive seasons (1939, 1940). The Bears have only faced one other SEC opponent since reviving their football program in 2013 (Auburn, 2017) but have struggled historically against the conference. Mercer owns all-time wins against Florida (six), South Carolina (one) and Tennessee (one).
Red Means Go
Consistency at its finest. Mercer is the only FCS team ranked inside the top-13 nationally for both red zone offense and defense. The Bears lead the FCS in red zone offense, scoring on 94.1 percent of its trips (32-of- 34). Mercer's defense is 13th, holding opponents to scores on 69.7 percent of their trips.
Returning Home
Five Bears will be returning to their home state of Alabama on Saturday and have the chance to make an impact against one of the most storied programs in college football. Marquise Irvin (Huntsville), Brandon Gurley (Huntsville), Luke Ward (Atmore), Andrew Robinson (Birmingham) and Austin Wysor (Trussville) all hail from Alabama.
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 leads the FCS in fumble recoveries (14) and ranks 12th with 23 turnovers gained. Mercer has forced at least three turnovers in five of 10 games this season.
Lee-n On Me
Senior captain and linebacker Lee Bennett has dominated this fall, racking up 102 total tackles through 10 games played, including single-game efforts of 16 (at #16 The Citadel), 17 (at Furman) and 16 (at #25 Western Carolina). He ranks 13th nationally (FCS) in tackles per game (10.2), fifth nationally in fumble recoveries (three) and has added 5.5 tackles for loss, one interception and two forced fumbles.
Uniform Combo 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.
The Bears' (5-5, 4-4 Southern Conference) clash with No. 1 Alabama (10-0, 7-0 SEC) marks the second time they have faced a nationally-ranked FBS and SEC opponent this fall; Mercer fell to then-No. 15 Auburn, 24-10, on Sept. 16.
The game will be broadcasted via SEC Network while fans can tune into the game on 96.5 FM The Bull or via the Sportsmic and iHeartRadio apps.
GAMEDAY LINEUP
Gameday Central: MercerBears.com
Date: Saturday, November 17 | 12 p.m. ET (11 a.m. CT)
Teams: Mercer (5-5, 4-4 SoCon) at No. 1 Alabama (10-0, 7-0 SEC)
Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala. | Bryant-Denny Stadium (101,821)
Television: SEC Network
Television Talent: Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rogers (analyst), Cole Cubelic (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: SidearmStats.com/Alabama/football/
Twitter Updates: @MercerFootball
Game Notes: Mercer | Alabama | SoCon | SEC
Quick Hits
- Head Coach Bobby Lamb is one win away from career victory No. 100 (99-64).
- Mercer is the only team in college football with scheduled road games at Auburn & Alabama this season. This game marks the third time Mercer has faced a FBS team since reviving its program in 2013 (Georgia Tech, 2016; Auburn, 2017).
- Linebacker Lee Bennett owns a team-high 102 tackles this season. He has three games with 16-plus tackles. He was named SoCon Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season on Monday.
- Chandler Curtis is averaging 102.8 all-purpose yards per game, making him just one of three SoCon players with 1,000-plus all-purpose yards on the season. He was named SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday.
- Mercer has cracked 200 rushing yards three times this season, using 50-plus carries each time.
- Mercer has allowed an average of 15.6 points to opponents in its five wins this season.
- Tee Mitchell crossed the century mark in rushing yards (120) for the first time since 2015 on a career-high 26 carries at Western Carolina on Nov. 11. He has scored at least one rushing touchdown in six of the last seven games.
- Alex Lakes set the program's all-time rushing touchdowns record (32) with a pair of scores at Western Carolina.
Mercer and Alabama will meet Saturday for the first time since 1940. The Crimson Tide leads the all-time series, 2-0, with a pair of 20-0 victories in Tuscaloosa in consecutive seasons (1939, 1940). The Bears have only faced one other SEC opponent since reviving their football program in 2013 (Auburn, 2017) but have struggled historically against the conference. Mercer owns all-time wins against Florida (six), South Carolina (one) and Tennessee (one).
Red Means Go
Consistency at its finest. Mercer is the only FCS team ranked inside the top-13 nationally for both red zone offense and defense. The Bears lead the FCS in red zone offense, scoring on 94.1 percent of its trips (32-of- 34). Mercer's defense is 13th, holding opponents to scores on 69.7 percent of their trips.
Returning Home
Five Bears will be returning to their home state of Alabama on Saturday and have the chance to make an impact against one of the most storied programs in college football. Marquise Irvin (Huntsville), Brandon Gurley (Huntsville), Luke Ward (Atmore), Andrew Robinson (Birmingham) and Austin Wysor (Trussville) all hail from Alabama.
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 leads the FCS in fumble recoveries (14) and ranks 12th with 23 turnovers gained. Mercer has forced at least three turnovers in five of 10 games this season.
Lee-n On Me
Senior captain and linebacker Lee Bennett has dominated this fall, racking up 102 total tackles through 10 games played, including single-game efforts of 16 (at #16 The Citadel), 17 (at Furman) and 16 (at #25 Western Carolina). He ranks 13th nationally (FCS) in tackles per game (10.2), fifth nationally in fumble recoveries (three) and has added 5.5 tackles for loss, one interception and two forced fumbles.
Uniform Combo 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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